Meet Dalex Miller | improv guru / voice & face actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dalex Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dalex, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
At least two things come to mind when i think about guiding principles in my life and Güd Time Gang (Academy for Immediate Theatre). One i’ve known about for a LONG time, and the other came as more of a realization through the life narrative of my friends and artistic cohorts. Comedy has always been an easy in. I was weird… am weird? Will be Weird. YES. I’ll be weird my whole life, and using that to make the day to day goings-on of others and myself better, or at least absurdly bearable, that’s a good–er Güd way to live. Some say that shit comes from my churchin’ as a kid. <shrug emoji> It probably does… But i’m not going to get into that whole mishegoss. Here’s what i WILL say, i think when you want to improv(e) the lives of others as much as your own, it gives you back more than you could’ve hoped for just taking care of yourself in primary. Corny, i know, but massively true in my experience. The other guiding principal of Güd Time Gang, or at least it’s founding, has always been moored in punk rock virtues. DIY, Dirty, Fast, Loud, Non-conformity, Agitating and upsetting the system and status quo. Those things are invaluable fuel for a very potent engine. Punk to me, and god knows how many others, has been about getting your voice out there and pointing out flaws in the world machine. But WAIT, that’s not all! Joe Strummer (The Clash) said a few very important things about punk that have resonated with me and charted courses for my pirate sails of improv. Most notably in a 1999 interview he declared, “…In fact, punk rock means EXEMPLARY MANNERS TO YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING.” I carry that daily. I even got it engraved on my iPad.. which may be missing the mark, but i think it’s forgivable.

Punk is not just the image. That’s a bi-product of the soul of nonconformity (and lets pause to properly define that term for a second… noun. failure or refusal to behave) and freedom that punk brings. The most influential artist in my life to date also had thoughts on the matter and he said, “Punk is musical freedom. It’s saying, doing and playing what you want. In Webster’s terms, ‘nirvana’ means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that’s pretty close to my definition of Punk Rock.” -Kurdt Cobain. Improv comedy and comedy in general strives to relieve a persons suffering and replace it with something more useful. So my thought process in starting Güd Time Gang was to elevate Atlanta voices to be the most punk they can be and educate, disturb, and delight the masses that gather with them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

So, i’m by existence an artist. Not a regular fancy one that makes art out of marble, paint, or even macaroni… I make funny voices and occasionally get the raw end of the deal in the zombie apocalypse. So, yeah, face and voice acting and improv comedy are my wheelhouses. I’ve been improvising for well over a decade now and when i caught the improv bug, that bug was caught by more than a set of mere chopsticks. It was harnessed by a full on flypaper prison with plush amenities and a gym. This is where bugs go and really make something of themselves through the hottest flames of bug hel-

Mmmkay. Might have gotten a lil sidetracked by that metaphor.
How did i get here? Oh, about my art! Right, back on course. I consider teaching part of my art because i think true educators are masters of the art of knowledge retention and comprehension. Like, not every human is going to connect with one type of teaching or methodology. I certainly needed a lot of very diverse input along the way to be where i felt like a competent actor and improviser. So, i work around and try different options to get an epiphany for all students. I also know that teaching made me a better and more passionate performer.
In terms of the journey to where i am today… woof. I don’t recommend it. It involved a lot of doubting, heartache, and almost leaving L.A. Then ACTUALLY leaving… Early on i lost my two front teeth and then lost a long-term girlfriend. This was back when you could still afford to have your own room in North Hollywood. LOL. I however was lucky enough to fall into a career in scripted TV casting for a time before i actually embarked into the land of infrequent paychecks known as acting. That “before acting” time was full of scheduling auditions, trying to avoid agents’ calls, or standing awkwardly behind a cheap consumer camera meeting really rad actors, writers, and directors… People i genuinely looked up to. Rob Bowman for instance was a director and producer on one of my first shows, “Castle” (ABC) and i frothed at the mouth because Rob was a director for a bunch of great episodes of “X-Files”. I also worked on a pilot for amazon and in a callback watched John Hawkes improvise in character with the young actors reading to play his daughter in the pilot. This is NOT common practice in casting, and I was totally floored. This legit dramatic actor was just so comfortable in his interpretation of the character and insisted on being with this other actor completely off-page. He had the chops to just improvise as this character.
Meeting those artists and many more was like crack and when i wasn’t in the casting office i was taking improv classes at the now defunct iO West (thanks Charna) and interning in their box office. I was insatiable… i wanted to improvise all the time and get as good as humanly possible, and it all came from doing unquestionably THE WORST SHOW ever performed at the UCB stage on Franklin Ave. It was my first legit longform improv show, which is what i primarily teach now. I performed said disaster with a hodgepodge of improvisers consisting of my college improv guru / close friend, a girl who also attended our college, a guy named David who probably loves theatre and improv even more than me, and maybe two or three other people. The only thing we had going for us is that we genuinely liked each other, but really lacked the training to build scenes that made sense together or create something watchable from a trivial suggestion. So it was a cagematch against Convoy, it was week 33 of their reign in that showdown. These were arguably some of the smartest improvisers in the early days of UCB in L.A. and even today; Alex Fernie, Alex Berg, and Todd Fasen. Needless to say we did not win the audience over that night. Bombing at that show made me want to never have a show like that again. And… it worked. Along the way i took countless classes, played innumerable shows, and made a lot of memories. I’ve been trained by people who wrote for SNL, icons like Stephen Tobolowsky, and Craig Cackowski (Drunk History). Even a lot of the actors i watched come through our audition rooms generally taught me something that i can now share with my students in some manner or another.
I think one thing that sets my approach to teaching improv apart from others is it’s not just typical improv. My approach comes from everything i’ve ever had the reaction, “That was great and wow i/we benefited from that!” The experience can’t just be summarized here in these words, but I challenge students to go beyond what they think improv comedy training can be. It’s an experience of listening and encouraging students to trust their instincts and each other amidst chaos to synthesize an idea outside themselves into something truly inspired.
I just genuinely hope you, the reader, are curious enough to trust yourself to embark on an improv journey with us. I actually revel in teaching non-actor improvisers. I think anyone who can have a conversation can improvise and i LOOOOOOOOVE seeing a person feel the things begin to click into place and experience the joy of immediate theatre. It’s addicting, it’s a culture, and a lot of times it’s even more. It’s a community, and a family. What i think people need to know about the Güd Time Gang brand is that we’re the circus freaks, and oddities but not relegated to the sideshow. We’re center-stage and armed with sharp relevant wit ready to build a monstrosity with the audience in front of us.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
You know, I’m still just getting to know this city. And a whole year of my time here has had the caveat of “pandemic” hewn into it, but i think we’d hunker down at Ph’East over in the Battery or in Eleanor’s Speakeasy at Muss & Turner’s. I’m simple. I think good food and conversation mixed with a little ambiance and bustle are key. We could invariably get down to Ponce City Market, or wander Inman Park, but sitting in a small pub or driving out to a little park is just as lovely. I once got to see one of my favorite author’s speak over at Wrecking Bar Brewpub (292 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307) as a part of a thing A Cappella books was doing… Would try to do that again when those kinda things are happening. I really appreciate the simple things about Atlanta. Maybe because that’s all i’ve been able to know… Ok, I guess we could toss a Frisbee in Piedmont Park too… Oh, and if we’re doing a whole week here we gotta hit up Arabia Mountain. I’d also insist on driving down to Fayetteville and doing a lil r&r with a frosted Hawaiian from Truett’s Luau. There’s a lot to enjoy here, and i’m enjoying the process of getting acquainted with Atlanta. Ok. Last thing. Beers at sunset over at New Realm’s patio. I am sure these are seeming pretty cliche, but man… if it ain’t broke, right?

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
How great are shoutouts? There are about a dozen people who are noteworthy when it comes to the raising of the house of Güd. I couldn’t do this without the love and support of my designer, graphic guru, and heart buoy that is Olivia Mangiaracina. She’s the best and supports the vision more than i could ask for in a creative and life partner. I’m v lucky. Her passion for design and branding is… categorically undervalued in the marketplace. I also need to mention another amazing woman in the world of Güd Time Gang and that is an Atlanta artist by the name of Melissa Mims @lissalouart / insta. She’s helped define the brand of Clown Punk the is woven into the big top fabric of Güd Time Gang with absolutely kick butt visuals and logo. She’s amazing and what a gift it was meeting and collaborating with her. Thank the maker for artsy gals. Gals get shit done.

Website: gudtimegang.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gudtimegang/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gudtimegangHQ/

Other: Some of our members and our tomfoolery: https://www.tiktok.com/@treybou?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/sarahstipe/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@dalexthealien?

Image Credits
Gloria Hankins, Madison McMinn, and Robert Kelsey Illustration, Melissa Mims