We’ve all had that dream. You know, the one where you’re naked on stage and the audience is laughing.
For an improv performer, that’s no nightmare; that’s life. OK, they're wearing clothes but they're emotionally naked, working without a script, responding off the cuff to random cues from the audience and their co-performers.
In our latest Cut & Paste podcast, we talk with Kevin McKernan, Melanie Penn and Becca Brooks — members of St. Louis’ Improv Shop — about what it’s like to be in the spotlight and the hot seat.
![Becca Brooks, Kevin McKernan and Melanie Penn of the Improv Shop ( Jan. 5, 2016)](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0b9ef44/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x723+0+0/resize/880x621!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fkwmu%2Ffiles%2F201701%2F01052016__CHidalgo_CutPaste_Improv.jpg)
Here’s some of what you’ll hear in the podcast:
- Becca Brooks on being thrown an unfamiliar word: “If there’s something we don’t know, we’re not going to let the audience know; so we just say, ‘OK.’”
- Melanie Penn on the importance of trust and vulnerability: "Improv, when you boil it down, is the art of being human."
- Kevin McKernan on sports analogies: "What we like about sports, and improv, is that we don't know what is going to happen."
![cut & paste logo](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2df1636/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1411x1412+0+0/resize/880x881!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fkwmu%2Ffiles%2F201501%2Fcutpastetagline_CMYK_square.jpg)
Look for new Cut & Paste (#cutpastestl) podcastsevery few weeks on our website. You can also view all previous podcasts focusing on a diverse collection of visual and performing artists, and subscribe to Cut & Paste through this link.
Follow Willis and Nancy on Twitter: @WillisRArnoldand @NancyFowlerSTL
Please help St. Louis Public Radio find artists to feature on Cut & Paste. Tell us which artists and cultural themes deserve a closer look.