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Other CIF Interviews:

Susan Gaspar of The Free Associates

Don Hall of WNEP

Yuri Kinugawa of Yellow Man Group

Dan O'Connor of TNN's Lifegame

Mick Napier of Annoyance Productions

Joey Slotnik, Lauren Katz & John Lehr of Slotnik, Katz & Lehr

Stan Morse of Liquid Radio Players

Interview by Jeff Catanese

In asking one of the cast members about the construction of their show, she grabbed me by the hand and insisted that I must meet their director, Stan Morse, telling me he's a visionary, on the way. Her devotion was mirrored in the fact that as I interviewed him, the entire cast of the show slowly began to gather around us, and nooded in affirmation of each of his answers to my questions.  Taking his work seriously, Mr. Morse almost spit each response out with surety.  His show backed up his words.   -JC

Improv Review:  Which came first: the love of radio plays, or the love of improv?

Stan Morse:  Actually improv.  I had a theater in Cleveland that I co-founded six years ago [Cabaret Dada].  In fact this is our anniversary weekend in Cleveland.  It’s still running strong.  So improv came first.  But, preceding improv was murder mysteries.  I toured with a murder mystery company and became attached to the period they were set in.  I love the 1930’s and 40’s.  So I always had the vision in my head to take the two great tastes and make them taste great together, I just didn’t know how to format it.  And there is a process of format for improv.  Spolin started it, and her son [Paul] Sills continues it.  We as improvisors learn it.  I worked with Mick Napier and Del Close over the years and my idea was to use the period that the television shows came from.  A lot of people don’t realize that this is where television came from.

Improv Review:  In radio you’re dealing with a microphone and verbal theatrics as opposed to physical theatrics.  How did you over come the difficulties of finding a theatrical bent for a radio play, a largely unseen medium?

Stan Morse:  It is not as physical, so they need to be as adjective heavy as possible, descriptive of their environments, because behavior comes from environment.  Since they can’t physically touch it, they need to describe the environment they’re in.  “Ah, I see the eyes on that painting are following me.  Clip.  Clop.  Clip.  Clop.”  The Foley artists help.  But they need to listen.  Everyone has to listen…  All the rules of improv are really in play.  They have to use them or it’s death incarnate.  Basically they had to do their homework.  They had to listen to all the old radio shows.  They had to learn all the genres.  I tried to teach them every aspect of them, because each genre is entirely different.  From kid’s adventure, to sci-fi, to horror…  It’s a ball.

Improv Review:  Your Foley artists were the hardest working two people I’ve seen in this festival thus far.  Are they your Foley artists, or does everyone rotate in and out of those roles?

Stan Morse:  The cast is fully rotated, they all do Foley, and they’re all good at it.  They listen well and work well together, and they get it.  Alternatively, the girl who was a dancing can is in the group as well, and she rotates in and out of the cast.  We keep coming up with the nostalgia of the period and find new ways to get it onstage.

Improv Review:  In that sense, does each performer choose a certain archetypical character for each performance?

Stan Morse:  They have to explore all types of characters.  Obviously there are some great caricatures from that period, but they internally have to use the tenets of improv to find those characters.  They use the offer from the audience get-for, “This character is Bob Schmeiler,” then the host says, “Bob Schmeiler is a doctor.”  That performer has been given an offer and now they have to develop that character, develop the inner monologue and all the thought process to do it.  And they have to develop that through improv, so it’s the same as any improv except less physical.  And then they get to play these characters within characters.  Their stage persona, “I’m bigger than you,” kind of like Peter O’Toole in [the movie] “My Favorite Year.” 

Improv Review:  Are there other formats you are exploring that might make use of the more physical aspects of improvisation?

Stan Morse:  Not really.  Although these guys don’t get to use space work as much as other formats, I let them move around as much as they want.

Improv Review:  How did you assemble such a talented group of improvisors in what is not necessarily considered an improv town?

Stan Morse:  Easy in Los Angeles.  A majority of these players come from the Midwest, from Chicago.  They do all their training here, and come to LA to seek their fame and fortune.  There is a huge bank of talent there.  I needed a vehicle for that pot of talent, and when I auditioned, I think, one hundred and fifty people came out.  Some of the top improvisors from The Groundlings, Second City, Improv Olympic, ComedySportz, all over.  And I got the pick of the litter.

Improv Review:  So what’s next for you guys?

Stan Morse:  We’re in a theater in LA, at the Yada Theater.  We just got Friday nights, and the show has been very well received.  We’ve got a million options that are coming to us, and we’ve got some things in the works.  I’m being totally typical LA: “We’ve got some things in the works, and they’re big.”  Soon we’ll be able to talk about them, but they’re very exciting for us and we’re thrilled.  We also do a lot of guest celebrities since we’re in Hollywood.  We’ve been able to work with Wil Weaton from “Stand by Me” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Thomas Calabro from “Melrose Place,” and John DiMaggio who plays Bender on “Futurama,” Tony Shalhoub from “Wings” and many other things, and Neil Patrick Harris.

Improv Review:  I don’t want to delve too deeply into your upcoming plans, but with [last month’s] threat of a writer’s strike, and also the fact that some networks are seeking to take improv and make it television friendly, your format…

Stan Morse:  [Big grin.]  And with Michael Bay throwing out a nice nostalgia piece in the form of “Pearl Harbor,” and “South Pacific” on TV, and “Remember WENN” on A & E [network], and improv’s hot right now…  It’s a lot of things.  Right now everyone can hear some of our shows at www.liquidradioplayers.com.

Improv Review:  What is the most important element of improv?

Stan Morse:  Listening.  That’s everything.