Star Tribune: America's divisiveness got you down? Some Minnesota towns see an antidote: Improv comedy.
Photo by Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune
Reid Forgrave of the Star Tribune recently wrote an article covering our Sketches of Minnesota tour that we’re doing with the Minnesota Humanities Center. Forgrave attended two stops on the tour, one in Winona, MN and the other in Glencoe, MN. You can read the article here, and a short excerpt is below:
A few dozen people from this town of 5,674 people an hour's drive west of downtown Minneapolis had come out for a night of improv comedy. But this wasn't your average improv show. Instead, the improv troupe eavesdropped as people from around McLeod County bantered: What do they love about life here? What are the biggest challenges in Glencoe and neighboring Hutchinson, or in surrounding small towns and rural areas? And what do other Minnesotans misunderstand about them? ("We're not all rednecks," said Lance Matheny, a machinist from Brownton.)
Then the troupe improvised a comedy show about this place.
The night's promise was this: We always hear about America's divisions, especially during an election year. Yet we rarely talk about those divisions in a constructive way. By getting neighbors to talk about divisions as well as shared joys, barriers come down and momentum builds so these communities (filled with, ahem, passive-aggressive Minnesotans) continue discussing difficult topics without tearing each other apart.
"One of my favorite quotes is something Stephen Colbert said: 'You can't laugh and be afraid at the same time,'" Danger said. "It doesn't mean you walk out and say, 'You were right, we're all going to hold hands and vote the same way.' But it makes us understand this is somebody else who has similar joys and fears and challenges that I do."
Sketches of Minnesota is traveling to communities across the state to produce unique events that brings residents together for meaningful conversation about their towns and reflects their thoughts and feelings back to them through improv comedy.
While the shows will be comedic, Sketches of Minnesota will never punch down. The aim is to foster understanding within and across communities, celebrate the state’s diversity, and showcase what residents cherish most about their corner of Minnesota.
You can find out more about the Sketches of Minnesota Project here.