What if one idea was all you needed to create something? Every week, we open the show by suggesting a new source of inspiration. Maybe it’s a word, a story, an interview, or something pulled from the strangest corners of the internet. From there, James Mastraieni, Mike McLendon, and a rotating cast of comedians take that spark and turn it into something completely improvised. No scripts. No plan. Just the joyful chaos of long-form improv.
Plus, Backdrop.fm subscribers get even more: James and Mike aren’t just performers—they’re longtime improv teachers with distinct styles. Beyond the laughs, they’ll share exercises, games, and shop talk, sometimes pulling guest performers into the mix. It’s part show, part workshop, part resource: a peek into how improv works, and why it works.
Quinn Boyes and Derrick Hackett (of UCB’s Power of Attorney) join James and Mike to explore the world of Reddit’s Legal Advice. Using real posts as inspiration, they turn neighbor disputes, moving-day meltdowns, and paranoid smart-speaker dilemmas into fully improvised scenesPlus, over on backdrop.fm, the four dig into Harold auditions, the "before times" of UCB, and how teams decide which openings serve them,
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19 Jan 2026
Anthony Bourdain with Drew DiFonzo Marks and Toni Charline
Drew DeFonzo Marks and Toni Charlene join James and Mike for an episode inspired by the words and worldview of Anthony Bourdain. Pulling from his quotes on food, travel, and culture, the group turns observations about meals, missteps abroad, and everyday rituals into a series of scenesspanning disastrous vacations, questionable restaurant etiquette, and the strange intimacy of learning how other people live.Plus, on Backdrop.fm, they dive into international improv scenes and what it’s actually like teaching improv overseas—how different cultures approach comedy, what translates across borders, and what performing abroad reveals about listening, clarity, and connection.
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5 Jan 2026
Bartenders with Hannah Kanengieter and Colin McGurk
Hannah Kanengieter and Colin McGurk join James and Mike for an episode inspired by Bartenders of Reddit—specifically, overheard conversations and late-night bar stories that feel too strange to be true. From suspicious German whisperers and eco-friendly spies to disastrous family introductions and watchmakers with misplaced confidence, the group turns barroom eavesdropping into big, chaotic improvised worlds.Plus, over on Backdrop.fm, the conversation starts with a dive into improv teams... whether they’re fading out, finding a resurgence, or evolving into something new.
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22 Dec 2025
Sufjan Stevens Songs for Christmas with Lyndsey Frank and Ruha Taslimi
Ruha Taslimi and Lyndsey Frank join James and Mike for a holiday-themed episode inspired by the whimsical and often earnest world of Sufjan Stevens’ five-volume Christmas box set. From there, the group digs into the craft of improv, with a special focus on the art of the edit and how veteran players signal the end of a scene without killing its momentum.
Plus, on backdrop.fm, they break down how to spot the comedic “half-idea," why playing a character who “doesn’t suffer fools” can be an improviser’s secret weapon, and the balance between team shorthand and mashup culture. The conversation also explores the importance of pulling from truth—and the joy-forward mission of the all-trans and non-binary team, Cuties.
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15 Dec 2025
Wisconsin with Matt Newell and Dave Theune
Matt Newell and Dave Toy join James and Mike for an episode inspired by a children’s book of Wisconsin facts and symbols. After the scenes, they break down what worked, what didn’t, and how grounding allows absurdity to flourish. Plus, the group digs into playing inanimate objects, when (and when not) to embrace the absurd, and how to balance commitment, point of view, and audience trust to keep even the weirdest scenes human.
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8 Dec 2025
Interview Etiquette with Suzi Barett and Ryan Rosemberg
Susie Barrett and Ryan Rosenberg (Yes, Also) join James and Mike to try and pull inspiration from a list of celebrity interview tips—the kind of advice that’s equal parts earnest, confusing, and wildly specific.
Plus, on backdrop.fm they talk about the slow work of how the best improvisers treat practice like training, and the advantage of boot-camp–style reps .
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24 Nov 2025
Monologues with Drew DiFonzo Marks and Rachel Van Nes
Drew DiFonzo Marks and Rachel Van Nes join James and Mike for an episode inspired by monologues from none other than Will Hines. Summer jobs, strange bosses, and even stranger side hustles open the door to a world of creep-adjacent movie nights and underground magazine empires.
Plus, for Backdrop.fm members, the four dig into how different improv “schools” shape performance—Chicago patterns, UCB game, acting-forward approaches—and how style, training, and team experience influence the choices you make onstage.
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17 Nov 2025
Pattern Game with Andrew Grace and Molly Kiernan
Molly Kiernan and Andrew Grace (of UCB’s Logan) join James and Mike for a deep dive into one of improv’s most iconic—and intimidating—openings: The Pattern Game. Together, they explore how a single word blossoms into a web of associations, characters, and ideas, and what happens when it actually clicks.
Plus, for Backdrop.fm members, they deep dive into why the Pattern Game has survived generations of teams and theaters. And look at a living room/pattern game hybrid that blurs the line between personal storytelling and idea generation, and what it teaches about flow, structure, and ensemble chemistry.
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10 Nov 2025
YouTube with Greg Gallant and Monte Montepare
Greg Gallant (Firsthand, Haunted Hotel, Queen George) and Monte Montepare (The Moth, Ghost) join James and Mike to pull inspiration from the world’s favorite distraction: YouTube.
Plus, Backdrop.fm members get more with James, Mike, Greg, and Monte as they talk about what it’s like to perform with someone for the first time, how chemistry actually develops onstage, and the etiquette of improv mashups, when to sweep, when to support, and when to stop being polite.
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3 Nov 2025
Am I The A**hole with Nnamdi Ngwe and Monika Smith
Monika Smith and Nnamdi Ngwe join James and Mike for an episode inspired by Reddit’s "Am I the Asshole," where moral dilemmas and petty internet debates spark a whole world of improv. After the scenes, they break down what worked, what didn’t, and how experienced improvisers balance chaos and connection onstage.
Plus, on Backdrop.fm they dig into the craft of twoprov: building trust, timing callbacks, and why sitting down can be the death of a scene.
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27 Oct 2025
Real Estate with Toni Charline and Ryan Meharry
Toni Charlene and Ryan Meharry (of Bangarang) join James and Mike to see if they can turn the driest text on the internet—real estate listings—into improv comedy. After the scenes, they break down what worked, what didn’t, and how veteran improvisers build entire worlds from a single spark.
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17 Oct 2025
Open to Suggestion (Trailer)
Join comedians James Mastraieni and Mike McLendon for Open to Suggestion, the show where they open with an idea, improvise from it, and break down how it all works.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
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