♪♪ >> CATHY: HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED IF HAVING TOUGH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT POLITICS WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IS EVEN POSSIBLE ANYMORE?

OUR NEXT TWO GUESTS ARE LEADING A COLLABORATION CALLED "SKETCHES OF MINNESOTA" THAT USES COMEDY TO CONNECT COMMUNITIES.

THEY GATHER TOGETHER PEOPLE TO ISSUES, THEN TURN IT INTO AN IMPROV PERFORMANCE.

YOU HEARD ME IGHT.

TANE DANGER IS OFTEN ACROSS THE STUDIO BY THE BIG MONITOR, BUT HE'S HERE TONIGHT REPRESENTING DANGER BOAT PRODUCTIONS, THE IMPROV HALF OF THE PARTNERSHIP.

TRYGVE THRONTVEIT IS THE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AT THE MINNESOTA HUMANITIES CENTER.

CONTAIN AND TRYG, THANKS.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CONCEPT, TANE DANGER >> THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME AND WE WERE ABLE TO BASICALLY MAKE HAPPEN BECAUSE THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MINNESOTA HUMANITIES CENTER.

YOU KNOW, I DO COMEDY FOR A LIVING AND I THINK IT REALLY HAS THIS ABILITY TO HELP BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.

SO THE CONCEPT IS, YOU GO INTO A COMMUNITY, YOU SPEND TIME INVITING LOTS OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF THAT COMMUNITY TO BE THERE, TO JOIN TOGETHER, IN MEAL.

>> Cathy: FOOD HELPS.

>> FOOD ALWAYS HELPS.

AND THEN TRYG AND THE MINNESOTA HUMANITIES CENTER DO A WONDERFUL JOB OF FACILITATING A REALLY GOOD CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT.

AND THEN WE BRING THAT ALL TO LIFE THROUGH IMPROV.

SO IT'S PRETTY COOL.

>> Cathy: NOW, TRYG, WHEN TANE CAKE TO YOU, YOU SAID WHAT?

>> I SAID WHAT?

I SAID THIS IS FANTASTIC.

I HAD KNOWN ABOUT TANE AND BRANDON'S WORK WITH THEATER OF PUBLIC POLICY AND THE WAY THEY LIKED TO INTERVIEW A PERSON WITH SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AN ISSUE AND TURN THAT INTO COMIC GOLD AND I LOVED THEIR IDEA OF MAKING THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA THE EXPERTS WHOSE STORIES AND WISDOM AND INSIGHT CAN BE TURNED INTO SOMETHING THAT NOT ONLY MAKES US LAUGH BUT MAKES US THINK.

AND I KNEW THAT WE HAD SOME EXPERIENCE FACILITATING TOUGH CONVERSATIONS.

HELPING PEOPLE BECOME COMFORTABLE SHARING THEIR STORIES AND LISTENING TO OTHER PEOPLE'S STORIES SO THAT THEY STOP THINKING OF THEIR FAIRS IN TERMS OF -- THEIR NEIGHBORS IN TERMS OF SIMPLE CATEGORIES AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS WORTH A TRY, AND OUR CEO, KEVIN LINDSAY, AGREED.

>> Eric: WHY IS COMEDY THE SECRET SAUCE HERE?

>> I EAN, ONE OF THE THINGS -- I PULLED THIS ORIGINALLY FROM STEPHEN COLBERT, THIS IDEA, IT IS VERY HARD TO LAUGH AND BE AFRAID AT THE SAME TIME.

AND SO I FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE, IF YOU CAN GET PEOPLE IN A ROOM TOGETHER AND YOU CAN FIND A WAY FOR THEM O LAUGH TOGETHER, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE GOING TO AGREE OR THEY'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, GO OUT AND EXCHANGE HOLIDAY CARDS AT THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THEY WILL BE AFRAID OF EACH OTHER.

AND I THINK THAT IT WILL OPEN THEM P IN A AY.

>> Eric: BUT HAVEN'T YOU HEARD SINCE THE ELECTION, A LOT OF PEOPLE TURNING OFF CABLE NEWS AND NOT WANTING TO GET INVOLVED AND VERY MUCH ISOLATE THEMSELVES?

>> I THINK THAT ACTUALLY IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS A STRENGTH OF THIS PROJECT IS WE'RE NOT BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND BEING LIKE, ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE PLEASE GO AROUND THE TABLE AND SAY WHO YOU VOTED FOR.

WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE QUESTIONS LIKE, WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY?

WHAT ARE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T FROM YOUR YOUR COMMUNITY GET WRONG ABOUT IT?

WHAT ARE THINGS THAT YOU IMAGINE FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS PLACE?

AND SO IF YOU CAN REALLY CENTER THE CONVERSATION, WHICH IS WHAT TRYG DOES REALLY WELL IN WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT HERE, LIKE AMONG NEIGHBORS, LIKE IN OUR TOW, DOWNTOWN, IN THE COMMUNITY, THAT MAKES IT SO THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY GRAPPLE WITH THE THINGS THAT ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.

>> Cathy: SO I AGREE THAT IT IS TOUGH TO BE AFRAID WHEN YOU'RE LAUGHING.

HOWEVER, WHEN YOU'RE IN THESE GROUPS AND YOU'VE BEEN ALL OVER THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, HAVE THERE BEEN ANY TENSE MOMENTS?

>> THERE HAVE BEEN TENSE MOMENTS, AND THAT HAS BEEN INTENTIONAL.

BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS TAKE A LOOT OF CARE TO FRAME THESE EVENTS BEFOREHAND TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE EXPECTING A LITTLE BIT OF DISCOMFORT.

AND WE CTUALLY ASK EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE AUDIENCE OR FRANKLY IN THIS BIG COMMUNAL DINING VENUE, TO VERBALLY AGREE THAT THEY WILL ASSUME THE GOOD WILL OF THEIR NEIGHBORS, ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION, BE GENUINELY CURIOUS, BEFORE TAKING UM BARRAGE, BEFORE TAKING OFFENSE.

AND WHEN YOU GIVE PEOPLE THAT CONFIDENCE IN THEMSELVES AND FAITH IN THEMSELVES, THEY PERFORM BEAUTIFULLY.

THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE NOTICED.

THEY START TELLING STORIES ABOUT ONE ANOTHER, RATHER THAN SHARING THEIR POSITIONS.

AND WHEN YOU HEAR SOMEONE'S STORY, YOU START WONDERING ABOUT THEM RATHER THAN TRYING TO CATEGORIZE THEM.

>> Cathy: ANY SENSE, THOUGH, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LOVELY PROJECT.

>> THANK YOU.

IT IS.

>> Cathy: IT OES SOUND LIKE A GREAT PROJECT, BUTT OF BUT IN A SENSE, ARE YOU NOT PREACHING TO THE HOIR, THAT FOLKS WHO SHOW UP TO THESE GATHERINGS ARE KIND OF LIKE MINDED IN A SENSE?

>> YOU'D BE SURPRISED.

I WAS WORRYING ABOUT THIS LIKE WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DOING IT.

BUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN WE FOUND THAT THERE ACTUALLY ARE PEOPLE OF VERY DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW OF WHO COME TOGETHER ON THIS.

I ACT ACTUALLY THINK THAT'S ANOTHER PIECE THAT THE COMEDY DOES.

BUZZ YOU'RE RIGHT.

IF YOU WERE TO JUST SAY WE'RE GOING TO JUST HAVE A TOWN MEETING, WE KIND OF KNOW WHO SHOWS UP SOMETIMES FOR THOSE.

NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

BUT IF YOU AY, HEY, THERE'S GOING TO BE AN IMPROV COMEDY PRODUCTION ABOUT YOUR TOWN, LIKE THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHO COME OUT FOR THAT.

AND THEN WANT TO SHARE THEIR STORY.

AND WE KNOW FOR FACT BECAUSE OF THE FACILITATION, LIKE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO COME UT AND HAVE VERY DIFFERENT POLITICS AND VERY DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW AND PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY PLUGGED IN AND HAVE BEEN PART OF THE TOWN FOR 30 YEARS AND PEOPLE WHO JUST MOVED THERE LAST WEEK AND ARE COMING BECAUSE THEY WANT TO KNOW MORE.

>> Eric: IS THERE A WAY TO FOLLOW UP TWO AND THREE WEEKS OR A MONTH AFTER YOU'VE BEEN TO A CITY AND SAY, DID IT HAVE ANY IMPACT?

>> THANK YOU FOR ASKING, BECAUSE WE WORK VERY HARD WITH OUR LOCAL HOSTS TO MAKE THEM THE CONVENORS AND THE ORGANIZERS.

AND WE COACH THEM ON HOW DO YOU REACH OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T THE USUAL SUSPECTS?

AND WE HAVE A SURVEY SYSTEM.

WE USE PAPER SURVEYS, ECAUSE PEOPLE ACTUALLY FILL OUT SURVEYS THAT RE ON THEIR DINNER TABLE RATHER THAN AN EMAIL SURVEY.

AND WE DO DO SOME FOLLOW-UP WITH THE FOLKS INCLUDING SEVERAL OF THE TOWNS WHO THEN APPLIED TO HOST THESE FINAL PERFORMANCES, AND THE RESULTS ARE VINDICATING OUR MODEL SO FAR.

>> Cathy: YOU SAID A FINAL PERFORMANCE.

>> YES.

GLASDZ AND?

>> SO WE CAN WENT TO TEN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, EVERY CORNER OF THE STATE THIS YEAR AND WE COLLECTED STORIES AND NOW THIS FINAL PIECE OF THAT TOUR, WE ARE GOING TO DO A FINAL PERFORMANCE THAT TELLS STORIES FROM ALL TEN OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE WENT TO IN ONE BIG FINAL -- >> Eric: WHERE AND WHEN?

>> ONE PERFORMANCE FEBRUARY 11TH AT THE PARAMOUNT IN ST.

CLOUD.

AND HEN FEBRUARY 25TH AT DUDLEY RIGGS BRAVE NEW WORKSHOP IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS.

>> WHICH IS ALMOST SOLD OUT.

YOU CAN GO TO DANGERBOAT.NET, EVENTS, AND THEY ARE SELLING OUT.

SO COME AND SEE IT, AND YOU'LL GET A TOUR OF MINNESOTA IN A WAY THAT YOU'VE JUST NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

AND I WILL BE ON STAGE.

SO WILL TRYG.