Open to Suggestion

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.