CLIP: What happens at The Theater of Public Policy?
What exactly goes on at a The Theater of Public Policy show?
Danger Boat co-founder Tane Danger explains how The Theater of Public Policy shows start — with an onstage conversation — and why that’s important. Plus, see a snippet of a real T2P2 show from 2020!
I love talking to people who are smarter than me. Which means I love talking to basically everyone. I love learning things. I love seeing other people get excited sharing what they’re passionate about.
This was a big motivation when we first created The Theater of Public Policy. I wanted a space where I could trick people into get people to share their deep knowledge about something I was curious about. Somewhere I could ask people with very important jobs and expertise lots of questions and they wouldn’t just put in their earbuds to ignore me.
Every The Theater of Public Policy show opens with a conversation. I sit on stage with one or more expert guests and ask them questions about the evening’s topic. We cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. I try to do my homework, but not get so deep in the weeds that an audience member who just walked in couldn’t follow the discussion. My goal is that people will walk out of a T2P2 show knowing something about the issue that they didn’t when they came in.
I also want it to be fun. Humor can open up a discussion. There are ways to ask a tough question with a bit of humor that makes folks more willing and able to actually answer – not just give a pre-scripted response. I love when a guest says some version of, “I haven’t been asked that question like that before…”
My hope is the interview portion of a The Theater of Public Policy show feels like dropping in on a great conversation at the bar or dinner table.
I think my efforts pay off. Consistently, my interviews are what audiences tell us are their favorite part of a T2P2 show… until the improv portion starts. Then they like that best. I mean, who wouldn’t?
Below is a short clip from a past The Theater of Public Policy show interview just to give you a taste. You can see how we cover some really important information with some incredibly knowledgeable guests.
If you like learning in any way, these shows are for you. And if you like laughing too, there’s even more to these shows that you’re going to love, but you’ll have to come out to see one for yourself.
TRANSCRIPT
TANE DANGER: Can I ask — odd 2010, I’ve heard it suggested that we [Minnesota] kept the [8th Congressional] seat because we did a really good job filling out our census and other states didn’t do a good job filling out their census.
SUSAN BROWER: Exactly, and it’s—
DANGER: Is that real?!
BROWER: Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah.
DANGER: Like, if other states had just like done their homework, they might have gotten an extra seat?
BROWER: Yeah, absolutely. So, the expectation this time around [for the 2020 census] is about 965,000 people will not fill out their forms initially, that—
DANGER: In Minnesota?
BROWER: In Minnesota. They’ll get those, they’ll get their forms, they’ll get the mailings, and they’ll be — they’ll either say, “No, thank you,” or they’ll say, “I’m afraid, I don’t want to do that…” So when you start thinking about a number like 8,000, it’s really easy to make up 8,000 just in the number of people who move to fill out their forms by themselves.
TANE DANGER (yes, that’s his real name!) is the co-founder of Danger Boat Productions. As an interviewer, he brings 20 years of improv experience along with a master's degree in public policy. He is the inaugural Artist in Residence at Mayo Clinic’s Dolores Jean Lavins Center for Humanities in Medicine and a contributor to both City Cast Twin Cities and TPT’s Almanac.
When he's not emceeing, hosting, or agonizing over what bow tie to wear, he is baking bread that never really rises properly, or succumbing to the yowling demands of his cat George.
