>> CATHY: AS PART OF TWIN CITIES PBS'S "VOICES RISING: STORIES FOR AMERICA'S 250TH INITIATIVE," "ALMANAC" IS TRAVELING TO FIVE COMMUNITIES ACROSS MINNESOTA WHERE IMPROV COMEDY BECOMES A CATALYST FOR HONEST CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PEOPLE'S CONCERNS, HOPES, AND DREAMS.

TOGETHER, THESE STORIES OFFER A FRESH LOOK AT DEMOCRACY, NOT AS AN INSTITUTION, BUT AS SOMETHING WE BUILD THROUGH LISTENING, DIALOGUE, AND COMMUNITY.

HERE WITH MORE, TANE DANGER REPRESENTS DANGER BOAT PRODUCTIONS, THE IMPROV HALF OF THE PARTNERSHIP BEHIND THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS.

KEVIN LINDSEY HEADS UP THE MINNESOTA HUMANITIES CENTER, THE OTHER HALF OF THE PARTNERSHIP.

TANE, YOU GET TO SIT ON THE COUCH.

THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING FOR YOU.

>> IT IS.

THIS IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT UNIVERSE OVER HERE.

IT'S GREAT.

>> Cathy: I KNOW, IT'S KIND OF RAREFIED AIR.

YOU'RE PROFILING COMMUNITIES.

THIS IS DINNER, CONVERSATION, AND IMPROV.

IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING LIKE THE KHAN HASESSEN, I DON'T KNOW.

WHAT WHAT'S THE DEAL?

>> IT IS A LITTLE LIKE THAT.

BUT WHAT MAKES IT REALLY SPECIAL IS THAT WE GET INVITED INTO THESE COMMUNITIES AND WE HAVE THIS WONDERFUL DINNER.

WITH HOPEFULLY A BIG BROAD CROSS-SECTION OF THE TOWN.

AND PEOPLE TALK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT THEIR HOPES AND THEIR FEARS AND THE THINGS THAT THEY REALLY LOVE ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITY AND THE THINGS THEY SEE AS CHALLENGES.

BUT THEN AS YOU SAID, OUR CAST IS LISTENING TO ALL OF THAT, AND THEN THEY BRING IT TO LIFE ON STAGE.

SO IT IS A SPECIAL KIND OF SHOW BECAUSE IT IS IN THAT TOWN ABOUT THAT TOWN.

>> Eric: HOW DID THE HUMANITIES CENTER GET INVOLVED IN THIS?

>> WELL, OOKING AT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR HUMANITIES, IT TALKS ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND THE ISDOM OF ITS CITIZENS.

WISDOM COMES FROM LISTENING TO YOUR NEIGHBOR REALLY AUTHENTICALLY AND TRYING TO BUILD A DEMOCRACY REALLY REQUIRES YOU TO WORK TOGETHER.

>> Cathy: BUT GOSH, AS YOU KNOW, LISTENING AUTHENTICALLY?

THAT'S A SKILL AND IT'S HARD.

ARE FOLKS GIVEN POINTERS WHEN THEY ATTEND THESE GATHERINGS TO KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK BUT HOW TO LISTEN?

>> WELL, WE START OUT EACH OF THE PROGRAMS, TANE DOES A NICE JOB SETTING THE TABLE FOR THE CONVERSATION.

SOMETIMES HUSBANDS NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT THEY MIGHT GET A ELBOW BY THEIR WIVES TO SETTLE DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

BUT REALLY, EVERYBODY DOES LISTEN AND THEY DO APPRECIATE.

AND I THINK KNOWING THAT THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A TALK BACK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

>> Cathy: TANE?

>> RIGHT, YEAH, WE'VE DONE THESE FOR TWO YEARS ALL OVER MINNESOTA.

AND I THINK THERE WAS, LIKE, A LITTLE BIT OF NERVOUSNESS WHEN WE FIRST STARTED.

OH, WOULD PEOPLE REALLY LISTEN?

WOULD THEY POTENTIALLY LIKE SPARK SOMETHING THERE?

EVERYWHERE WE WENT, EVERYBODY IS REALLY WONDERFUL ABOUT, REALLY BEING INTERESTED AND CURIOUS IN WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY.

AND AS KEVIN SAID, I THINK THAT THE TWO THINGS ARE, ONE, IN PART, LIKE, WE'RE NOT ASKING THEM TO FILL OUT A REPORT.

WE'RE NOT SITTING THERE WITH A CLIPBOARD ABOUT THEIR TOWN.

THEY ARE HELPING INFORM WHAT'S GOING TO BE, LIKE, A REALLY FUN, HOPEFULLY VERY FUNNY SHOW.

AND THEN AS KEVIN SAID, WE DO A TALK BACK TEND SO THEY GET THE LAST WORD ABOUT SAYING, HEY, YOU DO THIS THING ABOUT OUR TOWN AND THAT WAS REALLY FUNNY, BUT THE SECOND TIME, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT SMOKY THE BEAR, BUT HE'S ACTUALLY FROM THE TOWN OVER OR WHATEVER IT IS.

>> Cathy: I'M WONDERING, WHEN YOU GUYS HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS, IS THERE A WAY TO -- BECAUSE I THINK ONE AND DONE KIND OF THING, IT JUST GOES INTO THE EITHERRER.

IS THERE A WAY TO SAVE THESE STORIES OR THESE CONVERSATIONS.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THE PROJECT, AND I THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN OVER TIME AND IT'S NOW COME TO THIS POINT.

WE HAD CITIES COME AND ASK US TO BE PART OF THEIR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CITY PLANNING KIND OF EFFORTS.

SO THREE OUT OF THE TEN TOWNS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE VISITING THIS SUMMER, WE'RE GOING TO BE PART OF THAT.

SO IT'LL BE CONVERSATION ABOUT MINING.

THERE'LL BE A CONVERSATION ABOUT DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT.

AND THEN IT'LL BE BROADLY ABOUT WHAT VISION YOU WANT FOR ONE OF THE CITIES.

>> Eric: I'M WONDERING ABOUT PREACHING TO THE CHOIR.

FOLKS THAT SHOW UP ARE ALREADY COMMITTED TO THE PREMISE.

AND I WONDER, IS ANYBODY COME UP WITH A WAY TO GET TO THOSE THAT AREN'T PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN DIALOGUE?

>> THIS -- YOU ARE SINGING MY SONG.

THIS IS WHY -- THIS IS WHY I REALLY BELIEVE, LIKE, THERE IS ACOMBDAY AND PERFORMANCE ELEMENT OF THIS, REALLY MATTERS, BECAUSE IF I DID SAY TO YOU, HEY, WOULD YOU LIKE O COME AND HAVE A TOUGH CONVERSATION WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS ABOUT ALL OF THE CHALLENGES IN YOUR TOWN?

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO GO TO THAT.

I WOULD GO TO THAT.

BUT IT IS A SELECT NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

WHEREAS, WHEN WE GO TO A TOWN AND WE SAY, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO COME TO TOWN AND WE ARE GOING TO BRING NEIGHBORS TOGETHER.

THERE'S GOING TO BE A FREE MEAL, WHICH REALLY HELPS.

>> Eric: THAT HELPS.

>> AND THEN THERE'S GOING TO BE A SHOW ABOUT YOUR TOWN THAT YOU INSPIRED.

THAT DOES BRING, LIKE, A VERY DIFFERENT GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO COME FOR THAT, AND WE ABSOLUTELY -- I MEAN, IF YOU DON'T ELIEVE ME, COME TO ONE OF THESE.

WE REALLY DO GET FOLKS FROM ALL DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND WALKS OF LIFE AND PARTS OF TOWN WHO COME AND ACTUALLY REALLY WANT TO BE PART OF THIS -BECAUSE THEY'RE LIKE, I JUST KIND OF GOT TO SEE HOW THIS THING WORKS.

>> Cathy: AND WHERE ARE THE COMMUNITIES, BY THE WAY?

>> YES, SO WE'RE GOING TO TEN DIFFERENT PLACES ALL ACROSS MINNESOTA THIS SUMMER AND FALL.

AND SO WE ARE GOING EVERYWHERE FROM OUT TO EMILY, MINNESOTA, AND MONTEVIDEO, WE ARE GOING BACK TO ROCHESTER, WHICH WE HAVE GONE TO BEFORE.

WE ARE GOING UP TO BIG FORK, EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS.

NORTH OF GRAND RAPIDS.

WE ARE GOING TO ALBERT LEA.

WE ARE GOING TO RED WING.

>> LU LUVERNE.

>> THANK YOU.

NOW I'M LOSING TRACK OF WHAT I SAID.

>> MARSHALL.

>> Eric: GIVE THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE STATE OME LOVING.

>> YEAH, WE ARE.

I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT LUVERNE, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY BEAUTIFUL SPACE THAT WE'RE IN.

>> Cathy: OH, THAT THEATER IS GORGEOUS.

>> SO WE REALLY TRY AND GET ALL OVER, AND BIG TOWNS, SMALL TOWNS, ALL DIFFERENT PARTS -- >> Eric: AND WE'LL HAVE PIECES ON THE AIR.

>> YES, AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED, YOU ALL ARE COMING ALONG, AND SO PEOPLE ON TPT