Jersey Arts Podcast · ArtPride New Jersey

'Ben Schwartz and Friends' Tour Stops at NJPAC for First Ever Performance in New Jersey!

·32 min·2 clips

Schwartz breaks down short form versus long form improv and explains how his show builds a whole second act from audience stories.

Gina Marie Rodriguez opens with a joke about awkward crush energy and admits she was trying to stay calm while talking to Ben Schwartz. Schwartz, known for John Ralphio in Parks and Rec, Gasper in The After Party, Josh Bath in The Earliest Show, Clyde in House of Lies, and the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, joins the Jersey Arts Podcast for a conversation about his improvisational show Ben Schwartz and Friends. He is bringing the show to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center this November for the first time ever in New Jersey. The exchange stays warm and loose, with Rodriguez openly reacting to how surreal the interview feels. Schwartz says the live show works because nobody knows exactly what will happen on any given night, even if they know it will be good. He laughs about the idea of going on stage without a script and just finding the scene as it goes. The pressure eases because the group has been performing together for years. He keeps a list of about ten people he likes to bring into the show, most of them longtime collaborators with 10 to 20 years of history. He chooses people he trusts as top-tier improvisers, and he thinks about the group the way a basketball team works, with different roles to fill. Some performers are strong at characters. Some are good straight men who help the scene make sense. Schwartz also says he wants the ensemble to reflect more kinds of people. He looks for someone from the LGBTQ community, someone who is not white, and a woman, alongside himself on stage. His goal is for audience members to see a version of comedy that feels less white than a lot of mainstream comedy often does. The episode closes with ticket information and a prompt for the audience to bring their best story about the most exciting day or night of their life. The overall tone is playful, appreciative, and focused on how live improv becomes a shared event. Rodriguez keeps the conversation personal without losing the arts angle. Schwartz comes across as thoughtful about craft, chemistry, and who gets to be seen on stage.

As heard by us

A light but sturdy look at improv, group chemistry, and the appeal of never knowing exactly what comes next.

Ben Schwartz and Friends landing at NJPAC for the first time gives the conversation an easy hook, but the stronger draw is the way Gina Marie Rodriguez reacts to him.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get a first-hand, awkward-and-charming interview with Ben Schwartz as he brings Ben Schwartz and Friends to NJPAC for the first time.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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