Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joe Rapp. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joe, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful projects that I have ever been a part of is definitely the improv company I helped found in 2006, The Bearded Company. Multiple awards, a podcast, and with groups in Minneapolis and Los Angeles, it has been a thrill. I’ve had the opportunity to perform and teach all over the United States and have met and made friends everywhere we have been.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m an actor and improviser and also work as a graphic designer. Improv has really been at the core of who I am since 2006 when, along with some other theater students in college, we formed a group that became the improv company I helped found and still lead and perform in today, The Bearded Company. From a college group to a nationally touring company, it has been a wild ride and a tough thing to sell as improv isn’t always viewed as relevant or as important as other artforms. The beauty of improv is that it can be anything and there are many styles like short-form, game-based improv, like the TV show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” The Bearded Company has become one of the longest running long-form narrative-style groups in the country and since 2014 we have had groups in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Basically, we get a suggestion from the audience at the top of the show and improvise a play from beginning to end in 45 to 60 minutes. Like I said, it’s a tough thing to sell, but that is why we have strived to be the best storytellers we can be. I’m proud that we have pushed through much of the noise and created unique experiences for our audiences and for ourselves. My personal need to always look and feel like the best-in-the-business has always forced me to up my graphic design skills, because whether a person is seeing a show live or just discovering us on the internet, I want them to see that we take all parts of our brand seriously. Building a consistent and clear brand creates that trust that any business needs. Beyond all that, we have always seen what works best and leaned in to it, like our popular D&D-themed show, Swords & Sorcery, that we launched in 2012. It has become a favorite that has been brought to cities all over the U.S. and inspired us to create, Break the Dice: The Improvised Campaign, our fantasy podcast.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Relationships. I think the arts encourages and inspires relationships with those you work directly with, the audience that views your work, and with yourself. I’ve learned so much about myself through my artistic endeavors. The arts encourages, and sometimes demands our emotions, which in turn helps us more fully realize who we are, that’s something that sadly not everyone gets to fully experience. And, although I don’t get to meet everyone that comes to a show I’m in, their energy and engagement is an integral part of what makes performance and the arts in general feel so far from frivolous. I hope I get to take them away from themselves, if only for 45-60 minutes.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to elevate improv to more than a “funny little kind of theater” to something that is seen as valuable as scripted theater. The question is always, “If it’s all made up, how do I know it will be good?” My answer is, how do you know it won’t be? Plus, even scripted shows have good and bad nights, and they have a script. Improv being unscripted has one element no scripted show has, excitement of the unknown. I want to show that after doing 100s and 100s of unique shows that will never be seen again, that THAT deserves recognition and value.   

Contact Info:

• Website: beardedcompany.org
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/fakejoerapp
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/beardedcompls
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrapp/

Image Credits
Ryan Haro, Bailey Hess