We recently connected with Marian McClellan and have shared our conversation below.

Marian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Our first show was a commercial, artistic, and personal success. It was so much fun – it felt like we had captured lightning in a bottle! So I convened three cast members shortly after to help me understand what made that performance so magical. We realized that it wasn’t only the cast of exclusively women and nonbinary folk, and it it wasn’t only the direction from Ham Kitty (an incredibly talented improv troupe). We realized that we loved the excitement of learning a new improv format that had not been seen before in KC, and then performing it later that day. That jump into the unknown inspired our name: ‘Improv SpringBoard.”

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a stereotypical engineer and I love my job. I came to improv, in spite of no performance experience, to help me with communication issues that I was having at work. As a consultant to the top STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education services provider in Kansas City, I almost lost my contract because I thoughtlessly and publicly insulted one of their potential partners.

Of course I apologized and corrected the behavior, but I realized that I had a huge blind spot and I needed a very different set of skills. On a whim, I took a drop-in improv class. Much to my surprise, I liked it. More surprisingly, I was good at it. Thankfully, my communication skills improved dramatically and I kept my contract. I’m grateful that the potential partners were generous enough to give me a second chance.

After 6 months of training and shows, I realized that I loved everything about improv except the lack of diversity. So, I started a production company, Improv SpringBoard, that elevates the voices of women and nonbinary folks with workshops and performance experiences. Our workshops and shows routinely sell out and most importantly we have a lot of fun!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I’m very clear on my priorities and I don’t compromise in two areas: First, I recruit highly talented directors and I completely support their artistic vision.
Second, I work very hard to provide a supportive and fun learning environment for the cast members. Think gift bags,
encouraging emails, dinners, cast parties, etc.

This approach has resulted in high quality performances. Also, I’ve been told that I’m very nice to work with.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’m a 66 year old woman who is an engineer with no performance experience. There are times that I still have to remind myself that I belong on stage. When that happens, I ask for support from my friend circle, cast members, and teachers.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: improvspringboard
• Facebook: Improv SpringBoard
• Linkedin: Marian McClellan

Image Credits
Lauren Conaway Trish Berrong Melanie Tull Clark Stinson