Saturday, March 21, is the premiere of "Welcome to Our Town: A Live Improvised Play Created with the Audience."
Grant E. Wuellner
What has brought me here, and why does this interest me?
Some of you may know that from the age of 12 to 30 I performed nearly 900 magic shows. What I loved most about those shows was the interaction with the audience. I was always drawn to routines where people could participate, laugh, and feel like they were part of the experience.
In October 2018 I wanted to start performing again, which led me down a winding path of in-person and online classes in speaking, storytelling, more than 450 hours of improv (long-form, short-form, Spolin), writing, acting, clown, puppetry, and many other performance-based arts.
About a year ago I took a deep dive into creating a 90-minute live performance of "Dairy Dairy Cowtown," which included solo improv. I set the live performances aside to focus on two different podcasts, but when I realized how hard it is to stand out among thousands of podcasts, I made a pivot.
I decided to do what only I could do — and that is perform the multiple characters I created in my fictional town. That decision led to debuting "Dairy Dairy Cowtown" on February 7, 2026.
There was something about self-producing that show which opened up a new desire and drive. It led to my first creativity talk on March 14, and now to launching my solo improv show on March 21.
I've told many friends that if I can just get out of my own way, I can be successful. In the past I felt I had to clear every hurdle and check every box before I could launch anything. I wanted it all to be perfect — and that desire for perfection held me back.
You might imagine that when you put yourself out there, especially all by your lonesome, it's a large risk. You make yourself extremely vulnerable.
But I realized that when I performed my magic shows years ago, it was a process of performing, learning, and improving over time. It's by doing that we see what needs changing and how we can do it better.
So I decided: no more waiting. It was time to do it.
And now, instead of endlessly planning a solo improv show, it's happening in a few days.
Why improvisational theatre?
A few years ago I was a member of a California-based improv troupe. Over seven months we had late-night Monday practice sessions, multi-hour rehearsals preparing for our shows.
During six of those months I performed with them every Friday night — a 30-minute improvised version of Our Town where we created stories together in real time. That added up to more than 13 hours of live performance.
What I discovered through that experience is how much I enjoy creating characters and exploring the lives of the people who inhabit a story. I felt this type of improv best fit my character and storytelling style of performing.
With "Welcome to Our Town," I'm able to bring several of those passions together.
At the beginning of the show, the audience and I will create an entire town together — its atmosphere, its locations, and the kinds of people who live there.
Then, as the story unfolds, I'll step into the roles of the different residents and explore how their lives connect.
It's a little like watching a town appear out of thin air.
Every performance becomes its own unique place — because it's created with the people who are there that day.
And that's the part I love most.
See the Show:
🎭 Welcome to Our Town: A Live Improvised Play Created with the Audience
📅 Saturday, March 21 | 3:00 PM
📍 East Alton, Illinois
🎟️ Reserve your seat on Eventbrite.
