Interview: Made Man Improv’s final act — Justin Bland on community, comedy and what’s next

Justin Bland is the creator and host of Made Man Improv, a popular improv comedy showcase based in Indianapolis. Under Bland’s direction, Made Man Improv has built a loyal audience and a recognizable brand within the local arts scene.

But after years of sold-out performances, Bland is ending the Made Man Improv series this month. WFYI’s Kyle Long spoke with Bland to learn more.

This interview has been edited for style and clarity.

Kyle Long: Justin, thanks for taking time to be here today. I really appreciate it.

Justin Bland: Absolutely. I appreciate you for having me.

Long: From what I understand, your love of performing and improv goes back to Arlington High School and a teacher named Miss Lewis.

Bland: Oh, my God, absolutely.

Long: Tell me about that.

Bland: So when I got to Arlington High School, I think it was in 2005, I was always a class clown. Looking back now, I just didn't have an outlet for where to put all this energy, all these jokes, and everything.

So in 2005, I met Miss Lewis at Arlington High School. She was the drama teacher, from there she just started to instill in me what acting was, what improv was. I had no idea what improv was, and she started to see something in me that I didn't see in myself, and she gave me that outlet. So Arlington High School was definitely where I got my start, in the very beginning.

Long: Justin, I know you don't like to describe the Made Man Improv events, you want audiences to experience the shows for themselves. But can you give our listeners just a basic outline of what these events are all about? I know you have a large cast of performers, you have a DJ, there's storytelling, there's skits, there's audience participation. Just give us kind of a sense of what you're bringing to the stage.

Bland: You just did it. You literally just did it. When you were saying that, I was getting excited. We take all of that and we mix in the culture. We mix in the community, and we try to present something that is totally different from the norm. So a lot of times, people go to plays, people go to comedy shows, but there's nothing that's right there in your face — that's super immersive and crowd-driven.

So when we say crowd-driven, there are a lot of points in the show where the crowd just kind of takes over. If the DJ drops a song that we all know, we're about to have a sing-along. So it's a melting pot of a lot of the great shows that I watched growing up, like "Kenan & Kel," "Saturday Night Live," and "In Living Color."

Long: Justin, the Made Man Improv show has really connected with audiences in Indianapolis. You've done over 40 shows. The shows have a reputation for selling out very quickly. Tell me a bit about who your audience is, and why there is such a strong connection there.

Bland: I think I have an audience full of dreamers. I'm a dreamer. I have dreams that I'm still fulfilling and that I'm still accomplishing, since I was a little boy. My platform has grown from me just trying to entertain people to almost being like a place of healing.

People come and they laugh. People bring problems to the show, and I'm talking about the cast to the audience. We go through so many things on a day-to-day basis, because we're human, and a lot of the time, it's an outlet for us and a stress reliever for the audience. So just to have that dream as a kid and to be fulfilling it now, it's a beautiful thing, and I'm just appreciating that on this journey.

Long: Justin, we've been talking about how successful Made Man Improv is, both commercially and artistically. So our listeners might be surprised to learn that you're bringing the series to a close. Your final show is happening on December 27 at the Walker Theatre. Why are you ending the series?

Bland: There's a point where you just know that something else is next, and for you to eventually walk through that door, you have to close the other one. I have other dreams that I'm just as passionate about as the Made Man show. Like, I have to get my own theater, and that's what the next goal is. That's the next step: to go out there and get my own theater, so that I can be that person and be that stepping stool in somebody else's career when they need a space or when they need some classes that I'm going to offer.

Basically, I just want to be the person that I needed. That’s the biggest goal. There are so many times I look around and say, “Man, if I had this person at this point in my life," or, "If I had this person at that point in my life,” not realizing that I can be that person right now for somebody in their life. So that's the goal; that's the mission. The mission stays the same. We’re just saying, “Okay, it's not Made Man Improv anymore.” Now we're going after this theater so we can give you a multitude of productions.

Long: Justin, thanks so much for being here. It was great to meet you and learn about your work. I really appreciate it.

Bland: Yes, sir, thank you. I appreciate you.