Mendocino’s SnapSessions! podcast presents the two episode podcast “The History of Hit & Run Theater”, due to premiere on January 29 on their podcast website—thesnapsessions.com.
Encompassing SnapSessions! episodes 50 & 51, the two-part podcast features hours of interviews, old skits and songs, and a variety of surprises from Hit & Run Theater’s beginnings as a skit writing group in the late 1970s to the present alignment of the ensemble as an improv comedy group. Long time Hit & Runner Doug Nunn interviewed 18 present and former members of the local troupe and watched over 60 hours of old shows from 1981’s Improviganza through The Arnold Vicious Punk Opera through improv comedy shows from the last decade at the Hill House, the Matheson Performing Arts Center, and Crown Hall.
Working with SnapSessions!’ techmeisters Marshall Brown and Ken Krauss, Nunn initially handed over hours of VHS tapes to Brown, who proceeded to digitize the old tapes. Doug put the shows in historical context, made voluminous notes, and then contacted various members of the troupe for lengthy chats. Ellen Callas, Kathy O’Grady and Pamela Stoneham gave context and historical background to the early days of the group, before it was even called Hit & Run Theater, for the shows 200 Years of Madness and Happy Birthday Mendocino. Harry Rothman, Tracy Burns, Steve Weingarten and Richard Fienbop added many more details on Oh Velveeta, National Velveeta, The Arnold Vicious Punk Opera, The LaffFest Series, Democracy in Traction, and Fiat Yux among others.