On Aug. 28, I.O. West in Hollywood hosted its monthly interview show Inside the Improvisers Studio, a take off on the familiar format of James Lipton's Inside the Actors Studio featuring the city's top comedic improvisers. The subjects of this edition were married couple and performing partners Robert Dassie and Stephnie Weir. Actor and I.O. alumnus Craig Cackowski moderated the event.
Weir began by explaining that she left her home town of Odessa, TX, for Chicago on the advice of a theatre teacher who said, "L.A. [is] too competitive, New York impossible to live in and be poor, but Chicago [has] a lot of good stage time for people starting out." Dassie grew up outside Chicago in Greenwood, IL, watching Second City shows, and eventually enrolled in their classes where he and Weir first met and performed together. They lost touch, however, until they both began taking classes at Chicago's ImprovOlympic and when Dassie learned that Weir was studying there, he "pulled her out of class and put her on our team before anyone else had a chance." They became a couple during the five weeks that team performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the late 90's.
After Weir was cast on Fox's MadTV, they moved to Los Angeles and began to experiment at I.O. West with the type of improv that would eventually evolve into their current two-person show WeirDass. "We were doing [a fast paced show], and when we got into the meat of a scene someone would invariably edit or tag out or walk in and we talked about how it would be great to just do that scene and see where it goes," recalled Dassie, who has performed his one-man show, Something For Everyone, in several cities and just finished a run in L.A.
When asked about the challenges of performing as a married couple, Weir admitted that "those first WeirDass shows were so hard, just because of the judgment on my part and the notes I had after every show and trying to figure out how to work together. We're so much better now." Dassie agreed, "We worked hard on setting boundaries and creating rules," he explained. "We had to segregate time. At this point we start working, and at this point, we don't talk about it anymore because living with each other, that really can pour into work and life coming together. And you don't want to do that."
Cackowski concluded the interview with Lipton's famous Bernard Pivot questions. When asked what she would like to hear God say when she arrived at the Pearly Gates, Weir brought the house down by answering, "Here are your roller skates and headband."
For more information, including upcoming guests, Check out for Inside the Improvisers Studio on the Web.