Now that all that Fringe nonsense is behind us, we can get back to the real world. It’s time for another FringeFamous Five. This time we snagged a Lauren Anderson and Bobby Gardner — two cast members of the current Brave New Workshop review The Lion, the Witch, and the War Hero or Is McCain Able?. Enjoy!

What’s the most difficult part of putting together a new review?

Lauren Anderson: The most difficult part of putting up a new show is taking sketches and editing them as we go. Sometimes in an effort to make things even funnier, we will block the first act, and then end up having to re-block the entire thing 2 hours before we have to perform it for an audience to work in an excellent new bit we discovered. It’s envigorating, but it is a challenge.

Bobby, although this is your second mainstage show, you’re the newest member of this cast. What’s the most challenging thing about being the BNW new kid?

Bobby Gardner: The schedule definitely takes some getting used to. It’s not like a normal production where you get the script at the first read through, and then rehearse the same text for a month or so before you open. The script is changing a lot before we get to opening night. We have a weekend of previews to see what works with an audience. In that week, sketches get cut, the show order gets moved around, and there are many internal edits made. So that “being ready for anything” aspect of live theatre is really personified in this proccess. I guess I would say that’s the biggest adjustment I had to make. Also, this is a very tight knit group, so it took a little time to find my niche. There was a period of time where I thought “man, I’m not as funny as I thought I was.” But it just took a little time to sort out what my “funny” in the group was. I’m still trying to find it.

How do you classify improvisers? Are they actors, performers, just improvisers, a kind of hybrid of everything? What?

BG: There’s not really a good classification for improvisers. It’s kind of a melting pot of different kinds of people. Some are actors looking to improve their craft. Some are comedians who are trying to spark something that can go into their act. A lot of people who go through the Brave New Institute are just everyday 9-5 Joes and Janes who are just looking for something fun and social to do on a week night. The main stage cast is made up mostly of actor/comedians who have had training in improv from BNW, Improv Olympics, Second City or a combination of a few of those schools. I feel like a base in acting or performing can definitely give you a head start in improv. But honestly, I’ve seen people who have no background in performing get up on that stage and just blow it out of the box in an improv set.

Lauren, your educational background is in theatre. Then you morphed into an improv super hero. Artistically speaking, what’s the biggest difference between fresh-out-of-college Lauren Anderson and current-day Lauren Anderson?

LA: The biggest difference is confidence…and experience. Taking improv classes taught me to trust myself on stage, so I no longer am afraid if I go up on a line or we find ourselves straying from the script. In fact, sometimes that’s the fun part. It’s incredibly liberating to feel confident on stage. When we are doing shows it just feels like fun. That is the biggest difference. I used to have to “work” a lot harder on stage, which made for terrible acting. Now I trust my insticts and the director, and have a blast. It helps to work with brilliant people too

Which do you find more fun — performing in a BNW main stage review, or performing in the post-show improv set that follows?

BG: They are each fun in their own way. At the beginning of a run of a new show, even the scripted parts feel improvised because I have just memorized them. Previews are a treat because there are times when it feels like “The Actor’s Nightmare.” You know, the whole “I’m on stage in front of an audience but I have no idea what comes next.” It’s really exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Once the show has been running for a while I do tend to look forward to the improv set following. It’s a chance for us to let loose and play. Not that we don’t play in the show — we most certainly do. But after two or three months of the same general script, it sometimes takes some improv to reconnect the group and force some energy back into our systems.

Bobby Gardner and Lauren Anderson probably have awesome bios…but in all the Fringe Festival fury, I neglected to get them. However, you can see both Bobby’s and Lauren’s bio by going to their show and reading the program! The Lion, the Witch, and the War Hero is playing NOW!…probably as you’re reading this! GO!!