Originally based off of a similar concept from The Bay Area, Mixed Fruit is a blended program that's part poetry show, part live podcast, part improv performance, and all refreshing as hell! In a nutshell: three stylistically unique poets are invited to share a few grounded, real life poems that showcase their life perspective as well as their approach to their craft. Then, each is engaged in a live interview on-stage with the host (yours truly), digging into a little bit of their methodology but also their humanity, (reminiscent of Hot Ones, by Sean Evans). The idea is to give the audience a rare opportunity to get to know these prolific people they've just heard as, well, people. Finally, a long-form improv troupe that has been patiently waiting on the sidelines finishes off the "set" with long-form improv based off of both the poetry and the interview, rewarding the audience for paying close attention to the parts that preceded the comedy. Finally, the show closes with an improvised poem about the entire experience, performed by your master of ceremonies, Soul. Mixed Fruit is originally based off the show concept, "The Bridge" from The Bay Area, produced by Mic Ting. Its first LA iteration was in 2022 at Junior High. It has since been performed seven times in four venues, including the Utah Arts Festival in 2024 (the last showing before this one). The host of this eclectic experience, Soul Stuf, is a seasoned performer with over a decade of improv and poetry under his belt. Soul has curated shows all across Los Angeles and has taught improvised poetry for The LA Get Down Festival, The New York Poetry Festival, Get Lit- Words Ignite, & The Hammer Museum.