'That was all the encouragement I needed,' Arnie says.

He brought the idea up to Adal, and the response was an enthusiastic, 'Let's do it!' With the success of films like 'The Hobbit' and shows like 'Game of Thrones,' Arnie began toying with idea of setting a story in a place where he could interview magical creatures – a 'high-concept podcast' that essentially boils down to a talk show hosted by an Earthling in a fantastical world akin to Middle-earth. I had a couple of littler podcasts that have been kind of notable in Chicago, but not much beyond that.' 'I have this deep love of podcasts,' Arnie tells me. It was during this call I got to find out about the history of 'Hello From the Magic Tavern.' But I was lucky enough to catch up with the trio via Facetime after their recent excursion to Emerald City Comicon in Seattle. I've been playing email tag with the group for a while – they've got a lot on their plate, after all. 'We're improv married,' Arnie says about Matt.

In fact, Matt and Arnie have been improvising together for nearly a decade. Before they took a trip to a magical realm for their critically-acclaimed podcast, they made people laugh at iO Theater's 'Whirled News Tonight.' It's a comedy show that invites the audience to choose articles from newspapers, which the improvisers use to craft scenes.

There's one crucial thing you need to know about the podcast 'Hello From the Magic Tavern,' the show that follows a dimension-hopping host, a boisterous wizard and a talking badger: It's entirely made up on the fly.Īnd that, my friends, is why I enjoy it so much.Ĭhicago-based improvisers Arnie Niekamp, Matt Young and Adal Rifai have been performing together for years.

All hello from the magic tavern guests