Vic Michaelis joins Dimension 20 Gladlands after D&D nerves

Polygon spoke with Vic Michaelis, the actor, improv comedian and Dropout host who has joined Dimension 20’s Gladlands campaign and appears in multiple Dropout projects while also starring in Peacock’s espionage series Ponies, which premiered Jan. 15.

Michaelis said their improv background influenced their work on Ponies — “they knew they were hiring an improviser” — and informs Very Important People, the improvised Dropout talk show they host, where guests perform characters in heavy makeup and prosthetics; recent season guests included Rekha Shankar as Mother Hot Dog and Jacob Wysocki and Brennan Lee Mulligan as horrifying babies up for adoption.

They described initial hesitation about performing D&D on Dimension 20 due to limited tabletop experience — recounting a lockdown game that became a cheer-team gag — but said the show’s modified Kids on Bikes system "clicked" after the first day and changed their approach from trying to guess the story to helping build it. Michaelis said they would return for another campaign under the right circumstances; Very Important People and Dimension 20: Gladlands stream on Dropout.tv, and Ponies is streaming on Peacock.

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Culture, Vic Michaelis, Gladlands, Dropout, Very Important People, Ponies