I got to sit down with Steven Prestia to discuss acting, improv, career, past & future and so much more…. Join Steven and I, with Laurice, Liz & Evan at 2pm, Saturday, April 11, 2026 at the South Shore Craft Brewery, Ocean Side NY GET TICKETS
ANOTHER PODCAST? WHY?
My mission in 2026 is to knock stage fright of the top of the phobias list. We do this spreading joy & laughter one show / workshop at a time while teaching invaluable life skills. We have public shows weekly in Times Square NYC and tour schools, theaters, community centers and corporate / private events DC to Boston almost daily.
https://newyorkimprovtheater.com/
https://improv4kids.com/
Steven Prestia
Steven Prestia is a recent graduate from LIU Post with a BFA in Arts Management and an MBA. Steven hopes to use his arts management education to further his own comedy career. Steven has been working with 8 is Never Enough Improv since 2012. He started as a student, then became an Intern and worked his way up to Teacher/ Cast member in 2016. Steven has worked with various improv troupes on Long Island to include Friday Night Face Off and No Control. Steven is also a stand-up comedian and has performed at various venues across Long Island and New York City. Some of his credits include Caroline’s on Broadway, Governor’s, McGuire’s, Gotham Comedy Club, and the Broadway Comedy Clubs.
https://www.instagram.com/stevenprestia/
Walt Frasier
https://waltfrasier.net/
Entertainer – Producer – Educator – Author
For 30+ years Walt Frasier has been entertaining audiences live from Times Square NYC, Touring Nationwide, and occasionally popping onto their TVs and other devices. For casting Walter in SAG AFTRA Film, TV & Commercial projects, contact (Jaime) Baker Management. International credits include TV, Commercials, Theater, Music & Comedy. Currently the Artistic Director of the NEW YORK IMPROV THEATER and North East Managing Director for THEY IMPROV.
Having Fun with Walt Frasier: Transcript
Have Fun with Walt Frasier
Host: Walt Frasier
Guest: Steven Prestia
Date: Recorded April 10, 2026
WALT: Welcome back to Have Fun with Walt Frasier. I am Walt Frasier, and I am here today with a very special guest. Please introduce yourself!
STEVEN: How you guys doing? My name is Steven Prestia. I am a Long Island-based comedian and improviser. I’ve been doing improv now for 14 years, which is crazy to say. I’ve been a member of Eight Is Never Enough and working with you, Walt, since about 2012. I became an intern in 2016 and then a full-on teacher and cast member in 2017. In my college improv troop, No Control, I was the casting director. I’m also part of Long Island’s longest-running improv troop, Friday Night Face Off, which I’ve been with for about a decade. They call me “Steven The Voice Prestia,” which we’ll get into with some impressions later. I’ve also been an instructor for the LOLOPITAS company for the better part of a year. And fun fact: I’m a black belt in Kempo Karate!
WALT: There you go—the comedian and the bouncer! They pay me for multiple roles, and they can pay me well at those kinds of clubs. So tell me, you were with me early on, but before that, you were with the Gotham Kids classes doing stand-up, right?
STEVEN: Yeah, wonderful memories.
WALT: Did you do theater or other things before that when you were younger?
STEVEN: Well, I always knew I wanted to do comedy specifically—stand-up more than anything else. Before my family found Kids ‘n Comedy, they started me with local acting classes just to get my feet wet. I did it because I knew comedy was what I wanted, and eventually, that’s what I got. My first ever time on stage was with Kids ‘n Comedy. I still have the video of my first set; I’m so happy I have that relic of my past.
But a funny thing is how I found you, Walt. We bought a ticket to a public 3:00 PM show in the city. That year, there was a blizzard, so we couldn’t go. The date was rescheduled, and when we finally saw the show, I fell in love. I was immediately hooked by improv and never stopped. Looking back, improv has almost always been part of my life because I grew up watching Whose Line Is It Anyway?. I didn’t realize it was “improv” at the time, but I remember being mad at the TV when they didn’t do the “Irish Drinking Song.” I used to ad-lib to my heart’s content as a kid.
WALT: It’s funny, I’m enamored when I see videos where Colin and Ryan talk about hating the “Irish Drinking Song.” Neither are really “musical” improvisers, though they do well. Ryan has a vehement attitude toward it. Have you seen the blooper reel where he’s cussing out Dan Patterson?
STEVEN: Yes! You can tell there’s way too much truth in that fire. You can see the smoke billowing!
WALT: I always tell students that one of the best musical improvisers is Colin Mochrie. He’s not a singer, but he gets through it. Don’t look at Wayne Brady—the chances of becoming Wayne Brady are slim to none. But you can be a Colin Mochrie. He’s on TV getting paid to do it, so it’s attainable.
STEVEN: Absolutely. Did you know Amelia Fowler does our troupe? She’s been with me since 2009. She actually did his show, The Hyprov Show, at the Asylum before they closed the old UCB space.
WALT: Oh wow! So, the first time you hit the stage was with those acting classes?
STEVEN: The acting classes were just basic. The first time I actually performed was with Kids ‘n Comedy. I hit the stage and never left. Then I found you guys and just showed up and never left. I have a vivid memory of those public 3:00 PM shows; I used to have my stand-up sets open or close the show. I’m still forever grateful for that space to exercise my craft.
WALT: You got it right. Eventually, it’s about the writing, but in the beginning, it’s all about the stage time. You were a writer early on—coming in with high concepts—but you were a Long Island theater kid who needed to learn your chops so you weren’t just imitating what you thought comedy was. You’ve carved out a great little side hustle in the Long Island clubs.
STEVEN: I’m very proud of the network I’ve built because it didn’t happen overnight. It was built through really showing up and giving it my all. The funny thing is, I haven’t been doing as much stand-up lately. I’ve pivoted almost fully into improv. I love it and will probably do it forever.
WALT: I think you feel about improv what I felt about opera. I loved doing opera, but it was a lonely existence. You don’t get much rehearsal with the group—you just show up, know your staging, and you’re on. There isn’t that collaboration. In stand-up, there’s camaraderie in the green room, but also backstabbing. On stage, you die by yourself. In improv, you have that support network.
STEVEN: 100%. With stand-up, it’s the comic getting the laugh; with improv, it’s the troupe getting the laugh. Speaking of stand-up, I have a “war story.” I do impressions—Obama, Schwarzenegger, Gollum. One time, pre-COVID, I was developing bronchitis while on stage. I was doing the Gollum voice, and I started to cough. I turned around to cough, and the audience started clapping! They thought I was putting my voice through the ringer for the character, but I was just sick!
WALT: What’s your worst improv experience?
STEVEN: When I was first learning, I was in a kids’ class with a girl who was circling me on an imaginary bike. I said, “Oh, I see something’s wrong with your bike, maybe we can get started.” She just said, “No, it’s my bike, you can’t touch it!” and I just looked at the instructor like, “What are we doing here?”
But I have funny ones, too. We did a library show in Long Island and asked for the name of a book. An 8-year-old boy raises his hand and says, “Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.” I was taking Environmental Science at the time, so I knew it was about the dangers of pesticides ravaging the environment. I had a blast because I had that niche knowledge!
Another one was in Mystic. We were doing “Three-Headed Expert” with a 10-year-old girl on stage. A 6-year-old boy in the audience raises his hand and says, full-chested: “Babies come from a vagina!” The parents went red, and we just had to wrap the game up. We weren’t getting anything funnier than that.
WALT: I remember that! I was the MC and I was wondering if he heard his parents talking or if that was his interpretation of a Kindergarten Cop quote.
STEVEN: Speaking of Mystic, do you remember the outside shows?
WALT: Oh, it was hot. It was like a Ren Faire.
STEVEN: Comedy doesn’t work in that street-fair environment unless someone is specifically announcing it. Music is ambient; you can enjoy it while walking. But comedy requires attention. I remember doing a stand-up show at the Mineola Street Fair when I was 13. A guy held up a sign that said: “NO ONE IS LAUGHING.” My aunt went over and tore him a new one. That was more entertaining than my set!
WALT: That should be a sketch—the “Silent Heckler.”
STEVEN: We also did that murder mystery in Southampton—1920s theme. There was a 6-foot-2 Irish drag queen flapper named Rory. He loved me! At the end of the show, I had two big red lipstick marks on my face.
WALT: You weren’t at the one where I dove into the pool, though? We were at a Hamptons Airbnb, everyone was dressed in pink like Barbie. It was a hot July night, and I just dove into the pool fully clothed. Evan jumped in after me, shouting, “I’ll save him! I think he’s dead!” I was floating there laughing my head off.
STEVEN: I missed that one! But I remember the “Penguin” request. A client wanted to dress as Batman and wanted a Penguin and Joker entourage last minute. I found a costume in a thrift store—my best 24-hour costume ever. We get there, and “Batman” is walking with his hand on his wife’s shoulder. I found out later the guy was legally blind. We did a show for a Batman who was as “blind as a bat.” You can’t make it up.
WALT: How ironic!
STEVEN: And one time at a synagogue, I accidentally yelled “Jesus Christ!” and a lady in the front row just glared.
WALT: We’ve all learned the hard way. I once made a “German shower” joke at a Jewish gig. Some crowds are reformed and love it, but this was the wrong one. I had to take a break from that game for a few weeks!
STEVEN: Speaking of learning, I remember being an intern at the Broadway Comedy Club. Brian Simmons told me to turn on the lights. I didn’t know how the lightboard worked, so I just started flipping switches under the table. The stage lights started strobing! A tech guy came over, fixed it, and said, “You touch this again, I’ll cut your hands off.” I was traumatized.
WALT: Brian was probably laughing his ass off.
STEVEN: He was! A few years later, another guy threatened to break my fingers if I touched his board. I thought, “You need more than that to scare me, a guy once threatened to cut my hand off! That’s Little League!”
WALT: You never seemed nervous on stage.
STEVEN: Stage fright? Never knew her. My mentality is: the audience is there to see a show, so give them one. Nobody buys a ticket not to laugh.
WALT: Well, I’d contest that in New York or Jersey—some people go just to heckle! But you’re right. A quiet crowd is often a listening crowd. Actors call them “Sunday Matinee” or “Blue Hair” crowds. They don’t laugh because they’re afraid they’ll miss the next line.
STEVEN: I’ve had people stay silent the whole show, then come up after and say, “Oh my god, you were so funny!” I’m like, “You could have told me that while I was on stage!”
WALT: I always say the secret to happiness is a wider threshold of acceptability. If you aim for “perfect,” you’ll never be happy. If the goal is just to have fun, you can learn from a bad show and move on.
STEVEN: You taught us in class: “If you wait for the world to make you happy, you will always be disappointed.” That stuck with me.
WALT: I do that “homework” at corporate events now. The world doesn’t care about you—and I mean that in a good way. Everyone else is too busy worrying about themselves. If you want more smiles, lead by example.
STEVEN: One more “horror” story. I did a show based on Hot Ones. I had to eat five wings on stage that got progressively hotter. But unlike the YouTube show, this wasn’t edited. I had to eat them on a timer while trying to do my set. By wing four, things got real. By wing five, I couldn’t do my impressions because my mouth was on fire! I couldn’t talk like Obama; I sounded like a 90-year-old man.
WALT: “I’m Obama… and I’m burning up!”
STEVEN: Exactly.
WALT: I love seeing students like you grow up. Caroline is at USC for screenwriting; Nikki is a comedy major at Emerson. Seeing everyone hit that next level is amazing. You were there at the very first comedy camp.
STEVEN: I think I was the youngest person in the room for ten years. I remember my family fell on hard financial times, but they always put me first so I could go to these classes. To save money on the LIRR, I’d wear this little green monster hat and hold a Game Boy so the conductor would think I was under 12 and give me the kid’s fare. My parents would smack my arm and say, “Look smaller!” I’m so grateful to them and to you for the opportunities.
WALT: I love your parents. I remember talking to your dad during Hurricane Sandy—you guys were stuck on your block with trees down. We’ve survived so much. I’m shocked I’m still in business!
STEVEN: We survived 2020!
WALT: By the skin of our teeth. But seeing your picture on a postcard for a show that wasn’t mine? I was beaming like a proud papa. You went out and earned that stage time. Talent is great, but it’s 90% perseverance.
STEVEN: My time is only valuable if I use it properly. You have to make the most of what you’re given.
WALT: That’s the education. You have to start, show up, and show up on time. That first 15-minute warm-up is crucial. I’ve been doing this for 23 years. When we started at the Improv in 2004, we performed for seven people. Then nine. We eventually built it into a full-time business. The comics who made it were the ones in the club at midnight every night begging for stage time.
STEVEN: It’s work. It’s not rocket science, but it’s work. And what you do off-stage matters just as much. If you’re a pain in the ass, producers won’t hire you.
WALT: Exactly. Be easy to work with. I’ve had talented guys I stopped calling because they brought too much “garbage” backstage. I teach focus because I struggle with it—I’m likely ADHD and on the spectrum, which helps with divergent thinking, but I need a positive environment to deliver for the audience.
I once did an opera with bronchitis. You rise to the challenge. You puke your guts out in the alley, then go out and give the best performance of your life.
STEVEN: Last year, we did eight shows in three days for those Maryland libraries. I lost my voice by show five, but I powered through. Then I had my black belt test the same week! I landed on my bed at the end of that week and couldn’t move for days.
WALT: Martial arts is a powerful discipline for this. Anyway, you’re going to give us some impressions before you go? I want to interview your characters. First: Obama. What would it take to get you back for a third term?
STEVEN (As Obama): Uh, well, to get me back for a third term… uh, the first thing you have to do… uh, well, to be honest, what I want… uh, is for new seasons of Invincible to come out sooner. Uh, that’s gotta happen for me to be back in office. I love the current season, but it takes too long, and that is why I would run for a third term.
WALT: Do you like the violent superhero parodies?
STEVEN (As Obama): Absolutely. They’re my favorite. I’ll watch any one of those with my daughters, Sasha and Malia. Uh, personally? Invincible. Because… uh, I’m invincible too. My reputation is good.
WALT: Now, Gollum. I hear you have a new series coming to TV?
STEVEN (As Gollum): They’re precious! Don’t… guys… we don’t want to talk about it! No! That’s my place! We’ll make it pretty and nice and sweet… yes, precious!
WALT: How do you feel about The Rings of Power?
STEVEN (As Gollum): It was terrible, precious! Worst thing I’ve ever seen! Don’t ask those questions!
WALT: And finally, Arnold. Are you watching the new Predator movies?
STEVEN (As Arnold): I like to watch the new Predator movies because I like to see his dreads. In the original movie, his dreadlocks smelled like Cheetos. They were my favorite snack when I was working out. I said, “Hey you! Come here! Kill me! I’m here! You brought Cheetos for me!”
WALT: This is the most political I’ve ever let the podcast get! Steven, this has been awesome. We have a show in Long Island tomorrow, so I’m putting this up tonight! Check out Steven at Eight Is Never Enough, Improv 4 Kids, and his social media.
STEVEN: Follow me at @StevenPrestia. And come by Oceanside tomorrow, April 11th!
WALT: I’ll put the links in the show notes. Remember: Have fun! We’ve got shows in Times Square, Long Island, Brooklyn, DC, Boston, Philly—we’re all over. Thank you, Steven!
STEVEN: Thank you, Walt!
WALT: Have a great night having fun with Walt Frasier!
Walt Frasier 