Portland’s comedy scene is incendiary, and one of the prime movers we have to thank for it is Shelley McLendon. She’s the mastermind behind Bad Reputation Productions, which has staged hilarious adaptations of movies like "Road House" and "The Lost Boys;" she's a member of several of the city’s top sketch groups, including the Aces and the Liberators; and she’s the proprietress of the Siren Theater, a new downtown venue dedicated to sketch comedy, improv and the zanily theatrical.

In preview of the Stumptown Improv Festival from Aug. 4–6, we're going to listen back to the episode that Shelley guest curated for State of Wonder, because her group the Liberators is performing, as are a bevvy of the improv stars you hear in the show, including festival co-founders Jed Arkley, Leon Anderson and Erin O'Regan. It's a scrappy little fest that's blowing up with sell-out shows and all-star guests, including wife-and-husband team Orange Tuxedo and the improv hip-hop troupe North Coast.

Plus, it's sponsored by Oregon Quinces. You don't get more ridiculous than that.

The Aces: Sketch Comedy At Its Best - 1:12

Shelley, along with Michael Fetters, make up our favorite local sketch duo, the Aces. They performed a scene for our pleasure about a 19th-century pioneer couple sitting for a 10-minute photo portrait. Life was rougher then. All we can say is, don't eat the stew — and make sure to get Grandma out of the bear trap.

Sisters of Comedy: Shelley & Wendi McLendon-Covey - 7:35
It just so happens that Shelley isn’t the only one with the funny gene in the McLendon family. Her sister is Wendi McLendon-Covey, whom you might know from "Bridesmaids," "The Goldbergs," "Reno 911" — or any number of other movies and TV shows. We got the two in the studio to talk about the roots of their comedic talents, playing Twister with Christian co-eds, making out with Nicholas Cage and the time Shelley grew a tail (or why you should check in with your coccyx). You can hear the full interview, plus watch them perform together, here.

Siren Theater And The Portland Performance Crises - 17:23

When Shelley started her company, Bad Reputation Productions, she rented out venues like Theater! Theatre! Over time, she found spaces increasingly hard to come by, so she set out to start her own. It took her two years to find something that worked and that she could afford: the Siren. And it's one of only a few new theaters to open in years.

Shelly’s far from the only one struggling to find affordable performance and rehearsal space in Portland’s booming real estate market. A spate of theater and dance companies have been pushed from their homes as their rents spike or their buildings get torn down. And as Imago's recent announcement made clear, even those who own their buildings are having problems keeping the lights on.

Is it time for a new arts center? We take a look at why it's so hard to find space and what can be done about it.

Leviathan: The Monster of All Improv Shows - 29:28

Producer Aaron Scott tests his skill — and his dignity — at Leviathan. It's a show where a storyteller has to come up with stories on-the-fly based off of audience suggestions, and then a group of able improvisers riff off the stories to create new sketches. Aaron's stories ranged from an exotic animal menagerie/B&B in Kansas to a group of Sri Lankan monks with a secret.

Bubbles and Giggles: TOL in the Tub - 44:36

Think Out Loud, In The Tub. It was a visionary idea: interviews with local chefs … in hot tubs. The first chef was Miranda Bjornsen, owner of Nooks & Cranberries. Unfortunately, she was also the last, as this was one of the best April Fools' spoofs ever, starring Shelley and Think Out Loud host Dave Miller.