Birmingham has an improv troupe! It’s called the Extemporaneous Theatre Company. Or “Etc.” for short. I’ve been twice already, I expect to go again, and I highly recommend that you buy tickets and go check out a performance.
Why would we go see a live performance? Why not just stay home and watch TV? Why not just click through YouTube videos to get our laughs? Why not just watch old performances of Whose Line is it Anyway? Why not keep things simple and chase our pets around all night with a camera until they do something cute or funny?
The reason is that – as human beings – we’re hard-wired to enjoy interaction. We all sometimes enjoy television, movies, talking on the phone, and the internet. But it doesn’t exactly scratch that particular itch. You need other people around. Live flesh and blood people. An increasingly electronic universe can be a lonely place.
I remember discussing this with a long-distance girlfriend. We were both extroverts, really liked each other, and could talk for hours on the phone every day between visits. We decided that all that talking and chatting, though, just can’t substitute for holding hands. And often that’s what you’re really craving. Or kissing. Or shared laughter.
The Extemporaneous Theatre Company probably can’t promise that you’ll get kissed if you come to their performances, but I personally guarantee that you’ll get to experience the joy of contributing your own laughter and smile to a roomful of like-minded people. Live audiences are a dynamic and living thing. Give a little; take a little. Watch the couple in front of you crack up over something you didn’t think was very funny. Give your own exuberant Car Talk snort at something that no one else thinks is funny. Keep an eye on something on stage that might usually be off-camera if it was on the TV. Contribute, interact, people-watch, entertain, and be entertaining. Give yourself a story to tell for when you go back to your online life. Laughter is the best medicine. And, for whatever reason, we usually laugh louder if there are other people around.
The first show I went to was in the style of Whose Line is it Anyway. Hosted by Douglas O’Neil, Jr., the principal artists included J’Mel Davidson, Debbie Smith, Arik Sokol, and Christopher Davis. Audience interaction a’plenty. I might not be very good at shouting out topics, movie genres, and “jobs you wouldn’t want on Halloween“, but it was a lot of fun to see what everyone else in the audience came up with. There are a million improv games to play – and they played several. I left in good spirits.
The second performance I saw was a night of “To Mock a Killingbird”, which included Douglas O’Neil, Jr., Christopher Davis, Arik Sokol, Chris Burch, and Callie Mauldin. A murder mystery – completely improvised – in which one character is secretly picked as a killer and then the characters act out scenes relevant to the investigation. At the end, the audience gets to vote and come to consensus on which character is the killer. I thought it was the precocious Ms. Mauldin, but it was the despicable Mr. Davis. When it was over, my face hurt from all the laughing.
Go see the Extemporaneous Theatre Company’s YouTube channel to preview clips from their earlier shows before going to see them live. The next shows are April 10th and 11th. Details are on their website.