One of the peculiarities of the intersection between Facebook and journalism remains the numbers of “friends” you acquire while networking. One my Facebook friends, Hanna Vaitovich, paid off this past weekend when she invited me to see the Troupe from Improv Dallas perform at Rover Dramawerks in Plano. While improvisational comedy can be hit and miss in this area, these stars and future stars made solid contact all night long, bringing one laugh after another.
Improv Dallas is the brain-child of Actress Wendy Pennington, who grew up in Mesquite and made quite an impact in Los Angeles before moving back to Dallas during the Great Recession to take care of her ill father.
“Because of the men in my life,” she made her way back to Dallas, Wendy says. With her husband laid off, housing prices dropping, her father ill, and her only son on the way, coming back home became an easy choice. What sealed it were the assurances she got from friends that the film and entertainment industry in Dallas had picked up. She supplemented the acting jobs she worked with opportunities to teach her craft to local talent, rookie and veteran alike.
From those students came a diverse group of talented actors with a knack for improvisation. Two years ago, on November 5th, Improv Dallas formed up for its first show downtown. A crowd of 75 showed up and the shows have been steady since then. In addition to these public shows, the Troupe can be hired for corporate events, community events, and pretty much any other events willing to pay the price for such a talented group of actors and comedians to liven up the party. Wendy also consults solo, as she discussed a corporation she worked with to enliven a recent team-building event for upper management.
The troupe itself ranges in experience from Broadway veteran Lou Williford, who was simply outstanding at last Saturday’s show, and veteran theater actor and dancer Stuart Evan Glass to future stars Hanna Vaitovich, Elizabeth Morris and Kayce Kuntz. Most are represented by local talent agencies Core Talent, Kim Dawson Agency, A Plus Talent and others.
They present an experiential show full of skits and audience participation games typical of improv shows. On Saturday, the chosen participants seemed intent on making the proceedings a little less than “family friendly.” Once the first bit of raunchiness hit the stage, permission was granted and bawdy became a major theme for the night. Of course, with an over 18 crowd there were no ears to cover, and I’m sure adjustments could have been made for a different audience.
The whole night is about fun, and this group excels at it. Lots of quick thinking creativity poured off the stage in ways I could never have dreamt up. By the end of the evening, I’d had plenty of laughs and learned a valuable lesson: I should stick to writing. I could go Andy Kaufman and read The Great Gatsby on stage for three hours, but matching wits with these guys is a skill I’d need a few years to master.
You can get all the information you need on Improve Dallas and its troupe by checking out their site at www.improvdallas.com
