Jokers master improv

Stacy Forstall
Staff Writer

While the television show "Whose Line is it Anyway" has demonstrated the humor and difficulty in improvisation comedic performance, a group of Chico residents is also up for the challenge.

Last fall, some individuals proposed the idea of performing an improv act similar to the television show. The group, called I Don't Know, I Thought it was Your Line, was given the opportunity to perform at Chico State University's Wismer Theatre. About 50 people attended, and the act was deemed a success. Word of mouth spread about the clever improvisation group, and the group was asked to perform Feb. 14-17 at the Cabaret, across the street from the North Valley Plaza.

Booked to perform a 20-minute set during the night's free-flow of different art forms such as poetry readings, comedy sketches, a jazz ensemble and a story-teller, the group provoked the most response from the audience with their improv sketch.

But just what does I Don't Know, I Thought it was Your Line entail? A lot. Host Eben Burgoon sits off to the side of the stage and picks some of the performers already seated onstage. Friday night's performance at the Cabaret included Burgoon and actors John Tomlinson and Marcus Sams. Burgoon then announced the type of game that would be played and gave the actors a scenario. Often asking for suggestions from the audience, he told the performers to act out a scene.

Tomlinson said, "Part of the host's job is to end the game or just use a new theater style. The real idea is to build a scene up to its funniest point, and then the host ends it and moves on."

At Friday night's performance, the group played the game "Film and Theatre Styles." There are no scripts and the actors have no prior awareness of what character they will be portraying. In one instance the scenario was a high-stakes croquet match. Two actors were asked to perform this scenario in the mode of a science fiction tone. Once the host sounds the buzzer, he changes the element to something else, such as silent film, Western, film noir or even music video.

In a second game, "Whose Line is it Anyway," the actors take two lines written on pieces of paper and the host tells them a scene. Friday night's performance used the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet." From here, the actors must set up the scene and figure out a comical way to incorporate using the lines they drew.

The group's performance Friday proved one thing: Improvisation is all about spontaneity. In order to keep audiences entertained, the actors must be clever and witty, humorous and lively and, by all means, quick-thinking. Never knowing what kind of scene will be thrown their way, they must be able to keep the audience laughing, something the host and actors successfully demonstrated. Despite the vast range in age for audience members, (one couple was celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary) the group's short time on stage was one of the most cleverly collaborated and comical acts of the evening.

Burgoon was successful in changing the scene at either the moment it hit its funniest point or when the laughter was dying down. Tomlinson proved his skill for acting through the portrayal of various characters and use of witty remarks. Sams' facial expressions were amusing and Burgoon's laid-back attitude tied the entire act together.

Tomlinson said he enjoys working with the improvisation group because "it's a chance to be appreciated for being crazy."

The performance left a lasting impression, although it was entirely too short. Hopefully a longer time allotment for the act is in the near future.

The members are especially grateful to the student-run theater organization, The Shoebox Ensemble. This club at Chico State has been supportive of the relatively unknown group by offering them a stage and space to perform. With talk of performing solely with a Jazz Piece Ensemble for future shows, as well as possible performances at the Crazy Horse Saloon, I Don't Know, I Thought it was Your Line seems to be on its way to fame.