The theater is mostly still, with only slight murmurs from the audience. They’re all waiting for something to happen. Hushed conversations, slurping drinks and popcorn munching are all that’s audible. They’re waiting to laugh.
Improv is live comedy with no script. Actors play improv games to help them along. It is highly participatory, with audience members giving character or scene suggestions. No improv show is the same.
Improv shows can also have a theme. One recent show at the Murray Theatre, put on by Improv Salt Lake, had typical improv games in the first hour and then they improvised a Broadway-style musical in the second. Chairs were set up on the stage for the actors, though they were often standing and moving around during scenes.
They also had a piano for live music that accompanied the on-the-fly musical. Actors get intimate with the audience and include them in the show. David Knoell, board member of Improv Salt Lake, was the host and encouraged (cajoled) audience members not to be shy and to move up close to the stage.
The best way to go see a show is by checking an improv group’s website and seeing what they have coming up. It will also have the time, location and how to buy tickets. Some shows are recurring, like Improv Salt Lake’s show at the Murray Theater. It happens on the last Tuesday of every month (except for October). Laughing Stock and Last Laugh Improv also have recurring shows every Saturday night.
Improv comedy began in Chicago, which now has a large improv community. In Salt Lake, improv only really started in 1994 when the Off Broadway Theatre opened. They put on musicals, plays, parodies and live improv comedy shows. Now, improv groups like Laughing Stock, Last Laugh Improv and Crowd Sourced Comedy are just some that dominate the local scene.
Improv Salt Lake has become a big name in the area, because while they hold many improv shows, they aren’t an improv group. They are an organization that wants to “be a theater company that can house all of the improv troupes,” said Knoell.
They started Improv Salt Lake with the idea to unify all the individual improv groups to create more of a community. Improv Salt Lake’s shows will often have actors from a variety of Salt Lake City’s improv groups and even some from Provo.
One major goal of Improv Salt Lake is to have a theater that actors can call home. Right now, many improv groups play at a variety of theaters that aren’t specifically for improv, often resulting in late show times.
“When I moved here, I didn’t know where to see it,” Knoell said.
Knoell was originally from Chicago and loved its established improv scene. He said that it was awesome being able to go out any night knowing he could attend a show; seven nights a week, at least 10 improv shows were happening.
That’s what’s missing from the Salt Lake scene, Knoell said; no one knows where to go, so it’s very inconsistent. With one specific space, improv could really explode in Salt Lake County. Knoell said that Provo also has two improv-specific theaters.
Clive Iverson, another board member of Improv Salt Lake, said that their goal is to build a community and bring people together. They hope to see more cross-collaboration between the various improv troupes.
“We’ve both seen what a really good improv community can be,” said Knoell. “I just want other people to have that and to be able to give that to Salt Lake County as well.”
See a show
- What: Improv Salt Lake presents Comedy Variety Show, a nigh of improv, sketch comedy, stand-up, music, and more. Proceeds go toward the Asian Association of Utah.
- Where: Alliance Theater (602 East 500 South, SLC),
- When: April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
- More info: Tickets are $10 and available here.
This article was written by University of Utah student journalist Lexi Lilly as part of their coursework for the capstone Voices of Utah class. It is published by non-profit Amplify Utah to elevate perspectives in local media through emerging journalism.
