Review: 'Arters improv entertaining

Imagine standing in front of an audience without a script. It's an intimidating thought. Now imagine standing in front of a crowd with the expectation of being funny.

That's a downright scary situation for most people, which is exactly what makes improvisational comedy so compelling. A full crowd turned out Saturday night to be entertained by EMU's very own improvisational comedy troop, 'Arters Anonymous.

Team members Colt Nutter, Matt Pearson, Rachel Swartzendruber, Tim Koehn, Ben Butcher, and Liza James shrugged off the pressures to delight a very receptive audience. They took the stage with the disclaimer of a show "where everything is made up and the moon pies don't matter."

Those who are familiar with the television show "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?" noticed some resemblance, but the jokes were truly unique. Nutter played the host, handing out moon pies at will and serving as an intermediary between the actors and the audience when suggestions were asked for. The rest of the comedy crew lounged on comfy chairs, joking with one another until they were called to center stage.

The night was an assortment of short, unrelated scenes where performers had a couple minutes to construct a comprehensible scene according to specified rules. The performers explored and stretched each sketch, sometimes using audience suggestions, but other times relying just on quick wit and untailored creativity. A sketch named "Props" gave the performers an opportunity to create uses for dubious items that resembled illustrations in chemistry textbooks. Another sketch was the reenactment of the legendary fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel." The twist was that they had to perform it faster with each reenactment. The final result was a five-second, hyper-speed blur that included all the major plot developments.

Additional skits included tag-team acting, where one member entered a scene and replaced a chosen actor, and a dating show where Swartzendruber guessed each of the contestants' quirks through hints. Another sketch was a sales pitch of a state of the art pimple popper.

Of course, no performance is complete without a special guest appearance. Renowned scholar Marie Morris joined another volunteer on stage to help with one skit. Their role was to be human props that could be molded into any beneficial object according to the discretion of superheroes. The night concluded after Nutter joined Butcher, Koehn and Pearson for an Irish jig that celebrated the romantic spirit of the campus hill.

In addition to physical comedy, verbal comedy, parody, and bizarreness, the night demonstrated a deep connection between the actors. Swirled into the acts was an attitude of familiarity that added a certain smoothness and ease to the performances. Members were more than willing to poke fun at each other, as well as at themselves. Through creativity and self-critique, 'Arters Anonymous served up a night of fun, amusement, and oddity that allowed audience members plenty of opportunities to get their titters out.