1999

Formally Known As…

It has long been known by theatre audiences that Fort Wayne rivals larger cities such as Chicago and Indianapolis for quality community theatre. But just recently our city has seen the advent of a new medium: Improvisational comedy.

At least two fledging improv groups now entertain a small audience in Fort Wayne -- Running With Scissors, and the college-based group called Formally Known As.

Formally Known As came as a result of Susan Robinson's Acting I class at IPFW. "We did improv as a part of the class," says member Michele Andrews, "and there was a handful of us that really liked it. [Class members] Ray Kurut and Dan Ambrose started talking about getting a group together." Soon after the fall 1998 semester ended, Ambrose gave Andrews a call, and the 13-member group was formed.

The group practices Tuesday and Thursday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Studio Theatre in IPFW's Kettler Hall. With Robinson directing the rehearsals, the group has come to understand the importance of not only being funny, but instantly establishing characters and relationships. "For instance," explains Andrews, "you [can come up with] an activity that adds to the skit, or a conflict or a place" in which the scene can take place.

One of the skits they perform is called L.A. Tag. Two people begin a scene and someone else from the company will yell "Freeze!" The two members freeze in place and the third person tags one of them out and assumes the physical position they were in. Then that person begins an entirely new improv scene. "It's easy to run in there and just say something funny," Andrews says. "But it's a little more difficult to run in and just as quickly say something that'll hopefully be funny and at the same time establish the relationship and the place."

As an example, Andrews cites a performance in which she assumed a position in which her hands were held in front of her as if she were holding something. "Instantly I thought of Indiana Jones and how he's afraid of snakes," she says. "So the first thing I said to Shaun David [my partner in the skit] was, 'Jones. Indiana Jones. It's only a snake!' So then right away he knows who he is and the relationship that's being established."

Andrews likens improvisational comedy to the usual warm-up exercises many theatre directors employ for their actors. "There's one where you do one thing with one arm and something totally different with the other," she says. "You really have to focus on what you're doing. Obviously when you go out there, you want to be funny, but you can't think about that. You have to focus on the other person and get in sync and go back and forth with them, just like you would in a play. If you're thinking about the audience and how you look to them, it's not doing to work."

Like the improvisational comedians on ABC-TV's popular show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" this group enjoys occasionally putting the audience in the spotlight. Not only do they get suggestions for topics from them, they sometimes bring them onstage to participate in the fun.

For a skit called Pet Peeves, various members of the troupe are led by a "conductor" who points to one or more members at a time to complain about given topics. "We get ideas from the audience," says Andrews. "Like, people who drive too slow. Ostriches. Whatever."

During the a performance at a marathon to raise money for the IPFW Arts Department, one of the audience members was called onto the stage to be a complainer. His pet peeve, Andrews recalls, was appropriate to the occasion: water bottles. "I think he said, 'Water bottles. Who needs 'em? They're full of WATER.'"

But not everybody can do improv. "Obviously it helps to be witty," Andrews says. But an improvisational comedian also has to have focus, energy, and a performer's ability to "turn yourself on light a lightbulb." Not to mention the readiness to accept criticism and the willingness to improve. The group hasn't had a problem with bruised egos, however, Andrew says. "You have to be willing to fall on your face. Sometimes we'll just be totally hilarious, and other times it's just not going anywhere. But it's worth it for the times that it is funny."

With thirteen or so members in the troupe, Formally Known As is never without an audience during their rehearsals. Andrews is among those who consider these rehearsals to be mini-performances for their colleagues. "I just love the creativity and the freedom of it," she says. "You're directing your own little scene, you're writing your own little scene, you're acting your own little scene. And when it's funny, it's funny whether there are four people watching or forty."

Nevertheless, after a handful of performances, the group is ready to be seen by larger audiences. But don't look for them to start charging for their art. For now they work for free, simply for the enjoyment of honing their improvisational and performance skills. "Basically we're just kind of getting together and we want to get known and get some gigs," says Andrews. "That's our focus right now."

Their rehearsals are open and they welcome the opportunity to perform before new audiences. Those who are interested in booking them for a free performance can contact the IPFW Department of Theatre at (219)481-6555.