FARMINGTON – An hour of improv comedy is fun. Thirteen hours of improv comedy is something else altogether. On Friday, May 20, the Mt. Blue Curtain Raisers will deliver its annual Improvathon, a 13-hour stretch of workshops and performances, culminating with a 7:30 p.m. show in the Mt. Blue High School auditorium.
Throughout the day, Curtain Raisers will be working with classes at Mt. Blue High School to teach other students the fundamentals of improvisation. Director Dan Ryder will be working with teachers to show how improvisation can be used as a learning tool no matter what the subject might be. In improvathons past, students have learned about everything from plate tectonics to proper parenting. After the workshops, Curtain Raiser will continue performing in the auditorium throughout the afternoon.
For the general public, the real fun comes at 7:30 p.m. when the group presents the 13th hour of improv for a full-on audience. Built from audience suggestions, the Curtain Raisers deliver comedy made up in the moment. What results is a combination of games similar to those featured on television’s “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?” and skits in the vein of “Saturday Night Live” or “MAD TV.” Add in some music, an original short film, and 12 hours of continuous improv and you have the makings of quite an evening.
Improvathon intends to help raise the profile of improv in the community while also raising funds for the Curtain Raisers’ trip to Cambridge, Mass., where they will perform at a professional theater, ImprovBoston. Leading up to the event, Curtain Raisers will be seeking pledge sponsors to support the endeavor. The evening performance is only $3, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and showtime 7:30 p.m. Questions may be directed to Curtain Raisers Artistic Director Dan Ryder at dryder@mtbluersd.org or (207) 778-3561.
