Nicholas Meyers
For Publication on February 20th, 2003
head: Improv entertainers now ‘Make it Up’ at Perks
sub: Student group moves off campus
feature: ‘Improv’ing Nightlife
When thinking of what to do Friday night, one typically doesn’t consider Perks Coffee and Tea for entertainment. A word to the wise — start.
The Family Dinner, an improvisational comedy group of 13 LSU students, will be performing at Perks on Perkins Rd. every Friday night, including this week. This Friday will be the group’s third show, and if the second was any indication, it will be a packed house.
All members of the group were part of LSU’s “Making It Up … As We Go Along.” When “Making It Up …” came to an end, the group didn’t want to stop performing, said performer John Robert Wilson, a computer science junior. They decided to take matters into their own hands by booking and promoting their own shows. The group has been a hit thus far, as shown by the second show’s crowd growth from word of mouth.
The shows consist of short-form improv games and songs such as “Carpool,” a game in which one member picks up passengers and must guess the random roles of the others before he can drop them off. This game, along with many others the group performs, was made up by group members, said Wilson.
The games are never the same, however, because audience participation drives the games’ content.
“The audience gives us what we work with, so you’ll never see the same show twice,” said Wilson. “We like to involve audience members in the games sometimes, as well.”
Perks’ owner Michael Mahaffey sees the advantages of his location for the show.
“It’s a good venue for them because it’s not on a stage, it’s not in a theater, so it allows them to play with the audience,” Mahaffey said.
This is a serious group committed to becoming better at what they do. All members have “hopes and intentions” of performing at the professional level, according to its Web page, http://troupes.org/TheFamilyDinner.
“We try to get a story involved. We want to develop our skills as improv actors by practicing incorporating narrative form off the top of our heads,” said Wilson.
Mahaffey also has been pleased with the group’s success, as well as what it brings to his business.
“We’ve tried acoustic open mic nights on the weekends when it slows down,” Mahaffey said. “This improv group is really entertaining and different, and it brings a lot of people.”
The show will begin at 9 p.m. Friday night at Perks Coffee and Tea at 2008 Perkins Road, and there will be a $3 cover. More information, including the group’s contact information, is available at their Web site, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFamilyDinner.