Hilarity and big-city experience with a local flavor will hit the University of Scranton on Saturday, June 27 when local improv team Here We Are in Spain hosts three improv workshops and a performance.
The event will be capped off by a show at Leahy Hall, located on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Linden Street, at 8 p.m. Scranton-based groups Here We Are in Spain and Steamtown Improv will be joined by Philadelphia’s Rare Bird Show and New York City’s Johnny Cash Money.
Each group will perform a variety of scenes inspired by audience suggestion. Admission is $5 for students, members of the military and seniors and $10 for the general public.
“The groups are absolutely amazing,” said PJ Tabit, the organizer of the event and a member of Here We Are in Spain. “In terms of bang for your buck, it’s going to make you laugh.”
Before the groups take the stage at night, three workshops will be offered for those interested in learning or honing the skills of improv. Workshops were added to the lineup to bring more to the event.
“A lot of the more established improv festivals will have workshops, so we decided to model after that,” said Tabit, of West Wyoming.
The courses run for two and a half hours and cost $25. “Introduction to Improvisational Comedy” will begin at 12 p.m. and is taught by Jaime Castillo. The introductory course is geared towards beginners but will benefit those with some improv background.
Castillo said the workshop will also provide participants with skills that can be applied to everyday life, like teamwork, staying in the moment and being presentable.
“It’s going to be a great way to learn how to come out of your shell,” said Castillo, who lives in New York City but is from Towanda.
Castillo is a member of Johnny Cash Money but expects to perform with Here We Are in Spain, which he was a member of while taking graduate classes at the University of Scranton.
Having studied under a variety of established performers at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre in New York, Castillo is excited to bring his knowledge back to the Scranton area.
“Introduction to Longform” taught by Matt Holmes and “Characters in Empty Space” taught by Nathan Edmondson will both be held at 3:30 p.m.
Long-form improv requires the improvisers to build a one-act play based on audience suggestions. This is a more advanced but less structured kind of performance that contrasts from short-form games like those made popular by the TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”
Holmes, co-founder of Rare Bird Show, will cover the fundamentals of longer scenes and bigger formats.
In “Characters in Empty Space,” Edmondson, co-founder of Rare Bird Show, will lead more advanced performers in a study of character development.
Castillo sees a defined improv scene emerging in Scranton and believes events like this will broaden it.
“I’m excited, because two years ago there was nothing there,” said Castillo in a phone interview from New York City. “I would love to see it become a regular stay in a venue.”
w
Here We Are in Spain improv workshops and performance, also featuring Steamtown Improv, Rare Bird Show and Johnny Cash Money, Saturday, June 27, Leahy Hall (Jefferson Avenue and Linden Street, Scranton). Tickets: $5, $10, $25 for courses. Info: www.hereweareinspain.com, 570.313.1452.
