The chemistry between The Family Dinner Comedy Troupe’s members is what keeps its improv shows funny
Some people are naturally funny at comedy improv. Aspiring improvisers who are brave enough to take the plunge, however, can learn to be funny, too—especially if they have a good group to work alongside.
“If you play along long enough, you learn to be quicker,” Mike Honore says.
Honore has been a member of the Family Dinner Comedy Troupe for most of the group’s 15-year existence. Because he has years of experience with other members of the seven-man troupe, he and his fellow seasoned improvisers have an easy rapport. “I know how they play; they know how I play,” he says.
The troupe performs regular improv nights at the Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre and movie spoof nights at the Manship Theatre.
It’s the group’s stable core membership that gives them a big advantage, Robert Rau says. He has been a member for seven years and says experienced improvisers keep the laughs coming.
“Because our core members are so good, one or two people in the group who aren’t that great don’t weigh us down,” he says.
The Family Dinner Comedy Troupe sprang from improv team competitions held at LSU in 2001. In 2002, former students who wanted to keep their improv chops sharp formed their post-college troupe. In search of new members during the Family Dinner Comedy Troupe’s early years, the group held auditions.
“We invited comedians, actors to audition to see if we had a good vibe between us and them,” Honore says. “That’s the big part of improv, having good communication with somebody on and off the stage.”
Rau, for one, didn’t go the audition route. “I just kept going to the shows and staying afterwards,” he says. “I eventually wore them down. That’s how it works these days. But other troupes have classes and levels to go through before someone can join. We’re always looking for people who are interested in improv, but we don’t have a strict selection process.”
The troupe develops its shows from a standard outline that’s occasionally altered. There’s also a brief practice before each show.
“Doing it once before the show wipes the cobwebs off,” Rau says. “And if any members want to try something we haven’t done in a while or throw new ideas in, that’s when we do it.”
Despite the show’s outline, members of the Family Dinner Comedy Troupe, in the true spirit of improv, never know what will happen on stage.
“We just trust that whatever we’re going to do will be funny,” Rau says. “That’s our plan.” facebook.com/familydinnerimprov
SEE THEM PERFORM
See the The Family Dinner Comedy Troupe’s upcoming show Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., at the Manship Theatre’s Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre, Admission is $6.
—JOHN WIRT
Local comedians sometimes lament that Baton Rouge isn’t the best place for comedy. Last year, O’mar Finley and Nam Vu set out to change that. The duo held their first NO SHOW Comedy event at The Guru, and they quickly saw demand for a monthly series. With a regular slate of local comedians, NO SHOW Comedy is now a vital platform for emerging artists. Check out their monthly showcase and open mic. noshowcomedy.com
When most people think of improv, they think of shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? What Leather Apron Theatre Co. does is slightly different. Founder T.C. Matherne describes it as a play with no script—a broader and more experimental form of improv. Add in some spoken-word comedic poetry, songs based on audience suggestions and guest monologues, and this isn’t your typical night of improv skits. The group also hosts regular improv classes. leatheraprontheatre.com
—ELIZABETH MACKE
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This article was originally published in the November 2017 issue of 225 magazine.
