It all started at Whole Foods. Baton Rouge native T.C. Matherne moved back to southern Louisiana from Chicago a little more than a year ago, but one thing was missing: the improvisational theater he regularly participated in. Losing improv was losing a part of himself, so shortly after moving back, Matherne booked one of the upstairs community rooms at Whole Foods to teach improv classes after his shifts there.
Today, Matherne is the founder of Leather Apron Theatre Co., which now performs monthly at Driftwood Cask & Barrel. The group has a core team of seven, who all started in Matherne’s earlier improv classes.
When most people think of improv, they think of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Matherne says. What LATCo does is slightly different. While the popular television show focuses on games or short improv bits, the theater company focuses on long-form improv.
Matherne describes it as a play with no script—a broader form of improv allowing every LATCo show to be completely different from the last. “You could come every month, and you could never see the same show again,” he says.
Each show is an hour, split in half with an intermission. Matherne and the other members split into different “house teams,” some containing only two members and some containing all eight. The show’s two parts vary by the month. In February, the group performed “Carousel,” an interactive performance. Each member received a word from the audience and took turns in two onstage chairs, performing characters inspired by the word. When another actor surrounding the chairs felt inspired, he or she replaced one of the actors onstage. Member Matt Downey described it as hopping on and off the carousel.
Jeffrey Wells performs as part of Leather Apron Theatre Co.’s show in March at Driftwood Cask & Barrel.
Other performances have included a spoken-word comedic poetry section the group did in March and the singing duo of Betty Mujica and Downey performing songs based on audience suggestions. Occasionally, LATCo gives half of the show to guest monologists and then bases its improv off of their performance, Mujica says.
Mujica joined LATCo about six months ago after moving back to Baton Rouge from Houston. Like Matherne, she missed the improv she’d done in Houston. After finding LATCo, she felt even more connected to her passion and more able to learn improv hands-on.
“My past experience was a great way to get me here, but I feel like this is sending me in a whole different direction,” she says.
April will be the second month LATCo brings its free monthly Tuesday night show to Driftwood. Previously, the group was performing at The Spanish Moon. Member Michael Moss says Spanish Moon’s open arms to the arts community made it a great fit, but at Driftwood, the group will have a smaller space with better acoustics for theater. It also allows the audience to grab dinner and drinks while being entertained, with Driftwood planning to roll out its gastropub menu soon.
This month on April 4, 9-10 p.m., the group will begin with an improv puppet show and finish with a segment that includes guest monologist Karl Simmerman.
For those who are interested in performing, as opposed to watching, Matherne says LATCo is an inclusive group. He says now that the core group is so advanced, he is offering different classes for different levels of ability. To sign up or receive information on classes, email [email protected].
KNOW YOUR IMPROV
Short-form:short games performed on stage Long-form:broader performances—think a play minus the script
LATCo members perform in several “house teams” featuring different types of long-form improv:
• Dirty Karma:Ensemble improv is inspired by the show’s guest monologist.
•RVNG: Four actors perform improv from an audience suggestion on either jealousy, justice or revenge.
•Real Talk:A “comedic spoken-word anthology,” according to the LATCo website.
• Carousel:With the audience’s help, the actors step in and out of the action, performing different interviews and monologues.
• B.A.M.:The singing duo of Betty Mujica and Matt Downey perform songs inspired by the audience.
• HANDOVER:An improv puppet show.
