Filed under: entertainment, theater | Tags: Comedy, Improv, Ithaca, theater
By Monica Watson
A geologist, a romance novelist and a Catholic schoolteacher walk into a dance club. No, this isn’t the start of a lame joke, but instead the start of Wing Space Theater’s holiday improv show held at the Oasis dance club in Ithaca on the 13th.
Lauren Cahoon Roberts is a writer from the Ithaca area who performs with the troupe. She said that the area has a lot of great venues for different kinds of art, but is lacking when it comes to comedy. She said she likes that people are able to have another venue to experience a different form of art.
“Ithaca’s a great place for all sorts of artistic productions,” Roberts said. “I think we have a lot of great music, and I think we have a lot of great theater. I don’t think we have as much comedy stuff and it’s really important to have that part too. I’m not saying that we’re incredible and filling that niche completely, but I think people like having a third option.”
Deirdre Levine is a New York Times bestselling author who lives in the Ithaca area and performs with the group. She got into improvisational comedy by being an audience member first. She said that the group is important for the community to help them laugh more and loosen up.
“People need to get out and lose themselves,” Levine said. “I think it’s fun to just get out and see people be funny. And I also think it frees people up. I remember the first time I saw improv and I wasn’t doing it. I thought, ‘That looks like a lot of fun,’ and it is a lot of fun. So, I don’t know, I think it’s fun for people to watch and for people to do.”
Kristin Sad is a local performer who came to watch Wing Space’s performance on Sunday and had seen the group perform a few times previously. She said she is amazed by how funny people can be on the spot and likes that it is another outlet for artists to perform.
“My personal reaction has been one of amazement that people can actually improv like this,” she said. “It’s just delightful. Especially, sometimes when they go wrong it’s really funny. Also, it gives local talent the place to strut his or her stuff, and that’s always important. And for another, it’s just a good way to spend an evening. As an audience member it’s so much fun to come here and really see people freak out and do what they’re good at. The fact that it’s unstructured is so fun.”
Director Nicholas Clarey said that the theater brings together people who have a love for improv but don’t want to pursue it for a career.
“We are a group of people who have a passion for the craft,” Clarey said. “Most of us have not chosen this as a occupation or something we’re going to do for a career. But it is something we all love, so we come together as a group.
Levine said that it provides her with a chance to interact and work with people since she spends a lot of time working by herself as a writer.
“I’m a writer, so I work all by myself all day,” Levine said. “So, the thing about Wing Space is that I get to interact with other people. And I get to improvise with other people and bounce ideas off of other people whereas when I’m working it’s me and my own head.”
The troupe enjoys having people from all different walks of life perform. Roberts said that it has affected them positively by bringing in all different kinds of humor to performances.
“It’s really helpful to have people from different backgrounds and different ages,” Roberts said. “We’ve got a guy in his 60s and we’ve got a girl in her 20s, and they’re going to bring different things to the table. I think this is the most diverse group we’ve had so far and I think it’s our funniest group. So I think the diversity really adds to the humor.”
Audience members agree and can also see how the diversity within the ensemble enhances the performances.
“It brings all sorts of different color to the performances,” Sad said. “There are some older people with academic backgrounds and the younger kids. It shows in what they bring to the improv, their background is a major part of that, and so that makes it even more exciting because you have the variety.”
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