Green Room improv group tickles audience with comedy
ELGIN – At what must have been a mutual intermission, a crowd clad in tuxedos, tails, and formal gowns made their way down to the basement of Elgin’s Hemmens Cultural Center to take a rest.
There in the bathroom lines, the audience of the Mahler and Gershwin concert upstairs met members of a more casual crowd, also on break. While in line, they may have discussed the talented performers and feats of improvisation found in both shows. Both crowds could also discuss how their shows were modern interpretations of art forms that reach far back into American history.
But only one audience saw a man who rode a nuclear squirrel to work at the pickle factory try to explain why he showed up late.
Members of the Green Room improv troupe serenade audience members
on stage with a unique rendition of the “Happy Birthday”song. (Mason Souza/Sun Day Photo)
That of course, happened at the Green Room Show. An improv troupe, the members of Green Room told countless stories through the night, ranging from Art Institute antics to the musical tale of two high school couples with completely different levels of chemistry.
Green Room began a residency at the Hemmens in 2011, and a theater-in-the-round facility in the basement was built for them, complete with 200 seats, lighting, and a full-service bar.
“We’re a lot closer to the audience in the round so it’s more intimate; the energy is a little bit higher,” David Hunter, Green Room’s executive director, said.
The group actually has two homes – the other is in Huntley’s Cosman Cultural Center, in which they’ve performed monthly for about five years. The group’s inception truly came out of necessity in 1999, when Judson University can¬celled its theater program.
But it would take more than a department closing to stop Hunter and his group of aspiring actors. The Green Room held their first show soon after, and their sharp-witted sketches and improv games quickly became a hit across campus.
Word of mouth helped earn Green Room gigs at local high school, youth group, and other private events. In 2005, they began performing monthly shows at Judson.
Today, the well-seasoned troupe of eight has had time to gel and grow comfortable with each other, something Hunter calls key to great improv. Still, the form is not without its challenges.
“Probably the biggest challenge is not trying too hard to be funny,” Hunter said.
The current cast of Green Room poses for a photo. Green Room started in 1999 when a group of Judson College students started performing improv games after the school closed its theater department. (Photo Provided)
Instead, Hunter said it’s more important to establish a scene’s characters early on. From there comes a plot and a chest of jokes to draw from.
The make-it-up-as-they-go tension lends a bit of drama to an otherwise funny show. When the actors pull a perfect line out of thin air, it’s like watching a star athlete make a big play or a great musician creating a pretty melody on the spot.
The comedy is best, Hunter says, when it appears effortless.
“Doing the improv on stage and professionally is kind of like the feeling you get when you’re sitting around the campfire late at night with your friends,” Hunter said. “There’s this sort of elation and relaxing and time stops for a while, and we’re just hanging out goofing around.”
Hunter calls that energy “therapeutic.”
“If we had a rough week, it’s almost like we get to take it out onstage or get rid of it or flush it out,” he said. “I think the audience has that same feeling; you just forget about your day or week for a while.”
The Hemmens audience did seem carefree, tossing out suggestions from “zombie soccer” to “Macchu Picchu,” an ancient Inca site in Peru. Audience input is the cornerstone of Green Room’s show, with ideas called out from the audience for just about every game.
“That’s what makes this unique compared to a standup show,” Hunter said.
Some games require more bravery from audience participants than others. A current hit game is “texts from last night” which develops a full-fledged scene while restricting two performers to only reading text messages from the phones of two audience members.
The Oct. 5 show was closed out with a dramatic retelling of the life of an audience member. After she sat on stage to tell her story to the cast – gathered around her like young children hearing a Christmas tale at the fireplace – they acted out her biography, complete with a Las Vegas wedding and uncle with ear-related balance issues.
Green Room maintains a monthly performance schedule between Elgin and Huntley through 2013, available at greenroomtheater.com. Hunter said the group also plans on filming short comedy sketches and posting them on Youtube this January.
Green Room
Performs monthly shows at Hemmens Cultural Center and Cosman Cultural Center
More info: greenroomtheater.com
