Local Improv Troupe Finds Spontaneous Ways to Not Be Funny Each Time
by Chai Karve
LOS ANGELES, CA — Zany local improv troupe Home Improv-ment is on a heck of a roll. The elite group of aspiring comedians has logged a remarkable 6 months of shows without receiving a single bit of laughter.
“When we formed the troupe, we wanted to have fun,” clarified founder and captain Fomer Adamson. “But we quickly realized that it was so much more than that. It’s about how far we can push ourselves out of our comfort zone to totally bomb in front of an audience.”
The troupe hosts weekly shows in an inconvenient location at a difficult time, ensuring that audiences show up as frustrated as possible. They are relentless in their mission to consistently displease the crowd, and have made a conscious effort to maintain a perfect, silent record.
“I see what they’re trying to do,” confessed regular attendee Layla Hawkins. “I would love to laugh every once in awhile, but that’s not what makes this group unique.”
In a performance earlier this week, the team went on a 17-minute tangent about the location of one of their scenes, with plenty of riveting half-jokes about the ironic status of their predicament.
Impassioned captain Adamson assured his ragtag group of scrappy teammates that they were in fact “killing it” and that big-league improv comedy success comes to those who persevere despite any and all attempts to improve internally.
“We have to be true to ourselves,” declared Adamson. “If we don’t, then we’re just a bunch of sellouts. It’s not only about getting laughs; it’s about finding truth.”
During their show later that night Adamson and his troupe launched into a devastatingly dull scene about a bad doctor, a wholly unoriginal premise that did about as well as it should have.
