By HENRY COLT
Sentinel Staff Writer
He was performing in an improv duo in New York once, when his partner left the stage without any warning.
“I was kind of taken aback; I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening,” Zeke Blackwell said. “I don’t remember exactly what I did, but I did some stalling.”
Blackwell’s partner eventually returned to the stage carrying a live puppy. It became a surprise third performer for the rest of the set.
At 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Odess Theater, Blackwell will perform with three acclaimed improv artists from the Lower 48: Chicago-based Cassidy Russell, Atlanta-based Vincent Migliore and LA-based Michael Yichao.
Blackwell said there will be a cash bar, audience participation and laughter “until your pants fall down.”
The performers know each other. Both Blackwell and Russell taught at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp last summer, and Russell and Migliore currently perform together as the nationally touring duo Rufio. Blackwell twice has seen Yichao perform his own act, Pint of Life, in which Yichao bases an on-the-spot musical on his onstage sharing of a pint of ice cream with an audience member.
Zeke Blackwell performs as King George during last year’s Broadway Night event at the Odess Theater. Blackwell will join three other improve performers from around the country Friday and Saturday at Odess Theater. (Sentinel Photo)
But this weekend will be everyone’s first time performing as this particular quartet.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen on stage,” Russell told the Sentinel Saturday.
What about the chances of a puppy joining them on stage?
“I did recently do a show with four adoptable dogs in it, so you never know…,” she said today.
Russell said that even though improv is based on unpredictability, rehearsal is still important.
The quartet will have Friday morning to rehearse. They won’t memorize lines, Russell said, but will spend the morning talking, joking around, and getting comfortable with one another.
Russell and Blackwell compared improv to sports: you can practice certain things, but still have no idea what will happen in the game.
Blackwell said despite that element of the unknown, certain shared artistic values will unite the performers come Friday night.
“One of the reasons I invited these people to come is that we’re all interested in grounded, emotion-based narrative improvisation,” he said. “We’re interested in investigating stories and relationships and letting the dramatic tension create comedic circumstances, which will hopefully lead to full-throated belly laughs, instead of cheap, ‘that was a good time’ laughs.”
Russell said the connection won’t just be between the performers.
“Every scene has never happened before, and will never happen again – which is exciting and heartbreaking at the same time,” she said. “That’s a very important shared experience between the performers and the audience.”
Blackwell anticipates “combustible energy” Friday night.
Russell looks forward to eating “1,000 Russian dumplings” after the show.
Rhiannon Guevin, operations director at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, says she, too, is excited.
“It’s unlike anything we’ve done in the recent past,” Guevin said, “so it should be a really fun experience.”
Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for youths and are available online or at the door.
