Improv Jones

By Ali Walsh

Roars of laughter can be heard at 95 Empire Street every Saturday night thanks to Improv Jones. This comedy show brings performers together to create hilarious scenarios, all without practice. Yes, everything you see is made up on the spot. Using audience suggestions and stories from friends, the group plays games and acts out a variety of situations. Did I mention it is all made up on the spot?

The group started with a game called “The Golden Seed.” They would act out a scene and then ask the audience what the most important thing or “the golden seed” of that scene was.  Whatever the audience said would start off the next scene. This could be pretty much anything the audience decides, such as a word, phrase or theme used in the past act. The cast touched upon Rhode Island-known things in this portion of the show, such as clam chowder and Boston accents. Using things the audience can relate to made the show more fun.

The second half of the hour-long show, a dear friend to the cast told interesting and true stories about random occurrences that happened in her life. The group would then use these stories to reenact funny moments that she talked about. These scenes included a blind date at Panera, a stalker, homeless man that comes to Thanksgiving dinner and splitting lunch with a “starving” woman. The audience really enjoyed these dramatized reenactments, giving the cast positive energy to take the scenes above and beyond.

Improv Jones has gathered over three dozen members from all over Rhode Island and southern New England, over the past 20 years.

Each show is unlike the last. Every Saturday there are new formats, new games and new audience suggestions. And since everything is created right then and there, you’ll never see the same Improv Jones show twice.

Improv Jones takes place every Saturday night in the Black Box Theater. Tickets are $5 and sold at the door. The theater may be small, but the show is sure to give big laughs.

To find out more about the show and cast, visit www.improvjones.com or find them on Facebook.