You’re just making that up! Project Improv* St. Louis
by David Noble Dandridge
11-09-2007

From left: Chris Hartman, Kim Underwood, Shane P. Mullen, Stephen Hmiel and Nandini Ramaswamy-King

For a young, upstart theater company, Project Improv * St. Louis has it pretty good. They don’t have to spend money on sets or costumes, the actors don’t have to worry about memorizing their lines, they can entice repeat viewers with the promise of a new show at each performance and they save a fortune on material rights.

The catch is that the cast has to go on stage each night and perform for an hour without the benefit of a script. As the name would suggest, they literally make it up as they go along. And just to show that they’re not cheating, they base the entire performance on a single word suggested by the audience at the top of the show.

In late 2006 actor/director Chris Hartman was, by his own admission, driving himself and his then-boyfriend crazy for lack of a creative outlet. Some people paint, some people write poetry; Chris decided to form an improvisational theater company. Having worked previously with the original Project Improv in Louisville, Kentucky (now known as Project Improv * Louisville), he posted ads seeking actors interested in starting a similar project. Luckily for him, there were more than enough St. Louisans willing to join him. He chose from a pool of 23 brave souls and Project Improv * St. Louis was born.

The obvious question is … why? Why would anyone in their right mind go before an audience to perform a play with no script? “Half the reason I began doing long-form improv is because it scared the shit out of me,” says Hartman. “Having performed scripted theater for so long, I no longer felt like I had to vomit before walking onstage and I wanted that feeling back!”

You may think that rehearsing a show conceived and directed by a man whose initial motivation was a desire to self induce nausea, might be a bit out of the ordinary. You’d be right.

“As a director, it is my job to facilitate the group’s vulnerability and communication to create a ‘group mind,’ that state in which everyone in the group is so connected that they are literally thinking the same thoughts,” he says.

It gets weirder, folks. Hartman goes on to say, “Actually, I didn’t even let them use words for the first three months. I facilitated group meditation, touch and play. Funny enough, I base some of my training principles on molecular communication. I researched the habits of a couple types of bacteria that seem to think alike without directly communicating with one another.”

Hey, wait! Where are you going? Come back here! Okay, so the process may sound like some late 60s encounter group, but the end result can be absolutely hilarious. The fun of the show not only comes from the comedy but also from knowing that anything can happen and nothing is set in stone.  With most plays, about mid-way through Act One you have a pretty good idea of the one or two ways things can work themselves out. With Project Improv * St. Louis and their “Super Form Improv” show … not so much. Watching actors paint themselves into a corner and then try to get each other out is the theatrical equivalent to an extreme martial-arts cage match. Plus, three of my favorite cast members from Project Improv* St. Louis’s previous shows will be returning: Kim Underwood, Lydia Loca and the amazing Paul Gutting along with Stephen Hmiel, Christine Johnson, Shane P. Mullen and Nandini Ramaswamy-King.

Plus, for the truly adventurous, following each performance, director Chris Hartman and Steve Houldsworth will perform “The Steve and Chris Show,” a two character piece that sounds even more experimental than “Super Form Improv.” But I’ll let Hartman explain: “Basically, my best friend Steve Houldsworth and I are going to live out a slice of our lives onstage as the characters ‘Steve’ and ‘Chris.’ It has absolutely no structure at all, just Steve and myself on a couch. We may do some scenes, we may tell stories inspired by audience suggestions about our lives, or we may have hot boys come onstage and take their shirts off. There’s no way to know!” Unless of course, you show up to the performance.

You can e-mail David Noble Dandridge at davidwraith-theatre@yahoo.com.

• Project Improv* St. Louis
• Nov. 9-10, 16-17, 9 p.m.
• New City School, 5209 Waterman Blvd on
• 502-548-2430, myspace.com/projectimprovstl

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