It's March. If the weather shows no sign yet of turning lamb-like that is no excuse to stay holed up inside when there is hot comedy to be found by venturing outdoors.
"Let's be honest with ourselves, things have sucked in Michigan for the last two months," says the artistic director of Kalamazoo's improv team Crawlspace Eviction. "If you miss this show, you're missing out on an opportunity to see the live theater that you haven't been able to get out of your driveway to see for far too long. If people don't see these shows, Spring may never come."
Dann Sytsma is no groundhog, but he can make weather predictions easily as accurate as those of Punxsutawney Phil.
Regardless of the weather, Kalamazoo has the opportunity to enjoy two weekends of improv comedy this month. T&A, Tara Sytsma and Adam Carter, take to the stage at 9 p.m. March 14 and March 15. Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley, on the backside of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema building.
T&A present fast-paced, character driven improv comedy and their shows have become increasingly rare, so comedy lovers are encouraged to see them while they can.
At 9 p.m. March 21 and March 22, Crawlspace Eviction goes to the circus. Or something. In a show they call Cirque de Light Savings. They say it's a "high flying, death-defying improv comedy show that welcomes an extra hour of daylight to this cold, gray winter."
The team typically asks for ideas from the audience loosely based on what appears in this case to be a circus and daylight savings theme.
The intrepid cast includes the bearded man Bannon Backhus, verbal acrobat Brian Duguay, world’s tallest little person Brian Lam, Siamese spouses Dann and Tara Sytsma, and joke juggler Jessica Vitkin.
"The six members that we have right now have been performing for almost three years now of the team's 11 year history. It's an older and wiser team. We're a more professional organization, and we love each other," says Sytsma.
When asked which team member will generate the most laughs for the audience, Sytsma was stumped. "The funniest person on the team ... tough to say. The team has never had anyone named Jeff on it. I feel like if we did, Jeff would be the funniest."
"But seriously," Sytsma says, "t&a are phenomenal. CE is better than ever. It's time to reward yourself and see a show."
Tickets for all shows are $10 and $7 for students. For tickets and information, visit the Crawlspace website here.
Source: Dann Sytsma, Crawlspace Eviction
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