“Suspense!”, tomorrow night’s improvisational performance at the Carrboro ArtsCenter, is designed to be frightening.
The show will be performed by Transactors Improv – touted as “The South’s Oldest Improvisational Group” – with music accompaniment (also improvised) by surf-and-soul band Killer Thrillers.
The performances will attempt to combine elements both from comedy and the suspense and terror of classic horror films.
“I think we are the only people who’ve tried,” Greg Hohn, a Transactors company member, said.
“It is very unusual and challenging for improvisers to approach something other than comedy.”
Dan Sipp, artistic director for the theater, agreed with Hohn.
“At the heart of it, we are trying improvising in a very different way,” he said.
As unusual as it is for the performers of “Suspense!” to approach darker themes, the group has had time to get used to the unusual style. The show is now in its third year of annually performing in late October.
“Just imagine making up a story by yourself – it would be hard. But we are doing it with six of us, in real time, and a band. It’s a very tricky set of parameters,” Sipp said.
Hohn said the performance was reflectve of the group’s mission to extend improvisational theatre beyond comedy.
“You can be funny and dramatic. The two are not mutually exclusive,” Hohn said.
Chris “Crispy” Bess, keyboardist of Killer Filler, said his favorite part of the show is a “free front row seat.”
Bess said he extremely impressed by Transactors.
“The Transactors work with anything. One time I accidentally hit my keyboard, so one member told another that they just got a text message. Then they went from there, saying the text message was from a ghost,” Bess said.
“It is just a blast. I have a great time every year.”
See the show at the Carrboro ArtsCenter tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $9 to $16.
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