Talk may be cheap, but a funny one-liner can give you good value for your money.
A steady stream of bad news and a tight economy have produced a demand for laughs at low prices, and for those who can't afford to see big-name comics on tour, local improvisational comedy troupes have stepped in to fill the need.
"Last year, Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie from &‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?' played the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, and they sold out the entire theater," said Bridget Palmer, founder of Santa Rosa's 6th Street Improv comedy troupe.
"What we're doing is not that different, and I would love it if people understood that they don't have go just once a year to the big expensive shows," she added, "because improv comedy is right here, it's less expensive and they can go more often."
Part of the appeal for audiences is they get to participate in improv shows, calling out suggestions in response to the performers' requests. Then the comics use those ideas to create new skits on the spot.
"People enjoy the excitement of it," Palmer said. "It's really fun."
Palmer's troupe has performed almost monthly at the 6th Street Playhouse near Railroad Square since January 2009, but it's neither the county's only improv troupe nor the oldest.
The Hot Curtain Revue has been playing the Russian River area intermittently since 1978 and returns to Monte Rio for a new show April 17.
Other active troupes include the Improvaholics at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Slip Goose Monkey at the Aqus Cafe in Petaluma, and the Dinosaurs of Improv, based at Petaluma's Cinnabar Theater.
Three years ago, Adam Aragon co-founded the World's Biggest Comedy Duo, which sometimes has up to a dozen members. The troupe has performed primarily at two Santa Rosa clubs, the Last Day Saloon in Railroad Square and the Black Rose Irish Pub, which closed last weekend.
"We're all big fans of &‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?' and we wanted to do that kind of comedy locally, but I don't think a lot people know about us yet," Aragon said.
Still, Aragon sees a growing audience for local improv. "Part of it's the economy," he said. "A lot of our shows only cost $4 to $5."
And most of the tickets to improv performances top out at $10 to $15.
To broaden the audience for local improv, 6th Street Improv has acquired a license to use the Theatresports concept, created by Canadian improv pioneer Keith Johnstone.
In a four-show series this month at the 6th Street Playhouse Studio Theatre, 6th Street Improv will compete against four other troupes - the Improvaholics, Slip Goose Monkey, the World's Biggest Comedy Duo and Marinprov from Marin County - to win points awarded by local guest judges.
"The idea is heighten the fun and the thrill of improv by making the night like a sporting event with a lot of comedy and laughter," Palmer said.
You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.
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