Whole World Theatre’s latest production “Improvivor” combines the essence of the reality show “Survivor” with the art of live improv for an evening of unpredictable entertainment and plenty of laughs. Like, a lot of laughs.
The format: eight cast members are divided into two teams, Heroes and Villains, all with their own back stories. Every Saturday this month, they’ll navigate challenges, tribal councils and hidden immunity idols. For an hour, they’ll battle it out in a series of improv games, striving for laughs and survival.
Audience prompts, of course, play a major role. In one particular scene, two players had to spontaneously act as if they were breaking into a large bank vault — all within the horror genre.
Enter the best improviser of the evening, Tanya Wagner, who played Misty Mudflap Snyder, a member of the Hero team. Misty, a QuikTrip manager from Blue Ridge, Ga., was unashamed of her comically lopsided wig and proud of her flair for the dramatic.
When Misty saw her partner visibly struggling to open the large bank vault, she walked over to him. She leaned in close to him and let out an ear-splitting scream. The scream, so unexpected and absurd, resulted in deafening laughter from the audience. Misty and her wig got immunity.
The next “Improvivor” show is Saturday, Sept. 14, at 10 p.m. at Whole World, 1216 Spring St. NW. Another show is set for Sept. 21 with the final show on Sept. 28 when the winner of “Improvivor: Heroes vs. Villains” is announced.
Cast: The “Villains” are Paige Crawford, Brian Abolins, Danny Traynor and Tamara Hamilton. The “Heroes” are Kristin KJ Jones, Tanya Wagner, Cathy Poley and Cameron Underwood.
All shows are at 10 p.m. Tickets are $20. More information can be found online.
