Comedy with an Altitude
Photography: Courtesy of Over the Top Comedy Troupe
True, members of the improv group willingly put themselves in situations where they need to come up with that perfect quip, and in front of an audience eager — and encouraged — to react loudly. “The goal is always to make the audience laugh,” says John Spung, a longtime troupe member.
The comedy troupe is still a relatively young addition to Park City’s entertainment scene. It is, in essence, the result of the class clowns taking over. Actress, stand-up comedian, director and Parkite Dee Macaluso began teaching a class in improvisational comedy with hopes of establishing a comedic community here in Park City like those found in Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles. The class, however, started a revolution. When the improv students decided to step up their commitment and form a professional troupe, a “bloodless coup” occurred (much to Macaluso’s delight) and the members, now calling themselves the Off the Top Comedy Troupe (OTT), began performing for live audiences.
An evening with OTT features a series of “games,” usually requiring significant input from the audience. Whether it’s a detective trying to guess a confession out of a murder suspect, or a movie plot winding through five different film genres, every game requires a careful balance. “Improv is where you can most often live ‘in the moment’,” says actor and OTT member Nate Sears. “There is very little autopilot.”
The different suggestions from changing audiences mean every show is unique. Altering the roles cast members take within the games also guarantees variety and, more importantly, hilarity. “I may play a guy, or I may play a fire hydrant,” says OTT member Kim Page. “There are things I say sometimes, and I think, did I just say that? I have no idea how I did that.”
“Most of the time, we try to relax and have fun up there on stage, and usually the jokes come,” agrees Spung.
One of the games that has proven to be extremely popular with audiences is “Blind Line.” The audience writes down memorable lines from movies or well-known quotes. The troupe members begin to act a scene suggested by the audience, and one actor sets up his partner to need a quote. The partner must blindly pick up one of the scribbled-down movie lines provided by the audience and incorporate it into the scene.
Fewer than a dozen players form the core of the troupe, and their ‘day jobs’ run the gamut: Sears and Page both make a living in the entertainment fields as actors, producers and writers, but Spung is a sales manager for an industrial filtration company. “I don’t get a chance to cut loose and laugh too much there,” he says.
Joining the group was “unintentional” for Sears, the group’s assigned creative director, but now, he says, it is woven tightly into his life. “It’s not something I would choose to do without. It’s such a high to be on stage and do this,” he says. “My closest friends are in the troupe. We not only perform together, we socialize together.”
Page echoes Sears. “It’s definitely something I truly enjoy. I love getting on the stage,” she says. “I look forward to every show we do. You could say I’m addicted to it.”
As the troupe has matured, chronologically at least, it has begun to pepper short skits throughout its improv games. Last spring, among its subject matter was local radio station KPCW and its attention to Park City’s “traffic jams.” “We wanted to spice things up for our audience,” says Sears, thinking mainly of the core group of local citizens who faithfully turn out for shows. Although every performance is one-of-a-kind, the troupe continues to add to its repertoire of games and sketches. “We mainly do spoofs and satires on Park City and life in general. It’s really clicked with the audiences,” says Sears.
Since turning pro, the troupe has performed in venues on and off Main Street, and many of its members participate in the annual Park City Follies each spring. They have also begun performing for private functions. According to Sears, the troupe is eager to grow with new members, new venues and new audiences. “Our dream would be to have a permanent space,” he says.
Monika Guendner is the marketing and PR coordinator for the Park City Education Foundation. She finds that the best way to come up with the perfect zinger is to wake up with it at 3 a.m.
Off the Top will have regular performances around town this winter, as well as performing at private events. For more information and a performance schedule, call 647.5678 or log on to www.offthetopcomedy.com.
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