A&E

Monkeys take to the stage tonight

by Anna Purdy

The Stage Monkeys, an improv group, are performing tonight at Theatre 810.

The Stage Monkeys, an improv group, are performing tonight at Theatre 810.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. with tickets being $5 with a student ID and $7 for general admission.

The technique of improv is short for improvisation - with improv nothing is ever scripted and there is no plot and no agenda save to make the audience laugh. Often the show's content depends on cues from the audience.

While it got to be much more well known due to shows like Whose Line is it Anyway? and Saturday Night Live, the origins of improv stem from a few centuries back, rooted in commedia dell'arte, loosely meaning "craft of comedy." It became popular in the American vaudeville scene and found a real home in Chicago where the first improv groups took root in the 40s.

The Stage Monkeys began as Cult of the Stage Monkeys in 1998 when its three founding members performed at what was then USL at Maxim Doucet Hall. As the members graduated and split off new incarnations of Stage Monkeys were founded around the country. Tonight many new and old members are back to perform together in what will hopefully become a string of shows - May 22 is the next scheduled performance.

Theatre 810 is located at 810 Johnston Street, natch. It's in between The Juliet Hotel and Carpe Diem Gelato-Espresso. Call 484-0172 for tickets.