IMPROV AND SKETCH COMEDY RUMBLE WINNER! DCCF CONGRATULATES DCUP!

Last Saturday six of DC's best Improv and Sketch Troups (emphasis on the Improv Troupes) converged on the Mead Theatre Lab at the Flashpoint to engage in a comedy melee. Two sessions of competition saw all comers take suggestions from the audience to bring down comedy war on their opponents. After about 3 hours of battle, and more laughs than you can shake an Uzi at, a winner was chosen. Out of the comedy rubble left behind emerged the victorious members of DCUP (otherwise lovingly known as the District of Columbia Unscripted Players).

DCUP, comprised of the talents of Jack Reda, Todd Etter, Spencer Humm and Claire Lambert, took the stage with their "Boneless Chicken Cabaret" show. Defying conventional Jokefare (like warfare, but with jokes) tactics, three guys in chicken suits with a killer soundtrack quickly won the audience and judges over to their side. This was done via a series of audience participation sketchprovs which proved these feather clad comedians were no comedy chicken's after all. Each brave risk taken by the audience volunteers was rewarded with generous laughter and entertainment value.

Curious to know a little more about DCUP? Jack Reda took some time to answers some questions for us:

Q) Who is DCUP?

A) The original core members of DCUP are me, Todd and Claire. Matt [Hartman] and Steve [Heaton] are also part of the main ensemble. We have been delighted to have other on and off members over the years, including Spencer Humm, Jim Doyle, Liz Demery, Corey Finkle, and Lena O'Rourke.

Q) Where did you guys come up with the idea behind"Boneless Chicken Cabaret"? Do you vary between this format and the full blown improv stuff?

A) "Boneless Chicken Cabaret" started out as a joke when Todd and I were writing "Yes And", our mockumentary movie about improv. The concept of guys in chicken suits doing improv, and not speaking intelligibly seemed ludicrous. Later, when we were filming the movie, I asked Steve and Matt to put on the suits and do some improv, just so we'd have footage. It made no sense, but it was hilarious. In 2004 DCUP went to the Toronto Improv Festival, and I saw two shows there that convinced me the chicken thing could actually work. One was "Imp", which features Asaf Ronen and Karen Wight doing improv with virtually no dialogue. We also saw "Pimprov", which was a bunch of guys dressed as pimps, doing improv. The spectacle of their outrageous attire was very compelling. Also, having done The Bloody Drama with Bob Garman at the Maryland Renassiance Faire really opened me up to how using audience "volunteers" in a show could really add a funny dynamic to the show. So "Boneless Chickens" has a mix of straight improv and these interactive sketches with audience members. I think the volunteers are ultimately all right with being up there, because somewhere in the back of their minds they realize they aren't the most ridiculous looking ones on the stage.

DCUP started out simply as short form improv with no parental controls. We tried to do scenes and structures in short form that challenged us as performers. Over the last year we've been moving into other styles of improv as well. Claire and I have been doing a long form show called "Rut"which has been a lot of fun. We pair up a couple of single people from the audience and present their problematic marriage and subsequent counseling. It's been a blast.

Q) What would the parents of DCUP's performers tell us about DCUP shows?

A) My parents are just as demented as I am, and they revel in the kind of shows that DCUP puts on. I think Todd's parents are also aware of the kind of comedy he's capable of. Claire's parents probably like to pretend she doesn't even do improv. They've never seen a DCUP show, and if Claire has her way they never will. I can't say for sure, but I imagine that Matt and Steve's parents while not going out of their way to discuss their sons dressing up as chickens wouldn't have a problem with it.

Q) How did it feel to win the dccf Improv and Sketch RUMBLE?

A) Winning the dccf Rumble was a little surreal. We really had no expectations about winning. We wanted to put on a good show, of course, but we were mostly interested in getting decent video of the show. I thought I'd have some family members there to operate my camcorder, but they were too tired to come. So, I handed the camera to a guy in the front row at the beginning of the show. He was fine with taping it, but he turned the camera off the moment I handed it to him, so we got nothing.

Q) Is there anything you want dccomedyfest audiences to know about while we wait for April 6th to arrive?

A) I want audiences for the dccf to know that they can find great comedy in their metropolitan area year round. The festival will be a great time to see lots of new things, including great groups from around the country. But every troupe from the Rumble was local, and well worth their time. Check it out.

Be sure to check the DCUP website for their upcoming performance dates. Don't forget to watch here and at the main dccomedyfest website for information about upcoming dccf shows. These dates include, but aren't limited to:

• DC's Comedy Battle of the Sexes, Thursday, December 15 (hopefully! confirming date), Woolly Mammoth Theater (with Ryan Conner, Erin Conroy, Alicia Gomes, Erin Jackson, Justin Schlegel & Rory Scovel)
• MITCH FATEL & DEMETRI MARTIN, Saturday, MARCH 11, '06, Lisner Auditorium, Taste of the Fest
• Headliner EMO PHILIPS, with Seaton Smith and DCUP Thursday, APRIL 6, '06, Lisner Auditorium, part of dccf'06
• ASSSCAT, Saturday, APRIL 8, '06, Lisner Auditorium, part of dccf'06

Throughout the fest you will have ample opportunity to check out many, if not all, of the competitors from the RUMBLE (we hope all of them will be there in full force). So be sure to keep your eyes out (not literally) for the incredible talents of WIT's amazing variety of shows including Dr. Fantastic, Juke Joint, Jackie and WIT's Mainstage. Also be sure to check out the exciting and fresh talents of the new comers to DC Improv scene Bright Young Things. Each of these acts showed they have the chops to bring you hours of laughter. So please check out all six groups at their regular shows and enjoy them as treat at the fest.