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Sketching Another Urban Riff
Victoria Angeline Ohanna
Theatre enthusiasts can appreciate Project 30, from the Another Urban Riff company. The company grew from a small group of young actors who sought to embrace the talents and concept of a singular voice and aspiring to be as immediately identifiable as jazz greats like Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Lou Donaldson and Dr. Lonnie Smith. From this idea, Another Urban Riff was born. Only in its second year, Project 30 is growing in popularity. At present it is a monthly gathering.
Sketch comedy has taken a new shape in veering from the traditional staged theatre houses that audiences are more likely, although do not necessarily prefer, to watch them unfold. This production takes place in the back of a dimly lit, quaint bar with plush red couches situated in a circle. The grey stoned walls are laden with candle sconces mirrors and a small DJ booth sits on the right side of the stage.
There are no formal introductions, except for the abrupt yell of the scene’s first line as the music slowly fades. Seconds later, a few more actors burst through the makeshift curtain, which is in place of a door, to bring life to the scene.
The audience is seated in a somewhat semi circle position, either on the couches, chairs, or if there is no room, the floor. There is no discomfort in sitting on the floor, however, because most of the time you are preoccupied with laughing at the slapstick yet sometimes vulgar sense of humor the writers portray. Between profane words and funny faces, the actors sometimes take a chance and include the audience members in their charades. This lends itself to the more improvisational aspect of the show.
Throughout the duration of this hour long production, the scenes flow wonderfully from one to the next, each earning a prolonged round of applause. It is clear that these talented actors display a great sense of professionalism and poise. This experience left me with a smile for the rest of the night, laughing to myself as I had flashbacks of bits and pieces of the skits. It is quite a unique, laid back experience that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys improvisational and sketch comedy entertainment.
To learn more about this event by Another Urban Riff, and to explore others, check out http://www.anotherurbanriff.com
Victoria is a guest writer for Brownscape Productions. She can be reached at tori@brownscapeprod.com
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Out of the Bag