by Joey Phoenix
The North Shore’s Favorite Improv Troupe Accidentally on Purpose is back at it again with three special shows this holiday season. The troupe is calling these the “The Gift of Comedy” series, and the first Improv show will be on December 19th at the Larcom Theatre in Beverly and the second show, a Holiday Improv Show, will be at Marblehead Little Theatre on December 28th. There will also be a stand-up comedy show on New Year’s Eve also at Marblehead Little Theatre.
These three shows are happening in traditionally “dark weeks” (a time when venues don’t often host or produce any shows) in theatre, but Accidentally on Purpose plans to light up the theatre with laughter.
The comedians of Accidentally on Purpose have been doing group comedy together for almost nine years, and the original four core members are still part of the troupe. “We performed professionally in Boston years ago,” says Bruce Whear, a founding member of Accidentally on Purpose and board member at the Marblehead Little Theatre, “and when that gig ended after two and a half years, we said we still wanted to hang out together.”
One of the founding members was a trained improv director and instructor who convinced the members to try their hands at improv. They’ve landed on a show style similar to “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” where audience participation is an important role in the performance, so Bruce encourages audience members to come prepared. This is also one of the reasons the shows are for adults only, with live audience participation, it’s impossible to know what to expect.
“Every game either has audience suggestions or the audience comes up and becomes a part of the skits,” Bruce explains, “We have some of the funniest times on stage when audience members are there.”
When the troupe brought comedy to Marblehead Little Theatre several years ago, they didn’t realize just how great of a relationship it was going to be.
“When you have a community theatre, it should be a space utilized to bring different forms of entertainment to the audience,” Bruce says, “and Marblehead Little Theatre is a place where that happens.”
Another fun element of the relationship is that the troupe will use whatever sets the theatre is using for ongoing shows. In the past, Accidentally on Purpose did comedy on stage with the award-winning set from Mamma Mia, this year, they’ll be interacting with the set from Frozen Jr.
Join Accidentally on Purpose for a full evening of Improv comedy on December 19th at 8:00 pm (doors at 7:30 pm) at the Larcom Theatre and on December 28th at 8:00 pm (doors at 7:30 pm) at Marblehead Little Theatre. Stand up comedy on New Years’ Eve tickets at Marblehead Little Theatre are also available. Each of the show’s ticket prices include complimentary beer and wine for guests.
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