The Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and St. Louis’ own Improv Shop have teamed up again this season to present three evenings of comedy. The first performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Touhill.
This hilarious, Chicago-style improv will feature the Armando format. A special guest monologist will tell a personal story based on the evening’s theme, and the troupe will build a series of vignettes that interweave characters, plot, story and other details.
Tom Martin, a theater professor at Saint Louis University, is the featured monologist. Past monologists have included UMSL Chancellor Tom George and KFTK (97.1 FM) talk show host Dave Glover.
Founded in 2009, The Improv Shop is St. Louis’ only long-form improvisational comedy training school and theater. It is based mainly in the comedy styles of Chicago, where the faculty of the training program studied exstensively at world-renowned theaters like The Second City, iO and Annoyance. Future Touhill performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 and Feb. 12.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch included The Improv Shop in its fall arts guide.
“You never know what to expect from The Improv Shop, the St. Louis troupe bringing its sketch comedy to the Touhill,” wrote Judith Newmark, Post-Dispatch theater critic. “It’s often comedic, but it can go anywhere.”
The Improve Shop performance is for mature audiences. Tickets for the show are $10-$15 and can be purchased at the box office, online at touhill.org or by phone at 314-516-4949.
