and yes,
The Echoes troupe provides an outlet for those who may have ‘forgotten how to play’ By M i c h ae l M c E lroy | P h o to g rap hy by Beth Mann
I
n a video conference call a few weeks ago, an instructor told the Echoes that he’d been hoping to see creatures emerge from the cadaver they had made together. Soon after recounting this memory to her compatriots, one of the Echoes gnarled herself into a troll and pouted aloud that a baby was too ugly to eat. For the Echoes, improv is serious business. They are a six-member performance troupe that follows a style of improvisation called J.T.S. Brown, which was created by the actor Craig Cackowski in Chicago and relies on “dream logic,” “physical transformation” and “group mind.” The style fits them well. Many of the members have retired from successful and demanding careers and all but one are over 50. But this is no hobby for them.
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chapelhillmagazine.com
July/August 2019