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Arts
September 6 – 19, 2014
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improvMANIA plans to make Chandler laugh BY TRACY HOUSE
The comedy club improvMANIA has taken up residence in downtown Chandler and is ready to provide fun, family-filled entertainment in its new home. The comedy troupe, which has been performing around the Valley at various venues, opened a club at 250 S. Arizona Ave., next to Gangplank and across the street from City Hall. Excited about the new venture, owners David and Colleen Specht are Chandler residents who wanted to provide another form of entertainment for the flourishing area. The couple started producing shows around downtown Chandler in May 2009. “We started five years ago at Art on Boston,” Colleen explains. “We’ve had a lot of different spaces that we’ve done shows in.” The decision to open their own venue was based, in part, on wanting to stay local and provide a place for families to come enjoy a comedy act. ImprovMANIA is planning 7:30 p.m. shows every Friday and Saturday night beginning Saturday, Sept. 13. Shows run about 75 minutes. The venue will have a stage, concessions and seating for 80-plus people. “We want to provide a really nice theater experience for people,” David says. It was important to the Spechts to host a family-friendly event. “We have a 4-year-old and a 2-yearold,” Colleen says. “We’re family oriented
MESSIN’ AROUND: The improvMANIA troupe is ready to take the stage and entertain at the new downtown venue beginning Saturday, Sept. 13. Tickets are $10. STSN photo by Tracy House
ourselves. We’ve been performing so long we know what it’s like to do a show where my grandma can’t come to it, and it stinks. People always think they want a dirty show, until you’re sitting there, and you don’t. Family friendly is good for everybody. It’s not family friendly geared toward kids. It’s family friendly geared toward everybody. It’s smart. It’s not that low-grade humor that you don’t want to sit next to your grandmother and listen to.” Colleen and David have been performing together for years, even getting engaged on stage. “It’s kind of in our blood,” David says. “It’s our hobby. It’s what we do
together.” The 11-person troupe includes two teenagers and a myriad of players from various backgrounds. “Almost everybody in the troupe is a teacher,” David says, including Colleen before staying home to care for their two children. In addition to the comedy shows, improvMANIA will also be holding improv classes, with the first adult class beginning Wednesday, Sept. 17. “The goal is to take somebody from scratch, who thinks they might want to do this, to a live performance for their family and friends on week six,” David explains. “It’s a big
step for someone who walks into intro to improv.” An acting or stage background isn’t necessary to be part of the classes. “Usually the best people are ones who don’t think they’re going to be any good at it,” David says. Colleen adds, “This is not just for people who want to perform improv, either. It’s for people who want to loosen up and be more social, or learn to speak in front of people, have more confidence. Be a good salesperson. It teaches a lot of those skills also.” She adds that the teen classes teach confidence and being comfortable in who you are. Part of what the Spechts will be teaching in the classes is the technique of improv. “Once you know the technique of improv you can get up and do a show,” Colleen says. “Our group that we have works so well together, I think even if we didn’t rehearse we could do a show.” improvMANIA shows are high energy and fast-paced with audience participation, likened to “Whose Line is it Anyway.” The Spechts say that they enjoy celebrating events with audience. “We love when SEE IMPROVMANIA PAGE 64