Growth in the Industry

Philadelphia's improv scene gains a new group, made up of a diverse population of local improvisers.

Industrial Improv is Philadelphia 's newest improv comedy group. They'll be performing long-form improv, starting off by doing 'the Harold," the standard format for long-form improv that's created by taking one audience suggestion and creating something like a half-hour improvised play. The group is the brainchild of Mike McFarland, but he's hesitant to call himself the leader. The idea behind the group is that there should be no leader, no director, no one person in charge. It's communal; hence the soviet theme of their website at www.industrialimprov.com. No one should think they're funnier or better than anyone else. Everyone has a different background, different levels of performance experience, and a different take on improv, with training and experience in short-form, long-form, acting, stand-up, and sketch. They've been together for about six weeks and have been trying to create a communal group mind, incorporating the unique backgrounds of each member and combining their different skills.

McFarland studied improv under Armando Diaz and has been performing long-form shows at the Magnet Theater in New York City . He studied drama at the Actor's Center in Philly and did some stand-up. He is also a member of local improv groups, Hypnotoad and the Village Idiutz, and is formerly of the Ninjas.

Greg Maughan ran a successful improv troupe in Detroit and took classes at Second City . He's been taking various classes and workshops in Philly, which is where he met McFarland, but he hasn't performed in quite a while. He says of his personal improv goals, 'At this point I just want to start performing. It's cheaper than classes."

Erin Weems also hasn't performed in a while. She was an actress and stand-up in New York , taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre when 9-11 happened. She moved to Philly and was briefly in the Ninjas with Mike, but took a break from improv to have a baby. One night, she met up with McFarland and they started talking about performing together again.

That same night, they also approached members of the N Crowd to join in on this project. Jess Snow, Brandon Libby, and Mike Connor have all been doing short-form improv, Whose Line Is It, Anyway -style with the N Crowd, and are now learning long-form. They each have history in acting and improv and, contrary to the other members of their new improv commune, have been performing weekly.

Industrial Improv combines people who have been improvising for years with people who have been improvising for months; people who haven't performed in years with people who have been performing every week; different people who have done different styles of improv, and it's the way that they're combining that is special. Industrial Improv is a collective of Philadelphia improvisers with a group dynamic of a true democracy. It's said that improv is about the ensemble, so this 'teamwork" idea should produce some interesting results. Their debut was on September 11th at Fergie's, performing with the N Crowd and Hypnotoad.

By Matt Holmes