Zenprov Comedy takes on Godzilla with their completely improvised show “Zenprov vs. Godzilla” on Saturday, Jan 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher D. Theatre in Sedona. Tickets are $12 advanced, $15 a show. Don’t miss out on this Sedona favorite.
“Zenprov is the best comedy troupe in Arizona,” said Mr. Patrick Schweiss, Executive Director of the Sedona International Film Festival. “People laughed so hard their cheeks were hurting.”
For nearly a decade now, Zenprov Comedy troupe has tapped into the quirky source material that comes from living in a small Arizona community steeped in spiritual seeking, UFOs, vortexes, self-help gurus, psychics, tantric sex cults, radical vegans, conspiracy theories and small-town politics. And now, Godzilla? You’ll have to come to show to find out what happens.
“Whenever you face an audience of more than 100 people—without a script and nothing rehearsed—and are asked to be funny, on the spot, it can certainly feel like you versus Godzilla. That’s live improv, and we thrive on this kind of stress,” said Derek Dujardin, director of Zenprov Comedy.
If you’ve never been to one of their live performances before, Zenprov Comedy is similar to the popular improvised TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” The troupe performs a mix of fast-paced improvised scenes created in the moment based on audience suggestions as well as experimental Chicago-style long-form “Harolds”. Unlike sketch or standup comedy, nothing is scripted or prepared ahead of time, so it’s never the same show twice.
One of the troupe signature comedy pieces leverages actual Facebook postings from The Sedona Bulletin Board as inspiration for improvisation. An audience member chooses one of the postings and the troupe leaps into action with a miniature play created in the moment. Subjects range wildly from small-town gossip to the evils of smart meters to harbingers of next impending apocalypse scheduled for next Tuesday.
While Zenprov Comedy’s may start in the woo-woo culture of Sedona, their conceptual otherworldly performances are grounded in the Del Close method of improv acting developed in Chicago, which emphasizes the “group mind” that mysteriously develops during a performance. Miraculously, the player’s minds fuse together to create a “super mind” where they practically finish each other’s sentences—and often do. Look forward to inventive satire and the revelation of big truths drawn from the great Cosmic Giggle.
The “super minds” of Zenprov Comedy includes Verde Valley locals Derek Dujardin, Tom Shoemaker, Shaeri Richards, Chris Redish, Shaunn Cochran, Betty Testa, Linda Roemer and Mary Carder.
Tickets are $12 pre-sale and $15 the day of the show. This one-night-only performance might sell out so please purchase tickets early.