By now it’s a tradition— my annual chat with some of the intrepid crew of the USS McGinley, now in their fifth season of bringing the narrative improv style of fun and pathos to L.A. audiences in the best TNG-era Trek style as “The Improvised Generation.”
So check out our visit below this away team of (from left) Paul Hungerford, Amanda Troupe, Rob Ullett, Aliza Pearl and Scott Palmason …. before you beam in with the full McGinley crew on an upcoming Sunday night at 7 pm.
“TiG”, of course, is just one of the many genre improv troupes under the umbrella of ImproStudio, with these shows running at its Los Feliz small-house stage at 1727 N. Vermont #208. (That means, houses often sell out — so get your tickets quick!)
But you don’t have to be a Trek fan to have a great time. Bring along your mundane friends! Even Trekfans new to Capt. Thompson’s crew need know “McGinleyTrek” canon to enjoy the shows.
Each story is a standalone (it IS TNG-style, after all) , and— while the actors keep their characters consistent—every full hour “episode” plot is new and sparked by an opening improv word from the audience. A tech performer also mutually interplays with sound and music cues and other live effects, and gets the cast in and out of “opening credits” and “act breaks”—just without, fortunately, any commercials!
THIS season, the crew is making a big push toward guests— including some real surprises by season’s end.
And every other week (March 24 and April 7 and 21), stay beyond the 7 pm hour long show for another enjoyable improv theme show to hang on for the free Discovery two-episode “big-screen” foodie view parties, sponsored by Improvised Generation, ImproStudio, and of course Portal 47 and Mission Log/Roddenberry and trek.fm podcasts.
See the schedule and ticket options for this and all upcoming Impro shows and ‘Like’ their Facebook, etc … and even catch past adventures on the TiG YouTube channel. Just remember, though, a camera cannot capture the gamut of nuance to wacky of a live performance, or the sensation of watching actors grinding their creative gears on the run, without a net. Or the moments when the comedy actually turns poignant.
Out-of-towners, if you’re still with me and get a chance to be in L.A. over a weekend through April— or this time of year in the future—make sure to make a date to beam in with the McGinley crew. And check out the other genre improv troupes — from “Game of Thrones” to silent movies to Jane Austen, and much more— that go up all year long at ImproTheatre.
The Season 5 cast includes (from left): Scott Palmason, Matthew Pitner, Amanda Troop, Ahleeza Pearl, Paul Hungerford, Sara Mountjoy-Pepka, Rob Ullett, and Laurie Jones.
https://www.comic-con.org/wca
