| You haven't seen improv until you've seen Improv Everywhere. Using the power of the Internet, the group now has hundreds of people taking part in crazy public stunts. In this episode, we take you behind some of the group's wild antics. Digital Journal -- Founded in 2001 in New York City, Improv Everywhere is a performance art troupe whose main goal is to show people something they haven't seen before. "We're big believers in 'organized fun', their website reads. "In the process we bring excitement to otherwise unexciting locales and give strangers a story they can tell for the rest of their lives. We're out to prove that a prank doesn't have to involve humiliation or embarrassment; it can simply be about making someone laugh, smile, or stop to notice the world around them." Before you watch an Improv Everywhere stunt, get rid of all of your conventional thoughts on improv comedy and acting. This is 2008 and the Internet has an amazingly far reach, thus totally changing the scope of people who contribute and stunts they perform. The group has completed 75 "missions" (public shows or stunts), ranging from fake concerts, to synchronized swimming in the Washington Square Park fountain. Most recently, they pulled a stunt called No Pants 2K8 in which almost 2000 people took off their pants on subways in 10 cities around the world (900 of them in NYC). Another recent stunt that gained huge notoriety was called Frozen Grand Central: More than 200 Improv Everywhere "agents" walked ... |
