“Each birth is different,” said Andrew Powers ’11.5.
With nostalgic looks on their faces, five-eighths of the Middlebrow improvisation troupe recapped some of their favorite moments from past performances. While they can’t decide on a favorite show (since each one is its own unique compilation of madness, or an individual birth as they describe it) they can all point to specific moments when they felt the troupe solidify, like the scene when Alie Bornstein ’11 had to ask Ryan Urquidi ’13 out to a big dance and he could just feel the trust between them. Though they’re all jokers, reverent silence descended on the table when we talked about the vulnerability that comes along with their art.
“The best way to have a good troupe is to cut out the censor, and they see me without a censor more than anyone else does,” said Danny Metzger-Traber ’11.
“Working with people in improv is a terrifying thing,” says Bornstein, “You’re totally relying on one another. It’s great because we’ve gotten to that point where we can walk on stage and say anything to anyone and make a scene out of it.”
Born in spring 2008, Middlebrow was “initially a venue for people who weren’t in an improv troupe to get together and play around. And then we decided at the end of the semester to try having a performance and we thought that it went reasonably well and so from there we decided to become a troupe,” said Metzger-Traber, one of the group’s founders along with Ele Woods ’11, Powers and a few alumni. Almost three years later, the group remains committed to providing an avenue for everyone and anyone to experiment with improvisational theater by participating in Open Improv Gym sessions and a Winter term workshop, called Jprov.
The troupe looks for “two main things, which is good listeners and good emoters,” said Powers with nodding agreement from his cohort of actors.
Equally important is aerobic skill and agility and proving that one can keep up with the other members of the troupe during their most beloved game, tag, complete with obstacles. Due to their large size, this semester was the first time that the troupe was unable to take on new members but with three graduating seniors on board, space will be opening up in the rank soon. While the decision to keep their roster as-is was difficult, it gives them “a go-ahead to push the troupe a little bit farther as a whole foundationally and try to develop more maturity and really grow,” said Urquidi.
With a successful season opener under their belts, Middlebrow’s next big show will be Homecoming weekend in homage to a returning founder identified only as the Baron. Though Metzger-Traber reports that “every time the troupe picks a place it’s a different struggle” to decide what they want from the space, the next show will probably take place at Le Chateau, the troupe’s favorite. Everything is a part of the performance because “it’s all done on stage. What you see is the only communication happening between us. There are no scripts or paradigms for any scene,” said Powers.
According to Bornstein, success is, “any show where everyone leaves having had so much fun,” so come laugh with Middlebrow and see what the crazy kids have come up with. For future shows, Middlebrow is toying with ideas such as puppet-prov, murder mystery prov, acapella-prov, and the wedding of Ryan and Alie who will thereafter by known as Ralie. In addition to the upcoming nuptials they would like you to know that their aura is blue, just in case you were ever wondering.
Who gets the last laugh? Backstage with Middlebury Improv: Middlebrow
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