By Joseph Knoop
The comedy improv expertise of Second City, known for producing such famed talents as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Bill Murray and more is coming to the Zionsville Performing Arts Center on Sept. 19 with the “Fully Loaded” tour.
Eve Krueger, a comedy veteran of 15 years and current Second City ensemble actor, has had a career that literally spans the map of comedic opportunity. With worldly experience performing in Atlanta, Chicago, and even a Norwegian cruise line, it’s perhaps odd that her favorite expletive seems to be “oh, cheese and crackers,” but it captures her sense of engaging humor just as well.
“What’s interesting about Chicago, you’ll find, is it’s mostly long form improvisation town,” Krueger said. Krueger recently moved to Chicago for work at Second City. “I’ve had the opportunity to do lots of improv, even though I’ve only been there for a year.”
Most fans of improvised comedy might only be familiar with episodes of ABC’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway” but the modern improvisation scene has grown well beyond its roots, Krueger said.
“I feel like improv is going through a really evolutionary period right now,” Krueger said. “I have a deep love for short form improv, but we’re also seeing long form improv used in different ways. If you look at some of the major comedy podcasts out there, like “Comedy Bang! Bang!,” a lot of those guys are just improvising with different characters, and it’s a long form over the years that you can’t see necessarily. Much of the comedy shows today rely on actors who can improvise well to create more dialogue, which is lovely.”
Perhaps what gives improv the comedic strength it has always had is the sense of chemistry and community surrounding such small-knit, yet bombastic efforts.
“A lot of things come together at once. In theatre, we call it “communion,” when all actors and the audience are all together on the same page and enjoying the same experience,” Krueger said. “When I’m touring with Second City, there are all sorts of beautiful moments like that that really do rely on chemistry of the cast and audience. It’s hard to describe because they’re so spontaneous. Beautiful, brilliant moments where you’re just happy to participate; a “have to be there” moment.”
Second City’s “Fully Loaded” tour will perform at 7:30 p.m. September 19 at the Zionsville Performing Arts Center on Mulberry Street. For more information, go to zvilleperformingarts.org. For tickets, visit www.TIX.com.
