Phillyist Interviews... Kristen Schier, Co-Artistic Director of The Philly N Crowd

Called "Philadelphia's Premiere improv comedy troupe" by Philly Style Magazine, The Philly N Crowd has been performing weekly shows for audiences for almost two years. Recently, Phillyist got to catch up with Kristen Schier, the group's Co-Artistic Director, to find out a bit about the work they've been doing.

Can you give us a little background about The Philly N Crowd? How long have you been around, how big is the troupe?
The Philly N Crowd is a short form improv troupe [that] has been around for about two years now, so, in a word, we are just babies compared to some improv troupes in Philly. The troupe has gone through some growing pains and is now an ensemble of about 11 – I say about 11 because the founder, Ray King Reese, is not currently active with the troupe.

Do you all perform at pretty much all of the shows?
Yes, there are occasions when certain members of the ensemble have to go on tour for other performing opportunities – but yes.

So, you perform every Friday night at the Actors’ Center. What kind of audiences do you normally get?
If you mean what demographic, I’ve seen couples celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary to kids who haven’t graduated high school yet. If you mean do we get a lot of people to come see us, I would say our houses are great for a troupe our age. We have been pleasantly surprised. We expect even larger after appearing in Phillyist!

How much do your audiences shape your shows? Do audiences come ready to participate?
The audience is key to our show. Every game we play is centered around their suggestions – that’s what makes improv. We can’t prove we are making it up, otherwise. Many people get sketch mixed up with improv. It is an understandable mistake since many great sketch shows have roots or do their creating with improv. Short form improv is when a performer creates the scene right there on the spot, following, or not following the rules of a given game. Does that make sense? I don’t even know.

Any examples of short form improv for people who are less familiar with the art form? What would you say people should expect when going to your shows?
Well, I didn’t want to do it, but here goes nothing. Have you ever seen the show Whose Line Is It Anyway? That may be a helpful comparison for people who have not been exposed to improv before. Those guys are great! What can you expect? You should expect to see performers taking risks and doing the unexpected. And, yes you should expect to laugh – hell, you paid for it!

It seems like there’s more and more going on with the Philly improv scene. ComedySportz has been going on for a while and we know Philly Improv Theater hosts improv nights at Fergies and some other venues in town. Could you tell us a bit about what’s going on with Philly Improv in general?
I am so proud of the talent in Philly. There are a number of troupes that have sprung up in the city and quite a few of them are good. I would encourage you to see these troupes. The big annual event that is worth seeing is the Philly Improv Festival - look for it come November. That’s your big chance to see not only a bunch of Philly groups, but some of the best improv in the country. The Philly Improv Fest is becoming a bright spot in the national improv scene – and I think there are more than a few Philly Improv groups that can hold their own onstage with some of the country's best.

Did the N Crowd do anything during the last Philly Improv Fest?
Yup, we did a half hour set. I think it went really well. You can check it out online - insert shameless plug here - at www.phillyncrowd.com. Of course, there is nothing like live improv - that’s my way to get two for one out of the first shameless plug - so come see our show Friday nights at The Actors Center.

The Philly N Crowd
The Actors Center (237 N. 3rd Street)
Every Friday
Doors Open at 7:30 PM, Show at 8:00 PM
$10
Tickets can be purchased at the door or through The N Crowd's website

Image via www.phillyncrowd.com.