OSF to Stage Impro Theatre's SONDHEIM UNSCRIPTED, 7/28

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) will host a night of improvised musical theatre when Impro Theatre takes over the Thomas Theatre for OSF Presents: Sondheim UnScripted on July 28 at 8 p.m.

Impro Theatre's Sondheim UnScripted is a completely improvised musical in the style of one of Broadway's most acclaimed artists, Stephen Sondheim -- whose Into the Woods graces OSF's Allen Elizabethan Theatre through October 11. For Sondheim UnScripted, the cast and musicians work together as an ensemble to improvise songs with the intricate rhymes, soaring counter melodies and complex themes that are all hallmarks of Sondheim's work, creating a wholly original, thrilling musical with every performance. This show, which runs 90 minutes and is recommended for all age groups, is directed by Dan O'Connor and Michele Spears.

"Sondheim Unscripted is a hilarious show that really captures the Sondheim aesthetic," said Claudia Alick, OSF Associate Producer, Community, "making it a perfect fit for this season in which OSF is staging one of the famed composer's most beloved works."

Based in Los Feliz, California, Impro Theatre is made up of professional actors, writers, and directors who work extensively in theatre, television and film. Impro company members have worked on four continents and in over twenty countries, and have performed Off-Broadway with the prestigious British group Improbable Theatre, been part of the famed sketch comedy group The Groundlings, and have appeared in award-winning productions at some of California's top regional theatres, including the Old Globe, A.C.T., and A Noise Within.

In its third year, OSF Presents is a program designed to give Oregon Shakespeare Festival artists an arena to share their art with the public on a larger scale than they may be able to do independently. The artists are a mix of company members and Green Show guest artists and playwrights. Proceeds from the shows are shared by the artists and OSF. This program is funded in part by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.

Later this season OSF Presents will feature Lisa Wolpe's Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender on September 1 and Luis Alfaro's St. Jude on September 11.

Pictured: The cast of Impro Theatre's "Sondheim Unscripted." Courtesy of Impro Theatre.