Gamut Theatre Presents Improv Featuring ShawnMikael(s) and Harrisburg Natives T.M.I., 4/15

Gamut's resident improv troupe, T.M.I., will join forces with Washington D.C.'s award winning improv duo, ShawnMikael(s), on Sunday, April 15th at 7:30 at the Gamut Classic Theatre on the Third Floor of Strawberry Square in Downtown Harrisburg.

ShawnMikael(s) is a two-man long-form improvisational show that has yet to comprehend its own limits. Both actors frequently populate their scenes with multiple characters and jumps in time and space while maintaining the scene's integrity and internal logic. The result? Never-before-imagined worlds come alive, entire communities emerge, and comic possibilities are realized.

ShawnMikael(s) combines the talents of two of the DC improv scene's veteran improvisers: Mikael Johnson, a mainstay at Washington Improv Theater's Jackie, which has played the DCM numerous times; and Shawn Westfall, exclusive teacher of improv at the DC Improv and also the founder and creative director of bright young things, which has also played DCM numerous times. After they found themselves frequently working together amidst a series of ad hoc DC-area shows, they noticed that there was a lot of interpersonal chemistry, and decided to start rehearsing together with the idea of finding a third, if necessary. It soon became clear that it wouldn't be necessary. After a few months, they applied for their first "festival": the Harrisburg Comedy Improv Throwdown, a single elimination tournament in which the competition consisted of troupes from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and New York City. They won. Since then, they've been invited to participate in two Washington Improv Theater runs, headline frequently at the DC Improv Comedy Lounge, as well as in improv shows and theaters all over the DC-MD-VA area. This summer, they performed as part of the 2011 Capital Fringe Festival, playing to a sold-out audience and garnering 5-star reviews, as well as a "Pick of the Fringe" from DC Theater Scene. Most recently, the duo returned to Harrisburg to defend its title of "Best Improv Troupe" at the Harrisburg Improv Comedy Throwdown, and won again.

Those who have seen ShawnMikael(s) describe them as "committed" and "patient" (in addition, of course, to "hilarious"). The duo prides itself on not rushing scenes, allowing instead for discovery, as well as on playing the emotional truth of the scenes while maintaining their internal logic. They make frequent use of "multi-casting"-playing multiple characters within the same scene-but only as the opportunity arises organically, and not as a gimmick of the show. In short, while their show can-and has been-greatly appreciated by general audiences, we also think that even veteran improvisers will also find something in it to enjoy.

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