Sept. 9, 2011, two illegal seahorses were arrested, Legolas from “Lord of the Rings” had a baby with Bill Nye the Science Guy and zombies ate a car tire.
Of course, this could only happen on a Friday night at Salt Rock Coffee.
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[/media-credit]Every Friday night from 10 p.m. to midnight, Mission Improvible, a local improv (short for improvisational comedy) troupe, performs to keep guests laughing the night away. The show costs only $5 and is made up completely on the spot, so no two shows are alike.
Hilarity House Productions features “Mission Improvible” where two teams, the FBI and CIA, play against one another to win dossiers. The troupe has teamed up with Salt Rock Coffee to provide hot drinks, smoothies, treats and laughs to Friday night customers.
“It’s the most fun you can have on a Friday night. It’s cheaper than a movie and it’s twice as long,” said Chelsea Maki, improv actor and Weber State University student. “There are great drinks at the coffee shop. It’s a really great place to come, especially for students. The college crowd is perfect for this.”
This local troupe lets the audience control the night. Most of the games are selected by audience members.
“It’s totally audience controlled. They control how much fun they have by putting suggestions in. We totally feed off of their energy,” said Maki.
Kyle and Holly Hill have owned the Salt Rock Coffee shop at 270 12th street in Ogden since June 2007. The shop is run mainly by volunteers.
“It’s a great place,” said Hill. “It’s a cheap date. You can’t go to the movies for $5. It’s a positive, clean, fun environment.”
The troupe has been performing at Salt Rock Coffee for just over a year.
Josh Goodman, an improv actor of 10 years and part of the Mission Improvible cast, is also a WSU student. Goodman is studying secondary education and hopes to teach English to high school students.
“Improv started for me as a theater warm up before plays in high school. I saw a good friend of mine perform at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse and I became one of those weird fans that came every week. I eventually got on stage and here I am,” Goodman said.
Alex Butler, WSU biology major and three-year improv veteran, encourages students to come to the show.
“Come here to laugh, enjoy and get away. Forget about everything you’ve done during the week. Relax,” said Butler.
Students interested in trying out their improv skills might attend one of the free classes offered at the shop. Salt Rock Coffee and Hilarity House Productions host free improv classes given by the Mission Improvible cast Friday nights at 8. The classes hope to teach people how to perform and have fun on stage.
“Improv is a good idea to try. You can apply it in your life, and not in just comedy. It’s great all around to help you with everything in your life,” Butler said.
To see the latest drinks, pictures and improv schedule updates, check out Salt Rock Coffee’s Facebook page.
Mission Improvible has its own Facebook page, Hilarity House Productions. Pictures, videos and weekly casts are posted for fans to see. Mission Improvible also keeps a blog.
Students, keep in mind, Friday night at Salt Rock Coffee strives to provide an inexpensive date, a variety of beverages and hopefully a good knee-slapper or two.