Improvisation With an EdgeThe audience yelled out...

Improvisation With an Edge

The audience yelled out improvisation suggestions.

A situation: Two people visiting their psychiatrists.

A relationship: A milkman and his customer.

Immediately, actor Anthony Ross became a milkman lamenting that 25 women a day are throwing themselves at him and his wife is asking, “Honey, would you sleep with a woman just to keep up your milk quotient?�

Instantly, stand-up comic Stefanie Gaines transformed herself into a Jewish housewife with five children who giggled about “that clean white uniform that makes me squirm!�

Director Darin Garrett called an end to their funny, yet poignant scene and commented, “That’s it, you’re on the edge.�

The Edge, the Valley’s newest cabaret improvisation troupe, is made up of eight comedians, singers, actors, writers and musicians from across the country.

But unlike many other improv teams, this group tries to capture actual real-life scenes with performances that can evoke tears, sighs and groans just as easily as they evoke laughter.

“We’re trying something innovative with improv,� Garrett said. “We’re taking a risk with our craft to create atypical characters and avoiding the typical stereotypes.�

The cast of The Edge, which debuts Saturday at the West End Playhouse in Van Nuys, plans to use audience suggestions to spontaneously entertain people for 90 minutes. They will also encourage members of the audience to join them on stage for some of the scenes.

“Doing improv helps us with our individuality and our acting,� said Linda Scamardi, who moved to Los Angeles after doing commercials and industrial films in Dallas.

Frustrated with their slow-moving acting careers and their own improvisation instructors, the eight performers--ranging in age from 18 to thirtysomething--have linked up to form their own group. They met in improv companies, through their daytime jobs and, in one case, at a restaurant.

Along with Scamardi, Gaines from New York and Ross from Indiana, the group includes Stacey McCall from Georgia; William Michael Jordan, a Valley teen-ager; Jay Lacopo, who performs at the Comedy Store; and John Cullen, a musician and actor now working on a movie with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd.

Garrett, 27, moved to Los Angeles a year ago after reuniting with Ross, a fellow acting student from the University of Evansville in Indiana. He formed the troupe six months ago and performs with them.

“We want to create characters with a twist to them, like viewing a slice of life through a keyhole,� Garrett said. “So you won’t see a foul-mouthed slob truck driver from us, you’ll see a truck driver who quotes Shakespeare.�

During rehearsal this week, Gaines talked about a comedic old lady she watched chain-smoking and tearing up napkins at a local Carl’s Jr. restaurant.

“I was captivated with her,� Gaines said. No doubt, that real-life character will appear in one of Gaines’ future improvisations.

McCall is a co-producer of The Edge along with Chris Jordan, who owns a paper distribution company and is the father of the youngest member of the troupe.

Most of the cast has some professional stage, television or film experience, and most have day jobs in the entertainment industry. Some hope to use The Edge to “get discovered� for their creative talents and others just want to have fun. A scripted play is already in the works for the company, but until then they will do strictly off-the-cuff performances.

“Also, we are trying to show casting directors that there is more to us than our physical appearance,� Garrett said. “We have talent too.�

Their role playing is different from other improv groups because the director doesn’t cut the scene until a story and a resolution develop.

“I love the idea that people will come to laugh, and maybe they’ll cry or experience some other emotion they never expected,� Gaines said. “That’s being innovative.�

“That’s being on the edge!� added some of the others in unison.

The Edge performs at 10:30 p.m. Saturdays at the West End Playhouse, 7446 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, beginning tomorrow and continuing through December. Tickets are $5. Call (818) 906-6782.