By Kelsey Joachim
Western Herald
Photo courtesy of Crawlspace Eviction
Local improv comedy troupe Crawlspace Eviction’s latest shows, “Uncle Jeff and his New Girlfriend,” and “Don’t judge her by the back tattoo and Def Leopard T-shirt!” will premiere at the Whole Art Theater Studio, located at 246 N. Kalamazoo Mall St., on Nov. 20 and 21, at 8 p.m.
Crawlspace Eviction performs three types of comedy — sketch comedy, short form improv, and long form improv.
According to Sytsma, sketch comedy is written, or can be video taped using written material. For this, individuals on the team of seven come up with ideas and write the script.
Short form improv takes suggestions from the audience and creates fast, quick scenes or games, each with rules and parameters, whereas long form improv also takes suggestions from the audience and only picks one to create scene after scene, normally 20 to 30 minutes in total length.
“This form was invented and is popular in Chicago,” Sytsma said.
All of Crawlspace Eviction’s comedy deals with current issues and everyday life, which makes it easy for their audiences to relate.
“Most people think improv is crazy and wacky, like being on the moon, but we focus on real life and what people actually experience,” Sytsma said.
All the members of Crawlspace Eviction live in Kalamazoo and have been to college; some are still in school, so the acts are relevant and based on similar experiences.
“We all went to college, which is a life experience that is fun to pull from,” Sytsma said.
There is some confusion about where the name, Crawlspace Eviction, comes from. When asked what she thought Crawlspace Eviction was or meant, Laura Karner, a Western Michigan University student, said, “Is it a law term?”
Back in 2003, throwing back a few beers on Sytsma’s back porch, the group came up with the name Crawlspace Eviction.
“Most of the names weren’t funny but then we thought of Crawlspace Eviction,” Sytsma said. “Crawlspaces are just funny, I don’t know why, but they are, and the fact that you could be evicted from a crawlspace makes it even more funny.”
“The titles of the show pieces are very out there and catch my attention, I would definitely check it out based on these titles and just knowing that it is improv comedy,” Karner said.
This weekend’s shows cost $7 for students with a valid ID and $10 for the general public.
More information can be found at crawlspaceeviction.com.
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