The spiritual journey can be a roller coaster ride. So why not laugh at the ups and downs along the way?
Join Zenprov Comedy for “OM! My Achin’ Chakra!” for a light-hearted romp through the Old Testament to the New Age. This one-night only performance happens Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. at Mary D. Fisher Theatre in Sedona. Tickets are $12 pre-sale or $15 at the door.
“Whether you are a devoted seeker looking for enlightenment or a woo-woo in recovery, you’re going to love this performance,” said Derek Dujardin, director of Zenprov Comedy.
If you’ve never attended one of their live performances before, Zenprov Comedy is similar to the popular improvised TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
The troupe performs fast-paced games and scenes created in the moment — always based on audience suggestions. Unlike sketch or standup comedy, nothing is scripted or otherwise prepared ahead of time. Best of all, it’s never the same show twice.
“Zenprov is the best comedy troupe in Arizona,” said Patrick Schweiss, Executive Director of the Sedona International Film Festival. “People were laughing so hard their cheeks were hurting.”
In this show, the troupe will retell modern pet peeve in the style of an Old Testament Bible story. In another game, players will demonstrate the “monkey mind” that all meditators struggle with, acted out live on stage. Finally, performers will ask audience members to volunteer a few theories about what happens after we die, and they create impromptu exploration of those themes in a 20-minute, Chicago-style long form.
For more than a decade, Zenprov Comedy has tapped the rich source material that comes from living in a community steeped in spiritual seeking, UFOs, vortexes, self-help gurus, psychics and radical vegans. While Zenprov Comedy’s may start in Sedona, their otherworldly performances are grounded in the fundamentals of rock-solid improv work, inventive satire, and their constant search for bigger truths hidden within the great Cosmic Giggle.
The Zenprov Comedy players embrace the Del Close method of improv acting, which emphasizes the “group mind” that mysteriously develops during a performance. Miraculously, the player’s minds fuse together to create a “super mind” where they practically finish each other’s sentences — and often do. Laughter ensues.
The super minds of Zenprov Comedy are Derek Dujardin, Shaeri Richards, Chris Redish, Tom Shoemaker, Shaunn Cochran, Betty Testa, Linda Roemer and Mary Carder.
This one-night-only performance may sell out, so purchase tickets early. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online at zenprovcomedy.com, or in person at the box office for $15 the night of the show with check, cash or credit card.
The Mary D. Fisher Theatre is located across the street from the Harkins Movie Theater on 2030 SR 89A. Doors open at 7 p.m. Shows are rated PG-13, may contain adult material, themes and language, and run approximately 90 minutes. Visit ZenprovComedy.com to learn more.
