Holiday Office Party is a long form improvisational comedy which means everything you see at your show is being made up on the spot and that all of it fits together as one cohesive story. So that means two things, First and most importantly, if you love it, you can go again and see a completely new show! Secondly, anything I tell you specifically wouldn’t matter because those jokes wouldn’t appear at another performance. So what can I tell you besides that the performance I saw was really funny? Well, there is the set up which you should be able to inuit from the title. Essentially we are watching a group of coworkers at their company holiday party. Each of the performers becomes a character which they develop over the course of the show. Much of the humor comes from clever call backs to things that happened earlier. For instance, at our performance one of the characters, played by Anna Tobin, states she has a shellfish allergy. That allergy will be a running gag throughout the show referenced not only by that character but others not even in scenes with her. That’s what the best Improv performers bring to a show, not just a quick wit but the ability to create an arc for the character within the improvisational framework of a piece.

So I’ve seen some great improv at theaters like Strike, where Holiday Office Party is running, and Huge Improv Theater in Uptown. I’ve also seen some not so great improv, so how do you know what improv to spend your hard earned money and precious time on? Well the best way to hedge your bets is become familiar with the performers and producers of improv and watch for their shows. Holiday Office Party is produced and directed by Mike Fotis who is one of the co-founders of Strike Theater. I’ve seen Mike perform and the shows he’s created before so I know from those that he’s a good bet. Fotis doesn’t appear in this show but he’s up in the tech booth directing the show by the use of lights. So basically the performers know during specific video text prompts what the next scene will be, for example it might say small talk and mingling. The performers know to form small groups in designated areas of the stage and when Mike turns the light on their area that is their cue to speak. Fotis then determines when a scene has run its course and will turn the lights off and redirect us to another group. So that’s a name for the improv novices to remember Mike Fotis and when you see he’s either performing or behind the scenes you’ll know you are in good hands.

Aside from Mike there was another name that made me jump at this as one to see, Sam Landman. Since the first time I saw him at the Twin Cities Horror Fest in 2019 I knew he was someone to follow. I’ve seen him do improv at both Strike and Huge and he’s one of the best in town. He’s a performer who understands that whether you are acting in a play, a scripted comedy sketch, or doing improv, the best humor comes from characters, not jokes. One liners can be really funny on their own to be sure, but they are better when they build off of a characters personality. But here’s the thing, Fotis is a guy who works with and casts the best, there isn’t anyone in the cast who didn’t have a great show. There was one recurring scene clearly based on the Pam and Jim trope of the office co-workers who should be together but never quite get up the courage to move beyond flirting. The performers Gubby Kubik Nielsen and Lacey Mamak never quite found that perfect little thing to hook their scene on but were such engaging performers that it still worked. Nielsen in particular has a quality that made them the perfect performer for that role. Something in the eyes, so alive and sparkling with fun and mischief. Part of being an effective performer, especially in a show like this where you are one of nearly a dozen actors and the show is only an hour long, is knowing what your strengths are and playing to those. Nielsen knows how to use her eyes the looks she sends Mamak shout “you’re not imagining this, I’m feeling it too”. Ryan Robert Nelson went another route. His character slowly got a little drunk over the course of the show, but that wasn’t really his characters arc, he didn’t seem to really have one. Then, he sat to record a video message for Jerry who is retiring and he launched into a hot air balloon story that ends up being a confession that brought down the house. So all the little comments and bits he did earlier laid the groundwork that he’d had enough to drink to lose his inhibitions and decision making skills enough to unburden himself of his deep dark secret on his coworkers retirement video.

I can’t describe everyone’s shining moments but there were all fantastic and hilarious so I do want to mention everyone in the cast. Along with those already mentioned the cast included Erik Hoversten, Kerri Ann OHalloran, Christian Unser, Jerry Heather Meyer, Nels Lennes and Bailey Murphy. The cast changes from night to night, you will see some or all of the above when you go as well as Matt Prindle and Amee Nefzger Banks. The show runs for three more performances Thursday December 21st thru Saturday December 23rd at 7:30 PM. For more information about this and other shows at Strike Theater and to purchase tickets go to https://www.strike.theater/shows.html

This Holiday season why not start a new tradition of taking in a live theater production with family and friends? It’s a great way to create lasting memories and will give you something to look forward to every year as you experience the magic of live theater. Whether your budget is large or small, there is a show for you. Looking for gift ideas? Don’t we all have enough “stuff”? Give the gift of live theater, go to your favorite theaters website, see what shows they have coming up in the new year and give the gift of an experience over material.

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