Preview and Interview: TuskegeeXperiment at Out Of Bounds [Improv]
Friday, September 3
Salvage Vanguard Theatre (2803 Manor Road)
$12, 8 pm
[info] | [tickets]
One of the touring acts from last year's Out of Bounds Comedy Festival returning to perform again this year is TuskegeeXperiment, an all African-American improv comedy troupe out of LA. TuskegeeXperiment is comprised of Stephen C. James, Marshall Givens, Jason Kelley, Tammie Smalls, Dwana White and Edana Walker. Austinist chatted with Marshall Givens about forming the group, their provocative name, and why Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the best breakfast cereal rappers.
Can you describe for us how you came to performing improv and how TuskegeeXperiment was formed?
I grew up watching shows like SNL and SCTV, so when I decided to be an actor in college, I immediately applied for an internship at The Second City Training Center in Chicago and started taking classes. I learned stage managing/technical directing through my internship, and when I moved to Los Angeles, I took a job as the Technical Director at The Second City there. That's where I met the other members of TuskegeeXperiment, each performing in separate groups. I was talking about improv with Jason Kelley and we thought it would be cool to create an all African American improv group. We knew who the other players should be because they all performed at Second City L.A. I reached out to the other members and everyone immediately jumped on board.
Can you describe some of the reasons you wanted to form an all African American improv troupe?
Honestly, improv has been a mostly white-male driven world and being the "token" in a group sometimes holds us back. We wanted to take control of our comedy so that the focus IS the comedy.
By being an all African American improv troupe with a name like TuskeegeXperiment you've put your racial identity up front. How much does the fact that you are an all African American improv troupe play into your shows? Do you believe it plays a part at all in the kinds of stories you tell?
We were completely aware of it when we chose the name. It of course plays a big part, but only because that is a part of who we are. We can't change our skin color or the experiences we have lived through, but we also have had very different experiences from each other, so our comedy is universal. You don't have to be Black to get what we are doing.
In your bio you explain that the Tuskegee Experiment was decidedly not funny. How did you settle on the name and has it caused any controversy?
The name was originally going to be "Token" but another friend who was there when Jason and I were formulating the plan for the group, jokingly said we should call ourselves "The Tuskegee Experiment." It was funny at first, then we really thought it was a great name for us. We are the scientists and we are experimenting with the traditional notions of not just "Black" comedy, but all comedy. It was definitely risky, but it spoke to us, so we ran with it. We want people to hear the name and think and ask questions. It hasn't caused any controversy yet but if anyone is offended, we are more than willing to talk about it.
You guys hail from LA. Where and how often do you perform there?
We began with a run at The Second City and perform there, i.O. West, Bang Theatre, UCB L.A. and festivals all over the country.
The description of the format for your improvised shows sounds like there's a great deal of room for both comedy and real moments. To those unfamiliar with your approach, can you give us a bit of an explanation of your show's format?
To honor the real Tuskegee Experiment, we ask the audience for a suggestion of a social injustice. It can be as serious as apartheid or as mundane as really bad traffic. We use that as a jumping off point to create scenes that are directly or indirectly related to that suggestion. With six improvisers who have six very different points of view, the comedy comes from the real moments.
You guys performed at last year's Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. What are you looking forward to doing and seeing in Austin this year?
Last year was incredibly fun and we really enjoyed the vibe in Austin and the festival. I think we're looking forward to seeing great shows, meeting fellow improvisers from all over, the music clubs downtown.. .and the food, definitely the food.
Is the TuskegeeXperiment the primary project for your members? Do any of your have other projects?
In a way, TuskegeeXperiment is the baby of every member of the group, even though we have other projects. Jason Kelley is co-writing/producing a webseries called Make It Happen and is currently in several commercials and TV shows. Tammie Smalls is in the cast of Top Story Weekly, the award winning weekly news comedy show at i.O. West, and a producer for several projects at B.E.T. Stephen C. James is an accomplished writer, grade-school drama teacher, and one-half of the award-winning comedy duo, Nerdvana. I am in several other improv groups including Orpheus Roy, the current i.O. West Thursday night Improv Cagematch champs and I recently recorded a comedy rap album based on the characters Snap, Crackle, and Pop. We are currently in pre-production for the first music video.
