Theatre Three Productions in Port Jefferson draws audience members into the act with its Friday Night Face Off, the longest running improv comedy show on Long Island, in operation since 2003.
Each month, there’s another opportunity to join in the laughter. Doors open at 10 p.m. downstairs in the nonprofit’s historic home at Athena Hall, 412 Main St.
“It’s a lot of fun. It’s a great date-night. It’s a great get together with friends, and it’s pretty much the perfect scenario no matter what you’re planning to do,” Vincent Russo, creative director of Friday Night Face Off, said.
Russo comes to Theatre Three from stand-up comedy and was named a Funniest Comic on Long Island finalist. He took an instant liking to improvisational comedy. “I’ve always been doing improv comedy. I just never knew what it was called,” he said. Russo, a West Babylon native now living in Lindenhurst, auditioned during the program’s infancy, got brought on board and has been at it ever since.
The audience will see two teams vying for the best improv skits, he said. The audience provides feedback and sometimes joins the cast as well.
“If you’ve ever seen the show, ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’, it’s sort of like that. You get suggestions from the audience, and you put them through games and scenes, and everything’s made up right on the spot. The only difference with us is you’re doing it live and you can’t cut and try it again,” he said.
But that uncertainty is one of the things Russo loves about improv, that and the ability to lift one’s spirits. “I give everyone permission to just relax and leave their worries at the door,” he said. "It's the ultimate game night."
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