Planning usually comes before performance. Putting on a live theatrical production typically involves line memorization, set creation, and many hours of long, well-thought out work. But there’s more than one way to set a stage. At Atlas Improv company, things run a little differently.

Improv, short for improvisation, is a style of performance centered around the fact that no one knows what the show will be about, including the performers themselves. Dialog, plot, and characters appear in the actors mind seconds before they engage with the scene. It’s tricky work, requiring quick thinking, teamwork, and confidence. Audience members are drafted for ideas, scene suggestions, and generally encouragement of the show.

Atlas Improv has been cracking up crowds with quick wit and goofy charm since 2004. The elite group of trained performance sacrifice their weekends for the sake of spontaneity and creativity. Getting into the cast requires auditioning, many have tried, but few make the grade. But there is another way. For the past several years Atlas runs a reality improv show called The Cut; the fantastic grand prize is a slot of the Atlas cast roster.
The show runs Fridays at 8 p.m. from Oct. 3 to the final show on Nov. 7.

This year eight contestant started on stage with the dream of joining the Atlas crew. Each week, performers delight audiences with creative performances and receive feedback from painfully honest judges. Michael Brania, signature cranky judge and Atlas member since 2004, advised improvisers to find their inner inspiration, “Find that why, let it drive your performance, and let it pacify me!” Brania demanded.
Audience members help the show by voting for contestant immunity, (protection from that weeks cut), and also for contestant elimination. Dace is currently working his way through the graphic design and illustration program at Madison College, and is also making history on the Atlas Stage.

One of the original eight contestants, Dace was cut from the show on Oct. 18. But he returned the following week to attend the show and support his friends still in the running. In a surprising turn of events, he was invited back to the stage after another contestant forfeited their spot. After another evening of hilarious off-the-cuff comedy, including a musical with live accompaniment, Dace was on the chopping block again. Soon after he joined an elite group of folks, people who have been cut from the Cut twice.

For those who are intrigued, tickets to the final weeks of The Cut are still available, but nearly every show sells out. If you have never been to an improve show before, this unfamiliar art form is absolutely worth your time to explore. Watching improv feels like watching a novel being written in real time. It is immediate visual storytelling where the audience experiences the art as it’s created. Improv reminds us that the storylines are always there, waiting to be discovered by a mind willing to find them.