Pace Press

Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Improv Everywhere (IE) could not be better titled. This movement has extended from New York City to "70 cities in 34 countries and six continents." It's kind of a big deal. For those who are unfamiliar with IE, their most recent and talked about missions are "No Pants," "No Shirts" and "Food Court Musical."

"No Pants" took place at the beginning of the year in Portland, Salt Lake City, Boston, Washington D.C, New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. Essentially the "agents," also known as participants, rode on public subway lines without wearing any pants.

New York City had 900 agents evenly dispersed on the No. six, No. two, and N train lines. The idea was to commute and go about the daily routine as if nothing were amiss. There are plenty of pictures posted on the IE Web site showing barelegged New Yorkers confidentially reading their books and waiting for their trains as if being pantless was the newest fashion fad.

The "No Shirts" mission involved 111 men attempting to shop at an Abercrombie and Fitch on 5 Ave. Considering that there is a shirtless male model posing outside during store hours and multiple murals of bare-chested men covering the walls, it's surprising that the shirtless IE agents were unwelcome. In the end, they were inhospitably told to leave and any attempts at a purchase were denied.

For "Food Court Musical," the agents took a food court by surprise by masquerading as mall employees and citizens in need of napkins. They sang an entire song dedicated to the necessity of a napkin, and it was actually quite good.

Many are unaware of why IE does what it does. Senior Agent Ben Rodgers says simply because it is "fun." Rodgers has been working with IE for the past five years and has participated in missions such as "Best Buy" and "No Shirts."

"I met [Improv Everywhere creator] Charlie Todd at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and it all started from there," Rodgers said. "IE is a fun collaboration with people. There are no miscommunications in it. We do it purely for the fun. I do it because it gives me a very unique and bizarre feeling that can't be reproduced by anything else."

When he isn't delegating missions, Todd performs and teaches improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Before Todd began IE, he was working as a stand-up comedian. After pulling a prank at a bar with two friends where he convinced female bar patrons he was Ben Folds, he realized how amazing it would be if he could organize similar harmless albeit confusing pranks on a higher scale. And with that idea, IE was born.

IE started out small with Todd and his friends in New York City and has progressed across land and water. There are other groups such as "Flash Mobs" who do similar pranks that have developed due to the popularity of IE.

Senior finance major Katie Legkoduka doesn't see the thrill of IE missions. "Improv situations sound like they could end in detainment or harassment. I don't think I would participate in their events because I don't want to risk losing my job," she said.

Junior finance major Annik Murray thought the missions would be fun to try, saying, "Their skits, or what ever you would call it sound freaky and weird. Of course I would try it."

If you or your friends are interested in becoming an IE agent and participating in upcoming missions, go to http://improveverywhere.com and sign up for the e-mail newsletter. IE sends updates periodically as to when, where and how the next missions are happening.

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