Improv Mining Co. performs narrative improv comedy in Helena, Montana, and has been doing so since 2015. Our goal is to create interesting and engaging shows, made up on the spot.
We have performed improvised plays, musicals, two and three-person shows, as well as classic long form structures like The Harold.
Improv Mining Co. also offers improv comedy classes for individuals, team-building workshops and creative consulting for organizations, and private events that include unique shows as well as improv parties, in which friends can learn and play improv games with each other in the safety of a private space.
The driving force behind Improv Mining Co. is to perform and teach high quality improv comedy for and with the Helena community, and to have fun while we do it. For the most part, our improvisational style is based in developing interesting characters and exploring the humor in the relationships in which they find themselves.
We believe that the most interesting thing in any scene is what's going on between the characters in that scene. This means we don't often focus on trying to find wacky situations or invent outlandish premises (although these things occasionally arise as a byproduct). We seek to unearth the humor that already exists inside the the depth of the human experience.
Our method for improvising in this manner relies first and foremost on paying intense attention to our scene partners, then playing out each moment as it reveals itself. This style of play allows us to present many different forms and to follow the unique direction of each show.
You may recognize Aubrey from any of the many roles she's played on the Helena stage, but she is most widely known for vanquishing villians in the dark of night, as the hero, Smashmouse! No one knows Smashmouse's true identity, except ... oh crap.
You may know Dee from his professional life at Grandstreet Theatre, where he has taken part in all the plays ever written. Or you may know him from his academic life as an accomplished philosopher, in which he seeks to answer life's toughest questions, such as, "Why are we here?" "What is the greatest good?" and "Who put the bop in the bop shu bop shu bop?"
You may recognize Errol from pretty much every live performance in Helena and beyond. The man is a theater and music machine. As a matter of fact, his internal organs have been replaced by the gears, cogs, and springs of a player piano. Unfortunately, the only song that piano can play is "Who Let the Dogs Out" by the Baha Men.
You may recognize James from a few random commercials or his performances with Cow Tipping Comedy. He's terrified of scripts due to a recurring nightmare in which he cuts them in half, only to have them multiply and begin carrying too much water up the stairs. He also watches a lot of Fantasia.
If you’ve seen any of the plays Tyler has performed within you may be forgiven for not recognizing him in his everyday attire. This is because Tyler transforms so completely into any given role that even he forgets his own name and identity. His transformative ability is only one of the many side-effects of his secret chameleon gene-splicing experiments. His tongue is also very sticky, but for unrelated reasons.
You may know Katy from her many performances at Grandstreet Theatre, with Cow Tipping Comedy, or through her on-point vocal stylings. Katy collects Milk Duds shaped like celebrities and can teach squirrels to read. She’s that good.
Pat's first theater experience was with Cow Tipping Comedy, although you may have also experienced his guitar stylings in his performances with The Frenchmen. Pat has memorized the complete poetry of John Keats, Walt Whitman, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
Jeff is known the world over for his jaunty smile and easy laugh. He's been performing with Improv Mining Co. since it's inception. Jeff has meteorite particles lodged in his brain from an unfortunate star-gazing accident.
You may recognize Scott from plenty of multi-faceted and breathtaking performances at Grandstreet Theater, with Cow Tipping Comedy, or from that time you got a G.I. Joe stuck up your nose. Scott has the high score on every Ms. Pac-man machine from here to Delaware and is a tandem bicycle racing champion.
Leslie has graced the stage in many a performance at Grandstreet Theatre, as well as with Cow Tipping Comedy. She 1) rocks the mic like a vandal, 2) lights up the stage, and 3) waxes chumps like a candle. So watch out chumps.
Calder is a super-talented and prolific actor who you may recognize from, like, tons of shows in Helena and beyond. He owns fourteen Tomagachi pets that he’s kept alive since 1999. And he can see your greatest accomplishment just by looking in your eyes.
Katie has been a member of Improv Mining Co. since the beginning ... of time. That's right. She's immortal. And she's quietly invented the most important elements of human civilization, such as the sandwich, the burrito, and the cheesy chicken crunch wrap. So for your lifetimes of selfless service, Katie, we thank you.