HUGE Wednesdays (and any other day)

I've been to HUGE Improv Theater in Uptown several times over the last few months.  I've been on blind dates that went horribly wrong.  I've taken family members.  I've shown up in support of a friend on stage.  And I've ventured over on a lark (it's wonderfully near my apartment), as I did last night, just because it exists, the Wednesday shows are $5, and there's no better way to insure a healthy dose of laughter mid-week.

I've been to their Wednesday shows a few times and each time I've seen somewhat varied acts, 3-4 shows that range between mild chucklers to true guffaw inducers.  My favorites last night were m4w, a troupe that culls its inspiration from a randomly selected Missed Connection entry on Craigslist, and Her Name is Armando, an all-female combination of stand-up and improv that I've seen a few times and always enjoyed.  Both troupes were fantastic and the actress who appeared in both sets, whoever she was, was pure genius.

I think one of the things I love most about HUGE, and about Minneapolis theater in most forms, is how palpably excited the performers are to be planted squarely in their specific venue.  HUGE is a non-profit, all the performers are unpaid, the bartender is unpaid, the people selling tickets are unpaid.  Every cent they collect on tickets (a paltry $5 many nights and $10 on weekends) is pumped right back into the stage they call home.  And that's just a really powerful, inspiring process to be playing out daily in Uptown.  To see a bunch of people, young and old, clapping for their friends, kids, boyfriends, girlfriends, neighbors, and perfect strangers, was a great community event to behold.  It's easy to take the vibrancy of the local theater scene for granted, and even more so the luck we have at being nestled in a locale brimming with improv talent.  But a trip or two or ten to HUGE will remind you of just how lucky we are to have such belly laugh-inspiring options in our own backyard.