“I have been performing with The Comedy Pigs for the past five years, and I have really enjoyed my time performing with the group,” Laura Stark, a Comedy Pigs member for five years, said.
Including Stark, The Comedy Pigs currently performs with a cast of 10 other improvisers that range from the ages of 20 to 50.
The current line-up includes: Gary Baker, Julia Williams, Carly Ball, Franky Russell, Courtney McLaughlin, Anne Raugh, C-Mo Molloy, Jeff Schnorr, Tres Dillon, Thomas Scholtes, and Stark.
Many of The Pigs also hold day jobs and enjoy the opportunity to perform in a comedy group.
“The Comedy Pigs two hours that I get to act truly silly,” Stark said.
Stark continued to explain that improv acts as a much needed relief during the day because “you spend the entirety of your life trying to curtail what you say,” and improv allows the performer to say anything that spontaneously comes to mind.
The Comedy Pigs achieved national fame several years ago with their original parody song titled “Weiner Dog” that appeared on Comedy Central television network.
The group performs an average of two shows a month at the MET. Along with these performances, The Comedy Pigs attends national comedy conventions and frequently performs in other locations around Md., such as Mt. Airy.
Recently, The Pigs performed at Mt. Saint Mary’s College and at Hood College.
“It was nice to perform with another troupe and for the newer members of Hood Improv Troupe to see how other improv groups perform. I like how The Comedy Pigs specifically focused on short form improv. To be able to learn from some of the funniest improvisers I have ever seen was a blessing,” Hood Improv Troupe president Billy Lewis said.
The Comedy Pigs were formed in April 1993 in Chicago by current MET artistic director Tad James.
James spent many years performing with Chicago’s prestigious improv group Second City before directing his own improv group and play. He decided to re-launch the group in the Frederick, Md. area due to both the prominent location near Washington D.C. and Philadelphia and the lack of similar improv groups in the area.
The Comedy Pigs began performing in at the MET when the theater was founded in 1997.
“I make a point to try to see as many of The Comedy Pigs shows during the school year when I’m in Frederick. I always have a fun time going to Downtown Frederick with my friends and watching a performance,” Laperley said.
Today, The Comedy Pigs not only performs improv but also hosts improv classes to teach students the techniques of improv in the classroom and performance space that is adjacent to facilities such as a scene and costume shop and dressing room.
Tickets for The Comedy Pigs sell for $13.50 per show and include a $1.50 service charge. Hood and Frederick Community College students can but tickets for the reduced student rate of six dollars.
The next show at the MET for The Comedy Pigs will take place on Saturday May 25 at 10:30 p.m.
“[The Comedy Pigs] loves to perform with groups. The group a nice range of people who all enjoy doing improv, it’s a lot of fun,” Stark said.
Learn more about The Comedy Pigs at their official website: http://comedypigs.org/.