KALAMAZOO, MI -- Funny people from Chicago, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo will mob the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to make their own unscripted live-action movies Sept. 26-27.

Dann Sytsma (at the ATM, shadowed by the rest of Crawlspace Eviction) is excited about moving the Kalamazoo Improv Festival to the Alamo Drafthouse.

Crawlspace Theatre Productions has moved the Kalamazoo Improv Festival to a new venue and a new month.

One team, Chicago's 10-person Lethal Action Force, will literally create an '80s-'90s era action movie, improvising explosions, fight-scenes and Schwarzeneggers. Others will do short form to long form comedy improv, with large teams to duos. The fest will also hold workshops for those who want to pull the funny out of thin air.

If you go

6th Annual Kalamazoo Improv Festival

When:

Sept. 26-27

Where:

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 180 Portage St.

Cost:

$10 per show, $25 festival pass, $15 workshops





Contact:

Schedule:

Sept. 26, 6 p.m., Worklight Improv (WMU), Monkapult (Kalamazoo College), Crawlspace Eviction; 8 p.m., Stranger, Crawlspace Eviction, Piebenga Plumbing; 10:30 p.m., Battlemasters, LowRes.jpg, Deep Schwa.

Sept. 27, 8 p.m., Javelin, Devil's Daughter, Lethal Action Force; 10:30 p.m., Taco Tuesday, Law Dog, Man Love.

Organizer Dann Sytsma, of Crawlspace Eviction, had hoped to keep the festival in May and at Farmers Alley Theatre. But the theatre's schedule of plays conflicted, so they had a talk with the Alamo's creative manager (and former Crawlspace Eviction member) James Sanford, who got them in touch with general manager George Yarbenet.

September just happens to be a slow month for movies, so improv teams will occupy a screen this Friday and Saturday.

"We love the venue, we love the energy the Alamo has, so it came together very well," Sytsma said.

Before each set, the Alamo will run comedy clips on the screen as they do before movies. Servers, and the full menu of food and drinks, will be on hand.

Chicago's Deep Schwa will headline the 10:30 pm set Sept. 26.

Aside from the changes, "one thing I'm excited about is all the new teams that are going to be there. A lot of fresh faces," Sytsma said.

Thanks to Chicago's improv theatre/schools Second City and iO, the city is constantly putting out fresh talent. Sytsma said iO's large team Deep Schwa could be the stars of the weekend. They "just produce amazing improv consistently."

Detroit teams Javelin and LowRes.jpg ("They have a really crappy photo of themselves they give out.") will represent that city's scene. But Kalamazoo also has its improv strengths.

The area's improv cred got a boost when Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" hired Kalamazoo native Jordan Klepper as a comedic correspondent this year. Klepper was in Kalamazoo College's Monkapult, before moving on to iO and Second City.

Sytsma can now say, of someone on national TV, "I actually go to church with his grandma."