Based in Bayfield, Lost in the Woods Improv describes itself as seven local folks making fresh comedy as Wisconsin’s northernmost improv ensemble. The group’s performances are in the spirit of Second City and Dudley Riggs, but with a twist.
The troupe invites to the stage local celebrities — who they term as “monologists” — to share their real-life stories as a launching pad for zaniness.
“Most of the monologists have seen us before, so they know a little bit of what they’re getting into,” said troupe member Sara Beadle. “It’s kind of incredible for them to see their own story retold and reimagined in an instant.”
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Beadle and improv founding member Jonathan Small spoke with WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” ahead of their Dec. 4 performance, featuring world-record-holding motorcyclist Bridget McCutchen at the Big Top Backstage in Bayfield.
The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Robin Washington: You state you are the “northernmost improv ensemble in Wisconsin.” Have you ever performed on Devil’s Island in the Apostles, which is officially the furthest north point in the state?
Jonathan Small: Not yet. But I’m a sailboat captain and I regularly make trips to Devil’s Island. So it’s possible we could do that.
RW: When and how did you start?
JS: It all started in a conversation at the Adventure Club Brewing Tap Room.
RW: In a bar.
JS: Of course. Where else? It’s northern Wisconsin.
My wife and I were speaking with a gentleman that we had just met. And my wife mentioned improv, and we were immediately introduced to Debra Dicke, who had been doing improv in Chicago for 10 or 15 years. I had just graduated from the Magnet Theater in New York and moved back to Bayfield, near where I grew up.
Then the manager from the bike shop next door walked in and said he used to do comedy sports. So we did our first performance at South Shore Tap House in February 2021, and have been putting on at least two shows a month in northern Wisconsin for five years now.
RW: Did you always incorporate local celebrities?
JS: We started off doing short-form games, like you see on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” As we developed as a team, we moved into long-form.
We are currently doing what’s called the Armando, where we essentially have a monologist, who is the local celebrity. They get a prompt from the audience, around which they tell a true story about their life. Then we, as a team, improvise and create scenes based on their story.
RW: What counts as a local celebrity?
JS: People who have some kind of notoriety. We’ve had a park service ranger on.
Sara Beadle: And we had the owners of the bookstore in Bayfield. They’re well known. It’s hard to go to Bayfield and not run into Julie Buckles, who owns the bookstore.
RW: Do the improv skits ever accidentally get personal about the monologists? We all have triggers these days.
SB: That’s half of what comedy is all about. We’re making stuff up off the spot and we have to run with it. We know we hold some responsibility for making comedy that makes people feel good and doesn’t bring people down.
If you have an idea about something in northern Wisconsin you think we should talk about on Morning Edition — including an opposing view on this subject — send it to us at northern@wpr.org.
