Stoneham Theatre Hosts Improv Comedy Show to Support Theatre, Boston Marathon Team

On Jan. 27, hosted its first night of improv comedy called "26.2 Scenes: An Improvised Fundraiser for Stoneham Theatre (and the Boston Marathon)." The evening was organized by Mathieu Gagne, a Wakefield resident with a deep performing history at ImprovBoston.

This year, Gagne will be one of six members of Stoneham Theatre’s Boston Marathon team. Thanks to support from John Hancock, the Theatre has been able to organize a team of runners to raise money and run the Boston Marathon.

The improv cast was drawn from Gagne’s 20-year performing career, including fellow ImprovBoston performers Christine Cuddy, Patrick French, Matt McLaughlin, Dave Sawyer, Bobby Smithney and ImprovBoston Artistic Director Will Luera, Improv Asylum alumni Misch Whitaker and myself.

ImprovBoston's Music Director Steve Gilbane played for the cast, including “Songs Like a Song,” a game in which Gilbane would instruct members of the cast to stop their scene in progress and invent a song on the spot. Other games included “Party Quirks,” in which party host (Smithney) was challenged to identify "The Three Stooges" as well as "Lewis and Clark," both suggestions provided by the audience, and Story Story Die, where members of the cast told a story, each taking on a different literary genre such as "Twilight" or Jane Austen.

At the top of the night, Gagne was joined on stage by the other members of the Stoneham Theatre Boston Marathon team, including Stoneham Theatre Trustee Rebecca Brennan-Laird, Rich Corapi, Melissa Symes Patalano, Landers Symes and Stoneham Theatre Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes. Landers Symes has been a member of every previous Stoneham Theatre Boston Marathon team. This year marks the second entry by both Weylin Symes and Patalano.

Seven members of Stoneham Theatre’s Resident Youth Ensemble (RYE) opened the evening with a 15-minute free-form improvisation set, creating five scenes based on suggestions from the audience.

RYE is an invitation-only segment of the young company, Stoneham Theatre’s year-round education program. Members of RYE receive free intensive workshops during the school year and volunteer hours with the Theatre’s administrative offices.

RYE members studied improv with me last fall. Bernie Baldassaro, Raquel Doucette, Becca Kranz, Nick Preziosi, Sarah Smith, Natessa Storm and Sarah Warrick formed the RYE contingent that evening.