By Samantha Bumberg
With just two chairs and themselves, improv artists Hawk and Wayne brought their audience to a mysterious, foreign tribe, where the king comically spoke English and had an iPhone X.
The duo brought their antics to USF St. Petersburg on April 8 for the first installment of “Short & Sweet Theater Week,” a series of short, interactive performances from Tampa Bay professionals, hosted by Places, Spaces and Art.
They began their show by explaining the concept. They wanted suggestions from the audience of careers or majors to be the basis for their sketches. With the Edge’s Coquina Hall filled with eager audience members, suggestions of various occupations and areas of study began to be thrown out.
The first to be suggested was medical anthropology. The explanation of the job seemed to confuse the duo, but they immediately created a comical version of the profession. This showed the audience that no subject could be too complex or too difficult.
Hawk and Wayne then became flight instructors, journalists, and students cramming for a test, and insanity ensued. The two played to the audience’s imagination as they turned two chairs into the cockpit of a plane and jumped over each other as they pretended to walk out onto the wing.
They were also able to create an interview scene, where Hawk played a journalist interviewing Lance Armstrong and making light of his many controversies. They even portrayed a common theme of two college students creating elaborate excuses to get out of an exam.
Quickly switching characters and positions, Hawk and Wayne were able to create dynamic scenes with more than two characters. The crowd was constantly laughing and amazed at how two men could create such crazy stories with no preparation. With just the use of their bodies and two chairs, the improv duo was able to create believable scenes that kept the audience engaged.
At the end of each skit, the audience cheered, and everyone was eager to be the next one to give a suggestion. They seemed to be waiting for an idea to stump the two, but Hawk and Wayne kept topping themselves after each sketch as they became louder and even more silly. The audience could tell that Hawk and Wayne have a great dynamic and can easily play off of each other’s jokes to keep the sketch going.
In under an hour, Hawk and Wayne created multiple scenes of insanity and hilarity with the audience’s participation. It felt like the duo could take suggestions all night long without running out of crazy and wacky ways to portray otherwise normal professions. Once the rather short show did end, Hawk and Wayne held an improv workshop for anyone who wanted to learn more about how to do what they do.
Hawk and Wayne, the co-founders of American Stage Improv, perform the first Sunday of each month at American Stage, 163 Third St. N, St. Petersburg. For more information about the duo’s local performances, visit their Facebook page at “Hawk and Wayne.” .
