Improvised Shakespeare brings wit andwordplay to the Clayton Center for the Arts
The Improvised Shakespeare Company brought its quick wit and Elizabethan flair to the Clayton Center for the Arts on Oct. 16. Using only three chairs and five performers, the troupe created an improvised show entitled Calamity Jane’s Firearms and Shoes, a one-of-a-kind story that blended the chaos of the Wild West with Shakespeare’s poetic rhythm.
Founded in Chicago in 2005, the Improvised Shakespeare Company has performed more than 300 shows worldwide, including a run in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Broadway series in 2019–2020. This troupe has won awards in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago for their unique comedic improvisation.
Their show consists of turning audience suggestions into a fully improvised play in Shakespearean style, language, and prose. Every performance begins with a single audience suggestion — and from there, the cast invents a Shakespearean play on the spot.
The Improvised Shakespeare Company describes their show on their website, stating that: “Nothing has been planned out, rehearsed, or written. All of the dialogue is said for the first time, [and] the characters are created as you watch.”
The night’s suggestion, “Calamity Jane’s Firearms and Shoes,” inspired a whirlwind of sword fights, mistaken identities, and dramatic monologues about cowboy boots. With minimal props and Elizabethan phrasing, the cast built a story that felt both centuries old and completely new by using both historical and modern references in the same scene.
“It was a storefront that I had passed,” said the chosen audience member seated in the second row, explaining their suggestion to the performers. The humorous name of this storefront provided the context for the actors to improvise this original Western-Shakespearian show.
Since Maryville College has strong literature and theatre departments, this show had connections to a large population of the student body. Many MC students were in the audience alongside community members. For many students, the show offered a new way to connect with Shakespeare that they hadn’t considered before.
“When they announced the title of the play, I realized what I had walked into. It was impressive how they created a play from that [suggestion] and how they kept finding ways to reference it in their lines,” said Kay Jetter (‘27).
The audience responded with laughter throughout the evening, cheering on the players’ quick wordplay and exaggerated gestures.
“I enjoyed the phenomenon of the show rapidly developing the longer it progressed,” said Kat Maxey (‘29).
By merging classic language with spontaneous humor, the Improvised Shakespeare Company demonstrated how timeless Shakespeare’s themes can be — even when cowboys, pistols, and shoe jokes enter the mix. The troupe’s creative energy and sharp timing proved that the Bard’s spirit is still thriving, even without a script.
The Improvised Shakespeare Company’s touring show brings Shakespearean comedy to Maryville College. Photo courtesy of Jill Petracek.