Don't
Panic
Panic
Squad Puts the "Laugh" In Chris"laugh"tian
by Dave Russell
Article Listing:
How to Take it From the Page to the Stage
What to do When the Unexpected Happens on Stage
Do You Know Where You're Coming From?
What Your Kids Get From Drama Ministry
What to do When Your Drama Team Doesn't Care Anymore!10 Things to do Before Your Performance
Extraordinary Lessons from Peculiar People
Tech Talk: Costumes
Jeni Fabian's costume book recommendations
As a Christian, do you ever feel like you just want to laugh? Are Christians even allowed to laugh? Not a little snicker like the one you can't suppress in church, but a real belly laugh - one that makes your side hurt. You betcha, we're allowed!
Enter the Panic Squad: three improvisers from Canada (I know, because they say "oot" for "out" and get excited about the phrase "dual citizenship") who have a heart for Christ and a passion for comedy. Dave Swan, the old man at 30 years of age, declares, "We do comedy that is totally clean and morally appropriate." Adds 24-year-old youngest Squad member Scott Campbell, "We're a light in that ugly darkness."
As a fellow improviser, I know what they're up against. You don't just jump out on the stage and say, "Hi, we're the Christian improvisers. Ready to have some fun?" You might as well say you're a dentist or an accountant. Not that there's anything wrong with being either one of those … oh, dear, now I've dug myself in deep …
Speaking of Christian improvisers, what would you call them? Improvistians? According to Panic Squad's Andrew Bright, the sniffling 28-year-old (he was just getting over a cold), no label's the best label. "We're not 'Christian improvisers.' We prefer to be seen as improvisers who are Christians."
This talented threesome met at Trinity Western University outside of Vancouver, B.C., performing improv in a format patterned after Vancouver Theatersports™. All three were bitten by the improv bug in similar fashion-by seeing other improvisers. Andrew recalls, "I was blown away with how these actors created these hilarious scenes off the tops of their heads." He got his break when one of the performers got sick and he "never looked back." Similar stories from the others and they were off and running-well, after humble beginnings, that is …
Scott reminisces, "Our first show had six people at it," and Dave chimes in, "and four of them were my roommates." I tried to make them feel better by telling them that's how the apostle Paul got started, only he didn't have roommates. They said it got better; soon they were packing the house.
Their client list is a Christian Who's Who: Royal City Christian Center, Willow Park Community Church, Youth for Christ, Landmark Trucking-whoa! Landmark Trucking? Turns out many of their clients are secular-groups, companies, corporations. Scott confesses, "We did this show for Landmark Trucking, and we did our homework-lots of trucking references. About halfway through, someone yelled out, 'We're not truckers! It's Landmark Trusses!' They make those wood triangles in the roof." But as capable improvisers, they turned their gaffe into gold and goofed on themselves. "By the time we were done, they loved us."
Scott chimes in, "After shows, people come up and say, 'That was so great, so refreshing.'" A testament to their brand of clean humor.
And what does the future hold for the funny foursome minus one? Dave suggests, "We want to spread what we do to a global level. God's given us this desire, and we'll go wherever he takes us. Right now it's improv."
Andrew sums it up this way: "We offer 'alternative entertainment,' but not in the Christian 'box.' We're here to do it with comedy." And Scott espouses their motto: "World domination through improvisation." Of course that means world domination for Christ. Now that would be alternative entertainment, wouldn't it?
Dave Russell has improvised for SAK Theatre and the Walt Disney Company, and is currently a member of Houseful of Honkeys in Los Angeles.
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