The Santa Monica Playhouse's guest production of the Drunk Theatre Company puts on a hilariously fantastical show that entertains the Santa Monica community every Friday night.

Kicking off the show at the Santa Monica Playhouse in Santa Monica, Calif. on Friday, February 24, 2023, audience member Miki Matteson spins the wheel to determine who gets to take the five shots of whiskey before beginning the show. There are six shots on the table because the audience member who spins the wheel also gets to take a shot. In this case, the winner will inevitably be Ittai Geiger (cq), founder of The Drunk Theatre Company, because it's his birthday. (Akemi Rico | The Corsair)

If students are looking for a fun place to take their friends on a Friday night, The Santa Monica Playhouse sits in the center of Downtown Santa Monica on Wilshire Boulevard and Fourth Street. As one enters the little brick building, it may seem as though they have walked right into grandmother’s house. From the striped wallpaper to the charming tchotchkes, this eclectic space is the perfect setting for its guest production of Drunk Theatre.

The Drunk Theatre Company is comprised of five cast members, Nate Deakers, Sahil Desai, Ittai Geiger, Cassie Grilley, and Oleg Trofimov, who put on a two-act improvised play based on audience recommendations and their own comedic whims. True to their name, they begin each production with one cast member taking five shots of whisky. As the alcohol starts to work its magic, they commence their unpredictable comedy show that leaves audience members shaking from laughter.

To determine who will take the five shots of whisky, a wheel is spun by an audience member. On this particular Friday night, they happen to be celebrating cast member Ittai Geiger’s birthday. His name and the words "birthday boy" were labeled on every section of the wheel.

“I got called up to spin the wheel and take a shot of whisky with him,” said Miki Matteson, the lucky audience member that was chosen. “It’s real whisky, I can vouch for that. It’s gross but amazing.”

After the wheel is spun, the cast then asks the audience for a location and the name of a made-up movie. They then join hands, shout the fictional title, and the lights go out. The show begins.

This show is not an average improv show, as the cast uses a narrative format for their production, alternating between different scenes that tell a story from beginning to end.

After the first act, the audience has a ten-minute intermission, and then the cast begins act two by taking a shot altogether. A new title and location are taken from the audience once again, and it’s on with the show.

Cast members wrap up the evening with a group shot onstage after performing comedic improv on Friday, February 24, 2023 with The Drunk Theatre Company at the Santa Monica Playhouse in Santa Monica, Calif. From left to right, Oleg Trofimov, Sahil Desai, Ittai Geiger, Nate Deakers and Cassie Grilley. (Akemi Rico | The Corsair)

The one thing that stands out while watching the show is the cast’s chemistry. The company was formed in 2017, and originally was located in San Francisco, by a group of friends looking to turn their dream into a reality. For them, improv is not a hobby. it’s their career.

When brainstorming how to get their show off the ground and bring an audience in to fill the seats, the cast got creative.

“We had a long list of ideas and at the bottom, we just had to be like, well, what if one of us gets drunk?” Geiger said.

The cast was warned by fellow actors not to take on narrative improv, and especially not to perform the already difficult task inebriated, but the cast did not shy away from what they knew would make them stand out.

They drew inspiration from the popular historical anthology Drunk History on Comedy Central, Improvised Shakespeare, and the newly trending Drunk Shakespeare.

“It’s kind of our own version of that,” said Geiger. “We can be self-independent, we can make an amazing show, and we can be as good or be at that level or that tier without having to do that thing.”

Some in the audience that Friday night had not only witnessed improv before but had returned to The Drunk Theatre Company to see the show for a second and third time. For others, it was their first experience at an improv show.

Kristina Hansell, who is visiting from Chicago, found the show to be unique and unlike any other show that she has seen.

“The guy who took the shots? He was killing it.” Hansell said. “Loved it. Loved the energy. Very unique. I haven’t seen any other improv show like it.

The Drunk Theatre Company’s production is entertainment that can be enjoyed by everyone. The production is interactive and intimate, leaving the audience to feel a part of the show.

The Santa Monica Playhouse is located two miles from the Santa Monica College main campus, and the show allows entry for all ages. It is the perfect way to spend time with friends, de-stress, and have a good laugh after a long week of school.

Tickets can be found on The Drunk Theatre Company’s website. Parking is located in a garage across the street and is free for the first 90 minutes. Performances take place every Friday night at 9 p.m.

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