Review Fix Exclusive: Inside the Improvisation Repertory Theatre

Review Fix chats with the Improvisation Repertory Theatre’s Nannette Deasy and Robert Baumgardner to find out what their goals for 2019 are 

About the IRT:

Burns & Allen, Stiller & Meara, Lucy & Ricky,  … Deasy & Baumgardner! For nearly a decade, the good ship Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble has been helmed by Nannette Deasy and Robert Baumgardner. These two comedy captains have sailed their troupe into being one of the leading improvisational companies in New York and rapidly conquering ports around the country. IRTE is a group of wildly-trained artists who come together to create spontaneous and uproarious improv-comedy shows. IRTE writes, develops, produces, and performs a season of original themed improvisational shows, following the basic model of traditional repertory theatre. They are now added touring the country with their clever on-the-spot antics. When in NYC, they make The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, NYC, their home. There, the highly-skilled fighting force of fun-makers present a season celebrating the best of pop culture. When not bounding around the stage Robert Baumgardner can be found in the directors chair guiding the giggles and opening the doors to let interesting plot twists shine through. he will be directed three of the rep’s four-events this season.

Review Fix: What are your inspirations for creating various shows?  

Nannette: A lot of my ideas for shows come from memories of growing up in NJ, whether it’s cartoons, a book by Ray Bradbury, or the Bennigans at the local mall. – When I was about 15, I thought the ultimate freedom was going to the AMC multiplex with my friends and hanging out at Bennigans afterwards. (Cool, huh?) I’ve set Tammy’s Bachelorette at the Bennigans at the Headquarters Plaza in Morristown, NJ. Forget Vegas. It’s everyone’s dream Bachelorette destination, amiright?

Robert: I have to say it has to be TV shows and movies. This year’s The Ship Be Sinkin’ is inspired by disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure, and Titanic. Big Rich & Powerful was another one of my shows that drew from prime time TV dramas like Dynasty and Dallas TV shows. I even think of the IRTE shows as TV episodes because we will play the same characters from performance to performance, but we’ll be going through a different story line from performance to performance.

Review Fix: What’s the creative process like? What happens at “rehearsal”? 

Nannette: The creator of the show (always one of our Ensemble members – this season I’m responsible for Tammy’s Bachelorette and Go to Sleep, Stupid Kids!) assembles a rough structural outline of the show. Without setting plot, it includes the setting, themes ideas for characters (some absolutely necessary, some suggested) and how and when people move in and out of scenes. Also included is a way to incorporate a musical guest. (Let’s just say the stripper hired for Tammy’s Bachelorette will be multi-talented). At our first rehearsal we put it all on its feet, trying out various characters and tweaking the form for what actually works in practice. From there, the Director refines the form and structure and pulls together the characters that emerge. Then, we continue to workshop it.

Robert: For IRTE shows, the process is like being shot out of a cannon. There’s a lot of flailing around at first, but in the end, you hit the target. Rehearsal is a lot of exploration of characters and relationships, and as a director, I try to help define the “sandbox” the players can play in, sometimes try to encourage them to get out of the sandbox to find something brand new.

Review Fix: What makes IRTE different or special from other troupes?

Nannette: We’re taking the best aspects of indie theatre (costumes, props, narrative) and comedy improv (the fun, the unexpected, the freedom) and melding them together to create something that I’d like to think is a bit unique and very silly in the best possible way.

Robert: I think we’re one of the few New York based improv troupes attempting to create a story or narrative in a show.Most long-form groups perform theme-based improvs. There are a couple that will perform in the style of certain playwrights, and they are very good. Also, there is a musical based improv group that tell a good story. I think we also cast a pretty diverse group of people compared to other improv groups.

Review Fix: Eight years! What have you learned … about yourself, the industry, each other?

Nannette: That there’s a broader audience for the type of theatre we’re performing. There seems to be a common perception in New York that improvisation-based theatre is a sort of “niche” form of entertainment, seen mostly in improv comedy schools and the backs of bars. We’ve found that if you put the work in, there’s a wider Off-Broadway and Fringe theatre audience that want to come and see it.

Robert: I can’t believe how much I’ve created over the eight years. Not only as a performer and director, but I’ve designed posters and postcards, as well as written a couple of songs for shows.

Review Fix: What are your ultimate goal?

Nannette: I’d like IRTE to develop into a professional year-round theatre and spread our own brand of entertainment through touring and film work like a delicious soft cheese.

Robert: To find contentment and happiness.

Review Fix: What’s next? 

Nannette: We have IRTE’s season opener, Tammy’s Bachelorette, which is going to be, literally, a party for the performers and the audience.

Robert: Well, I have a busy season up ahead. I’m directing three of the four IRTE shows of the season (Tammy’s Bachelorette, The Ship Be Sinkin’, and Go to Sleep, Stupid Kids!), and I’ll be performing in IRTE’s Evil Clowns Have Feelings, Too. I’m also performing and helping to workshop a couple of new plays at the Actors Studio Playwright Directors Workshop.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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