New comedy improv group aims to leave Cleveland in stitches

Kristen Kotz

A new comedy improv group is ready to bring laughs to Cleveland. Torque… Full Throttle Improv will have its first show Friday, Nov. 9 at the Powerhouse Pub. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the show runs from 9 to 11 p.m. The cost is $5 per a person.

Don Mitri, the founder of the improv group and one of its eight cast members, is excited about getting the new group started.

“We couldn’t be happier to get The Flats going again,” Mitri said. ” The group is really evolving.”

Audience members can expect a two-part show from the improv group. The first portion is a segment similar to “Whose Line is it Anyway?” This part of the show is fast paced and revolves around multiple short skits cast members create based on different suggstions from the audience.

The second part of the slow is a longer format. Audience members will shout out suggestions to the cast members, who will then take one of the audience’s suggestions and create scenes around it.

One thing both parts have in common is that both of the performances are completely made up.

“There is not one bit of it that is scripted,” Mitri said. “It’s always going to be different.”

The group is trying to keep the cost of the show low because it wants to make the show affordable for everyone.

“We are looking forward to keeping the shows available to everyone price-wise,” Mitri said.

The other cast members of the group include Charles Moore, Kimberly Pride, Mike Wypasek, Deena Mendlowitz, Chris Waterman, Mark Mckenzie and Austin Nava. Members of the group have performed with improv groups, such as Dirty South Improv and have been trained at places such as the Cleveland Improv Institute.

Contact all Correspondent Kristen Kotz at [email protected].