Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood

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November 2019 View more

Colin Mochrie (left) and Brad Sherwood (right)
The longtime scene partners bring their two-man, seat-of-their-pants show to North Central College.

Early Improv impressions

Colin: The immediacy and sheer fun of it hooked me right away. Scripted comedy is tougher, because you have the writer’s point of view, directors or producers with their input, etc. I love that with improv, we succeed and fail on our own merit. 

Brad: I got involved in improv after seeing a group perform in college—
it was like seeing magic and comedy at the same time. Scripted comedy requires writing and working, which
I try to avoid.

Keys to a good performance

Colin: For me, it’s being relaxed enough to walk onstage with absolutely nothing, but trust in myself and my partner—and the belief that we’re all going to have fun.

Brad: To always listen and react to what’s happening onstage. If you’re thinking too hard inside your own head and trying to come up with something funny, you’re out of the scene. It’s an odd type of Zen—to think quickly and not second-guess yourself.

A working relationship that really works

Brad: Traveling the world to play like a couple of 8-year-old boys has been the greatest job I’ve ever had, and I hope it never ends.

Colin: Agreed—just the sheer fun of being able to do what we love, in a job that didn’t exist when we were growing up, is really hard to beat. It’s great being onstage with someone you know so well. I usually know where Brad is going in a scene, but when I don’t, I trust him enough to follow and see what happens.

November 23 at Wentz Concert Hall
171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Tickets $50–$60
northcentral.vbotickets.com/events

Photo courtesy Jonas PR