The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater introduced a new addition to its Tuesday night lineup last night. On August 15, over 200 improv fanatics gathered at the Upright Citizens Brigade to witness the birth of DeCoster.
DeCoster is one of three new additions to the UCB house team lineup. After the recent schedule change and untimely disbandment of Kill Your Darlings, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, in New York City, held invitation only auditions. When the dust settled, three new teams were formed: DeCoster, Raynard, and Twelve Thousand Dollars.
Unlike Raynard and Twelve Thousand Dollars, DeCoster’s lineup consists primarily of veteran improv performers, most of whom were already on house teams. The team gets its name from Matthew DeCoster, originally a player in Kill Your Darlings. Other veteran performers include Eric Bernat (Creep), Eugene Cordero (Baby Wants Candy, Creep, the Buffoons), Kirk Damato (Kill Your Darlings, Cagney, Blackout), Pamela Murphy (Kill Your Darlings), Megan Neuringer (Creep), and Ari Voukydis (Mark & Ari). Newcomer DC Pierson is no stranger to the world of comedy. Pierson is a member of the underground sketch comedy smash Derrick Comedy and Sunny-Side Up.
Opening night for DeCoster was a hit with the audience., which was no surprise with this strong lineup. Cordero and Murphy opened up the show with a fun game of Pictionary and Gin, followed by Voukydis and Pierson who introduced the world to the bitter side of Delaware/Jersey life. The crowd roared in laughter when Voukydis, playing the character of Sanjay, proclaimed “Of course something happened to me in Delaware, was I being circumspect.”
My personal favorite scene of the evening was when Neuringer introduced her team to the Wizard of Oz yellow-brick-road exhibit, which each player cleverly tied into a historical metaphor. The scene culminated in a proclamation that the yellow-brick-road was a metaphor for the gold standard.
If you missed last night’s show, then don’t fret. There will be many more opportunities for you to catch improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Just stop by the website for details.
