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Track Jacket Revue
Joking around with friends more than just a hobby
By Alex Rewey
Most people like to go to theatre. They just don’t like to admit it. People would rather see a three minute play, than an hour and a half
Let’s face it, fresh comedy may is hard to come by these days. Yet, with the runaway success of low budget DIY shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” as well as the growing popularity of local improv group workshops, more and more tomorrow’s comedy seems to be coming from the house next door.
In similar spirit, Milwaukee’s up-and-coming sketch comedy troupe “Track Jacket Revue,” humbly traces its origins to the instructional improv comedy classes, as well the competitive Rec League team improv hosted by Milwaukee’s own Comedy Sportz.
Two TJR members, UWM senior Lee Rowley, 22, and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point alum Vince Figueroa, 24, sat down with the Post to share some thoughts on the growing popularity of sketch and improv, as well as the joys and struggles of actually doing it yourself.
“I just love Vince’s face, it’s like a cartoon,” laughed Rowley.
Rowley and Figueroa met in an intermediate-level improv class in 2006, and quickly found common ground in appreciation of Phil Hartman-era “Saturday Night Live” sketch comedy, as well as the improv and sketch stylings of Milwaukee’s “The Gentleman’s Hour,” and Comedy Sportz’s “The Midnight Show.” With the notion of actually writing and performing their own sketches seeming entirely feasible, the two recruited friend and UWM alum Mike Bischoff, as well as fellow UWM student Nick Schurk, and friend Erin Dorn.
Using their collective love for improvisational comedy as a starting point, Track Jacket Revue was formed to reflect and provoke each member’s various talents, and more or less their experiences with each other in improv and theatre games.
“You have to write stuff you think is funny,” said Figueroa. “I write stuff that will make me laugh, and I also try to write stuff I know will make Lee laugh,”
Last October, after several months of preparation, the troupe premiered their sketches in “Track Jacket Revue: Pulp Comedy from Concentrate,” a collection of live and pre-recorded sketches ranging from politically rife commentary on certain religion’s considerations of abortion and gay marriage, to the downright silly premise of pills that thwart robot attacks.
“Most people like to go to theatre. They just don’t like to admit it. People would rather see a three minute play, than an hour and a half,” said Rowley.
The creative process behind Track Jacket Revue is highly invocative of their improv beginnings, which often make use of brief, structured, situational games to collectively craft scenes.
“I like games, but I also like the scene to just naturally evolve,” said Rowley. Track Jacket’s sketches typically follow suit, relying on brainstorming sessions where improvised dialogue is used to craft each sketch, sometimes even the premises themselves.
“As time progresses, we may move away from physical humor, but audiences still enjoy a cheap laugh, like a pie in the face or a robot killing people on stage,” Figueroa chuckled.
TJR’s second show in May, “Everything About This Hurts,” took this more or less subtle approach, with the noticeably more comfortable cast crafting sketches around complex character quirks, such as a morbidly funny podcast craft show host who can’t quite fully separate his beloved hobby from his troubled marriage.
Even though the hurdles of writing, producing, and filming a full-length sketch show while also working part time jobs and attending classes have certainly slowed production for TJR, Rowley and Figueroa take every opportunity to remain active in Milwaukee’s burgeoning comedy scene.
“We’re in the shadow of Chicago, the Mecca of all things sketch and improv,” admits Rowley, while simultaneously praising the willingness and enthusiasm of local theatre communities such as Comedy Sportz or Bay View’s “The Alchemist Theatre,” which continue to host improv workshops and performances.
TJR looks to produce another sketch show sometime early 2009. According to both Rowley and Figueroa, they may continue to simplify the production aspect, which would continue to place a larger emphasis on physical performance, a further nod to their theatre roots.
In terms of the group’s year-round participation in the local improv scene, Rowley satisfyingly remarks, “you have to practice, but it’s something you can always take with you.”
Rowley, Figueroa, and Bischoff make up the Comedy Sportz Rec League team “Dos Extremos” which compete Sunday afternoons. Admission is free.
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