Laughing It Up
by Jill Duff-Hoppes
Over the past few years, improvisational comedy has taken root in Seminole County, with troupes sprouting up in Casselberry, Oviedo, and Sanford. These groups specialize in short-form improv comedy games, in the style of the hit TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? Performers compete in small teams, often with the help of suggestions from the audience, to see who can elicit the biggest laughs. Think of it as comedy sports. Shows aren’t scripted; instead, everything is made up on the spot.
Two of these local groups, The Corner Gallery and Imaginary Friends, perform in venues where you wouldn’t typically expect to see a comedy show. The Corner Gallery’s home base is the Casselberry Recreation Center, while Imaginary Friends is the in-house group at the Oviedo Mall. The third troupe, MallRatz Improv, doesn’t actually perform at a mall, as one might think because of its name. Rather, the troupe can be found at Theater West End in downtown Sanford.
All three improv troupes are known for producing family-friendly shows, with ticket prices ranging from $10 to $15. Let’s take a closer look at these local performers who are bringing the laughs to our communities:
Well, Imagine That!
Angi Herrick frequently lets her imagination run away with her – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
An Oviedo resident, Angi is the director of Imaginary Friends, the in-house improv comedy troupe at Imagine Performing Arts Center at the Oviedo Mall. Angi founded the group in 2022 with Samuel Drenning after the two took improv classes together there. The students became the teachers, with Angi and Samuel now teaching improv on Wednesdays at Imagine – Angi for middle- and high-school students, and Samuel for adults.
One of Angi’s favorite things about improvisational comedy is how freeing the art form can be for performers.
“I can walk into an improv scene and be someone’s grandfather. I can be a dragon. I can be anything,” says the 50-year-old Angi, a writer and former counselor. “I never know what it’s going to be from night to night, so it really feeds that creative side.”
Improv comedy training is also a great confidence-builder, says Angi, who can reel off a list of kids and grown-ups she knows who ventured into new territory after studying improv. For example, one high-schooler worked up the nerve to ask out someone they had a crush on; another ran for class president – and won – after overcoming their fear of giving speeches.
“I really love watching how performers grow as people,” she says.
Angi has studied improv at SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando and has performed in other places where she has lived, including California and Tennessee. In Oviedo, improv has become a family affair for Angi, with her husband Jay and two of their five children getting in on the laughs. Jay does tech work for the troupe’s shows; their son Elijah, 22, is a new member of Imaginary Friends; and their daughter Meah, 13, studies with Angi.
The Imaginary Friends perform at 7:00 p.m. on the third Friday of the month, with either The Figments (the middle- and high-school students) or the Mythical Creatures (the adult students) as the opening act. Tickets are $12 and are available by visiting ImaginePerformingArtsCenter.org.
To learn more, search for Imaginary Friends at Imagine Performing Arts on Facebook.
Manifesting Joy
When Julia Famiglietti noticed that her mom, Darnell Kreuzer, needed a little cheering up in the spring of 2022, she suggested they take an improv class together at SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando. It worked like a charm for Darnell, who has been hooked on improv and laughing until her sides hurt ever since.
In early 2024, mother and daughter co-created MallRatz Improv – so named because the newly formed group initially rehearsed at the Oviedo Mall. The troupe gave its inaugural performance on Easter Sunday last year at Theater West End in Sanford, where it has been performing periodically ever since. About 100 people showed up for post-Easter-egg chuckles, a turnout that delighted Darnell, Julia, and the group’s other improvisers.
MallRatz Improv has also performed at other venues and events in Central Florida, including The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival in May of this year. The troupe’s show earned positive reviews and won Darnell an award for First Time Producer at Orlando Fringe. The troupe also performs for free once a month for the children and families at Give Kids the World Village, an organization that is dear to Darnell’s heart.
“This is my passion, bringing joy to people by making them laugh,” says Darnell, a 60-year-old Lake Mary resident and a former social worker.
Years ago, Darnell dabbled in standup comedy but feels like she has found her niche with improv.
“I manifested it. I’ve had such great success,” says Darnell, “and that lets me know that the universe is supporting what I want to do.”
Darnell is also making it her personal mission to shine a spotlight on female performers, who make up the majority of her troupe.
“I always want to encourage more women to get into comedy and improv,” she says.
The fact that MallRatz Improv gives Darnell the opportunity to work closely with her daughter – who performs in theatrical productions across Central Florida – makes the troupe even more special to her.
“Julia has been with me every step of the way,” says Darnell. “I could not do it without her. She tells me I could, but I couldn’t. She’s the reason I’m doing improv right now.”
The troupe’s next showcase will be at 7:00 p.m. on September 21 at Theater West End, with live musical accompaniment by an improv musician. Tickets are $10 and are available at TheaterWestEnd.com.
To learn more, search for MallRatz Improv on Instagram.
A Cornerstone of Comedy
As a member of an indie improv group, Taylor Smart never thought she’d have to concern herself with room capacity or the size of a parking lot. And yet, The Corner Gallery – the troupe she performs with – is enjoying such success at its home at the Casselberry Recreation Center that those things have become talking points.
“I didn’t know we would ever need overflow parking signs, but we bought some recently,” says Taylor with a laugh.
The Corner Gallery was formed in 2019 by a small group of graduates from SAK Comedy Lab’s improv training program. Previously, the troupe was in residence at Penguin Point Productions (now Imagine Performing Arts Center at the Oviedo Mall) before landing in Casselberry in March of 2024.
“We really struck gold in Casselberry,” says the 28-year-old Taylor, a Lake Mary resident who joined the troupe in 2022. “The City of Casselberry has been an awesome partner.”
The Corner Gallery presents shows at 7:30 p.m. every Friday, with tickets ranging from $10 to $15. The group’s signature production, Diamond in the Rough, is a short-form improv show performed on the third Friday of the month, with improvisers competing to see which one will outshine all the others. On the first Friday of the month, the group presents its other regular show, Booked, which features long-form and experimental improv by members of The Corner Gallery and other troupes in the area.
On Wednesdays, members of The Corner Gallery teach improv classes and workshops, designed to appeal to other improvisers and the community at large. Improvisational comedy is about much more than performing for an audience, Taylor explains. The art form also teaches important life skills such as active listening, teamwork, and adaptability.
“Improv is both so simple and so complicated at the same time,” says Taylor, an alum of Lake Mary High School. “When you watch it, good improv looks effortless, like nothing’s going on. But there’s so much going on in the back end of this. It’s a puzzle of what to say and how to say it.”
Recently, The Corner Gallery has been garnering a lot of attention. Troupe members were elated to receive several accolades from readers of the Orlando Weekly, including being voted #1 Best Recurring Comedy Night. The group also performed for enthusiastic audiences at the Orlando Science Center’s Science Night Live in August, delivering two shows packed with science-related laughs.
To learn more, visit TheCorner.Gallery.