According to the Questionable Content website, it is modeled on a popular British panel show. Didn’t discover much about the British inspiration, which is as it should be. The Seattle show is its own thing, now. Over the past 30 months it has become a regular production of Theater Schmeater. Shows at The Smeed’s own theater normally run nearly two hours and begin around 11 PM on weekend evenings.
This particular production was held in the Pocket Theatre and ran just over an hour and began at 8:30. As the audience waited in the lobby before the show we were invited to propose team names.
This was my first time attending a QC show, but I quickly found myself making associations with other improv theater and game shows I am aware of. The basic frame is that of a competition with bragging rights as the reward, though audience members can win valuable grand prizes and “alternative grand prizes” (a quip by an audience member that earned the audience one point from the Host).
After a rousing warm-up and welcome to Pocket Theater by Clayton Weller, David Rollison ably stepped up to Host the evening. Very quickly he got the two teams on stage. The team seated to the audience’s right: And Yet They Persisted—Sarah Skilling, Bridget Quigg and Mike Masilotti. On the left side of the stage sat Endangered Reese’s Pieces: Phill Arensberg, Tyler Schnupp, and Greg Stackhouse. All of the panelists were sketch comedy, improv theater, or stand-up comedy veterans. In the center of the stage is a screen for video projection. The “sidekick” and Scorekeeper for the show was Martin Stillion.
If you’ve accidentally landed on NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me imagine that cranked up to top speed. The repartee and witticisms are non-stop, as the teams compete for meaningless points. Invisible, but definitely sharing credit for the success of the show are the writers. In the month between shows QC staff writers package multiple choice questions organized as improv games. An early game this evening was One-Star Reviews of local sites on Yelp where panelist are challenged to name the site reviewed. Video projection helped the audience read along with the host the text of the review:
Endangered Reese’s Pieces had to guess which sculpture was being One-Starred. Was it
A. Rachel the Pig |
B. Waiting for the Interurban |
C. Lenin |
It was fun watching the panelists settle what and where B and C were. Plus the accents and stereotypes of New Yorkers abounded. One remarked that “Lenin was the other Russian.” Someone asked who was the third and the host tossed in “Marx.” Forced to guess—they guessed Waiting for the Interurban. Wrong! The answer was: A. Rachel the Pig. But by that point true answers hardly mattered.
One funny moment was when the host read a One Star Review that turned out to be of Cal Anderson Park. The review was full of misspelled words and odd syntax. Two members of And Yet They Persisted knew the reviewer and said that was the point, their friend was having fun with writing weird reviews.
Another game was Police Blotter – Valentine Day Edition, which asks the panelists to name the locale of bizarre crime scenes. Scorekeeper Martin Stillion added to the fun by readying three poems he’d composed for this section of the show.
This shortened version of QC closed out with a Lightning Round where Host Rollison fired off as many questions as a team could answer in 60 seconds.
If you are in a need of a good laugh, take a nap and go to the next Questionable Content at The Schmee in April.
On Stage
Host: David Rolliston / Scorekeeper: Martin Stillion / And Yet They Persisted—Sarah Skilling, Bridget Quigg & Mike Masilotti / Endangered Reese’s Pieces: Phill Arensberg, Tyler Schnupp & Greg Stackhouse
Production Team
Creator/Producer: Miranda Holtmann / Writer: Martin Stillion / Sound: Ben Levine / Website: Ryan Alred / Technical Assistant: Doug Staley / Technical Assistant: Dave Hastings / Grip: Cindy Staley / Research Assistant: Andy Holtmann
Questionable Content, created and produced by Miranda Holtmann, a Theatre Schmeater production. Pocket Theater in Greenwood. The next Questionable Content will return to Theater Schmeater, 2125 3rd Ave, Belltown, on April 7 & 8 @ 11 PM.