Everyone could use a laugh at this point in the holiday season, when all of the Christmas spending, gift wrapping, and making sure to cross every last family member off your list becomes too much.
That’s the hope behind a free comedy improv show, to be held Dec. 15 at the Unity House Players, located at 245 Porter Lake Drive in Springfield.
The Phantom Sheep Players – the driving force behind the show, rightly named “LaughCrafters: Holiday Show” – are Western Massachusetts’ longest-running professional comedy troupe. The group – composed of New England natives Eric Boucher, Tommy Lynch, Jeff Tingley, Aaron Reynolds and Paige Stawasz, with new cast members Stevie Norman and Josh Prouser – has been putting on a free holiday show for the community for decades.
Now, the show has become just as much a holiday tradition as gift exchanges, family dinners and opening presents on Christmas morning.
“We look forward to this show every year as a way to share some laughter with the local community, adding more joy to the season,” Boucher said in a news release.
“LaughCrafters: Holiday Show” begins at 7:30 p.m. and is open to everyone. The show will include sketch comedy as well as live unscripted scenes created on the spot, each with a holiday twist.
Boucher sat down with The Republican before Friday’s show to answer a few questions about the group’s Christmas show and his own Christmas memories.
Q. For starters, how long has your group been putting on a free holiday show in Springfield?
A. We started the tradition of the “LaughCrafters Holiday Show” around the year 2000. For a few years we performed it in Easthampton, then Westfield, then for many years in Agawam. We even performed a live online version of it during the pandemic. Last year was our first year bringing our Holiday Show to Unity House Players in Springfield, where we’ve enjoyed a partnership teaching and performing since 2019.
Q. And what do you try to do differently each year?
A. Because it’s an improv show, it’s never the same show twice! Most of the show is filled with “theater games” where we perform scenes based on suggestions from the audience. We have some fan favorite games that are expected to return, but at least 40% will be new games that most of our audience has not seen before. And the ones that return will still be different, because the audience suggestions are different.
Plus every year we also write new comedy sketches specifically for this event; and this year we have at least three pre-recorded ones that will debut on video screens in the theater throughout the night.
Q. The holiday season can be stressful for many people. What do you think the importance of a good laugh, or enjoying a show like this, is? What do you hope people take away from it?
A. It is very important to take a break from all the shopping, wrapping, traveling, and family gatherings. It’s an often-chaotic time of year and laughter helps us manage the stress. That is one reason we are proud to offer this show for the community, and one reason we want to make it so that anyone can afford to go. Our aim is to both celebrate and satirize the season for all the joy and craziness it offers.
Q. Do you draw upon any personal Christmas experiences or memories when planning for this show, or is it all based off audience suggestion/on the spot improv?
A. When we write sketches, we definitely draw upon things we love about the season such as family traditions, pop culture characters, and gift giving. When we design the specially themed improv games, we allow the audience to share with us their favorite traditions, relatives, or classic Christmas story characters so the scenes are customized to how they celebrate the season. And sometimes we just ask for a simple word and will turn it into a carol, or a 3 headed snowman may answer surprise questions from the audience. But like all good improv theater, our personal experiences definitely play a role and it’s about sharing those experiences that makes a show like this special.
Q. While this show plans to poke fun at a number of Christmas traditions, what would you say your favorite (and least favorite) are to enact?
A. We’ve been known to parody office parties, family dinners, the North Pole, the Nativity, and more. I personally love pop culture and the classics, so anytime we can parody something like Frosty or Scrooge, it’s a lot of fun. We also play a game where we turn some of the audience pet peeves of winter into an orchestrated rant that feels therapeutic for everyone.
Q. What does Christmas mean to you personally?
A. Christmas is about gathering – with family, with friends, as a community, and sharing joy. This show has actually served as an excuse for many friends and family to get together, some while they’re home visiting for the holidays. It’s always nice to see the people who have made seeing our show one of their holiday traditions.
Q. Are there any major comedy inspirations for your group?
A. A few that we have admired and greatly influenced our sketch comedy include SNL, Kids in the Hall, and Laugh-In. We’ve also always been a big fan of the Muppets. Our style seems to be a blend of all that satire and silliness.
Q. Last but not least, with 20 years under your belt, what do the Phantom Sheep Players hope to do next, looking at 2024 on the horizon? Any projects/plans in the works for the New Year that you can tease?
A. We’ll kick off 2024 with our annual New Year Improv Jam on Jan. 8, which is a great opportunity for anyone who always wanted to try improv or just to meet new people and refresh on some skills. And then we’ll start our next weekly series of adult classes shortly after. We also enjoy partnerships working with many local theater groups, so you’ll likely see many of our troupe members involved in various productions on stage or on creative teams. We just officially announced that we’ll be returning to WNE to direct their spring musical, “The Rocky Horror Show”. And of course we’ll continue offering more workshops, more sketches, and more improv shows to the public throughout the year and beyond. The best way for people to keep up with us is to “like” and follow our Facebook page @phntmsheep.
“LaughCrafters: Holiday Show” will be held on Friday, Dec. 15, at the Unity House Players, located at 245 Porter Lake Drive in Springfield. RSVPs for the show can be done at Facebook.com/phntmsheep. For more information on the comedy troupe, visit phantomsheep.com.
