Dive Deeper: Go behind the scenes of Table Talk, An Improvised Tale of Adventure!
Table Talk: An Improvised Tale of Adventure was inspired by the fun and fantasy of Table Top Role Playing Games (TTRPGs), such as Dungeons & Dragons,™ and explores the nature of friendship and the universally human experience of finding meaning in unexpected places.
DWARVES AND HALFLINGS
It is the brainchild of Director Hannah Piper, who, along with Assistant Director Amber Bellsdale, started taking improv classes to further develop their role playing skills and wound up falling for improv along the way.
The show depicts an improvised group of friends as they gather to play a game. Audiences will see aspects of the group’s lives play out in “real life” and in the delightful make-believe worlds they create together, involving improvised fantasy characters.
“No two shows will be the same, but audiences can expect a raucous good time,” says Piper. “Whether you’re an experienced player with multiple sets of dice on your shelf or someone who couldn’t tell the difference between a dwarf and a halfling, Table Talk promises to be the show of the summer.”
FRIENDSHIP, IDENTITY, AND CHOSEN FAMILY
For Piper, who teaches improv and regularly performs on the WIT stage, bringing Table Talk to-life has been a deeply personal project that is also rooted in her identity as a Transgender woman. “The show was conceived at the intersection of the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced and the most joyful parts of my existence,” says Piper.
“Sitting around a friend’s dinner table, I had the sudden realization that the story we were creating was a perfect metaphor for the pain I was going through because of my family’s rejection of my coming out,” she adds. “It was neither the first, nor the last, time that I have found myself unexpectedly processing the fallout of their decision, but nowhere has ever felt as safe or secure a place to handle those feelings as being surrounded by the people I have chosen to love, and who have chosen to love me back. Whether that’s gathered in a kitchen, or on stage.”
GOOD TIMING
Since Dungeons & Dragons™ was first introduced just over 50 years ago, the TTRPG industry has experienced “a significant surge in player engagement,” in recent years, according to the gaming and technology investment firm Konvoy Ventures, making it a market worth an estimated $1.3 billion.
No longer relegated to “niche hobby” status, TTRPGs are “having their moment,” says WIT’s Artistic/Executive Director Mark Chalfant, citing D&D’s all-time high popularity, streaming shows like Dropout TV’s Dimension 20 and the live-theater experience of the Twenty-Sided Tavern, which is coming to DC later this summer, as evidence of the genre’s mainstream popularity.
BEACON OF HOPE
He adds that with the federal government and businesses across the country dismantling their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs — and threats against the LGBTQ+ community on the rise — it’s especially important to showcase Queer talent at this moment in time.
“As a people-centered nonprofit, WIT is determined to remain true to our values, while serving as a beacon of hope for everyone who wants to join us, whether it’s someone seeking a joyful escape from reality by coming to see one of our hilarious shows, or a member of the Queer community seeking a safe space to explore their creativity,” says Chalfant.
TONS OF FUN
At its core, Table Talk is about the choices we make, the paths we take, and what happens when you follow your heart. Trust, though, that it’s also an improv comedy that promises to be tons of fun!
“This is a tale of adventure, after all, and we’ll be exploring worlds within worlds in the silliest of ways… but always with a lot of heart,” says Piper.
THE CAST:
Director: Hannah Piper; Assistant Director: Amber Bellsdale; Technical Director: James Nugent; Graphic Design: James Easter
Performers: Erick Acuña, Matthew Alexander, Jack Barnes, Mia Bloomfield, Erin Coyne, Nora Dell, Sarah Herhold, Cassie Hoffman, Patrick Hsieh, Rachel Kloecker, Ben Lockshin, Lori Pitts, Nick Tschernia, Simone Webster, Alex Wilkinson.
WHEN AND WHERE
Audiences can see Table Talk at Studio Theatre in the ground-floor Mead space on Fridays at 7:30PM and Saturdays at 7PM from June 13 to July 26 with the exception of the July 4th weekend (when there are no WIT performances scheduled), as well as Saturday, July 12 when WIT will welcome the return of The Cookout: A Celebration of Black Improv in the DMV.
General admission is $20 plus a $2 service fee. Each performance is 50 minutes plus a 20-minute opener by a WIT ensemble. Read the media advisory.
Image of Table Talk Performers (from left to right) Lori Pitts, Mia Bloomfield, Nora Dell, and Sarah Herhold. By Jeff Salmore/WIT