Un-Scripted Theater Company

They have a variety of improv types. The one that will leave you cheering is Swipe Right, a pitch-​perfect fast moving commentary on the online dating scene and its inevitable hits and misses. The other Un-​Scripted shows are all very good, but Swipe Right is a must see.

This was two hours that I will never get back. I’ve done lots of improv — in which the skill of improvising is part of the theater itself — and I’ve done lots of theater in which the script and the actors brought a great story to life. This was neither. Not funny, not clever, not improv, not good.

I was just there the other night for a showing of FEAR, their horror-​themed Halloween show, and I have to say that it’s one of my favorite improv shows. The improvisors do a fantastic job in their character development that as it gets toward the point where the killer is about to be revealed, you’re constantly guessing and second guessing who it might be because it could really be any of the characters! And the imagery that they evoke without the use of props is extremely well-​done. I’m always amazed at how well they put on a two hour show that’s so thoroughly engaging. I’m definitely going to keep coming back!

The performers of the Un-​Scripted Theater Company put their hearts and souls (as well as blood, sweat and tears) into their performances. We all improvise our lives, but to do it in front of an audience, and maintain a storyline and a character for two hours is a grand feat! Any evening spent at one of their shows is going to be rewarding!

I hate to write a bad review, but this was bad. Really bad. I have seen and performed a lot of (long form) improv in my day, which seems to be what this group was trying to attempt, and it was bad. Did I say bad? I mean bad.
I support people embracing the arts, but when you start charging people money to watch, it is assumed a certain level of skill will be evident. There was none. This was like a student show and the class just met four days ago and they have never studied improv before.
Actors did not listen to each other, and seemed more bent on making funny jokes than discovering what was interesting about the scene. Characters actually apologized for unfunny lines — what?
If you are looking for a good improv show, then wait for SketchFest or the Improv Fest when you can see groups from NY or LA. This is terrible theater.

We had a lot of fun watching the DASH Improv show Saturday night at 10pm. It’s a tiny older theater with a lot of charme, no Air Con but vans, very cute, (and besides it’s so old it doesn’t smell bad or so). The 4 acters were a pretty funny group and made us really laugh a lot. The keyboard player was very dedicated. For 15 bucks it’s really a very nice show and good entertainment, very passionate people! The staff was nice, too. You will definitely get a good start into the evening, or ending of it, depending on what your plans are.

We were one of a crowd of 8, that’s a clue.
Of the four «actors» only 1 seemed to have had any experience. One rarely spoke and the other two had more pauses than creative lines. It also was obvious they were struggling when they started dropping F bombs to garner a laugh. Tacky!
It was a grueling hour of trying to find a reason to laugh

Awesome little gem theater. They have beer and wine that you can take inside with you. That’s pretty much all I need ;) Staff was pretty friendly! I’m for sure coming back on the weekend.

I attended 2 of their 10 pm Saturday «Dash» shows. First one was very enjoyable, but lacked some cohesiveness /​teamwork (it’s improv, so it can be uneven).
Second was AMAZING (⁴⁄₁₉). It’s a great night for very little money. It’s rare to say this in improv, but it felt too short!!!
Stockton /​Sutter garage was the best deal for parking… $ 5 for about 5 hours on a Saturday night!

The actors are so talented and skilled at what they do. The story line was thoughtful and I could connect to the emotions of it. And it was all improvised!

Good troupe. Just saw my 2^nd of their shows last week (saw Act 2, Scene 1 last year or the year before — oh, wait! looking at their website, I remember now that I also saw Tale of 2 Genres years ago.).
Last time I saw them I remember loving it – at least enough to want to come back.
This time. .. eh. A Murder Most Unscripted was entertaining. And there is obviously a lot of talent in the group. Having seen a reasonable amount of improv in my day, I feel that they should get the benefit of the doubt that it was just not a home-​run night. I think that happens to any troupe. I mean, heck, they’re making stuff up on the spot.
And I love the fact that they are trying to blend broader theater styles with improv. kudos on that. very cool
That said, I felt that they didn’t really take this genre anywhere very interesting. There were some missed offers that I really wanted to see develop, and if they had been a little more risk taking and bold, I think this would be a 5 star review, because i like what they do in general.
But, anyway, if you like improv, these guys have clever long form structures and enough skill that it’s worth checking out their innovative stuff. Just hope (like with any improv) that you catch them on a good night.

I don’t like writing unenthusiastic reviews of live theater, especially improv, because it’s really really hard to do well. It’s a labor of love, not a money-​maker.
Yet I’m going to criticize the performance (I hope constructively.) There’s a lot of good theater and improv out there. Why watch something mediocre?
You don’t look for perfect. You look for creativity and texture and spontaneity. I didn’t see much of that and I was somewhat embarrassed because I talked some good friends into coming along.
It was S-​L-​O-​W. Even amateurish.
Pauses in the middle of sentences. Gaps and empty silences during conversations, scenes that dragged on even when it was clear they were anemic. You could drive a tractor through all those silences.
Blocking. As in, lots & lots of negative responses and «Nos» that «blocked» and stagnated the scenes into gridlock.
Repetition. Scenes that repeated the same conflict without progress. («Let’s go! Let’s stay!» doesn’t merit 4 scenes – we got the message.) Songs that repeated what was just said in prose. Lots of repeated lines as actors tried to get each other to listen & respond.
Timid stuttered throwaways instead of vivid declarations. Declarations help paint the scene and give your partners something to work with. Go ahead, call your scene partner a Martian, see what happens, maybe no one wanted to make declarations because of that whole BLOCKING trend.

Sloppy, imprecise «unseen object» work. Lack of eye contact and connective response to other actors. Also a dearth of physical interaction & movement.
Failure to differentiate characters through voice, posture, movement. Only 1 actor created distinct and vivid characters, and her scenes were by far the most effective.
It’s hard to understand why the company decided to make this show an improvised musical AND do it as a triptych interwoven stories. The two additional challenges only highlighted the weaknesses. You don’t have to have a great voice to do musical improv, but it helps if you can stay on key and sing with confidence.
Okay. I HATE TO DIS THESE PERFORMERS AND THEIR SHOW but I went because of the «good» views and my experience wasn’t particularly great. The company members have talent but a lot more practice is needed.

My friend and I circled a couple times before deciding on the $ 10 parking lot about a block and a half away. We were a little confused with the line downstairs (to another show), but made our way upstairs to Un-​Scripted and commented on how much better the attitute was on the second floor! $ 4 hard cider, free bags of popcorn, seats with my name on it, and a fun show with friendly, funny, actors and company. I would definitely go back.

I had a great time last night watching Un-​Scrpited Theater’s, «History-​The Musical». Ancient Athens like never before. Move over Kevin Sorbo.
History continues marching on through December 22^nd with a new time period covered each show. Improvised music, comedy, drama, and just about anything in between.
Sure it’s the holidays and everyone’s busy, but in the words of George Santayana: «Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.» So check out the link below and treat yourself to History-​The Musical. Unlike so many other gifts this year, you won’t have to exchange it or find some place in the house to put it.
And if that isn’t incentive enough, fresh baked cookies for sale at intermission.

I’m not an improv buff, so you can take this statement with a grain of salt, but Un-Scripted’s play concepts are some of the most ambitious that I’ve ever seen. A Tale of Two Genres — a Dickensian musical with influence from another thematic element? That is the sort of thing that would make me shake in my shoes to perform.
There is clearly a lot of preparation that goes into Un-Scripted’s shows, what with their period costumes and their musical accompaniment and their lighting. The structure is unlike any improv performance I’ve seen: they have a narrator at all times that keeps the scene flowing and fills in some of the thoughts that the characters may be thinking; many of their scenes have at least 3 people interacting, if not 4 or more; and they willingly sing, and do it well. In fact, if it were just about their songs, they would easily get 5 stars. The lyrics don’t feel forced and all the cast members are obviously skilled in musical theatre, and enjoy singing.
There are also lots of little touches about the show for the customers: free popcorn and seats labeled with your name if you reserve in advance. I also hear there’s cheap beer, but I never went to investigate…
The main detraction about their show was that their ending fell extremely flat. They had an incredibly attractive storyline going into the intermission, but at some point they went off-​track and into side stories rather than advancing the main plot. By the time it came to finish, the story wasn’t really at the ending point, so the narrator had to do a really fast wrap-​up of the show and skipped the dramatic showdown that I thought was sure to happen. I literally said «What?» out of disappointment when the lights came back on.
Un-​Scripted seems to be much more interested in crafting out a legitimate story with three-​dimensional characters than making people laugh a lot. That’s perfectly fine, and I think it’s more accurate to think of Un-​Scripted as improvised theater with some comedic elements as opposed to the traditional improvisational comedy. That just means that if you are looking to choose an improv show so you can laugh until your stomach seizes up, this is probably not your show. But if you want to see a very well-​put together, thought-​provoking, unordinary improvisational show, definitely consider Un-​Scripted.

I’ve done improv for ten years. Believe me, I’ve been forced to see some shows that were just terrible. I’ll sip my beer and hope the scenes are cut early, but such is the nature of improvised comedy nights. Sometimes they’re awful, sometimes they’re fine, and sometimes they’re magical.
Un-​Scripted is the most consistent improv venue I’ve come across in the whole Bay Area. I never, ever worry about inviting people to shows. I’ve seen shows that have made me cry with laughter. I’ve guest performed in shows that were the highlight of my improv career. Audience members who insist that they hate improv come out of the theater glowing and chattering about how amazing it all was. Trust me when I say that this place is full of talented ensemble members who craft beautiful live theater. You are most likely to catch that rare magical improv show here…
Top all that with fresh popcorn and good cheap beer (2 bucks for a Blue Moon? Oh, yes, please!) and you have a pretty kickass sundae.

Not funny.
Not entertaining.
Not worth the student discounted price paid.
A Tale of two Genres would imply that there would be a mash up of two different genres but alas, it was Alice In Wonderland and a lot of talk about becoming hats.
Brought a friend along for his first Improv show and I was so embarrassed. I would have walked out or not come back after the intermission like some other patrons if not for my poor friend. I think, he was waiting for it to get better. Sadly, it did not.
I am a fan of live theater. .Two stars for being a nonprofit show, cheap concession prices and effort. I was fooled by the high star rating on Unilocal.I’ve seen improv when it is well done. This was soooo not it.

This was a great surprise! I have done improv and know how hard it is! Add in a musical and a pre-​set theme that changes every show — and is chosen by the audience and that is the amazing talent of the Un-​Scripted Theater Company!
They did Alice in Wonderland set to Charles Dickens. Really entertaining, fun, and enjoyable to watch such great talent unfold on stage!
I would recommed to anyone. Even my 13 year old son enjoyed it — his first ‘live’ theather experience!

Dickens, the Musical. Plus one other genre suggested by the audience; in this case, James Bond.
I still can’t believe they pulled it off.
Evil mastermind Godric Nobgobbler is poised to take control of the entire spice market, thereby destroying the British population’s access to puddings and forcing them into cannibalism! White, Jeremiah White, to the rescue. Will femme fatale and spice ship captain Paprika Forkworthy aide White in his attempt to thwart Nobgobbler, or is she still seeking revenge for the pet monkey accidentally killed during her last tryst with White in Burma? How can White escape from the ingenious, unnecessarily complicated execution (suspended over a vat of molten cinnamon) devised for him by Nobgobbler?
This is the sort of ridiculous brilliance you can expect from the ambitious players of Un-​Scripted. They do not make it easy on themselves: long-​form is inherently challenging. Tying it down to a period and an accent is crazy. By adding music, it ups the ante. Then throwing in a last minute additional thematic element — whoah. I’m glad it wasn’t me on stage.
It was quite a ride. There were several stellar, memorable moments, the kind that can only happen spontaneously when a great cast that works together well finds just the right moment and angle and mood. Even some of the *yikes* moments when a flop seemed inevitable were pulled valiantly out of the fire for major laughs. The singing was even very good.
I don’t think you can go wrong with one of their shows. You might even find yourself singing along, even though you don’t know the words. Hell, neither do they.

Great night out in S.F. I loved the show! The audience gives them an idea for a world, and they create a whole show out of it! Fun, fun, fun!
And all for $ 20 — what a deal! Right near Union Square, so a whole night can be planned around it! Well done!