YARMOUTH — At Riverbend Yoga Studio, over two dozen people remove their shoes and hug each other in greeting.
Ranging from 22 to 75, they’re single mothers, grandparents, recent divorcees and a mother-daughter pair. They’re house painters, teachers, lawyers and retirees.
Tonight, they’re also about to become pro wrestlers, blueberries, flight attendants and parents to 6-foot-tall babies.
Through new improv classes in Yarmouth, they’re creating a trusted creative community.
“It’s not like showing up to strangers,” said participant Anna Mather, 49. “It’s a bit like coming to church.”
‘SACRED CHURCH’
Growing up in Cumberland Foreside, David Webster was the funny kid. In his restless efforts to make his classmates laugh, he was also in trouble most of the time.
Webster left Maine after graduating from Greely High School in 1984. In the four decades since, he’s dedicated his life to improv, channeling his humor and reckless energy into the artform.
He studied theater at Georgia Southern University and made his way into the iconic The Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, a place that felt to him like a “sacred church,” alongside comedy legends including Chris Farley and Tim Meadows of “Saturday Night Live” and film fame. He later formed theater and improv groups of his own, producing over 1,500 sold-out shows in Atlanta.
He met his wife, Una, when she walked into an improv class he was teaching while living in Hawaii, “learning from her ever since.” The couple now has three adult children together.
Webster, 59, also learned what was behind his hyperactivity and compulsion to push limits: Tourette syndrome. Throughout his life, Webster was never nervous on stage, the one place his condition subsided.
“It is the only solace I had from Tourette’s. If I was performing for two or three hours, that would be the time of day that I wasn’t tortured,” he said.
As his symptoms advanced later in life, making his improv show became nearly impossible.
“I thought life was over. I honestly did. It was that bad. I couldn’t stop twitching and making noises,” said Webster.
Webster and his family moved to North Yarmouth at the end of 2023 so that he could get the medical care he needed. With his Tourette’s symptoms managed, he now wants to continue producing high level improv. And he wants to do it with Mainers.
“It’s a passion of mine to figure out the height of the art,” said Webster.
“I don’t need to be anywhere in particular to do this, because every time I’ve done it, I have found talent. It’s everywhere, and it’s certainly here,” he said.
YES, AND THEN SOME
Improv Zen is Webster’s new improv class running in Yarmouth on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, as well as Sundays in Brunswick. For a flat rate of $100 a month, anyone can attend any of the hour-and-a-half classes.
The Tuesday group of about 15 people, calling itself “Yes, And Then Some,” started a few months ago. They begin by laying down in meditation, stretching out and playing some warm up games to get loose and comfortable. They take the time to acknowledge everyone in the room, and Webster lays down the one rule:
“It’s really a big love fest. Everybody supports each other. There’s no judgment. Nobody makes anybody feel above or below anybody,” said Webster.
“To express without being judged, you have to trust everyone,” said Una Webster.
Then, the scenes begin. Webster teaches improv with his technique of “PFWP,” standing for “project, feel, want and pursue.” To get into the scenario, the students understand and embody the emotions and motivations of the characters, leading to affecting and believable improv.
Using this method, Falmouth resident Norm Pacholshi embodies an apprehensive wrestler named “Bonesaw.” Pacholshi, 52, said trying improv was on his bucket list for a while. With a recent divorce and lifestyle change, he decided to jump into the ring.
“It’s been a great place for me to let things go and really find out who I am,” said the father of seven.
Pat Aureli, 65, always loved “Saturday Night Live,” and always wanted to be funny. She found the class on Facebook, and thought she’d give it a shot. On May 12, she turned into an aunt who lost her nephew at the playground. Living in Waterville, she drives an hour to get to the class.
“But on that drive home, I am the happiest I am all week,” she said.
Stephanie Duhova, 42, works remotely from Yarmouth. Since the pandemic, she’s seen her life get smaller over the past several years, she said, and wanted to put herself out there.
“I was very much like, ‘All right … the only way that you’re going to have community is to be a part of a community,’” she said.
Participants said trying improv has helped them be more confident, flexible and even silly, both personally and professionally. They’re getting more expressive and practiced in getting out of their comfort zones. They can release the stress of the day with a laugh. Many said it’s been a while since they have been this welcomed into a group of strangers that are now friends.
In the months ahead, Webster is starting another group in Brunswick and hopes to get his total of 42 actors ready for live performances by the end of the summer. He has other big plans, such as getting the improv group onto television someday, like he’s done elsewhere before.
But for now, he’s relishing the chance to grow the craft of improv and the community around it, back in the place it all began.
“I never thought I’d be able to do this again,” said Webster. “So far, we’re having a really good time.”