“Acting a Foo” with
Jim from Speedway
Local comedy troupe Act a Foo has a welcoming tag line: Come Play with Us! They've been bringing their brand of belly-busting laughs to Indy Fringe for I-forget-how-many-years and inviting audiences to join in on the fun. If you brave the stage, they will treat you like one of their own, and you will laugh for hours to come. Acting a Foo should be a prescription recognized by AMA and the FDA.
We ran into Jim at
two shows on Saturday: Let’s Play a Freakin' Board Game! and Act a Foo. One
of the more memorable “volunteers from the audience,” we were thrilled to talk
to this player who gave the Foos a run for their money.
Jim grew up in
South Detroit and became an accountant with GM, which took him to eight states
across the country. He landed in the Speedway area about twenty years ago and is now happily retired, a fact that Act A Foo used as a running joke. Jim has been attending IndyFringe for years. He was drawn to Act A Foo
because he has taken improv classes at Comedy Sportz. “I only lasted eight
weeks. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done!” he said, laughing. “I did some
stand-up comedy years ago around town, and I thought improv was much harder, so
I really appreciate what these guys do!” he said indicating to Daniel Martin,
Joshua Short, Joshua “Girth” Owens, and Aaron Grinter.
He also offered up
a story that he said “has absolutely nothing to do with IndyFringe but it’s one of my
favorite stories about my life, so maybe you want to share it.” Of course we
do, Jim! Here goes: “A few years back, I went to visit my daughter who was
stationed Montgomery Air Force Base in Alabama. A server in a restaurant took a liking to us
and asked where we from. When I said we were originally from Detroit, she
became excited and explained that she also grew up in Detroit. It turns out
that we lived in the same neighborhood, on the same block, in the exact same
house, only twenty years apart. I was 900 miles from home and found a person
who lived in the same house I did!"
Jim says he lost count of how many shows he’s seen but says
that his favorite so far has been Too Much Light Makes The Baby
Go Blind. In addition to IndyFringe, he enjoys volunteering at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway--“the track”--as he calls it and taking his grandkids to ComedySportz "because I know they'll put on a clean show." Thanks for playing Jim! Thanks Act A Foo for reminding us the importance of play, and thanks ComedySportz for the playground!
To learn more about Act A Foo, read this post.
Joshua, Aaron, and Girth take audience suggestions for--I wasn't sure what this was. Might have been a dance move or a video game.
The Foos have a habit of putting smiles on people's faces
Daniel teaches these audience volunteers the rules of the game.
Aaron and Joshua sing a hilarious song to Jim about wanting to be his favorite son.
Jim and the Foos hanging out on the Avenue
Left to Right: Aaron Grinter, Jim, Daniel Martin
Front: Joshua Short
"Girth" stepped out of the frame when his phone rang. (His phone is always ringing.)
Act a Foo
Showing:
Friday Aug 24th, 6:00PM
Saturday Aug 25th, 6:00PM
ComedySportz
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