When the theatergoer goes to the theater, they naturally have to watch whatever show the theater happens to be showing. But THEE Improvised Musical challenges that fundamental premise, inviting audiences to tell them what show they want to see. You could call it “flipping the script,” if there were a script to begin with. Each show relies on quick thinking, musical fluency, and the ultimate collaboration to craft a fully unique narrative every single night, bringing audiences into the creative process in a direct and engaging way.
Theatre Built with the Audience
Before the music begins, founder and director Conor Hanney asks audience members to shout out a made-up, Tony-caliber title. “A Tony,” he explains, “is like an Oscar or an Emmy but for theatre and worse.” The cast—including Hanney, Ryan Brookshire, Ike Flitcraft, Courtney Fortner, Lexi Lewis, Brendan McCay, Rob Zaleski, and absurdist influencer Blake Rosier—then creates a full musical from scratch, weaving original songs and storylines together in real time. No scripts. No encores. Each night: a new and singular experience for both the audience and the ensemble.
Hanney—who writes professionally for the screen, stage, and page—describes the company’s seemingly contradictory “preparation” for such spontaneity. “We rehearse twice a month, three hours each, drilling improv, music, and narrative. It’s like how basketball players practice dribbling, passing, and shooting before ‘improvising’ a game where anything can happen.”
The inherent singularity of every show encourages the audience to feel invested in the outcome, evoking a sense of immediacy that even the best scripted shows rarely match.
Musicians and Cast Collaborate in Real Time
Every performance relies on tight coordination between the ensemble and their live four-piece band, led by Tony Gonzalez. The actors respond immediately, adjusting tone and timing to fit melodic offers. Conversely and almost paradoxically, the musicians then evolve their arrangements in real time to support the story. It’s the chicken or the egg, but the audience is somehow tasting both drumstick and omelette.
“The show is empirically worth your time,” says Hanney. “We’re at the top of our game and only getting better.” His remark reflects years of collective experience among the performers, some of whom—like Hanney, McCay, and Hanney’s fellow producer Zaleski—have worked together for over a decade. Their familiarity gives the glue of each show its consistency and cohesion, even as its drama differs dramatically night to night.
Scenes move from improvised dialogue to full musical numbers with the surgical precision of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, whose pediatric ICU and their extended families strangely comprise THEE’s most dedicated fan base. “I had to suspend disbelief to remember no one scripted it,” says Dr. Meredith Winter’s mother-in-law Kate Reilly.
Participation Drives Enjoyment
Attendees describe the show as interactive and unpredictable in the best sense. Audience members who suggest ideas see them evolve into entire characters, plotlines, and songs—sometimes humorous, sometimes heartfelt. Your core is moved, whether belly busted, side split, or gut wrenched. And those feelings don’t evacuate, the experience producing a sense of deep, filling, fulfilling ownership.
The team’s social media accounts feature post-show testimonials, where patrons gush on their way to drinks at the after-party with praise: “It blew me out of the water,” “Our cheeks were hurting the whole time,” “It changed my life,” “11 out of 10,” “It brought tears to my eyes,” “The most impressive thing I’ve seen,” and “Better than ‘Wicked.’” If you’ve never seen the show with your own eyes, it may seem hyperbolic, but night after night after night, a new batch of converts bears witness to an improvised production that appears impossibly produced.
Yet the show is still accessible and enjoyable, regardless of whether audiences are new to theatre or seasoned fans. Hanney argues, “It’s the musical improv show you can even bring people who hate musicals and improv to.”
The Importance of Live Connection
As entertainment becomes more and more fleeting with every swipe of the algorithm, the alto rhythm of THEE Improvised Musical demands and earns your attention. Performers and audiences get to share in a story that exists for one night and one night only, each show thriving on unfiltered response and quick imagination.
“Nothing is scripted, and nothing is rehearsed—if any of us could act in real musicals, we would be doing that,” Hanney says with a laugh. His roguish honesty adds a layer of humility to the production, underscoring its professionally unpolished charm.
The show’s unbridled momentum suggests that audiences gravitate towards formats that allow them to influence and engage with performers. Its home at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles has become the biggest champion of audience-forward programming in the city, and the theater actively supports THEE’s even more offbeat opening act: Down to Clown, the first all-Down syndrome improv team. Together, THEE Improvised Musical, Down to Clown, and The Elysian demonstrate how simplicity and human connection can create lasting impact both onstage and off, with a continued partnership of inclusive musical improv classes to come.
A Shared Storytelling Experience
THEE Improvised Musical blends participation, talent, and spontaneity into a format that digests both viscerally and palatably. By building entire spectacles from live suggestions, the show invites audiences to—not just witness—but litigate the shows they watch.
THEE Improvised Musical captures what only live performance can offer: connection, creativity, and a sense that anything can and will happen. Each show is “lightning in a bottle,” but the thunderous applause that follows can’t be contained.
