Quote of the Day: (the advert blurb for the show from The Bearded Company website)

Sharpen your sword, brandish your wits and step with us into a realm of fantasy and adventure where fate is decided by the roll of a 20-sided die. In this improvised fantasy campaign, The Bearded Company will tell you a tale you won’t soon forget. Each show will be an epic story in the lives of legendary adventurers. Dragons will be slain, dungeons will be explored and, nerd or not, there’s something for everyone.

Two campaigns with a 4-performance story arc. See one or see them all!

The Bearded Company, Swords & Sorcery.

The Bearded Company, an improv group based out of Minneapolis and LA, is partnering with Theatre in the Round Players (TRP) twice this season, working in rep with a show produced at TRP. TRP is producing Those Who Remain Turn the Pages, and The Bearded Company is performing Swords & Sorcery, using the same set. They work nicely together. I have not seen Those Who Remain. 
Swords & Sorcery is a live action improv performance based on the popular Dungeons and Dragons role playing game. D&D originated in 1974 (I know! Wow! I was surprised. I knew it had been around since the 1980’s, but didn’t know it’s origin.) The show is hosted by the Dungeon Master (Allen Voigt at the Sat. matinee, who did a fabulous job), and performed by members of The Bearded Company. The company includes: Maria Bartholdi, Joe Rapp, Tyler Mills, MJ Matheson, Lucas Vonasek, Allen Voigt, Doug Neithercott, Laura Berger, Doug Ocar, John Hilsen. (Different members perform at various shows.) The show starts out with a quick introduction to the game and an invitation to vote on which character we will follow on the quest. Three actors gave us their character names, and we voted with applause on who we wanted. We followed her as she met the other characters, established a sense of place and what the quest involved. They have battles and shake the dice to determine the outcome. A lower number means they’ll fail, a higher number gets them a win. We had little flags with a 1 for Natural Critical Fail on one side and on the other side a 20 for Natural Win. It made it interactive without any pressure. It seems like the Dungeon Master has most of the control of the story, but the characters contribute, as well. It was silly and fun, and the crowd consisted of D&D enthusiasts.

The Bearded Company. Swords & Sorcery. Photo: Bailey Hess

What I find fascinating about this game is that it encourages imagination. The players can make up their own backstory about their characters. They have weapons, powers, flaws, weaknesses and strengths. The role of the dice can determine outcomes, but players can also make choices. I think this is a game that I would have gotten into in my college years if I had hung around the right crowd for it. A classmate of mine talked about it and described her character and what was happening. It seems like this is a long form game that could go on forever. It can have conclusions, but then you just start another quest. It is an ideal platform for long form improv, and the Bearded Company were masters at it. I admire good improv actors. They are always on, always listening, and often brilliantly call back a phrase or storyline from earlier in the show. They are able to create story in the moment, and you never know what will happen, making each performance unique. It really is fun to watch – and you don’t have to know much about D&D to enjoy it. 

You can catch one more episode of Sword & Sorcery this fall on Nov. 6, then come back for four more performances in May. They do it in a serialized fashion, so it could be fun to attend every performance to see the story progress. Or, come to one to check it out. They are episodic and have a satisfying conclusion. You can also get tickets for Those Who Remain Turn the Pages at TRP. Coming up next is new adaptation of an Agatha Christie murder mystery, Murder on the Links by Kate Danley. She wrote the adaptation for The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which is one of my favorite adaptations. Both of her works have their world premiere at Theatre in the Round. I already have my tickets reserved. The Agatha Christie shows often sell out, so don’t wait to get yours. This will be a good one.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: Have you ever participated in a role playing game like D&D? What do you think makes it so appealing?