Climbing a giant ice cream sundae dressed in a tutu while gripping a snake instead of a rope sounds hard but was comparatively easy for the members of Fish Sticks, a Christian improvisational comedy group based in Milwaukee. Both in the depiction by three of the group members and the conclusion drawn by the other member who was out of the room as the audience shouted out details of what they wanted enacted, the Fish Sticks proved adept at translating each aspect with a combination of gestures and gibberish.
For laugh-til-your-jaw-aches entertainment, it’s hard to top a good improvisational comedy group. Fish Sticks is made up of veterans of Milwaukee Comedy Sportz, an improv franchise that also entertained State Street audiences in Madison in earlier years. Comedy Sportz is still going strong in Milwaukee (in their 26th year according to their website).
Beginnings
In 2006 three members of the Milwaukee Comedy Sportz discovered something in common beyond a desire to make people laugh. “We recognized we had a common faith,” co-founder Whit Shiller told the audience at the Edgewater Hotel where they performed last Friday night. “I enjoy doing shows with a purpose,” co-founder John Guarnero added.
They got together and began putting on their own programs for churches, Christian organizations and other groups. There are currently five men and two women who make up Fish Sticks. They admit the name is not particularly creative or significant. “It’s the best we could do.”
Purpose
It might be hard to discern that purpose in the midst of typical improv bits with names like Sound Effects, Dr. Know-it-all, Translator, Wierd Accents, DVR, and the Game of Three Things (which included the above-described ice cream sundae episode). But “comedy does heal us,” Shiller said.
In the Fish Sticks world, “being a Christian is not about a lot of rules. It’s a way of connecting and having fun together.” It certainly looks like a lot of fun for everyone, as Fish Sticks comedians rely heavily on suggestions from the audience for many of their routines, the wilder the better.
The Fish Sticks were the entertainment last Friday night at a biannual couples dinner sponsored by Stonecroft Ministries, a national organization which provides resources and programs to help women connect to God and to other women in their community. There are two Stonecroft Ministries groups in Madison and additional groups in other southern Wisconsin communities. The next Madison Stonecroft couples dinner will be November 11, 2011.
Upcoming Fish Sticks appearances include the Christian Comedy Blast at Poplar Creek Church in New Berlin on May 7th, and at Lifest in Oshkosh on July 9th.