Tahoe Improv Players host ComedySportz San Jose in a match of "witz"

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Saturday, October 19, will be a nostalgic day of improv at the Boathouse Theater honoring Gerry Orton, who is retiring after 31 years as director of Tahoe Improv Players, the lake’s longest-running comedy show.

Orton’s last show features Tahoe Improv Players hosting ComedySportz San Jose in A Match of Witz. Two teams of players will compete for points and laughs with the audience giving suggestions that become hilarious fully improvised scenes. The audience decides the winner of each round and ultimately the match.

There will be two shows at the Valhalla Boathouse Theater, one a 4 p.m. matinee that will be child-appropriate, and the 7 p.m. show that is geared towards adults.

Taking over as the new director will be Colin Burrows one of the original players going back 31 years ago.

“I’m honored to have been selected for the director position and to have the support of the players,” Burrows said. “I thank Gerry for keeping this going for 31 years and making improv much easier since now we know all the words.”

Orton, along with Frank Riley, cofounded the troupe as ComedySportz Lake Tahoe in 1993 which morphed into the Tahoe Improv Players in 1997. The present Tahoe Improv Player cast of 10 includes 5 original cast members. In addition to Orton, Riley, and Burrows, Johnny Bolton pursuing his acting
career in Southern California, David Fabrizio, the keyboardist and musical director, and Dave Hamilton, formerly the director of Theater Arts at Lake Tahoe Community College and whose improv class inspired Orton and Riley to begin their improv entertainment journey. Adding to the fun and nostalgia of Orton’s last show will be three former ComedySportz Lake Tahoe stars,
Annelise Carleton Hug, Craig Toillifson, and Dean Baxensdale.

“It will be a thrill to be united with these three players again . . . can’t wait,” said Orton. “They truly were our improv stars when we started out,”
added Burrows.

Rounding out the current cast are April Foiles, Jayme Foremaster, Jeff Whitt, and Pam Taylor who have been cast members for over 16 years, and Lisa Pa\erson who joined the cast this past summer.

TICKETS
Adults: $20. For both matches: $35 Kids 12 and under: $12

For tickets and more information, visit https://valhallatahoe.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=229.