PNR Improv Brings Imagination to Life

What do ninjas, Piñata Island and lawn mower jousting have in common? Nothing, unless you add the PNR Improv Troupe to the mix.

PNR, which stands for Point of No Return, hosted a show February 24 at the on Grant Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls and more than 90 people attended the improvisational production and risked the possibility of being pulled on stage to participate in the comical antics.

The show began at 7:30 p.m. with Bob Coppedge, PNR Director and founding member of PNR, grabbing ideas from the audience to begin the first skit.  Using skill and imagination alone, the group of talented actors took the audience to drunken frat parties, taught them how to joust with lawn mowers, performed underwater basket-weaving and participated in a protest against the unfair treatment of make-believe creatures called 'tribbles'.

"I've been doing this for nine years and there is one main thing I’ve realized," Coppedge said. "Improv is a cooperative sport where the brain and the body both matter. The best improv is when everyone wins."

The actors kept the audience members howling with laughter throughout the interactive performance; the possibility of being pulled from their seats to act as various props for the PNR troupe members was simultaneously hilarious and nerve-wracking. Three lucky audience members were even transformed into juggling Swedish babies.

"I love the audience participation," said Trisha Snyder, who was whisked out of her seat and turned into a rollercoaster. "If I had time, I'd be up there doing the improv, too."

Not only does PNR provide laughter to those attending, but the proceeds they collect are given to various benefits.

Robyn Cooper, the PNR Benefits Coordinator, said their group does not need the money.

"What would we spend [the money] on?“ Cooper asked, laughing.“Props? That's why we have the audience."

The group gives to benefits such as the Marine Corps Toys 4 Tots Foundation and Big Brothers and Big Sisters, but they also cater to local Cuyahoga Falls families that may need financial assistance. Four-year-old , who has a rare form of cancer, and Ellen Harmon, who manages Pedaling for a Cure, are two beneficiaries of the PNR groups' efforts.

PNR hosts shows twice a month, often at the Quirk Cultural Center, but other venues as well.