TAKE ME TO THE RIOT: Mike Lapp Takes His Act To The Big City.
By Dominic Nicoscia

It all started when Mike Lapp and a collective of amateur comedians gathered in a forest to have some fun. It’s not at all what it sounds like. They weren’t practicing witchcraft or summoning spirits or speakin’ with the devil. Instead they were assembling to create the monster that would come to be Improv Riot. Lapp, along with some of his cohorts from Jackson, New Jersey started out work-shopping their brand of off-the-cuff improvisational comedy in the backwoods of a local tree farm. While such humble beginnings were crucial in formulating their routine, it wasn’t long before the crew started to get the performing itch and take the riot to the streets…of Toms River and Freehold, performing at the Cornerstone Café and the Java Joint.

It’s still unclear as to whether it was the heightened level of caffeine in the audience’s system or the genuine quality of the routine, but the crowd sucked it up like so many overpriced lattes. By the third week, the shows were packed to the gunwales with both scenester kids and genuine appreciators, looking for something different in their artistic community.

For eleven months, Improv Riot was a non-stop party, a phenomenon which due in large part to Lapp’s wunderkind promotional skills, never ended. The only thing that could stop the ride was the driver, and that’s exactly what happened. A month shy of the Riot’s first anniversary, the group parted ways and pursued other endeavors.

Now, a solid year after their split, Lapp is determined to rally the troops--or at least some of them--to once again incite the riot. “We have some of the old people on board and we’ve already gotten hundreds of head shots and resumes for people who want to try out”, says Lapp.

The fever has spread to the north with Lapp looking to plant his flag in the New York circuit and even change the name to Improv Riot!: NYC. The workshops, which Lapp describes as “an open idea, no pressure workshop in which everyone gets to say their opinion, their point of view and experiment a bit” are going to be held in late November in order to facilitate an early January opener. While there is no official word on where, Lapp, a former student of the “Circle in the Square Theatre Company” is confident that it will be a success. Original members include: Mike Lapp, Bobby Werner, Nick Vilaridi, Brian Cromer and Ryan J. Barry. The cast will also include a few new faces, some of the best, brightest and brainiest comedians from the northeast. Lapp encourages all to stop by for a laugh. In such serious times, it might be the best thing for ya’.