This weekend, The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will present a workshop on “Improvising Comedy,” as part of its Discover Arts and Crafts workshop series. The workshop takes place Saturday, Feb. 3, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., at the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston. The No Pants Players, an improvisational comedy troupe well-known to readers of PopCult, will lead the workshop. There is a $15 fee per person. Participation is limited to 25 students aged 15 to adult, and reservations are required.

The workshop will focus on basic improvisational techniques and group building. The day-long seminar will consist of games and role playing activities meant to build self confidence and teamwork.   Attendees will learn the tricks of the trade from the troupe that cracks up audiences at their usual home, The Labelle Theater in South Charleston, each month.

The No Pants Players name derived from the troupe’s refusal to perform wearing pants, instead they wear shorts. Members of the group include Jeff Bukovinsky, Jamie Dunbar, Jason Dunbar, Kevin Pauley, Brian Roller, Tony Slack, Duncan Stokes and Wallace.   When you tell them that short are pants, they just stare past you as though you don’t exist. 

For more information about the Discover Arts and Crafts workshop series or to make a reservation, contact Bethany Cline, cultural program specialist for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 171. For more information about the No Pants Players, visit their website at www.nopantsplayers.com.