Those riding the subways in New York City this coming weekend may be in for a surprise. Staged Improv “situations” have been occurring throughout the city for almost ten years now, under the direction of Charlie Todd, the creator of the company Improv Everywhere. This weekend, one of those missions is the No Pants! Subway Ride. The group has pulled more than one hundred pranks, or missions, over the years, this year being the 9th Annual No Pants! mission. The goal of the company is to create somewhat awkward situations, and then document them for their website, however many of these missions get much more notice, as David Letterman even did a segment about the No Pants! Subway Ride on his late night talk show.
The founder, Charlie Todd, is an instructor and a performer for the popular and famous improv sketch group, The Upright Citizens Brigade. Over the years they have done improv art in a variety of missions such as the Walking of Invisible Dogs. More than two thousand people joined in on this prank, walking invisible dogs past New York’s 5 star hotels, and along the streets of Brooklyn. The “invisible” dog leashes were on loan from the owner of the 51 Bergen Street Factory Space, the original location of the invention of that dog toy in the 1970′s.
The key to these pranks is that they are seriously enacted, even though the actions themselves are silly. For instance, those choosing to participate in the No Pants! ride, will be casually sitting there in their underwear, as if it is just another day on the subway. The reactions of the people not participating are priceless, and can be seen on the videos captured and available either on Youtube or the companies web site. Other staged events include spontaneous musicals in marketplaces, the High Five Escalator Ride, and the Cell Phone Symphony. One never knows what they may see on the streets of New York, and with Improv Everywhere, the streets have become even more unpredictable, and incredibly hilarious.