Fun, joy, and mischief!

The Donovan Ensemble, a group of four theater comedians who will soon perform in both New York City and Union City, exemplify the upsurge in performing arts in the Union City area.
They plan to do that by putting on showcases of free Sunday “Jamz” workshops and various performances for a small fee at the NoHu Cultural Center at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1516 Palisade Ave. in Union City.
In the free “Jamz” sessions, spectators are invited to enjoy watching the improvisational exercises the troupe does to come up with material for future shows.

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The group has performed in Paris, London, and now Union City.
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“We invite the community once a week to come ‘play’ with us and see how we come up with ideas,” said co-artistic director Johnnie Niel. “We play everything from parlor games like charades to playground games as simple as tag.”
The sessions take place on Sundays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the NoHu Center. To reserve free seats, contact thedonovanensemble@gmail.com.

Silly bunch

All this comic relief will lead to the group’s main performance called “Super Spectacular!” which will be performed in Union City and New York throughout November.
“The show is about three idiots who try to put on a spectacular variety show with singing, dancing, ‘serious’ acting and tons of costume changes, but it all gets the better of them,” said John Kolbow, co-artistic director. “It’s a bit too ambitious for their small brains.”
How small? Imagine what The Elephant Man would look like if he were imitating the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

History

The ensemble started in 2005 as a Union City duo. The duo becomes a trio with the addition of “Spectacular” director and occasional “Jamz” instructor Deanna Fleysher.
“The way we work not only creates fun and original theater, but is great fun for the general public as well,” said Fleysher.
The trio then becomes a foursome thanks to the addition of a friend, Philip Burgers, who will play the part of Dr. Brown in “Spectacular.”
The character was taken from a one-man show called “Dr. Brown Behaves” which Burgers performed throughout Europe last summer.
Audiences can see Burgers demonstrate the techniques he used to perform Dr. Brown in a special character workshop on Nov. 8 for a fee of $30.
“My philosophy is that if you aren’t having fun creating it, no one will have fun watching it,” said Burgers.
After the show in Union City, Burgers, whose act is originally from London, England, will take “Dr. Brown Behaves” to Australia in the spring.
For tickets and information on the group, visit their website at: www.donovanensemble.com.
Melissa Rappaport may be reached at mrappaport@hudsonreporter.com