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The answer is to always "be in the moment". Never anticipate what comes next. Never act, only react. Listen, listen, listen. Ask any actor and he/she will tell you that this is one of the hardest things to do as a performer. Even the most seasoned and revered stage and screen actors continually struggle with this concept.

You would never guess that being in the moment is difficult for any of the members of Knoxville's longest-running comedy improv group, Einstein Simplified.

Rarely have I seen so many actors embodying this technique at once. Even when they weren't physically participating in one of the games themselves, the members were completely mentally engaged on the sidelines--willing to jump in and rescue their comrades should someone get stuck.

Because their fast-paced, ever-changing show is centered around audience shout-outs, the members of this clever troupe have to be savvy on current events, history, popular culture, music and the list goes on. They also have to be good enough comics to take the suggestions and manipulate them in a humorous way. Believe me, what these performers do is frickin' hilarious! The night I watched, they literally had people falling out of chairs, knocking over tables and spilling beer. (You think I'm kidding...)

When you get a group of adults together in this atmosphere and add booze and audience participation, there will always be the one guy or gal (I'm an equal-opportunity finger pointer) who has to yell out a particularly filthy suggestion for a topic-- presumeably for shock value or to show off that he/she is one of the few who actually knows what a "Dirty Francis" is.

Now, the folks in Einstein Simplified aren't prudes, by any means. In fact, they'll drop an F-bomb or two (or nine) during their show, but never gratuitously. No matter what they do or say, it is always right on time. They believe that the dirty joke certainly has its place, but it's often the easy way out. They'll opt for a cleaner joke if it provides a greater comedic challenge. It's the obscure topics that usually end up with the biggest laughter.

Not only are the actors in Einstein Simplified natural wits, but they also work to hone their talents. Following each night's performance, they hold a wrap-up session where they discuss everyone's performance in each of the evening's games. They exchange constructive criticism and plan out ways to make their shows tighter and more fun. (This is nearly as funny as the show, itself!) One of the new additions to their show is to employ the use of guilt in order to get more tips. Following the final chord of the group's sing-a-long finale, one of the actors will race back to the exit with a tip jar and make eye contact with each audience member as they leave. The idea is that only the heartless will walk past without digging out a few bucks to contribute for such fantastic entertainment.

Let me say this to all you musicians/actors/performers-of-any-kind who work for tips...guilt works! That jar was damned full by the time the joint cleared out!

To quote one of the two Daves in Einstein Simplified, "guilt puts money in the jar and people in church."

Hopefully it will also put you in Patrick Sullivan's on a Tuesday night at 8:30pm to experience the genius of this gifted improv comedy troupe.

To learn more about the individuals who make up Einstein Simplified, or to find out about their sordid past, please visit their super-fun website!