Exit 16, Liberty, October 25

The Exit 16 kids were great. This is their ninth season, and they perfom like a group that knows what its doing. They're high school kids, of course, so have a tendency to shout and jump, but they also have members of their troupe who balance that with a keen verbal wit and patient silent work. They played primarily short-form, character-based games, which were well done.

The first half ended with a Beastie Rap variation that I liked. Everybody laid down a rhythm (a "corporate beat box," I have been calling it) for eight counts, then the person with a line would say it in eight counts of clear. It's sort of funny to see (not in the good way), but it does work. It lets the words be heard, and as long as the leader has some rhythm, things don't get out of hand.

The centerpiece of the second act was a series of scenes called out as challenges by Trish, the director, from the booth. This included doing scenes without words, etc. It seemed a little bit like doing tip drills and calling that a sport, but it was interesting to watch, and was called tight, which kept it from being too self-indulgent.

This was 16's second performance of the season, and they have relatively few returning members. If they grow just a bit more in the next few months, their shows will be rocking come Spring.