Imagine walking into a subway train in Manhattan during a snowstorm one morning, only to find numerous people of all ages without their pants on. From business men with their colourful boxers to teenagers in cartoon-themed underwear, the entire carriage is filled with half-dressed individuals wearing very few clothes and rather serious expressions. As incredulous as it may appear, this isn’t a scene from a recent Hollywood movie nor is it a preview of the upcoming New York Fashion Week. Rather, it is a gathering of total strangers taking part in the latest mission of the organization ImprovEverywhere.

Founded by comedian Charlie Todd, ImprovEverywhere is an organization unlike any other, with its missionary theatrical performances craftily entwined with comedic innovation. Playing pranks citywide with theatrically trained agents, they actively involve their audience in their unexpected and improvisational displays.

‘I hope our missions always stand for the same thing they stand for now: showing people that bringing laughter and smiles to people in public places can be hilarious, fun, and rewarding,’ Charlie Todd remarks.

Although some of the missions are solely acted out by the members of the organization, there are times when the public can join in and become a part of ImprovEverywhere for the day. Two events that the public can participate in on an annual basis are the No Pants Subway Rides and the Mp3 Experiments, which consists of an array of people downloading the same track to their Mp3 player and acting it out at the same place and time.

‘Our smaller missions are usually limited to those who have been with the group for long periods of time, but there are always opportunities to get involved with our larger missions. No experience is required, just a desire to have fun and an ability to keep a straight face,’ Todd explains on his website.

Throughout the eight years since the organization’s inception, there have been approximately 80 missions acted out. Some of the missions that have mesmerized people and transpired a change in their lives have been the Human Mirror (in which identical twins wearing the same attire rode the subway creating an illusion of a mirror image), Food Court Musical and Even Better Than The Real, where agents pretended to be U2 and performed on a rooftop.

ImprovEverywhere came into existence when Todd was mistaken by the public for musician Ben Folds at a West Village Bar. From this simple mistake his first mission evolved and gave him the reason to start the organization. Although it was this unanticipated mission which started the organization, it certainly was not the first time Todd had conceived such prank ideas, however he had never expected that his thoughts would be followed with such merit.

‘I was just a 22 year-old-kid fresh out of college who was ambitious enough to go out and do new things and smart enough to document them well online,’ Todd said.

When Todd is not coming up with new ideas for ImprovEverywhere, and not working on the organization’s website, he teaches improvisation in the UCB Theatre in New York City and performs in various colleges. For him and his co-workers, ImprovEverywhere is a dream come true that came into existence by being in the right place at the right time. With hope and ambition Todd awaits what the future will bring to not only to the organization but also to the people that they bring chaos and joy to.

‘Clearly we have managed to stand out. I think we had an advantage that we started doing this work in the age of digital cameras and digital video,’ Todd comments.

With conviction and excitement, ImprovEverywhere brew their upcoming missions in secret, missions that will change people’s lives forever by giving them a story they can share for the rest of their life.

Image courtesy of ImprovEverywhere.com