Uncharted Waters is an evening of totally unscripted entertainment! The duo Ben Gardner's Boat will be taking the stage to weave tales out of thin air and audience suggestions! November 13th at Boughton Place in Highland, NY. Just a stones throw from fine dining and night life in New Paltz! Doors open at 6:30. Show starts at 7pm shark! I mean 7pm sharp! Admission is $12.75 online or $15 at the door.
Watch in wonder as the performance duo, Ben Gardner's Boat, creates characters and scenes from nothing but inspiration! The spark that lights up the stage may even come from YOU! Watch as Ben Gardner's Boat dives deep into mysterious territory without a map! Experience comedy, tragedy, and explore the unknown! We'll all find out what happens together!
Ben Gardner’s Boat Is the performance duo of Walt Batycki and Jennifer Lavenhar who have been performing together in various troupes and as a duo for 14 years. BEN GARDNER'S BOAT performs live unscripted moments and plays inspired by audience ideas, with a focus on character and narrative. Jennifer & Walt have performed hundreds of shows together in New York's Capital region and the Hudson Valley as well as festivals in several states.
The duo will perform two of their most popular acts:
Jen & Kevin is a show that explores the relationship of a married couple as they navigate their ordinary extraordinary life. Coming from drastically different backgrounds, Jen and Kevin offer a unique experience of blended diversity, where being truly human can sometimes shine in the most inhuman moments.
In Hold That Thought! The two actors create characters inspired by audience experiences and explore relationship dynamics and the absurd complexity and humor of having to deal with other humans. This is a fourth Wall breaking show where the audience is often called upon to offer advice to the characters within and the performers may take on multiple roles, often switching places with one another.
And on November 13th Ben Gardner's Boat will be premiering a new format: "What Are We Doing Up Here?" an exploration in comedy rooted in the human need to create stories about people we don't really know. Do you really know anyone? Do you really know yourself?
Ben Gardner's Boat will also be performing with special guests, such as Maria Ayoob of the improv troupe Maria's Basement!
And as if that wasn't enough, they'll also be joined by Cardboard Box! Cardboard Box is S Riley Hart and Hayes M. Fields II !!! They will be performing Cardboard Box!!!! It's improv! It's scenes! What's in the box?!?!?!?! Come tell them! Whatever it is will inspire something no one has ever seen before! Cardboard Box is fully improvised entertainment that ranges from silly to touching. The duo invites the audience to provide inspiration via a cardboard box; then they create an original scene on the spot. You just have to see it!Cardboard Box has performed recently at Ninepin Cider Works in Albany and the annual Carrot Festival in Niskayuna.
Walt Batycki is a writer, puppeteer, and creator of interactive fiction. His experience spans animation production, audio drama, and theme park design. He creates haunt attractions, and has voiced everything from talking holiday trees to otherworldly demons. He currently produces Uncharted Waters, a series of shows at Boughton Place (Highland, NY), where unscripted plays are featured.
Jennifer Lavenhar is a ballet teacher, dancing clown, and actor. Since 2016, she’s been a member of the Mop and Bucket Company (Schenectady, NY), where she also teaches. Jennifer’s improv journey began under the mentorship of Nancy Ponder as a founding member of Without Annette. Jennifer is passionate about using improv as a tool for connection and creative discovery. She’s taught workshops at festivals across the U.S. and internationally.
Maria Ayoob discovered improv in middle age and regrets all the years spent not celebrating failure. She has taken classes at the Mopco Improv Theatre and the Hideout Theatre and has performed with the Mop and Bucket Company since 2020. She is passionate about the applications of improv in life and work and loves the tickly delighted feeling of watching brilliant people make spontaneous magic. She has been running workshops at the Mopco Theatre as well as teaching ROOM TO IMPROV...E alongside Hayes M Fields II (Another talented friend and performer) with Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY at First Congregational Church of Albany.
Hayes M. Fields II has been in front of audiences practically since birth. As a child, he sang with his mother and his sisters in a well-known gospel group, aptly named the Fields Singers. He was introduced to theatre formally through the Harlem Children's Theater Company and performed in Europe and Africa, as well as on most of the major stages and Off-Broadway stages in New York City. Hayes went on to appear in films, write his own scripts and music, produce music videos, and move to the Capital Region. He sang with popular local party band The Refrigerators in the early 2000s and has appeared in numerous productions with Park Playhouse, Capital Repertory Theatre, and the Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York. His most recent projects include launching the talk show Various Fields on YouTube and exercising his comedy muscles as a member of both a house team and the mainstage company at The Mopco Improv Theatre.
S Riley Hart caught the performance bug in mid-life and was a member of the improv troupe Down The Rabbit Hole for several years. She's performed in dozens of shows at the Mopco Theatre in Schenectady, NY.
More Special Guests to be Announced Soon!
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