Written by M.K. Killen
Two-person improv troupes, more commonly referred to as Duoprov or Two-prov, have rocked the comedy scene since its inception. Some names just go together, from Abbott and Costello to Key and Peele.
As improvisers, two-somes rely on chemistry and conflict to create comedy on stage. The Focus Theater’s own Total B.S., formed by B.J. Scanlon and Sarah Antao, have taken this concept in their own direction, creating an organic form rooted in mind-melding energy.
Speaking the Same Language
“When it comes to our style, we both just like silly,” Antao said.
The pair met in 2023 when Antao took a sketch comedy class taught by Scanlon and Megan Mack, another regular of the Rochester comedy scene. The two clicked immediately and decided to take it off the page and to the stage.
“Sarah’s sketches were really to my sensibility: weird and offbeat,” Scanlon added.
Both improvisers stressed the importance of building trust off stage. Spending time together and being present with one another is key to their natural flow.
“We both have long improv backgrounds and a lot of experience,” Scanlon added. “It’s really easy to trust. We speak a common language in that. I’m not afraid to try anything.”
This results in performances that feel intimate and refreshing, regardless of how often the two perform together.
“I feel a lot more accomplished after a duo show because of being that present,” Antao added.
Finding Your Flow
The duo’s personal style focuses on A to C thinking, which avoids directly reenacting an audience’s suggestion. For example, if a generator story involves salty food, the pair will move things in an entirely different direction.
“We might be two orphan children in a salt mine or slugs in a salt maze, but we’re not at any point sitting in a restaurant eating salty food,” Scanlon said.
While both performers are drawn to longform, they’ve found structures like the “Harold” don’t suit their style. This approach led Total B.S. to develop their own format.
“We have come up with a form that is really more organic than a flurry that’s defined by specific edits,” Scanlon said. “We let a joke kind of play through when we find a thread that we really like, and we follow that into the next scene.”
While this form has no official name, the duo’s title, “Total B.S.,” encompasses the spirit of what Antao and Scanlon bring to the stage. The “Total B.S.” form aims to deconstruct every element of the suggestion, focusing on feeling rather than order. Antao compares it to blending wet paint on a canvas.
“It’s about the flow of energy,” Scanlon stated. “You get the sense when you’re hitting a stride. You’re not trying to find it anymore—it’s just coming.”
Improvisers struggling to hit their stride, be present in the moment or feeling constrained by hard edits, can try their hands at “Blending Wet Paint on Canvas,” a form of organic, A to C-style, intuitive improvisation that leads to “Total B.S.” on stage.