Causing a Scene

Charlie Todd's Improv Everywhere group has "agents" who go on "missions", to create a scene. In "Causing a Scene", he shares how the ideas for missions come about, how they are planned and executed, and the inevitable aftermath when the cops get involved. Sometimes they are called pranks, but I don't see them as pranks. To me a prank is something that tries to make someone look foolish or silly. Improv Everywhere's mission is more to create a memorable experience for the onlookers, give them a good story to talk about later on. One of my favorites was the time they staged an author event at a local Barnes & Noble, featuring Anton Chekhov, the long dead Russian playwright. They had one of their actors dress up like him and deliver a talk to an unsuspecting crowd gathered at the store. Another good one was the time 80 of their agents dressed up in blue polos and khakis and wandered into a local Best Buy. It was hilarious and sounds like they have a lot of fun.