The renowned art of improvised comedy, as made famous by groups the world over, has finally hit Johannesburg with full force with a talented and fearless group of comedy & musical improvisers taking the form to venues throughout the city and spreading the laughter. Improvised comedy theatre, better known as improv, is a form of theatre where all of what is performed is created on the spot, with little or no pre planning. Both long & short forms of the style exist, short form being a series of short scenes constructed from pre determined games. Shortform improv has been made famous by popular television shows “Saturday Night Live” & “Whose Line is it anyway?”. In longform, performers create a full show that may take the form of an existing type and genre of theatre. When performed by seasoned professionals, it results in a show with plenty surprises and loads of laughter, and while improv is popular in cultural hotspots the world over, its a style rarely seen in Johannesburg.. and that’s where the Jittery Citizens come in. A newly formed company by 3 seasoned improvisors: Jessica Taylor, Alex Radnitz and Claudine Ullman, the Jittery Citizens are serious about bringing the funny with their unscripted, unprepared and often unbelievable shows. The group have put together an all star cast of comedy & musical improvisors gathering some of the country’s best talent who promise to have audiences in stitches with their on stage shenanigans. Award winning performers, Toni Morkel, James Cairns, Alex Radnitz, Mpho Osei-Tutu, Mongi Mtombeni, Lindi Matshikiza, Bruce J Little, Claudine Ullman & Jess Taylor make up the cast, with the one and only Tony Bentel on the keyboard improvising a full soundtrack for each show. Having only formed the company in late 2012, the Jittery Citizens have already performed at numerous venues throughout Joburg, including sold out shows at Sandton Theatre on the Square as well as performing in their monthly regular spot at the POPArt Theatre in downtown Johannesburg. Company co-founder Claudine Ullman says “The audience response has been phenomenal, with most of our audiences having a really hard time believing that its something that we make up on the spot. We’re really starting to develop a following of regular audiences, because, of course, no show is ever the same... It’s the kind of thing you can watch night after night and never get bored”.POPArt Theatre co owner, Hayleigh Evans, echoes these sentiments “Improv has been one of our strongest brands at POPArt and something we have had on the bill since the theatre started 2 years ago. The best shows for us are shows where people leave on an absolute high, which is something Jittery Citizens has really brought to the table. They’ve also brought in a new dimension to improv, paying attention to offering great production value with quality performers and by adding a proper musical element. The audiences are lapping it up”. Sibusiso Mkwanazi of the Citizen newspaper sums a regular Jittery Citizens show up perfectly, “The performers charged with ensuring laughter set scenes, dream up characters and compose songs on the spot, according to the audience’s random suggestions. The improvisational comedy provided in Jittery Citizens is not a form of entertainment that is readily available on stages, so to see such high-calibre entertainers get it so right is refreshing. Who needs preparation and a script when you have wit?” Jittery Citizens perform on the last Saturday of every month at the POPArt Theatre and will be making an appearance at the Grahamstown festival this year. The Jittery Citizens also offer corporate training and workshops, applying the skills and processes used in improv as an educational and business tool. “Skills learned through improv can often be applied to and enhance communication and brainstorming skills and is really useful in companies for conflict resolution, for example”, says Alex Radnitz.