Improv Fueled by the Audience (and Red Bull)

The Upright Citizens Brigade comedy-training schools have produced so many hot names in the industry that you never know if the performers you’re seeing on its stages in New York and Los Angeles will be the next Aziz Ansari, Kate McKinnon, Jack McBrayer, or Rob Corddry.

But you don’t have to trek all the way to Manhattan or Los Angeles to catch the Upright Citizens Brigade. Its touring company is coming to Guild Hall next Thursday for a 90-minute improvised comedy show that will call on audience members to play a role in its direction.

According to Andy Bustillos, an Upright Citizens Brigade performer who will appear in the show next Thursday, the first half will involve an interview with an audience member and an instantaneous sketch performance based on the questions and answers given during that interview. In the second half, the comedians will ask audience members to read them text messages from their cellphones without any context and will then perform off-the-cuff bits based on those messages.

“It’s free-improvised and nothing is planned ahead of time,” said Mr. Bustillos, who hails from Astoria, Queens.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Tour Co. features a lineup of 16 comedians who perform all over the country in groups of four that frequently change. The particular group of four coming to Guild Hall, which also includes A.J. Patton, Tanner Dahlin, and Lui Vega, has never performed together before, which has the potential to make the show even more intriguing, Mr. Bustillos said. Another aspect that makes this show different is the venue itself.

“We’re used to colleges with 18 to 21-year-olds, so it will be interesting to see what kind of interview we get, what kind of stories we hear, and what makes people laugh in that room, because it’s different in every place,” Mr. Bustillos said.

Mr. Bustillos has been training with the Upright Citizens Brigade for about six years and has a background in acting as well as comedy, having appeared in commercials for companies including Taco Bell, Delta Airlines, and Trojan Condoms. He described Mr. Dahlin as “a gentleman cowboy” who is “super goofy and wonderful.” He said Mr. Patton “has a great mustache and is very, very funny.” And Mr. Vega “is a very, very good actor” whose style is intense.

The show promises to be high energy, as the performers have been known to down Red Bull energy drinks minutes before they hit the stage, Mr. Bustillos said.

The Upright Citizens Brigade’s comedy school was started in 1997 by Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh, a heavy-hitting, long-form sketch comedy quartet from Chicago. The show next Thursday starts at 8 p.m.; tickets are $22 to $45, or $20 to $43 for Guild Hall members. It is recommended for those ages 16 and up.

“It’s always so much fun,” Mr. Bustillos said. “Because you interview someone from the space, everyone feels connected to the show. What we’re doing is based off of that and they can relate to it very clearly.”