Off the Cuff Funny

While Wilmington is known as the Hollywood of the East due to the film industry, it is also growing a reputation for comedy, due in large part to the efforts of DAISY FAITH, CHAD FOGLAND, and ADRIAN MONTE.

“I grew up in Raleigh and moved to Wilmington to pursue acting back in 2006, and that’s when I took my first-ever improv class through CFCC,” Faith says. “I took to improv pretty instantly and loved it. I then moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to broaden my horizons in the comedy entertainment industry. I studied at The Groundlings, The Upright Citizens Brigade, io West, The Second City, Nerdist, and many other offshoots.”

Faith ran her own indie improv night to give herself and others stage time.

“I also met my now husband, Chad Fogland, who had been studying and performing improv for years in Hollywood,” she says.

After filming in shows including How I Met Your Mother, Pretty Little Liars, and Nashville, she decided to return to North Carolina to be closer to family and immediately found a home in comedy.

“Chad and I quickly found the Dead Crow (Comedy Room) and went to an improv show that Adrian Monte was hosting,” Faith recalls. “We introduced ourselves, and he invited us to come back the next week and perform. We’ve been a solid unit ever since then, trying to educate and elevate the Wilmington comedy scene to the magic of improv and sketch comedy.”

Monte started DareDevil Improv in 2017, and the Dead Crow Improv Show presented by DareDevil Improv officially commenced in 2021.

“We had previously been performing at the Dead Crow, but then they shut down during the pandemic and ended up moving to a much bigger and nicer location where they are now on North 3rd Street,” Faith says. “Since they reopened, we’ve been performing, for free, every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. and have reached more than 200 shows and counting. The show is new and fresh every week and consists of short-form improv, which is quick improv games like Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

Faith says the group currently has two rotating house teams that each consist of about eight people who practice their improv skills regularly and then put on a new show each week.

In addition to performing, DareDevil Improv hosts classes to encourage others to get started.

“In these classes, you learn short-form and long-form improv, and these classes are great for people who want to meet friends, act like a kid again, have fun in a supportive environment, or for people who want to pursue this more seriously and get on stage one day,” Faith says.

Other activities include sketch writing lessons and workshops throughout the year, focusing on different comedy skills.

“We also have a free jam at our Sidecar show, which is the second Thursday of every month at Waterline Brewing, so people can try getting on stage before they commit to taking a class,” Faith says.

Their flagship show takes place once a month at the Cargo District’s Azalea Station, 1502 Castle Street.

“We use the best of our DareDevil talent to put on this one-of-a-kind show,” Faith says. “This show is Whose Line Is It Anyway? meets Saturday Night Live. We weave short-form improv and written sketches within the show, ending with some long-form improv and a fun musical element to create a one-of-a-kind night. The show is packed with variety.”

DareDevil Improv has big plans for the future.

“While we’d still perform weekly at the Dead Crow, we’d like to expand to provide more weekend shows,” Faith says, adding that they started a fundraiser to help with the goal of securing a home-base theater “to provide more performance opportunities for our performers as well as more hilarious shows for our Wilmington community.”

Their goal is to raise $20,000, both through an online campaign through April 29 and their in-person fundraiser show.

Faith describes the local improv scene as a “very welcoming and supportive community.”

“We just want to make people laugh and bring some lightness and fun to the community,” she says. “With comedy, you have to trust yourself, trust your fellow improviser, and jump and trust the process. You have to be brave to get on stage and make people laugh. Be fearless. Be a DareDevil.”

To view more of photographer Madeline Gray’s work, go to madelinegrayphoto.com.

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