By Peter Lindblad
Clearly, the improv comedy troupe 5 Swipes Left has no fear of rejection.
At the risk of blowing that feeble attempt at humor with an explanation, for those not used to online dating, the phrase “swipe left” comes from Tinder, and it refers to a user passing on someone’s profile by – you guessed it – swiping left.
5 Swipes Left is a confluence of five comedians who shared the stage together in various comedy shows before taking shape as an improv unit in 2020. With their eclectic and varied backgrounds, they are well-versed in both short form and long-form improv, although long-form is their calling card.
Nathan Block is one of the members, along with Merit West, Connor McCarthy, Andie Moore, Kenton Holden and Tiffany Parks Roberts. The math doesn’t exactly add up, but that’s okay.
Special guests include Victor Littlejohn, Remy Argentum and Sally Anne-Hunt.
Presented by Jakub with a K Comedy, 5 Swipes Left is set to perform in Holcombe, Wisconsin, on Saturday, May 28 for a night of dinner and improv at the Lake House.
Block took time out to answer a few questions and introduce 5 Swipes Left to the world:
How would you say long-form improv is different from other forms, and what does it allow you to do?
Nathan Block: Long form allows you to develop a more complex scene with deeper characters and ultimately richer comedy. Short form improv is defined by the rules of the game that you are playing, therefore the humor is very narrow in scope. Long form allows players to flex their acting muscles and use acting traits to enhance the comedy of the scene.
Where’s the most interesting place you’ve performed?
NB: We’ve performed a number of times at House of Comedy at the Mall of America, which always has a very savvy comedic crowd – they keep us on our toes!
What is the strangest improv scenario you’ve been a part of?
NB: We were given a strange suggestion that we ended up taking pretty much by accident, which led to us re-enacting a science fiction convention with all sorts of very strange goings on. The ending of the scene was my character urinating in his pants on the dance floor of the convention.
How do you save a scene that starts out as a disaster, and have you ever been a part of one you’ve been able to turn around?
NB: Sometimes you cannot save a scene and it is better to just cut your losses, start a new one and acknowledge your mistake. You cannot fool an audience. If the scene is bad, you just start a new one. Starting over is infinitely better than subjecting the audience to a self-defeating rescue mission.
What sorts of characters do you enjoy playing and have there been any you’ve created on the fly that have endured?
NB: I personally love playing crotchety old men or animals. I played a flying pig once which got a lot of laughs.
Bonus question:
Who are some of your favorite improv performers?
NB: My favorite performer of all time is Greg Proops from the original UK version of “Whose Line is it Anyway.” That guy is a genius! I had the opportunity to meet him a few years back and I’ll never forget that experience.