Local citizens may soon clamor for jury duty after catching wind of Synergy Theater's world premiere production Jan. 16-26 of "Improvised Law & Order: A Spontaneous Mockery of Justice" at Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts. Based on the longtime Emmy-winning television series "Law & Order," the improvised play will feature nine actors playing about 12 characters each evening, including Kenn Adams, from left above, and Addam Ledamyen as Detective Steel and Assistant District Attorney McKinney.
Folks in the East Bay and possibly beyond will be clamoring to be called up for jury duty after catching wind of Synergy Theater's upcoming world premiere production of "Improvised Law & Order: A Spontaneous Mockery of Justice."
Based on the longtime Emmy Award-winning television series "Law & Order," the full-length play Jan. 16-26 at Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts follows the show's two-part format. In Act I, a murder is committed, law enforcement officers pursue leads and a suspect is arrested. In Act II, the prosecution of the case by two assistant attorneys shifts from the streets to a courtroom trial. Nine actors play about 12 characters each evening.
"The personal stories of the suspect, victim and their families are decided in the first act and continue during the trial in Act II," says Kenn Adams, Synergy Theater's artistic director and one of its actors (synergytheater.com/2024-2025-season). "It's completely different every show because it's structured around the characters and story elements suggested by audiences during the first act.
"By the end of Act II, we're in court prosecuting the case. After the majority of the trial, the audience becomes the jury and decides the verdict."
The verdict, taken by calling for a "shout-out" from the audience in support of one conclusion or another, ends on a rousing, lively note. Throughout the play, the company's skilled actors and rigorous preparation process results in moments of intense drama and, equally, comedy, zany happenstance, satire and abundant surprise.
In fact, the actors must embrace the element of surprise, because while they are practiced in the dexterous, exacting skill of improvisation, the intent going into the show's second half is to not hold preconceived notions. During intermission, they limit themselves to reviewing character names and important things that happened as the story was "made" in Act I.
"Everybody needs a refresher on names, and someone might have misheard something or the implicit input from the audience needs clarification," says Adams. "But we don't allow ourselves to talk about what might happen in Act II. We want it to be spontaneous when we go back onstage."
Spontaneity and expertise in the craft of theatrical improvisation are Synergy Theater's signature features. The company applies its structured exercises and three "rules of improvisation" not only on stage but in workshops led for the general public, schools and corporate clients such as Chevron, Manpower International, Integris Health and others.
In addition to being spontaneous, the two other rules are to make partners look good and to build on each other's ideas. In rehearsals for the show, chemistry builds between the ensemble and central themes related to the crime are explored. The established structure of the longest-running live-action scripted American primetime series has proven to be a remarkable tool.
"The 'walk and talk' as police partners work the crime scene, closely canvas surrounding neighborhoods and travel to other locations in search of the suspect allows the two actors playing cops to build rapport especially. The audience has to believe they've worked together for years and can read each other's minds," says Adams.
The two cops also debate the topics that expand each show beyond a single crime to larger issues, such as gun control; government regulation or oversight of parents and child caretakers; or how AI technology is a curse and blessing to humanity.
"We have a hatful of suggested topics, and, pulling each out, we do one-minute scenes and discuss them," Adams says.
The current show led to conversations and rehearsal exercises that examined concepts of justice, systemic institutional racism, the power of the courts and America's inequities within legal settings.
"I've been wanting to do this show for a long time. The bottom line is 'Law & Order' has been my favorite show since I started watching it," Adams says. "The genres of police procedural and courtroom drama are my favorites in the world. The show taps into so many important issues within a meticulous, complex story format."
Adams' primary concern -- one that held back Synergy from doing the show in 2020 and any other year until now -- was timing and sensitivity. The deaths of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor and other unarmed people of color in police confrontations had amplified allegations of institutional racism and serious social injustice that dominated headlines. He says the time was not righ to present a show with satirical, comedic content.
"I wanted to deal with those issues on stage in a way that was thoughtful and respectful. We have been, were and are always continually aware of the pitfalls of the American justice system, but I didn't want it to come off as dismissive. We work in a comedic medium, and the danger was inadvertently appearing to suggest something's not important."
Because Synergy's shows are decided upon a year in advance of becoming full productions on stage, Adams says predicting the political "temperature" of early 2025 was impossible and that it was a risk as it is every time. He says he eventually realized and accepted that a completely safe time does not exist.
"The energy of our shows is about reflecting the world we are living in. There can be no guarantee of the political attitudes in forecasting real life either."
The only sure things are that Synergy's handling of law and order will be spontaneous, dramatic, comedic, thoughtful and the final scenes left up to the actors and audience to determine. For tickets or more details online, visit bit.ly/4fGM4oA.