Home. About Us. Productions. News. Press.

"The fledgling anarcho-theatricalists of the Mild Dementia troupe recapture the spirit and adventure of the old after-hours avant-garde."

1999 - 2005

Sketch comedy. Improvisation. Musical Revue. Abstraction. Metaphysics. Quantum Theory. Snappy Patter. Performance Art. The Paranormal. Happy Doom Box. Unicorns. MILD DEMENTIA.

In the winter of 1999 five individuals gathered after-hours in a high school auditorium and began a series of improvisational exercises. Out of this came a revolving cast of performers who, with a couple of rolling cargo trunks, a handful of written sketches and more guts than they have brains, have performed all over the north Texas area.

From coffee shops, cultural centers, and cafes to blackbox theatres, taverns, and even outdoor festivals MILD DEMENTIA continues to present their unique form of subversive cabaret. They have presented several completely original productions (material is written almost exclusively by the performers) with titles like AREN'T I PRETTY!?!, THE HO! SHOW, MORE THAN FRIENDS..., and CAREENING IS A SKILL.

In June of 2000 Audacity Productions teamed up with Dallas, Texas based ProgreXssive Arts to co-produce and expand the troupe. This advantageous partnership lasted until the winter of 2003.

In the fall of 2001, the troupe got an upgrade and changed it's name to the Mild Dementia Continuous-Play Variety Hour. The troupe started to expand its scope beyond conventional comedy performance to a more innovative, more subversive, more theatrical aesthetic. It began to embraced a hybrid format.

In August of 2002, after an extended hiatus and a near-disbanding, Mild Dementia underwent a total "overhaul"... stripping down to a four-person live performance troupe, setting plans in motion to produce a television show, and just going all-out hard-core in its ideas of what performance can do. Now the group performs prodigiously, with an aesthetic never-before-seen-by-man-or-beast: daring, kick-ass and totally unconventional.

From 2002 to 2005, besides performing regularly around Dallas, the troupe toured to Austin and Tulsa, and had the pleasure of hosting Austin-based improv troupe WELL HUNG JURY on a split performance bill. In January of 2004, MD was one of several troupes honored with being the inaugural performers in the brand-new West End Comedy Theatre in downtown Dallas. The troupe also performed collaborations with Austin troupe GRAVY and Dallas hip-hop group H.A.R.D. COMPANY.

Mild Dementia played New York's famed Improv Comedy Club in the summer of 2005 with members Will Harper, Brad McEntire and Jeff Swearingen. MD also appeared at the Dallas Comedy Festival that summer as well as at Dallas' Festival of Independent Theatres. The troupe officially folded in September of 2005. The final show was at Austin's Out of Bounds Improv Comedy Festival and Mini-Golf Tournament. Brad McEntire, the original founder, was the sole performer of that final show, which witnesses say "was a sight to behold."

The constantly revolving cast has included: Vikas Adam, Brendan Ahern, Christie Beckham, Kristin Colaneri, Jeff Cowick, Edie Ferris, Jason Fitzmaurice, William Harper, Dana Hagman, Heather Haase, Justin A.P. Jones, Tony Mendina, Brad McEntire, Rhiannon McMillen, David Miller, Audra Oakley, Jennifer Pearcy, Brent Rotunno, Jason Stuart, Carrie Sumner, Jeff Swearingen and Jennifer Wetter.

MORE FUN: For the skinny, visit the Statement of Intent or take a gander at the nifty-quaint Photo Gallery 2000-2001 or Gallery 2002-2003 of past performances. Hell, we even have some press and reviews.

* Free admission to any show for all our loyal patrons over 7 feet tall. May God have mercy on you.