Former Whistlerite David Milchard wants to be clear: Despite its name, The Comic Strippers is not an actual X-rated strip show.
"It's a parody," he says. "We don't actually strip and I think that's good for everybody involved."
Made up of four of Canada's top improvisers: actor Milchard, the star of the hit web series Convos with My 2 Year Old; Roman Danylo, star of CTV's Comedy Inc.; Ken Lawson, star of the APTN sitcom, Health Nutz; and Canadian Comedy Award winner Chris Casillan, the Comic Strippers is a fictitious male stripper troupe who decide they deserve more respect. How do they go about earning that respect? Well, by enrolling in an improv class, of course.
"We basically do improv scenes with our shirts off and after each scene, the music plays and we have to dance because when there's music, we're unable to control our bodies—they just go," Milchard explains.
Although it is 19-plus, Milchard says the show is designed to appeal to multiple generations and genders; in their promotional materials, The Comic Strippers make a point of inviting men who may have apprehension to attend—if only to look better by comparison. "Some of the performers have what's called 'Comedy Bodies,'" their website reads.
Inspired by the popular Australian male revue Thunder from Down Under, The Comic Strippers' show takes a lighthearted look at the world of buff, greased-up erotic dancers in the vein of Chippendales. But with its body-positive message, the show ends up being so much more.
When it comes down to it, Milchard says, The Comic Strippers are all about "celebrating what you have, rocking what you got.
"There's a really positive energy at our shows," he continues. "The audience comes and supports us, and we support them. It's a fun celebration of who you are and what you are."
A seasoned improviser of nearly 20 years, Milchard says performing half-nude has actually been a liberating experience.
"I certainly don't find myself feeling awkward in any way—I actually feel more free than I ever have," he notes.
Milchard, who lived in Whistler between 1998 and 2001 and now calls Vancouver home, has earned a fair bit of buzz through his YouTube channel, which has amassed more than 125 million views, not to mention turns in a pair of Netflix series, Altered Carbon and Haters Back Off!, but he always returns to his love of improv.
"Improv is a very powerful force in my life. It is something that started about 18 years ago and it changed my life, for sure," he says. "Some of the basic principles of improv are really great tools to use in life: to say yes, to listen, to make the other person look good, to build on ideas—and also accept your own ideas."
Winners of the 2016 Canadian Comedy Award for Best Live Performance, The Comic Strippers have built their reputation from the ground up, banking on word of mouth and other grassroots marketing to build their profile. Since being founded six years ago, they have performed across Canada, the U.S. and Australia.
"It's been a whirlwind of an adventure. We started out doing shows in front of, like, 30 people, and now we do shows in front of, sometimes, 1,000 people," Milchard says. "When we first started, we were like, 'Are we really doing this? We're running around with our shirts off doing improv scenes, dancing and acting like fools?' But as typical improvisers do, we said 'Yes, and ... Once you walk out on that stage, you just go. You're not really thinking about anything other than improvising your shirts off. Your shirts off? Or your minds off? Maybe both: we improvise our minds and our shirts off."
The Comic Strippers play the Maury Young Arts Centre on Saturday, April 6 at 8 p.m. Tickets available at showpass.com/comicstrippers.
