There’s a ‘HEIST!’ afoot: Local sketch team presents new comedy show

Saanvi Vootla, Contributing Writer 

Legs Akimbo, a sketch team at the Coalition Theater, performed their comedy routine ‘Heist!’ on Aug. 28 and 30. The team created a false backstory of stealing another team’s sketch and was considered “disgraced” by the theater director. Nonetheless, fueled by the director’s fictitious disappointment, they planned the biggest heist of their lives. 

Adrienne Thompson, assistant coach and cast member, auditioned to join Legs Akimbo in late 2023 and officially became part of the team in 2024.

“I have been involved in theater my whole life, and got back into it when I started taking sketch classes here at the Coalition Theater while studying at William and Mary,” Thompson said.

After the fictional disbanding at the beginning of the sketch, the team reunited to steal the most valuable prize there is: “the power of friendship,” through an intense heist at the “Five Seasons Hotel and Casino.” The team used their creation of a holographic model of the casino, successfully stealing the diamond, or the “power of friendship.”

The show was sarcastic and light-hearted, emphasizing the importance of friendship and teamwork. 

Late-night meetings, casual chats and ideas thrown around helped shape the show, and they perform what everyone agrees upon, according to Thompson. Time was split between writing, creating the props and rehearsing.

“We would make cuts from the scripts based on the whole shape of the show, the energy and pacing,” Thompson said. 

Co-artistic director Josh Blubaugh has been doing sketch comedy since high school. He found it hard to get support for sketch comedy at the theater, he stated. He enjoys his role as director, as he gets to support upcoming performers.

“Sketch at the theater was very sparse, and it was hard to get a budget or support,” Blubaugh stated. “As an artistic director, I get to mentor new talent and help people develop their silliest ideas.” 

Organizing the shows with Blubaugh was a smooth and stress-free process, artistic director Kimberly Nario stated in an email.

Writing a show set in a fictional space provided Legs Akimbo with a way to express their creativity, according to Preston Bradsher, the team’s coach. 

“I’m a firm believer in the magic of scrappy theater, and I think we’ve been able to do some really special things with very limited resources,” Bradsher stated in an email. “I couldn’t be more grateful for this incredibly dedicated team; they work so hard to put on the silliest shows.”

Legs Akimbo will perform their final show in November, according to Bradsher. Tickets are available on Coalition Theater’s website.