Survival is Insufficient: An Improvised Comedy based on Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

"Survival is Insufficient" The talented improv comedy specialists at Ferndale’s Go Comedy club unleash laughs from contemporary literature every Wednesday in April when they take on Station Eleven, a hit dystopia suspense novel selected by the Ferndale Area District Library for their annual series of programming, “Ferndale Reads.” “It’s really a fantastic challenge,” said P.J. Jakokes, owner and producer at Go Comedy. “Usually, for improv, we get one or two words, so to be able to use an entire novel as source material, is a gift.” “Ferndale Reads” is essentially a book club hosted by the Ferndale Library with fun events for the whole city! This year’s book is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, which Vulture calls, “Unmissable...A literary page-turner, impeccably paced, which celebrates the world lost.” Ferndale Librarian Darlene Hellenberg organized a series of programs and arranged for several hundred free copies to be made available to anyone interested in participating in “Ferndale Reads.” This is the sixth installment of “Ferndale Reads” and Jackokes along with several Go Comedy performers have prepared their own show charmingly satirizing the themes and plot points of the library’s selected book, regardless of genre, be it noir detective whodunnits, horror or fantasy. “Each of the shows that we’ve done,” Jackokes said, “Have been as varied and unique as each of the books. We always try to weave in elements that people who have read the book will enjoy, while still making it accessible to everyone.” Station Eleven isn’t your typical dystopia novel; in fact, author Emily St. John Mandel’s work has been remarkable for its refreshing take on that genre. In the wake of a pandemic that devastates civilization, a Hollywood star, a zealous prophet and a nomadic group of Shakespearean actors seek salvation across scattered outposts in the Great Lakes region. Go! Comedy will contribute a fun and inventive series of performances featuring their playful spoofs, with a special series of shows, entitled “Survival is Insufficient” starting Wednesday April 6 and 13, and Thursdays April 21 and 28 (each show starts at 9:00 pm). Tickets are $10 or $5 with a valid Ferndale library card. The FB link is incorrect as the last two shows are on Thursdays, not Wednesdays.