I don't like improv. Call me a traitor to my theater geek roots (argh, excuse me, theatre), but I just... don't like it. Sometimes the form just seems so half-assed. Elements of stand up comedy but without the salient persona to latch on to? Elements of theater but without, you know, really good playwriting?

Buuuuuut, for Wing-It Production's Lease, I will give it a chance. "You can not like theatre or musicals, and still like Lease," says cast member Nick Edwards, "It's a bit of a different animal. Something about [it] being improvised makes [it] all the better." Plus, it's based on RENT. And as someone who was in high school in the 90s, I have a soft spot for RENT, okay?

Though modeled on RENT, Lease puts Seattle stereotypes in place of East Village types. "My character wears skinny jeans," winks Nick. Coffee and passive-aggressiveness will no doubt make guest appearances too.

I was a little bummed to see that the theater selections for Bumbershoot were so improv-heavy this year. But I can see why the form is so festival-friendly: it's lighthearted and funny, low on sets and props, and can be adapted to fit any length or any crowd. And in the case of Lease, I think it'll actually be a damn good time. Any last words, Nick?

"Because we're the last slot on the last day, we kind of like to think of ourselves as headlining Bumbershoot. Us and the Black Eyed Peas."

Get your Lease on at 6:15pm at the Theater Puget Sound stage. For the rest of the Bumbershoot schedule, click here.