Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

Two lawyers, a marketing specialist, a graphic artist, a classical musician, a scientist, a college kid and an 11-year-old girl walk onto a stage…

Familiar?

Probably not. Unless, that is, you happened to catch the first performance of Imagined Reality, Bainbridge Island’s newest improv comedy group, at Rolling Bay Hall back in July. The troupe played to a full house, despite little public notice, and received much acclaim ­— including high praise from Island Treasure award winner George Shannon.

The playful pose is set to return to the Lynwood stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. Tickets, $10 per person — $7 for students, seniors and military — are on sale now. Visit www.brownpapertickets.com (search ‘Imagined Reality Improv’) to purchase.

The comedic cadre, like so many other great ideas, began in a basement, about nine months ago — just for fun.

Founding member Tyler Weaver’s basement, specifically.

“Some of us have been doing improv together for years in a class,” Weaver said. “I wanted to get a group together to do more shows and get us up on stage more often so I invited a group of people to get together in my basement every week.”

The riotous roster changed a bit, a few names were added and some fell away, before the group established the cast that performed their first show. The support of the community, of audience members and fellow performers alike, encouraged Imagined Reality to stick with it, said fellow founding member Andrejs M. Zommers.

“That’s the amazing thing, I think, about doing a group like this someplace like Bainbridge Island,” Zommers said. “You’ve got a lot of talented people, but then you find that unlike someplace like L.A. where people are like, ‘We’ve got our turf,’ everyone here’s been incredibly supportive with advice and encouraging. It’s been a great thing.”

The group’s diverse cast of characters also includes Michelle Allen, Nancy Peterson, Patrick Ryan, Alex Sanso, Rose Weaver and Tãlis Zommers.

In a world of individualized entertainment options, personalized streaming services and customized content available in the comfort of one’s own home, it might be easy for some to concoct doomsday predictions for live theater and comedy shows. But instead the experience of attending such a performance has become all the more cherished by most people, Weaver said.

“I see a real surge in it, not just on Bainbridge but all over,” he said. “We’ve had great reception, especially being a new group, right up front. I think people really like the freshness of improv and comedy.

“Kind of the key recipe that we’ve got, that seems to be working so far, is that if we’re having a good time I think the audience comes with us.”

Zommers agreed, adding that improv especially boasts an extremely direct relationship between performers and audience members that’s not seen in many other disciplines.

“We’re all the same in improv in that you’re a blank slate that stuff’s going on,” he said.

“I don’t want to say improv is like magic, but in that same sense of people don’t know what to expect and all of a sudden you’re up there, they give you a suggestion, they’re expecting something and you go, ‘Boom! There’s a rabbit out of a hat.’ And the surprise and the, ‘Hey, that’s cool,’ is what I think works.”

The exciting idea of seeing a show that is truly unique, never quite the same twice, is at the heart of improv, Weaver said.

“There’s a vibrance to seeing a performance that you’ll never see again,” he explained. “It’s not going to be the same the next night. Especially in improv, there’s a real give and take with the audience.

“I think it’s more noticeable because we are so isolated in our other lives,” he added. “Working on computers or on your phone all the time, it really gives people a chance to get out and see people actually do things and be there for the experience.”

For more information about Imagined Reality Improv, visit www.irimprov.com or www.facebook.com/IRImprov.

Lots of laughs

What: Imagined Reality Improv’s second comedy show.

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.

Where: Rolling Bay Hall (10598 NE Valley Road.)

Admission: Tickets are $10, or $7 for students, seniors and military, and are on sale at www.brownpapertickets.com (search ‘Imagined Reality Improv’).