Nothing Can Stop Four Day Weekend From Doing a Show, Not Even a Crappy Electric Grid

The Four Day Weekend comedy theater has been mounting clutch performances since its first string of impromptu shows in 1997, but last Friday the troupe’s years of experience MacGyvering a show from nothing were put to the ultimate test.

The evening started out like any usual Friday night show for the Lower Greenville theater. Every seat in the house was sold. The bartenders prepped to start shelling out drinks to the customers, who were sure to need them after enduring a brutal heat wave. Then, 10 minutes before the doors were scheduled to open, all of the lights and anything with an electric plug powered down.

“Bsssshhh, everything goes out,” says Four Day Weekend founding performer David Wilk. “We’re scrambling around our building with breakers until someone suggests that maybe it’s not us. Maybe the whole neighborhood is out.”

Sure enough, the crew ventured outside to find every street light and neighboring business had no power. The ridiculous heat wave that rolled through this summer has taken a huge toll on the state’s independent electric grid, prompting the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to urge citizens to cut down on air conditioning and large appliance usage. This most recent heat wave is the closest we’ve come to experiencing the kind of rolling blackouts we saw in the winter of 2021, according to KUT.

“Once we realize it wasn’t just us, people are starting to show up because we open the doors at 7 p.m.” Wilk says. “It’s somewhat cool in the building for a little while, and someone got a text saying it’ll probably be on by 8 p.m.”

Wilk and his fellow performers, including Daniel Matthews, Colten Winburn, Troy Grant, Marilou Canon, Bonnie Criss and keyboardist Jordan Fruge, decided to plow ahead and deliver a show.

“If you wanna stick it out at 8 p.m., much like MTV Unplugged, we’ll still do a show,” Wilk says. “The place went nuts.” 

The Four Day crew had to do the kind of scrambling and scrounging for props and set pieces that they’ll usually reserve for the finale of their show, when they re-create an audience member on stage using whatever they can find backstage. They found two large panel lights usually used for video cameras to operate as stage lights, and they hooked up an iPad to a Bluetooth speaker so Fruge could provide musical accompaniment.

“We came out dripping with sweat,” Wilk says. “The tech guy came out from the booth and sat in the front row holding two lights. All the performers were holding phones on their faces like their own personal spotlight.”

The approximately 85 people who stayed for the 45-minute show showed their approval with a standing ovation. Wilk promised everyone in attendance that their ticket would be refunded or they could come another night and get the full experience with full electrical power.

“We know they’ve planned for this with babysitters, so we’re gonna give them a show,” Wilk says. “We’ve done shows for presidents. We done shows for 5,000 people. I’m as proud of that show as I am for any of the other shows. Improv teaches you to think on your feet. This was it. That was the big plan. There’s nothing we could do except what we do, which is entertain people.”