Wild tales, animals, improvisation and an energetic, crazy cast set the scene for Baker University’s production of “Story Theatre,” where patrons should expect to be surprised.

“Story Theatre” debuted Thursday and continues at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday. A matinee showing will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday in Rice Auditorium.

Assistant Professor of Theater Tom Heiman directs the production and said things on the set were crazy while preparing for the play.

Heiman explained the improvisation-based play is the brainchild of Paul Sills, co-founder of The Second City, a long-running improvisational comedy troupe based in Chicago.

Heiman said the unpredictability of the show has garnered it much fame.

“It was nominated for a Tony (Award) on Broadway because nobody had ever seen anyone get this crazy,” Heiman said.

Baker’s “Story Theatre” consists of 18 improvised stories based on Aesop’s fables.

“I picked the show because we haven’t done anything like this in a while,” Heiman said.

He said 12 cast members were each playing several parts and said they have been out of control on the set.

“I auditioned for nuts, and I got them,” Heiman said.

Freshman Robert Linebarger said audience members should “expect the unexpected.”

“People are going to freak out,” Linebarger said.

Though this is Linebarger’s first production at Baker, he said he had four years’ experience with improvisational theater in high school and is enjoying tackling his many parts.

“(My characters) all are pretty much just characters that I do,” Linebarger said. “I put a little Robert Goulet into the master thief (one of the play’s characters). I put a little Justin Hawkins into the Cock.”

Linebarger said the improvisation is his favorite part of the show.

“I’m allowed to just make stuff up,” Linebarger said. “I wasn’t allowed to do that before, and now I can, which is awesome.”

Heiman said a plethora of creative characters are included in “Story Theatre”.

“We have stoners and guys that think they’re suave, but they’re not,” Heiman said. “My favorites are the animal characters because they are just like rock stars or car salesmen.”

The set of “Story Theatre” is arranged like an improvisational comedy club, which Heiman said contributes to the flow of the production.

“The idea is they don’t know what story they’re going to tell when they get up to tell it,” Heiman said.

Senior Cole Ridley plays the part of an anchorman in the show.

“I’m basically the narrator of the fairy tales,” Ridley said. “It’s hard to not be influenced by Will Ferrell.”

Ridley said working with improvisational theater has been exciting.

“Everything that I say is out of my head or Tom’s head,” Ridley said. “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to say until I say it, which might get me into trouble.”

Sophomore Claire Norland said she has enjoyed working on the comedy show.

“It’s just comprised of fairy tales thrown together in a ridiculous type of way,” Norland said.

Audience members should come ready for comedy, Norland said.

“It’s full of surprises,” Norland said. “People should prepare to laugh a lot.”

Junior Hali Jewell said students shouldn’t come expecting the average fable.

“Don’t expect it to be like actual fairy tales or to come see the traditional because it’s not,” Jewell said. “It’s funny.”

Ridley said the play has been a labor of love for the cast.

“It’s pretty much our play,” Ridley said. “We’ve tried so many things, and what’s worked out is what we’ve stuck with.”

Norland said she has loved doing improvisational work in this production.

“That’s all the fun of it,” Norland said. “There’s never a dull moment.”

Heiman said the cast has been solid throughout the time working on the show.

“We just have had a lot of fun these past five weeks,” Heiman said. “At one point one guy threatened to quit because he said he couldn’t laugh that hard for another few weeks – he was making himself sick from laughing so hard.”