From Improv Everywhere:

Guerrilla Handbell Strikeforce

For our latest mission, a 13-member handbell choir provided some unexpected accompaniment for a Salvation Army bell ringer on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. Enjoy the video first and then go behind the scenes with our report here.

Edited by Matt Adams / Idea by Jason Eppink
Still Photos: Katie Sokoler and Chad Nicholson
Video: Chad Nicholson, Erik Martin, Keith Haskel, Steve Marinconz, Drue Pennella & Erik Paulsen
Sound: Paul Reed

More links about Improv Everywhere here.

Submitted by Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:

The 9th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride will take place on Sunday, January 10 in New York City. More info with the meeting point and start time will be posted to our site in early January. For now, save the date. You can RSVP on Facebook.

Once again we are encouraging folks in other cities around the world to stage their own No Pants rides on the same day. Here is the list of cities who participated last year. Anyone organizing a regional No Pants event should let us know by leaving a comment on this post along with all of the necessary details. In a few weeks we will publish a list of all participating cities along with links to any Facebook events. Groups have staged the event on trolleys, light rails, and buses in the past, so don’t let a lack of subway system stop you!

If you are unfamiliar with this tradition, you can read the history here: The No Pants Subway Ride.

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:

I Love Lunch! The Musical

For our latest mission, seven undercover agents staged a spontaneous musical during lunch at the Trump Tower atrium. The mission was filmed for a segment on The Today Show and includes a cameo from Ann Curry. Check out our video and behind the scenes report.

Song by Anthony King and Scott Brown (Gutenberg! The Musical!)

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere, October 20, 2009:

Grocery Store Musical

For our latest mission, six undercover actors burst into song in a grocery store in Queens. Three minutes and lots of silly choreography later, they returned to their roles as shoppers and stock boys. It’s the long-awaited follow up to Food Court Musical!

Song by Anthony King and Scott Brown of Gutenberg! The Musical!

Visit here for the back story and lots of visuals.

To see more on The Art of the Prank about Improv Everywhere’s missions, visit here.

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:

Invisible Dogs

For our latest mission, over 2,000 people walked “invisible dogs” down the streets of Brooklyn on a Sunday afternoon. The leashes were on loan from the current owner of 51 Bergen Street, the factory space where the invisible dog toy was invented in the 1970s. Participants of all ages spread out from Red Hook to Brooklyn Heights, very seriously walking their very silly dogs. Read more and check out the photos here.

edited by Matt Adams / “The Dogs Were Let Out by Whom?” song by Tyler Walker

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere

For our latest mission, we installed a photography studio on a random subway car. We claimed that the MTA had hired us to take photos of every single person who rides the subway and that we’d be producing a yearbook at the end of the year. Most people were happy to pose for us, and the resulting photos show just how diverse New York subway riders can be. Enjoy the video first and then check out the mission report and photos below.

We collaborated with local production company Hello World on this mission. They wanted to film us for a Brazillian TV show, so we invited them to be a part of team. The show’s hosts, Agents Duarte and Martini, played the role of the “ringers”– they’d blend in with the crowd on the train and hop up to get their photo taken to encourage others to do the same. One nice thing about working with Hello World is that they specialize in shooting video with the fancy new Canon DSLR cameras. Since the Canons looked like still cameras, no one would know they were filming.

See the full story and lots of photos here.

Digital Video: Agents Adams, Yoshida, Garofalo
Digital Photography: Agent Sokoler
Portrait Photography: Agent Nicholson
Edited: Matt Adams
Score: Tyler Walker

Follow-up submitted by Josh Jasper, April 15, 2009:

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:

30 Improv Everywhere agents found a random funeral in the obituary section of the newspaper and turned it into the best funeral ever. We picked a man who had very few surviving relatives and then showed up to his funeral to make it truly awesome

Edited by Matt Adams:

Go here more info, pictures & commentary.

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere, March 18, 2009:

For our latest mission, 50 Improv Everywhere agents created an art gallery opening on the 23rd Street subway platform in Manhattan. We put up 30 placards next to objects in the space (pipes, electrical boxes, signs, advertisements), transforming them into works of art. The gallery included a bar, a coat rack, and a cellist. Enjoy the video first, and then visit here for photos, text from our placards, and reports from the agents involved.

There should be one or two big missions this spring / summer. New Yorkers, make sure you’re on the NY Agents List to get the details.

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere, January 10, 2009:

No Pants 2k9 NYC Reports

The 8th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride went off without a hitch today in New York. It’s tough to count, but we’re guessing we had between 1,200 and 1,500 participants. Riders were divided up and dispatched to 4 separate train lines. The high was 30 degrees and there was a nice steady stream of snow.

We hope to have a video ready in just a few days along with a complete report. For now, enjoy the flickr sets from our official photographers:

Agent Ilya Chigirev’s set / Agent Brian Fountain’s set / Agent Ari Scott’s set, / Agent Katie Sokoler’s set

Thanks to everyone who came out to participate, including those who came out for the 24 regional events! For more info and photos, visit here.

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:

For our latest mission, 20 Improv Everywhere agents personally welcomed home total strangers at JFK airport. Grabbing first and last names from car driver signs, we greeted strangers with personalized posters, flowers, balloons, and a 10-foot wide banner reading, “Welcome Back.”

Check it out all the photos here

In an Absolut World, Everyone Would be Welcomed Home

From Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere:

This past September I was invited by CEC ArtsLink to travel to Russia and stage an Improv Everywhere mission with local artists in the town of Petrozavodsk. Along with Kendal Henry from CEC, I worked with about 20 Russians through a small arts center in the town. We brainstormed ideas together and executed two missions during my trip. Below is the video of the first mission along with photos from the whole experience.

For the whole story, visit ImprovEverywhere.com.

Music by Tyler Walker

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:

Over 2,000 people press play at the same time on the same Mp3 and have an epic balloon battle in cities across North America. The Mp3 is a mix of original music and instructions from a voice. Participants were told to wear a red, blue, green, or yellow shirt and bring a balloon. After a series of activities, the experiment came to an end with a giant battle. Everyone was split into two teams and instructed to blow up their balloons and engage in battle. This trailer video shows footage from all 4 stops on the tour. Visit our website to see many more videos and photos. Thanks to Yahoo! for embracing our mission and making this tour possible.

Edited by Matt Adams. All music by Tyler Walker.

Check out the reports for each city and more videos and photos.

Update from Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere, September 22, 2008:

Full details are now available on our site for the upcoming Mp3 Experiments in New York City and Toronto, both happening this weekend:

New York Details / NY Facebook Event
Toronto Details / Toronto Facebook Event

Details will be available soon for San Francisco (10/4) and Chicago (10/5). All events are free and open to the public.

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere, September 16, 2008:

We’re thrilled to announce the dates of the first ever Mp3 Experiment tour. We’re partnered with Yahoo! to take our annual New York event on the road. The tour will start in
New York and will make stops in Toronto, San Francisco, and Chicago. Each event is free and open to the public.

Tour details:

The Mp3 Experiment 5: New York City
Saturday, September 27 at 3:15 PM at Governor’s Island

The Mp3 Experiment Toronto
Sunday, September 28 (time and location TBA)

The Mp3 Experiment San Francisco
Saturday, October 4 (time and location TBA)

The Mp3 Experiment Chicago
Sunday, October 5 (time and location TBA)

On Monday, September 22 we will post detailed instructions for each city and provide a link to download the mp3. Subscribe to our RSS Feed and our Newsletter to stay informed.

If you’ve never heard of The Mp3 Experiment, check out our coverage of the past four years: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004

ps: You might enjoy this prank video, Elevator Music: Tanda, I directed for Yahoo!

From Charlie Todd, Urban Prankster, August 13, 2008:

Upcoming: Ferris Bueller Parade (NYC)

New York artist Mina Karimi sent us this cool sounding request for participants:

On September 6th, I am staging a large performance art piece that requires 6-8 hundred people recreating the parade scene from Ferris Bueller at the Deitch Art Parade in Soho. I am recruiting secret agents in the audience of the parade to mimic the extras in the movie as my Ferris float approaches. In order to fully reproduce the spirit of the scene I will need at least 100 agents on each block of the parade to get the Ferris joy-ball rolling.

This is what I want to happen:

(posted on YouTube by eliasnap)

If this looks like a nice Saturday afternoon activity for you, please email me at projectbueller@gmail.com for further details and instructions.

Subject line: “Ready and Willing” if you are ready and willing. “?” if you have questions. “!” if you have a comment. (I will only be opening the “?”s and the “!”s)

From Charlie Todd, July 6, 2008:

For our latest mission, we filled a subway car with identical twins, creating a human mirror. Enjoy the video first and then check our Website for our report with tons of photos.

Edited by Matt Adams, song by Tyler Walker