I asked the members of the Knuckledraggers, an improv comedy group in Fresno, what makes them tick. The response, with no hesitation: “gears and pendulums. “

The Knuckledraggers are an offshoot of a group of Fresnans that used to get together for Sunday evening improv workshops at a member’s house. After practicing together for a year and a half, the Knuckledraggers began taking their act before groups of family and friends. Next were private shows, including corporate Christmas parties and shows for non-profit groups.

The Knuckledraggers, boasting “improv comedy for the common man… and the woman he drags in by the hair,” chose their name because it’s raw, primal, and basic, just as improv is unrehearsed, the most basic form of humor: it just happens.

To spread the word when the group began doing public shows, they kept admission free and, instead, asked audience members to consider making a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). A young family friend of one of the Knuckledraggers has type two diabetes, and the girl offered to be the life coach of this same Knuckledragger when he was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. JDRF was a logical focus for the group.

Now the group charges an admission to cover business costs, but at $5 a person, the show is a bargain. Audiences can still offer donations to JDRF. The Knuckledraggers began performing for the public on Friday evenings at 8pm two and a half months ago, and when these shows began consistently filling about a month ago, they added a 9:30 show.

At the shows, audiences can enjoy the legendarily-comfortable seats. These chairs, like the space itself, are the setting for Alan Autry’s acting school, “The Actor’s Workshop.” It is located at 9493 Fort Washington Drive, suite 108 in Fresno, on the corner of Fort Washington and Friant in the Riverview Center. The space “is intimate, but so is our show,” says Knuckledragger leader Mike Conner.

In addition to private bookings and Friday evening shows in north Fresno, the Knuckledraggers are considering future shows in the Tower District as well. Conner explains, the group is “taking over the world and making it a place where you can live, love, and laugh."

Conner is joined by Alex Vaux, Zeno Tobias, Clint Couron, Mike Newgent (understudy), and by co-creative leaders John Sobeski and Patrick Tromborg.

The Knuckledraggers’ improv comedy is in the style of the TV show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” During the show, audience members shout suggestions that are then incorporated into skits in outrageous ways. “We create comedy right before your eyes,” Conner explains. Thanks to their large arsenal of skits and the variability of audience suggestions, every show is unique; the second show I saw was quite different from the first. At the beginning of one of their recent 8pm shows, Knuckledragger Patrick Tromborg asked audience members how many had been to one of the shows before, “and about half of the audience raised their hands.” Repeat visitors are testament to the fact that the Knuckledraggers are nothing short of hilarious.

I began to suspect that more than pendulums and gears make the Knuckledraggers tick, not when a couple members claimed to be digital, but when they explained, audience members are already paying us, and then “when they thank you… that just means everything.” You would definitely observe how appreciative the rest of the audience is, except you’re laughing too hard to notice. You’re certain to have a great time watching the Knuckledraggers, and their performances are unparalleled by anything else in Fresno.

The Knuckledraggers, as individuals and as a group, appear to be naturals at what they’re doing. One of them explained to me before the show that Californians have to plan for the earthquakes, situations where anything can happen, and this “makes Californians better suited for improv.”

Prepare to be amazed (and prepare to shout out random and wacky suggestions – it gets easier as you go along and hear other people shouting out too) at one of the Knuckledraggers’ Friday evening shows. They are also available for private shows; they recommend scheduling as far in advance as possible. For more information or for reservations, visit the Knuckledraggers at .