What is a ceremony?

This is the question posed by the Master of the Ceremony.

A ritual? A gathering? Something to do on a Thursday night?

The answer, in the case of this ceremony, is an audience-driven comedy with all the trappings of a new-age religion or a self-help group, complete with what would pass as the soundtrack to a 1960s sci-fi film. It is definitely not a cult.

The Ceremony is billed as part sermon, part group therapy, part comedy show. At the heart of it all is the Master of the Ceremony, Ben Volchok, who guides his congregation through the experience with a manner veering from whimsical to reverent to excitable, wielding lightning quick wit while sometimes giving the impression that he wasn’t on this planet yesterday. All this while coaxing out audience contributions to build a creed around, weaving the audience’s disparate and at times bizarre input into a passionate and coherent sermon – in our case about how it is illegal to run out of petrol in Germany and how we will all eventually evolve into crabs. Volchok is an excellent improviser and brilliantly funny, often having the audience in stitches at a silly gesture, odd intonation or strange turn of phrase.

Audience participation is a huge part of this show and Volchok is clearly a master at drawing the audience out of their shell, warmly creating an environment where all feel safe to join in with the silliness. He does this with a combination of his own madcap antics, fervent discourse, and little rituals that are layered throughout the show. His zeal is infectious and it doesn’t take long for the audience to be just as passionate about whatever absurdity he is preaching, or strange activity our shared journey takes us to. All 

The Ceremony is wonderfully ridiculous for exploring the absurd.