By Cecelia Otis
Skip the charades and improv game night— there’s an amazing comedy duo coming to town! Double D is a comedy duo founded by Graceann Dorse and Nannette Deasy that specializes in long-form improv comedy. They have been creating and performing shows for several years, and have been a part of previous Fringe Festivals in Scranton. I had the opportunity to interview this amazing duo, and learn more about their relationship and journey. In the interview, I asked Graceann and Nannette about their acting/improv experiences, how they create their hysterical shows, and what their inspiration was for Double D. This is my “7 Questions with Double D” interview, and I hope you learn something about them and their improv!
- You both have been involved in the performing arts for a while, including dancing, acting, and improv. What interested you in the performing arts? How did you know it was something you wanted to pursue?
Graceann: I’ve wanted to perform since I was a little kid. I used to put on magic shows with my friends, which mainly consisted of whipping a piece of fabric off a teddy bear or cheese grater or some other stupid object. But I loved it! I remember my first dance recital, seeing the stage lights shining up at me, and I was hooked. I love dancing, but more than that I love performing in general. Being on stage is the only time when I don’t want to be doing anything else. I’m exactly right where I want to be.
Nannette: I honestly don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a performer. As a kid, I watched way too much TV and thought it would be incredible to spend your life playing and telling stories. My mom took me into Manhattan to see Broadway musicals and plays a lot, and that’s when it clicked—this wasn’t just something kids imagined doing; it was something adults actually got to do.
- On your websites, you both state that you have been involved in acting/improv classes. Is there anything either of you have learned in your acting journeys? Any advice or knowledge you can give people?
Graceann: I always say: rejection is the sea I swim in. It’s the air I breathe. It’s what led me to create REJECTS ANONYMOUS, one of Double D’s fully improvised shows. Getting rejected so often in the acting world has allowed me to roll with lots of things. I get upset, but I don’t let it stop me from moving forward with whatever goal I have in mind. Another lesson– acting, and especially improv, have made me more comfortable in otherwise weird/awkward/intimidating situations with other people. It’s allowed me to be more “me”, and less concerned with what I think they think of me. The neurosis can go deep!
Nannette: The biggest lesson: don’t wait to be chosen. Create your own opportunities. Produce your own work, collaborate with like-minded and talented people you enjoy, and most importantly, keep “being” an actor instead of waiting for permission to call yourself one.
- You both created a comedic duo called Double D, where you perform monoscene improv sets and fully-improvised plays. What started the idea for Double D? Any specific moment or inspiration that started it all?
Graceann: Since we met through the People’s Improv Theater, where we were on a video sketch team together, we’ve always admired each other’s work and style. After that team disbanded, we wanted to keep working together. We did some improvised voice-over work for a friend’s animated series, and I think that’s when we fell in improv love and decided to form a little group.
Nannette: Graceann and I met writing and performing for a video sketch comedy group at the Peoples Improv Theatre in NYC. We quickly realized we had the same comedic sensibilities and just clicked. For a hot minute, we were actually a trio called Triple D, but then… well, he found an old doll in an attic and… just kidding – he went on to work more in production behind the camera.
- You have created many shows that have been performed at the Scranton Fringe Festival, such as Rejects Anonymous, The Vole Sisters, and Scranton Buckets, which was created specifically for the festival. What is your inspiration for your shows? Do you have a specific process in how you write/create your productions?
Graceann: Usually one of us comes up with the show, and the other riffs on it. SCRANTON BUCKETS was a while ago, and I don’t remember who came up with the concept, but I remember I came up with the title. I was kind of inspired by The Office, and thought “What’s another fictional Scranton company we can build a story around?” REJECTS ANONYMOUS, as I mentioned before, was directly inspired by the constant stream of rejection in my life. Nannette has come up with great shows as well, like THE VOLE SISTERS and GLAMOUR PUSS. I find it interesting we’ve been unintentionally gravitating towards comedy/horror lately… maybe it’s a subconscious take on our world right now.
Nannette: Usually, inspiration starts with whatever we find funny in the moment. Timing also plays a big role. For example, many of our shows were developed for the Scranton Fringe Festival, which happens right at the start of spooky season. Naturally, our minds went to ghost stories, horror tropes, and how we could twist them into comedy. Humor and horror are two genres we love blending.
- On your duo’s website, you mentioned that some of your productions have been filmed and screened at several festivals across the country, some of which won awards. What were those experiences like for you both? Any fond or favorite memories?
Graceann: I’ve always loved writing for Nannette and seeing her bring it to the screen. She has the best faces and reactions, and is totally committed to the wackiness. I love everything we’ve made together, but my favorite is LE MEOW MORT, a film in which I incorporated my freeze-dried cat Beeker (he also appears in our live show Scranton Buckets). Nannette and Beeker have a special bond. This film was screened at the prestigious Women in Comedy Festival as part of a special film competition. Only five films, out of hundreds of submissions, were selected to screen.
Nannette: Don’t Blink remains my personal favorite, partly because Graceann created these amazing “eyeballs” out of white chocolate and raspberry Lindt truffles. In one scene, my character pokes out another’s eyes and eats them—yes, it’s a comedy. The effect looked hilariously gross on screen, but those hand-painted candy eyeballs were very tasty.
- One of your shows, Deja Boo, will be performed at the 2025 Scranton Fringe Festival. Your show involves a full-improvised ghost story with several twists, turns, and jokes. What about your show makes it unique? Are there any surprises in mind for the show?
Graceann: The thing that makes it unique is the most obvious– it’s improvised! We’ll have an audience member tell us their favorite ghost story or urban legend, and while we’ll stick to the main points, the fun part is that we make up lots of details on the spot. So we introduce other characters and plot points that weren’t in the original story. The big twist of the show is that we then tell the story from the ghost’s POV. If there’s any surprises, it’s when the story takes on a life of its own and even we don’t know where we’re going. That’s what I love about improv!
Nannette: For one thing, we play all the characters ourselves. Then, halfway through, we re-improvise the entire ghost story from the villain’s perspective. It’s like Rashomon meets Scooby-Doo.
- For anyone who has not seen or heard of your show, what can you tell them about it? What can they expect to see or hear?
Graceann: It’s all made up on the spot! We have some main points to help guide us, given to us by one lucky audience member, but otherwise, all the details and characters are improvised. And it’s horror-based, but considering my tolerance for horror doesn’t go much beyond Hocus Pocus, it’s fairly tame.
Nannette: In Deja Boo, anything can happen. You might get invited onstage to share your own ghost story. You might encounter a ghost. And you might even catch one of us running around in granny panties.Double D will be performing their new long-form improv show, Deja Boo!, at the Scranton Fringe Festival on September 27th and 28th, 2025, at Electric City Improv. Tickets are on sale now – just click here!
