At 8 p.m. on a Thursday I am sitting in the comfortable darkness of the Historic University Theater at the north end of the Ave. A spotlight illuminates a man standing in one of the aisles as he saunters up to the stage, wearing what I can only assume is typical clothing for Irish farmers.

He introduces himself as Darby and explains that he is in purgatory. We, the audience, are in purgatory with him. The funeral will be forthcoming and an Irish wake will unfold. The performance will be a celebration of the life and times of Darby.

But this is no typical play. As his soliloquy ends, he asks the audience to provide the town’s dark secret. Someone in the crowd enthusiastically screams, “banging a sheep.” The Irish Wake is an immersive two-hour improvisation.

Unscripted and driven by audience response and a steady flow of Guinness from a well-appointed on stage bar, the show depicts death in a fictional Irish hamlet. The night I saw the show, the town was named Duwamish.

The sense of community formed by the audience and performers was palpable. The team behind Jet City Improv, The Dart-mondo and Twisted Flicks, Wing-It Productions is responsible for this show. The production is nonprofit, locally run and gets 80 percent of revenue from ticket sales.

Indeed, the show fits well into the Seattle improv and alternative comedy scenes. I recognized a few of the performers from other improvised comedy nights at the Historic University Theater.

The content of the show both satisfied my seasonal craving for Irish culture (St. Patrick’s Day draws nigh) and expounded on wider dramatic themes. Thankfully, the themes of death and loss are more delicately dealt with than in most improvised performances.

While recounting Darby’s life, the mourning community was drawn together. The humorous moments included several boxing matches, two brothers named Joseph and a heavily-drinking grandmother. Ultimately, themes of family, friendship and drinking prevailed over the somber, funerary tone.

The whole story fit together miraculously well and the topics ranged from the obscure to the quite poignant — even therapeutic.

After the opening night performance, champagne and cake was served and improvisers and audience members stood around congratulating one another on the touching performance. I highly recommend The Irish Wake to fans of improv comedy, seedy local theater or Irish culture.

The show is all-ages and tickets are $10 at the door. Performances will be held every Thursday and Friday now until Mar. 21 and again from April 3 through the April 18.