The high-stakes world of health care has long proven itself to make near-perfect television, from E.R. to The Pitt. But no medical show has lasted longer than Grey’s Anatomy, now 21 seasons deep with no signs of stopping. After so many years, the show’s surgical drama has occasionally veered into comedy, and Marg Lawler and Steven Hurst look to make that comedy intentional with Grey-ish Anatomy.

Both are avowed fans of Grey’s. An improvised ode to the show started, fittingly enough, with the two of them introducing another pal to Grey’s ridiculous highs and lows. As they decided on what to screen, they started listing all of the over-the-top moments the show has had—realizing, as they did, most of them would be perfect for improv.

“Remember that one with the fire? or the one with the bomb, or the suitor, or the ghost?” Hurst recalls. “And then it got more and more ridiculous… That was a bit of a spark for the idea.”

“We showed some of the classic, biggest-hit-moment episodes,” Lawler adds. “One of us said, ‘I’ve always wanted to do this, improv-wise’. And then we have been talking about it ever since.”

They first debuted Grey-ish Anatomy at the 2023 Bonfire Festival—Rapid Fire’s festival of new ideas—followed by a short, three-show run in 2024. They note that casting improvisers in medical roles, committing to jargon they barely understand, is half the joy. 

“None of us are doctors, none of us are nurses,” Lawler says. “Some of us have been patients.”

“A bunch of improvisers that have absolutely no medical knowledge, and that’s the point” Hurst adds. “Confidently [doing] a procedure, or talking to the patients about what’s happening using words that sound right, but they’re so clearly wrong.” 

This run will be the biggest version of the show yet, they note. And its production value received an unexpected boost—one cast member’s mother works in the medical world, and had out-of-date supplies to donate to the show.

“We have old school doctor’s office stuff. Lots of surgery gowns,” Lawler says. “Expect a lot of ripping off gowns and masks.” 

Grey-ish Anatomy runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until May 3rd. All shows at 7pm.

Tickets available at https://rapidfiretheatre.com/shows/greyishanatomy/