Finding yourself in court is rarely a laughing matter. But The Trial, running now at Rapid Fire Theatre, offers an opportunity to see a version of legal proceedings play out in a low-consequence, high-hilarity environment.

“Obviously court in real life is high stakes,” notes Sarah Ormandy, the show’s director. “But there’s also a lot of entertainment that comes from it, because it’s so focused on structure.”

The Trial is, in a way, a merging of Ormandy’s worlds: in addition to being a comic force—a former Second City performer and longtime Rapid Fire player—she’s a bonafide lawyer. It’s also an evolution of a previous Ormandy-guided improv format, Moot Courtroom. But that show was a little smaller in scale: The Trial’s looking for a much more substantial, if comedic, interpretation of our legal system.

“It’s got a judge, two lawyers, two clients, two witnesses, a courtroom clerk, a sketch artist, and security—it’s an extensive cast,” Ormandy says. “Some roles are bigger than others, but all integral to the world of the show.” 

All of those roles are filled with improvisers. And while Ormandy and fellow castmate Stephen Raitz have actual law backgrounds, the rest of the cast have only their impressions of law to guide them through a very rigorously ordered process. 

“What I think is interesting is taking the structure of the law, and then using people who don’t really have any experience with it, and seeing their take on understanding these parameters,” Ormandy says. “As you are examining the witnesses and the clients and getting all that information, you’re really creating a story of what has brought these people to court. So I think that’s an interesting crossover: the law is also really about storytelling.”

The Trial runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7pm until March 22nd. Tickets available at rapidfiretheatre.com/shows/the-trial