One of the productions Krebs says he is most proud of is IGP's first musical theme show, an innovation the troupe produced with financial assistance from Harvard's Office of the Arts. The grant was to perform an improvised musical, but they "had no idea how to do it."

"Up until the week of the show, cast members were suggesting that we simply cancel it," Krebs writes in an e-mail message.

According to Malm, a fellow IGP member, "Justin just sort of stepped in with a very clear vision" and made the production work.

The troupe performed "Superheroes: An Improvised Musical," which recounted the adventures of the weasel warrior, a make-believe superhero shouted out by an audience member at the beginning of the performance. The success of "Superheros" has made the improvised musical an annual IGP event. This year's musical--about the rise and fall of a band--ran for five performances during Arts First weekend.

An Early Start

Krebs' parents say their son has always been a performer. They had a closet full of costumes that he played with when he was young. His favorite character was a sort of cowboy; he called him "gum-fighter-stick-em-up."

It is surprising to hear that this creative child had to change elementary schools because he refused to go to art class. Eric Krebs says his son's art teacher scared him by insisting that there was only one way to draw a snowflake.

"That was typical of the ways in which his creative self will no t be stemmed in any way," Eric Krebs says. "We encourage it but we also realize that his talents are so enormous that he had better achieve in areas beyond theater in this world."