Most performers hold rehearsals and spend hours going over their material, but one group that needs no rehearsal time to perform at its best is the improv comedy troupe Unexpected Company.

Currently hailing from Rhode Island, the group got its start in California with founder Tim Hillman in 1986. Some famous names, such as Lisa Kudrow, Conan O'Brien and Matthew Perry, were part of the first incarnation of Unexpected Company but the group only lasted for six months before disbanding. Hillman kept the rights to the name and after a brief stint in Tennessee in 1990, he met University of Rhode Island student Justin Lang and the two recreated Unexpected Company in the Ocean State in 2003.

Six years later, Hillman is no longer involved with the group but it's still going strong and continues to perform all over the state, with regular performances every Thursday night at 8 at the Warwick Museum of Art, 3259 Post Road, Warwick. With two recent additions, the group now holds eight members, which member and Warwick resident Kim Kalunian describes as the ideal amount.

"We like to keep it small so there's not too many people on stage, but at the same time it allows us to function as a cohesive group and provide a lot of variety in our shows," she said.

Kalunian said the reason for keeping the group to such a low number is due to the type of improvisational comedy it performs, which is known as long-form improv comedy. She said the style involves a montage of scenes, often suggested by the audience, describing it as "a play without a script." An example of short-form improv comedy would be the popular TV show, Who's Line Is It Anyway?

"We create environments and scenes from audience suggestions, which usually last between a half hour to an hour," she said.

Kalunian joined the group in 2006 after auditioning with a couple friends during her senior year in high school.

"I like the people in it," she said when asked what she enjoys most about being a part of the group. "We have great chemistry on and off stage, so it's a lot of fun for us and the audience enjoys it too."

Unexpected Company has grown since its beginnings in the basement of the museum; it now performs upstairs to audiences as large as 50 strong.

"At our big events we have a following," Kalunian said. "We just had our annual Halloween show and there were 40 to 50 people in the audience. We definitely have a fan base."

Kalunian said other events the group performs at include Catch a Rising Star at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Bright Night in Providence, fundraisers and birthday parties, but she especially enjoys the Halloween show.

"The Halloween show is always so much fun," she said. "This year we also had a bachelor and bachelorette auction, and everyone was in costume, both us and the audience. It was a lot of fun."

Not only does the group comprise members from all over New England, including one currently living in Massachusetts and another that recently relocated from Rochester, N.Y., but its members also possess a variety of backgrounds.

"We have two professional standup comedians, a substitute teacher, a URI psych major, a middle-aged father who takes photos for a living and I do theater professionally," Kalunian said.

You can catch Unexpected Company every Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Warwick Museum of Art. Admission is normally $5, but for the month of December, Kalunian said the group is holding a canned food drive and anyone who brings a canned good will get in for free. All goods will go to the Rhode Island Food Bank.

For more information on Unexpected Company, visit them at www.unexpected-company.com/live.