CELEBRATION HONORING OUR HISPANIC NEIGHBORS. WE ARE MARKING THE START OF NATIONAL, HISPANIC AND LATIN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH WITH A PROJECT COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT. THANKS FOR STAYING WITH US HERE ON NEWS EIGHT AT 530, EVERYONE. I’M BRIAN ROCHE AND I’M LORI BURKHOLDER. FIRST UP IS A GROUP IN HARRISBURG CONNECTING WITH THEIR CULTURE THROUGH COMEDY. MATT BARCARO GOES BEHIND THE CURTAIN WITH LOS COMPLICADOS. THAT WHEN YOU FIND YOUR PEOPLE, THAT GROUP THAT UNDERSTANDS YOU, THINGS JUST SEEM TO CLICK. OKAY, BUT FINDING YOUR CLICK CAN SOMETIMES TAKE A LOT OF TRIAL AND ERROR AND IMPROVIZATION. IT FEELS REALLY GOOD. IT FEELS LIKE HOME. WE KID EACH OTHER, WE LAUGH. SO THIS IS REALLY LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE. SEE ME PROPERLY BONITO. FOR THE PAST YEAR, THIS SMALL GROUP OF AMATEUR COMEDIANS HAS BEEN PERFORMING TOGETHER IN WHAT IS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY AND LIKELY PENNSYLVANIA’S FIRST LATINO IMPROV TROUPE. IT’S ALMOST LIKE WE’RE ALL COUSINS OR FAMILY, OR A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY. YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE LOUD ONE, WE GOT THE LATE ONE, WE GOT THE ONE. THERE’S ALWAYS DRAMA. WE GOT THE CHILL ONE. OH MY GOSH. AND EACH MEMBER CONNECTS WITH THEIR LATINO IDENTITY. MUCHO GUSTO. IN THEIR OWN WAYS. WE REALIZE THAT IT’S COMPLICATED HOW WE FEEL ABOUT BEING LATINO. SOME PEOPLE DIDN’T FEEL LIKE THEY WERE LIKE, I DON’T I DON’T KNOW IF I RELATE TO THAT. OTHER PEOPLE WERE LIKE, YEAH, BILINGUAL, BICULTURAL. SO WE’RE LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE’RE COMPLICATED. SO COMPLICADOS. AND THAT IS HOW THE TROUPE PICKED ITS NAME, LOS COMPLICADOS. THEY PRACTICED IN THEIR FOUNDER, VANESSA CARDONA’S HOUSE, THEN DEBUTED AT THE HARRISBURG IMPROV THEATER TO A CROWD. EVEN THEY WERE NOT EXPECTING. THERE WERE PEOPLE SITTING ON THE FLOOR. THERE WERE PEOPLE ON THE SIDES. THERE WERE STANDING ROOM ONLY. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME I SAW MAYBE IT WAS A THREE QUARTER LATINO. PEOPLE COULDN’T EVEN SEE US. THEY WERE STANDING OUT THERE, BUT THEY WERE STILL LISTENING TO US. AND IT’S LIKE, WHEN DID I BECOME FAMOUS? LIKE. BUT ASIDE FROM HAVING FUN AND SHARING LAUGHS, LOS COMPLICADOS ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR STORIES OUT IN A VENUE WHERE THEIR VOICES. USE YOUR HEADS ARE NOT OFTEN HEARD. I ALSO WANT LATINOS TO KNOW, LIKE IMPROV IS FOR US, BECAUSE IT’S BEEN SEEN AS LIKE, OH, IT’S A WHITE PEOPLE THING. NO, THEY’RE JUST DOING IT A LOT. WE CAN ALSO TAKE TIME OFF. WE CAN ALSO HAVE HOBBIES. WE CAN ALSO SHARE OUR STORIES AND PEOPLE ARE OPEN TO IT. AND THEY’RE HOPING WITH MORE EXPOSURE, THEIR CLICK WILL ONLY GROW. I HOPE I’M NOT LATE SO THEY CAN TRY TO GET MORE LAUGHS IN A LANGUAGE THAT IS SO UNIVERSAL.
Los Complicados: Harrisburg’s first Latino improv troupe finds family in comedy
Updated: 7:00 PM EDT Sep 15, 2025
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When you find your people, a group that understands you, things just seem to click. But finding your clique can sometimes take a lot of trial and error and improvisation. For the past year, a small group of amateur comedians has been performing together in what is the Susquehanna Valley’s — and likely Pennsylvania’s first — Latino improv troupe. “It’s almost like we’re cousins, or family, or a dysfunctional family. We have the loud one. We got the late one. We got the one where there’s always drama. We got the chill one,” said member Dan Honegger. The group is called Los Complicados. “We realized it’s complicated, how we feel being Latino. Some people didn’t feel like they were. They were like, ‘I don’t know if I relate to that.’ Other people were like, ‘Yeah, I’m bilingual, bicultural.’ So, we’re complicated. Los complicados,” said founder Vanessa Cordorniu. They practiced in Vanessa’s house, then debuted at the Harrisburg Improv Theatre to a crowd even they didn’t expect. “There were people sitting on the floor. There were people on the sides. There was standing room only, and for the first time, I saw maybe it was 3/4 Latino,” said Vanessa. “People couldn’t even see us. They were standing out there, but they were still listening to us. And it’s like, when did I become famous?” said Sara Bustard, laughing. But aside from having fun and sharing laughs, Los Complicados are trying to get their stories out in a venue where their voices are not often heard. “I also want Latinos to know improv is for us, because it’s been seen as a white people thing. No, they’re just doing it a lot. We can also take time off, we can also have hobbies, we can also share our stories, and people are open to it,” said Vanessa. Los Complicados are hoping that with more exposure, their clique will grow so they can try to get more laughs in a language that is universal.
When you find your people, a group that understands you, things just seem to click.
But finding your clique can sometimes take a lot of trial and error and improvisation.
For the past year, a small group of amateur comedians has been performing together in what is the Susquehanna Valley’s — and likely Pennsylvania’s first — Latino improv troupe.
“It’s almost like we’re cousins, or family, or a dysfunctional family. We have the loud one. We got the late one. We got the one where there’s always drama. We got the chill one,” said member Dan Honegger.
The group is called Los Complicados.
“We realized it’s complicated, how we feel being Latino. Some people didn’t feel like they were. They were like, ‘I don’t know if I relate to that.’ Other people were like, ‘Yeah, I’m bilingual, bicultural.’ So, we’re complicated. Los complicados,” said founder Vanessa Cordorniu.
They practiced in Vanessa’s house, then debuted at the Harrisburg Improv Theatre to a crowd even they didn’t expect.
“There were people sitting on the floor. There were people on the sides. There was standing room only, and for the first time, I saw maybe it was 3/4 Latino,” said Vanessa.
“People couldn’t even see us. They were standing out there, but they were still listening to us. And it’s like, when did I become famous?” said Sara Bustard, laughing.
But aside from having fun and sharing laughs, Los Complicados are trying to get their stories out in a venue where their voices are not often heard.
“I also want Latinos to know improv is for us, because it’s been seen as a white people thing. No, they’re just doing it a lot. We can also take time off, we can also have hobbies, we can also share our stories, and people are open to it,” said Vanessa.
Los Complicados are hoping that with more exposure, their clique will grow so they can try to get more laughs in a language that is universal.