Webpage Supplement to
Chapter 27: TheatreSports and Competitive Dramatic Impovisation
David L. Young (and Ann Curtis)
This
is
Part 1: History, Current Status, Further References
Part 2 is about
Methods, Techniques
Part 3 is more
about
Theory
Revised slightly June 6, 2008
Further Notes on History:
(See Webpage Supplement to Foreword about other
roots for competitive improvisational drama, such as Imagination
Olympix. (Interestingly, this group has been recently
“sued” by the actual Olympics Games and has been forced to change its
name to its acronym, IO).
Dramatic
improvisation has been an indispensable part of the curricular
objectives in drama programs throughout the North American school
system since the early 1960s. The opportunity for drama students to
play and create improvisationally has been widely documented by drama
theorists and practitioners as a vital opportunity for students to
harmonize and understand the world around them. Young people accomplish
this by taking on different roles to explore unknown situations, to
expand their intellectual capacity for creative and critical thought,
insight, rumination, playing, being, viewing, empathizing, and
encountering an abundance of improvised roles and situations.
Improvisation opens an effective and powerful medium for young people
to create an independent and personal narrative and exposition (Young,
1998). Improvisation is an interactive, communal, creative process that
forces young people to live ‘in the moment’, to take risks, make
choices, and to exercise their creative sensibilities of both ‘self’
and ‘other’.
Improvisation — Then and Now
"In a normal
education everything is designed to suppress spontaneity, but I wanted
to develop it." -- Keith
Johnstone, IMPRO: Improvisation and the Theatre, 1979, p.15.
The history of
improvisation as a form of artistic expression and communication has
its roots within the ritualistic displays of primitive humans to the
sacrament contained in thousands of years of religious tradition and
writing. Similarly, improvisation is extremely pervasive throughout the
history of theatre and literature. Scholars believe that even the early
Greek narrative epics like The Odyssey and The Iliad had their genesis
as improvised story telling (Hodgson & Richards, 1966). Commedia
dell’Arte (comedy of the [actor’s] guild) was fundamentally improvised
comedy, which was structured to follow simple plot lines and scenarios
(lazzis), consisting of a handful of stock characters (zannis) who
expressed their character traits through the use of masks, absurd
physicalizations, and obscene gestures (Salerno, 1992). Even
Shakespeare’s plays are believed to have been influenced by the
extemporaneous additions of his actors, whose impromptu lines would
have been adapted into his written scripts (Hartnoll, 1968). Suffice to
say whether as an adjunct to the actual creation or through the
performance itself, improvisation has had an impact on the creators and
purveyors of theatrical art from centuries past to present day.
Improvisation
became an ubiquitous staple of modern classroom drama due in part to
the progressive education movement initiated by John Dewey (1916),
whose views focused on the premise that children learn through the
spontaneity of ‘playing and doing’. Half a century later, Dewey’s
theories were advanced by such luminaries in the field as Peter Slade
(1954), and Brian Way (1967). Slade and Way, (although both offering
their own divergent theories), helped move drama education away from
being a mere component of English speech-training, elocution, and
posture (Henry Caldwell Cook, 1917) towards curricular objectives based
on child development, free-expression, as well as social and
psychological growth.
Gavin Bolton
(1986) viewed dramatic improvisation as a means of natural discovery
through ‘trial and error’, where students had an opportunity to gain
insight into human situations by placing themselves into “other
people’s shoes” (p. 46). Dorothy Heathcote (1984) took this one step
further by espousing a dramatic curriculum that not only personally
engaged students within a world of improvisational make-believe, but
also sought a type of ‘hyper-awareness’ from the students, where they
could feel, learn, and reflect upon the drama as it happened. Richard
Courtney (1980) considered improvised drama as being concerned with a
student's “inner thought” and the “spontaneous dramatic action” which
occurs as they engage in their own personal “living” and “human” drama
(p. 2).
The impetus of
Keith Johnstone’s TheatreSports (1978) was not only motivated by his
work at London’s Royal Court Theatre where he created an
improvisational company called The Theatre Machine, but was also
inspired by the antics of professional wrestling which he viewed as
“working-class theatre.” Johnstone came up with the idea of replacing
the wrestlers with improvisers, and TheatreSports was born (Foreman
& Martini, 1995).
At what point
did a process-oriented activity, with the sole intent of personal
growth and experience become competitive? What are the benefits and the
drawbacks, from taking dramatic improvisation, which was essentially
developed as personal and collective exploration in the drama
classroom, and turning it into a competition? Johnstone’s idea of
competition was purely meant to be for fun. His student actors at the
University of Calgary played for audience reaction as much as they
competed for a set of hand drawn numbered cards from audience judges.
Scored out from 0 to 5, the judges would hold up cards based on their
personal and emotional gut responses to the humour and inherent risks
of the scenes played out before them. These numbers would then be
tallied on a score board for everyone to see, with the end results
being hailed by all the participants. Unfortunately high school
students and children don’t have the same type of equanimity as there
older counter-parts. But the competitive nature of our schools in all
arenas of participation ranging from sports, academic achievement, to
the arts – makes the use of a competitive formatted drama activity very
compelling for both kids and teachers.
Competitive
improvisation has become a necessary part of the drama curriculum in
many drama programs across Canada and the United States. This has
happened, in part, as a mechanism for public recognition on the part of
drama teachers and their programs to impress colleagues,
administrators, and school trustees. Because drama both as a curricular
objective and as an art form have been marginalised as
‘extra’-curricular for decades, the opportunity for teacher’s to
compete and gain external and internal recognition is extremely
compelling. Unlike the professional theatre, high school drama doesn’t
get reviewed publicly; what delineates an excellent drama program from
a mediocre one is not easily definable and can certainly use the boost
that competition brings with it. I have seen this first hand in my own
career.
Further History of Competitive Improvisation and TheatreSports
"Everyone can
act. Everyone can improvise. Anyone who wishes to can play in the
theatre." -- Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theatre, 1963, p. 3.
Although Keith
Johnstone had been experimenting with improvised ensemble theatre in
Great Britain back in the 1960s with the Theatre Machine, it wasn’t
until he began the Loose Moose Theatre Company in 1978 that
TheatreSports had its inaugural public performance at the Pumphouse
Theatre in Calgary, Alberta. Using both students and alumni from the
University of Calgary as his actors, Johnstone used a game called “No
Blocking” and had the actors literally compete for time on stage. The
actors were not the only raucous participants in the early days of
TheatreSports, as the audience was incorporated into the games not only
as the providers of suggestions, but also to throw pies filled with
whipped cream at the losing actors and their team. This type of
off-the-wall entertainment was an immediate success, and with success
came the evolution of increased organization, newly developed games,
and a more formalized format utilizing more recognizable theatre
structures like props, costumes, sound and lighting effects, and a
master of ceremonies to facilitate the show.
From 1978 to
present day, there are professional TheatreSports and improvisational
theatre companies performing and competing within this structure of
spontaneous theatre to audiences all over the world with professional,
beginner, and amateur participants doing the improv. University,
colleges, and local community groups have begun to include
improvisational theatre as an active entry-level participatory way of
inviting students and new actors into the theatre community. It doesn’t
take more than a simple web search now to find thousands of links to
improve comedy being performed, workshoped, and experienced regionally
throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. One of the greatest
resources is Johnstone’s own improv summer institute that takes place
yearly in Banff, Alberta – a picturesque town in the Rocky Mountains a
few hours drive from Calgary, Alberta, for participants from all over
the world. Dozens of similar institutes and workshop experiences are
offered throughout the Pacific Northwest in both Canada and the United
States (see references).
For many
students who are unable or unwilling to explore process or role drama (defined in chapter in book--also see supplementary website), or for that matter who become terrified at the prospect of memorizing
scripted scenes, competitive improvisation is usually a way to include
and introduce students to some semblance of theatre tradition. [Editor's comment: Perhaps many young people aren't so much scared as simply assessing the payoff as just not worth
the effort, because memorization is a lot of work and rehearsals take a lot of time. Many people want their recreation to be easier, so I'm not ready to label them
“lazy” either.]
Curricularly,
only thirteen of fifty states in the US have any formal state
sanctioned drama curriculum; in Canada, the United Kingdom, and
Australia/New Zealand every province, territory, and district has some
formal drama guidelines from which educators develop their teacher with
students – all of these include some form or another of improvisation,
Theatre Sports or theatre games. As educators we are better able to
connect our students to being both an active participant and audience
member if we are able to create a fun, trusting, and cohesive community
of learners.
I teach
TheatreSports to my students because I personally like the majority of
the educational learning outcomes that I see resulting in our
three-months immersed in this curriculum. For many students who are
unable or unwilling to explore process or role drama, or for that
matter who become terrified at the prospect of memorizing scripted
scenes, competitive improvisation is usually a way to include and
introduce students to some semblance of theatre tradition. The
structure of many of the games makes sense, and offers basic technical
strategies that can be mastered and implemented in future theatrical
projects. One of the fundamentals is to move the scene forward by
accepting the offers and ideas of the other people on stage (or for
that matter the audience). Stopping a scene from progressing is called
‘blocking’, and takes all the energy out of improvisation, and
therefore is an attribute that is quickly done away with. Similarly, we
do away with all sexism, racism, swearing, and homophobic content when
we work on any improv scene; students and their teams are penalized (by
deducting points or by losing their stage time) if they indulge in any
of these areas. I might add that this is a departure from how I teach
the majority of my drama and acting curriculum, where I try to allow
the students to self-censor their work without penalty.
About the Canadian Improv Games
The Canadian Improv
Games
Oath:
We have come together
In the spirit of loving competition
To celebrate the Canadian Improv Games
We promise to uphold the ideals of improvisation -
To co-operate with one another -
To learn from each other -
To commit ourselves to the moment -
And above all ... TO HAVE FUN!
The Canadian
Improv Games is described as “loving competition between teams of
students trained to perform spontaneous, improvised scenes” (Denny,
1996). Not unlike Johnstone’s epiphany while watching wrestling, the
architect of the Canadian Improv Games became convinced while he was
viewing a televised football game that too many people had become
‘watchers’ and not ‘players’. David Shepherd originated competitive
team-based improvised theatre in New York City in 1972, six years
earlier than Johnstone’s 1978 TheatreSports debut in Calgary.
The
Ottawa-Carlton High School Improv Olympics lasted for a few years with
almost every high school participating, until some of the teachers
began to become disenchanted with the concept of competition, and the
inevitable public adjudication that would follow the students' scene
work. A few die-hard proponents of the educational value of the
tournament (Willie Wyllie, Howard Jerome, and Johnson Moretti) not only
worked tirelessly to restart it, but also to advocate for a national
platform from which to explore and promote improvised theatre. From
1982 to 1989 the Improv Olympics remained a regional festival, but by
1990 Wyllie, Jerome, and Moretti had been successful in making in-roads
throughout Canada and the national tournament known as the Canadian
Improv Games was born (Denny, 1996).
Five Types of Events
Why is
there
more significance placed on scripted, straight, mainstream theatrical
productions than on improvisational work? Is it because the script
represents something tangible and concrete? Are we to believe that the
actor who is immersed in the memorization of someone else’s words, who
is being directed, being costumed, being lit, acting on a designed and
built stage, and playing within the confines of structured theatrical
conventions to a passive audience is creating a more valuable or
important form of art than the spontaneous creations of the improviser?
Don’t both forms exist in an evanescent moment in time? Even
Johnstone’s touring company, The Theatre Machine, considered their work
in this manner: "Theatre Machine is a throw-away form, it
is disposable theatre, ideas
and memories get re-cycled and the best is really best because it comes
out of the moment" (Frost & Yarrow, 1990, p. 58).
Johnstone’s
description of his art as “disposable” does not diminish its value or
make it less worthwhile, but is a conscious reconciliation and
appreciation as to the ephemeral nature of improvisation and its
relationship between the improvisers and the audience (Frost &
Yarrow, 1990)
Unfortunately
competitive improvisation and especially TheatreSports have gained a
bad reputation for lacking rigor, structure, or serious content in much
the same manner that modern art or jazz has been biased as being less
artistic than more structured forms – but improv typically does have a
solid foundational structure and should be viewed as more than simply a
fun-filled rehearsal technique. For some reason improvisational theatre
seems to be considered the cheap cousin of straight, scripted, and
rehearsed theatre. Of course this is a completely unfair perception, as
both have their rightful place as important, engaging, creative and
artistic mediums.
The problem is
that there are a great many drama teachers in the field who spend an
entire year doing TheatreSports with their students, for no other
reason than the ease with which it can be delivered. Many drama
curriculum guides and 'how to' books offer improvisation and acting
games in a pabulum-like manner, making planning and organizing a lesson
worry free. The problem is that it makes it easy to water down the
curriculum, which makes it easier for school districts and
administrators to justify employing unqualified and untrained drama
teachers, continually relegating drama as an extra frill, requiring
only an adult supervisor to watch over the kids while they play at
their silly little drama games. Somehow the delivery of this type of
drama curriculum has been bastardized through lax, lazy teaching, which
in turn has fostered and developed sloppy student improvisers.
It's not hard to
imagine class after class of Whose Line is it Anyway television
take-offs, with student success being evaluated solely on the volume of
laughs they receive, and the clever, clichéd, and pithy endings
that they produce. The original words and intent of Keith Johnstone's
TheatreSports have been either forgotten or essentially misinterpreted.
I argue that Johnstone's work is as important a contribution to the
theatre, actors, and drama education as Viola Spolin, Uta Hagen, Gavin
Bolton, or Dorothy Heathcote. The problem lies in the dissemination of
his ideas — limited publications and research, and an overabundance of
drama books that provide teachers with recipes for teaching
"TheatreSports-like-games" with little or no rationale or
methodological framework — which is the antithesis of Johnstone's
original ideas the writing of Keith Johnstone in the field of
improvisation and the great care that he has taken to share, teach, and
explore his TheatreSports theories with drama and acting students,
practitioners, researchers, and audiences world-wide.
Impro for Storytellers
Keith
Johnstone’s 1999 book, Impro for Storytellers, comes some twenty years
after authoring the highly influential and significant book Impro:
Improvisation and the Theatre. Both books display the brilliance of
Johnstone's writing, and his highly accessible style, formatted in a
variety of manners ranging from personal narratives; teacher/student
dialogues; directorial rants; reflective musings; to strategic lesson
planning; rationale; and uncomplicated illustrations of numerous actor
or student activities. Impro for Storytellers builds on and extends his
earlier work by conceptualizing improvisation as an everyday human
transaction, with activities focusing on students, student success, and
the on-stage exploration of risk-taking and option-making. Teachers,
instructors, or directors can find methodology and practice in this
book that will aid students ranging from grades eight to twelve in
secondary school, from college or university, or even the rehearsing
actor needing to reinvigorate their sense of improvisational focus.
Johnstone's book
is not a 'how to' book, it is a book written in a dialogical manner
reminiscent in style to Constantin Stanislavski, with the reader
playing the role of on-looker to the side-coaching dialogues between
the actor and director.. Johnstone makes sure that he covers all levels
of both current and experimental forms of improvisational work, but
pays specific attention to the concept that good improvisers must be
good storytellers.
Johnstone's
desire to explore opposites can be viewed as theoretically
contradictory when viewed by researchers who have a depth of knowledge
in his work. While Johnstone readily admits that the genesis of
TheatreSports as popular entertainment draws heavily on the influence
of professional wrestling, and openly expresses the disposable nature
of improv scenes — in this book he also seems to be yearning for
something that might be taken more seriously, and in that vein he has
evolved his thinking from the short challenge games of original
TheatreSports towards new detailed narrative forms of improvisation
which rely heavily on thorough storytelling techniques which he calls
Micetro Impro, and Guerilla Theatre. The contradiction becomes
blaringly apparent when the reader understands that the tradition of
interactive audience participation which began in 1978 at the Loose
Moose Theatre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (where audience members could
throw cream pies at performers) still exists in a manner of speaking;
albeit less messy, with the audience being incited and coaxed by a
referee, a Master of Ceremonies, or an actor in a guerilla suit to
cheer, jeer, and offer suggestions to the performers on stage. The
enthusiasm and energy of this type of audience interactivity is a
double edged sword — while it has the potential to create a long
lasting and invigorating theatrical experience, it also has the
potential to lead to insincere and self-indulgent improvisation, while
at the same time validating the criticism of TheatreSports as "gutless
light entertainment" (p. 73).
Whether
information for TheatreSports scenes are being yelled out as
suggestions by audience members, or teachers are playing in role with
their students to find moments of authenticity — the interactive nature
of improvisation can not be negated. Spontaneity has the potential to
exist in every movement and moment in the drama classroom or the
rehearsal studio, and Johnstone makes sure that his readers are aware
of the exciting opportunities that improvisational techniques and
teaching provide those willing to play, perform, and risk within the
form.
This is
supported by Johnstone, who points out that "teens who would despise
any conventional 'cultural' performance will go through considerable
hardship to take part in our shows because impro is 'daring'…" (p. 6) —
and it is within these 'daring' moments that some of the most
interesting stories are told.
- -
-
The basic idea
of role playing is to take on roles that we have an understanding of,
an appreciation of, and desire to learn more about. I spend a lot of
time in Grade Nine developing their ability to take on character, to
take on role, as it is a primary focus in the Grade Nine curriculum.
There are always a few kids who will really find themselves totally
immersed in taking on a role, and then there will be some young people
who look at it as an easy way to create something simple or foolish.
Further References
Bolton,
G.
(1986). Selected writings on drama in education. London: Longman.
This book... why useful to a reader who wants to do theatresports?
Cook, H.C.
(1917) The Play Way. London: Heinemann.
Courtney, R.
(1995) Drama and Feeling – An Aesthetic Theory. Montreal: McGill-
Queens
University Press.
Courtney, R.
(1980) The Dramatic Curriculum.
New York: Drama Book Specialists.
Denny P.
(1996)“Our Story – The History of the Canadian Improv Games” and
“Quotes From Teachers and
Students” [Online, Internet Site, July 31, 1999]. Available: http://www.improv.ca
[May 1999].
Dewey, J.
(1916/1966) Democracy and Education.
New York: The Free Press (The
MacMillan Company).
Foreman, K.
& Martini, C. (1995) Something
Like a Drug – An Unauthorized Oral
History of TheatreSports. Red Deer, Alberta: Red Deer College
Press.
Heathcote, D.
(1984) Collected Writings on
Education and Drama. (ed. Johnson, L. and
O'Neill, C.,1984.) London: Hutchinson & Co.
Hodgson, J.
& Richards, E. (1966) Improvisation.
London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.
Hornbrook, D.
(1992) “Can We Do Ours, Miss? Towards a Dramatic Curriculum.” The
Drama Theatre Teacher. 4:2:16-20.
Salerno, H.F.
(1992). Scenarios of the Commedia
dell’Arte. New York: Proscenium Publishers Inc.
Young, D. (1998)
The Curriculum is Me: Reflections on
Living and Teaching
Dramatically. M.A. Thesis. Vancouver: University of British
Columbia.
Some Websites:
-- English
Conversation: Improvisational Language Games.. are introduced, we
introduce the competitive variations wherein the students form
"teams ... Kurtz discusses his approach to language teaching
using improvisational theatre games ...
phillips.personal.nccu.edu.tw/improvlang
-- The Canadian
Improv Games: "Our Story." (PDF/Adobe Acrobat], March
2002). This program for high school students is
a "loving competition" between teams of students trained to
perform spontaneous, improvised scenes. ... into players by putting
simple theatre games into a competitive setting.In 1974, his idea
... thereafter co-created the Ottawa improvisational theatre
companies Stage Fright and Skit
... home.golden.net/~improv/CIGHistory.pdf
-- National
Comedy Theatre, San Jose is proud to be the
Northern California Bay Area home of ComedySportz, a competitive, team
improvisational comedy, played just like a sport. It's a comedy
competition where the audience is always the winner. ..a variety of
improvisational games all based on suggestions from the
audience... www.national-comedy.com/
-- Website on Theatre
Games.
www.byu.edu/tma/arts-ed/home/games.htm
(For
example: Something to do. 1. Have the class count off into two
teams. Team one stands in a line facing the audience (which is team 2).
2. Team two must try to look cool and relaxed. ... This is a race and
should be competitive. To win the students ... front of the class and
prepare to do an improvisational skit. ...)
--
"Raw! Theatre" is an opportunity
for participants to hone their acting skills and an evening of
entertainment for those who'd rather just kick back and watch! Drawing
on the inspirational work of Keith Johnstone, Raw! ... a series of
improvisational games, Raw! Theatre is spiced with a sense of friendly
rivalry and competitive fun as two ... of the evening will be deemed
Raw! Theatre champions! ...
www.carltondrama.org.uk/rawtheatre.html
--
Unexpected Productions: Seattle TheatreSports + Improv ...
improvisational format known as TheatreSports. Improvisational
theatre with a competitive edge, TheatreSports pits teams against each
other all over the
world. These games have been a great opportunity
www.unexpectedproductions.org/about.htm
--
Saint Louis Improv Dot Com - Learn Improv - Classes - Workshops
... Learn the fundamentals of improvisational theatre and theatre
games. This class instructs ... the fundamentals of improvisational
comedy and CITY Improv's competitive comedy.
www.stlouisimprov.com/learn.html
Anne Curtis
notes: In the Orlando, Florida area, James Best developed Theatre
Olympics, inspired by the Canadian Theatre sports. He had attended a
show in Toronto. However, we developed our own style and types of
improv. We were somewhat ahead of our time in Florida, though, and that
theatre no longer exists.(One of the actors from those days performs
with meat Sleuths. He was a PhD psychologist then-now acts full time!)
In Orlando we now have Sak Comedy which does Improv. However, Sak is
not always done as a contest. Here isone of their contest ads: Duel of
Fools at 8pm! Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Two teams battle it
out for the funniest scenes, games and songs and you are the judge!
Of course the most well known improv comedy contest is the TV show
"Whose Line Is It Anyway" . It began in the UK and then had an American
version (1998-04). That show really put improv on the map for the
general public. However, I didn't like the way the judging was done
very quickly and randomly by the host. In our Theatre Olympics, several
audience members were picked to be judges. They held up numerical score
cards. I suspect that many team improvisational competitions are
operating in the UK, since their TV show was the first of its
kind ( and lasted 10 years!)
Here’s a website: http://www.whoseline.net/show.html
"The BasicsWhose
Line is it Anyway? (WLiiA?) is a show in which contestants improvise
scenes in theatresports-type games given to them by the host. They
might be asked to sing about an audience member, speak only in
questions, become weird superheroes, or guess at bizarre quirks. The
show is a Hat Trick production which began life as a
'competitive' team game on Radio 4 in the UK. Host Clive Anderson was
joined by four contestants, including regular team captains John
Sessions and Stephen Fry. Colin Sell provided the improvised music.
After a year, the series moved to television and Channel 4. Clive
continued to host, with John initially appearing in every episode, and
Richard Vranch providing music. The competitive format was dropped but
mysterious "points" were still awarded and a seemingly random winner selected.
Common performers on the show included Greg Proops, Josie Lawrence, Brad Sherwood, Paul Merton, Sandi Toksvig, Mike McShane, Chip Esten, Tony Slattery and Steve Frost, as well as Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie who became fixtures of the later seasons. These performers were joined by guests such as Stephen Fry, Rory Bremner, Graeme Garden, Jonathan Pryce, Ardal O'Hanlon, Mark Cohen, George Wendt and many more. A number of episodes were filmed in New York in 1991/92.
In 1998 the show celebrated its 10th year by filming the series "In
Hollywood". The cast then joined a new host, Drew Carey, to tape a
6-episode pilot series for ABC with Ryan & Drew as producers. Laura
Hall provided music for both of these series. The pilot run was
successful, extended by an extra episode followed by a full series
shown in a summer replacement slot. The US version, sometimes referred
to by fans as DLiiA? (or "Drew's Line") has seen Wayne Brady join Ryan
& Colin as regulars. Fourth-seaters have included the return of
oldies Greg, Josie, Chip & Brad as well as newcomers including
Kathy Greenwood, Denny Siegel and Jeff Davis. Laura has been joined by
guitarist Linda Taylor and other musicians.
Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg have appeared for episodes, whilst
celebrities including Jerry Springer, Florence Henderson, Sid Caesar,
Hugh Hefner, Richard Simmons, Chyna and even Lassie have joined for
individual games."
When Anne Curtis searched MSN under "Improvisational Theatre
Competitive Games" a lot came
up-these are the first few:
> The
following web site is a huge list of American Improv comedy troupes.
When you click on them (such as I did for Orlando based SAK)-it tells
whether they have a theatreásports type of format. Many do!
So-yes this form of theatre is very wide spread, popular, alive and
well!
***Yahoo! Directory Comedy Groups > Improv Groups
>>
... improvisational comedy theatre taking audience suggestions.
> Comedy
Jocks - Morrison, CO - competitive improvisational ... performs
>
improvisational games and sketches as ...
>
dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Comedy/Comedy_Groups/Improv_Group
"Anne Curtis"
<ac_hearts@hotmail.com> wrote on 22 Aug
2004:
"Theatre Olympics" for a year run by James Best of Dukes of
Hazzard fame. We had two teams (red/blue) and did all different types
of improvs using audience suggestions. Judges from the audience gave
points and we earned olympic gold. silver and bronze medals
individually, as well as a team win.The audience had "boo" bricks made
out of soft sponge, that they could throw at us! I was on the blue team
for about a year on Fri/Sat nights and still stay in touch with some of
the performers. We were in business before this form of theatre
had become popular, and were a bit before our time (over 15 years ago)
It was the best possible experience for all my therapeutic work.
I believe my ability to do Theatre Olympics came from teaching creative
dramatics all those years. The auditioners found it was harder to find
funny women-perhaps society dicatates more sensible self-image
messages to women?