Improv
Fri, 20 Nov 2009, 08:48 amjmuzz23 posts in thread
Improv
Fri, 20 Nov 2009, 08:48 amWent along to the recent auditions for The Big Hoo Haa which was an eye opener. For someone who sees themselves as a reasonably confident performer I had trouble in maintaining eye contact with anything but the sides of the stage and what's worse - I blanked. Totally. Nothing there. Panicked. Blanked some more. Half-arsed finish and retired to my seat a chastened man.
It's all good - it's a learning experience, right?
Trouble is I'm really interested in developing improv skills.
It seems somewhat amazing that as a group, Perth community theatre does not run workshops or (dare I use the word) theatresport nights to skill up their budding performers in what can be a fairly handy skill up there on stage.
I know that Kalgoorlie (whether it be Kal Rep or Stage Left) has run nights of that nature for years now. Why do we shy away from it here in Perth? Or do we? Is there some secret gathering of would-be improv performers meeting here in Perth in some dark room somewhere spinning tales out of nothing?
Surely these are skills worth having as they can boost performer confidence and deal with the issue of people running "dry" onstage. I'd like to re-audition for something like the Hoo-Haa at some stage but I'd like the benefit of getting some practice in improv environments before doing so.
Anyone got suggestions other than "watch Curb Your Enthusiasm" a lot?
SO MUCH IMPRO
Sat, 21 Nov 2009, 01:27 amI was one of the people in the Thursday night advanced impro classes that Talei mentioned, and yes, a few people in our class (at least 4) made it into the Hoo-Haa! The classes were fantastic - I believe they'll be running another series next year; I'll make sure it gets posted on Theatre Australia.
Talei I'm surprised they picked Tuesday to run workshops... Shapiro Tuesdays takes over the venue at 7.30pm, I guess they're going to be quite early and/or short!
Also, if anyone's interested in free-form impro sessions, Sam Longley is starting "Impro Jam" next year. It'll be the first Sunday of every month - you just rock up, play a few games, jam for a bit and then put on a show for the public. Again, I'll make sure it gets posted on here when dates and details are sorted.
I also attended a great impro workshop at the Blue Room, run by Damon Lockwood... these things pop up from time to time, they're worth keeping an eye out for.
And in terms of books I really got a lot out of Impro by Keith Johnstone - highly recommend it!
I think a community theatre impro battle would be awesome - it might be worth speaking to Sam to see whether he or one of the Hoo-Haa players could ref it / run coaching workshops for competing teams, or to consider holding it at Lazy Susan's? I think the Hoo-Haa crew are pretty keen to get more people into impro, and getting their support might foster a supportive impro community rather than a rivalry... just a thought; feel free to rip me to shreds ;)
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Louisa Fitzhardinge