Improv

Went 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?