Impro Melbourne

Last updated

Impro Melbourne is an improvisational theatre company in the Australian city of Melbourne. Formed by Russell Fletcher and Christine Keogh in 1996 it is now run by Artistic Director Katherine Weaver, General Manager Rik Brown and Committee. Impro Melbourne is an Incorporated Association. [1]

Impro Melbourne is also one of many improvised theatre and comedy groups operating in the Melbourne area. [2]

Since 1996, Impro Melbourne has expanded its activities to produce varied forms of theatre, all using improvisation as a base, alongside a programme of shows and workshops for schools. Impro Melbourne currently produces the popular Theatresports™, [3] along with Keith Johnstone's two other competition formats Micetro and Gorilla Theatre. Impro Melbourne regularly performs formats from improvisation companies in North America and Canada, and has also developed and produced its own improvised formats, including long-form plays, often in a particular genre. [4]

A 2006 interview with company member, Lliam Amor, noted that, "after a few years in the doldrums, improv is on the up and up again. Shows such as Thank God You're Here, Jim Henson's Puppets Uncensored and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and local groups such as Spontaneous Broadway and Impro Sundae, have re-piqued the interest of audiences who evaporated after the glory years of the '80s, when Theatresports was celebrity studded, on TV, and selling out Hamer Hall. ". [5]

Impro Melbourne has performed in theatres across the city of Melbourne, including Theatreworks, La Mama Theatre, Carlton Courthouse and Melbourne Town Hall, and has been a regular feature at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. [6] [7]

As well as theatre performances Impro Melbourne has a programme of demonstration shows and workshops for secondary schools - including Theatresports™ workshops and performances, [8] Impro Zone, [9] and The Fairytale Cookbook [10] - which tours the state through Regional Arts Victoria. Impro Melbourne also offers corporate training and entertainment.

The beginning of Impro Melbourne's 2011 artistic season saw the company move all productions to The Space, 3-5 Carlton Street, Prahran. The company then performed every Sunday night, with each show comprising two formats, the exception being the company's Theatresports™ season, which ran the entire evening.

Melbourne's Herald Sun [11] newspaper has referred to Impro Melbourne's Celebrity Theatresports as, "an evening filled with improvised hilarity and incredible creativity." [12] Other performances have been referred to as, "completely unplanned, unscripted and undeniably funny journey of games, scenes and songs," [13] "displaying extraordinary mental and physical dexterity" [14] and "a great show to bring your kids to." [15]

Artistic Directors:
Patti Stiles & Katherine Weaver - 2014 to present
Jason Geary - 2012 to June 2013
Karl McConnell - 2010 to 2011
Patti Stiles - 2004 to 2009
Geoff Wallis - 1996 to 2003

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Improvisational theatre</span> Theatrical genre featuring unscripted performance

Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted, created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, action, story, and characters are created collaboratively by the players as the improvisation unfolds in present time, without use of an already prepared, written script.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Stiles</span> American/Canadian actor and comedian

Ryan Lee Stiles is an American-Canadian actor, comedian, and producer whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his work on the original British series and American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and for his role as Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey Show. He also played Herb Melnick on the CBS comedy Two and a Half Men and was a performer on the show Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatresports</span> Competitive improvisational theatre

Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges. Developed by director Keith Johnstone in Calgary, Alberta, in 1977, the concept of Theatresports originated in Johnstone's observations of techniques used in professional wrestling to generate heat, or audience reaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Johnstone</span> British drama teacher (1933–2023)

Donald Keith Johnstone was a British-Canadian educator and theatre director. A pioneer of improvisational theatre, he was best known for inventing the Impro System, part of which are the Theatresports. He was also an educator, playwright, actor and theatre director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Improverts</span> Improvisation comedy troupe from the Edinburgh University Theatre Company

The Improverts is a improvisational comedy troupe from the Edinburgh University Theatre Company, which primarily performs at the Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh. They perform weekly during Edinburgh University's term time and every night during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Bowness High School is a public school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which teaches grades 10 through 12. It is operated by the Calgary Board of Education.

The Bad Dog Theatre Company is an improvisational theatre company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and established in 2003. The theatre is eclectic and broad in its production of shows, with a focus on short-form improv, but it has branched out to include the work of other schools of thought in improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loose Moose Theatre</span>

The Loose Moose Theatre Company (LMTC), is a theater company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was co-founded in 1977, by Keith Johnstone and Mel Tonken. LMTC has an international reputation for developing the theatrical style of improvisation and specifically the work of Keith Johnstone. LMTC is the birthplace of such improvisation shows as Theatresports, Maestro, Gorilla Theatre and Life Game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Zemiro</span> Australian television host and comedian

Julia Zemiro is a French-born Australian television presenter, radio host, actress, singer, writer and comedian. She is best known as the host of the music quiz and live performance show RocKwiz. Zemiro is a fluent French speaker and has acted in French.

Patti Stiles is an actress, director, author, playwright, teacher and improvisation artist living in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Kavalee</span> Australian comedian and radio and television presenter

Edward Robert Kavalee is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, podcaster radio and television presenter and association football commentator. He is a recurring panellist on Network 10's Have You Been Paying Attention? with Sam Pang and co-hosts Hughesy, Ed & Erin with Dave Hughes and Erin Molan on 2DayFM.

Alan Marriott is a Canadian voice actor, voice teacher and dialect coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Raskopoulos</span> Australian comedian, actress and singer

Jordan Nicola Bridget Raskopoulos is an Australian comedian, actress, streamer and singer best known for her role as a writer and performer on the Network Ten sketch comedy show The Ronnie Johns Half Hour, and as lead singer for comedy rock group The Axis of Awesome (2006–2018). Her father is former footballer Peter Raskopoulos, and her brother is Steen Raskopoulos, a fellow comedian.

The Court Jesters is a professional improv company founded in 1989 and based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of the Court Theatre professional theatre company, acting as a second company within the theatre.

The Suggestibles is a British improv comedy group, based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Dad's Garage Theatre Company, located at 569 Ezzard St. in the Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1995 by Chris Blair, Marc Cram, Sean Daniels, George Faughnan, John Gregorio, David Keeton, Joseph Limbaugh, Matt Stanton, and Matt Young. A second wave of people in the founding summer soon followed, and the theatre company spent the next five years establishing itself in the Atlanta improv and theatre communities. The small theater company has since achieved international recognition for original stage productions and Improvisational comedy. The Second City executive producer Jon Carr is a former artistic director. Lara Smith, managing director, announced that she will be stepping down in late 2021.

IGLU Theatre is a Slovenian improvisational theatre, located in Ljubljana, capital city of Slovenia, and founded by younger generation of impro performers Vid Sodnik, Juš Milčinski, and Peter Frankl Jr. Participating in the most notable theatresports championship in Slovenia, Impro League, they have won it four times as members of various teams and hold numerous titles for the best improviser in Slovenia. As a team they were also winners of the Impro League 2013/14 season. They are members of European impro association Ohana.

Impro League is the oldest among Slovenian theatresports championships. It has taken place since 1993 with participants from all over the country. In recent years, over hundred participants have competed in a number of disciplines in each season, culminating in finals. Other Slovenian championships that are limited to younger age groups, include School Impro League (ŠILA) for high school teams, while Impro club is dedicated to regular Slovenian performers who have international impro experience with mentors, such as Daniel Gray Goldstein from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, New York City; Randy Dixon from the Unexpected Productions, Seattle, and Andreas Wolf from Munich, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steen Raskopoulos</span> Australian comedian, actor and improviser

Steen Raskopoulos is an Australian comedian, actor and improviser. He is best known for his live character solo sketch shows, playing Dr. Evan in The Duchess (Netflix), Pete Lewis in Feel Good (Netflix), John Mahogany in BBC Three's Top Coppers, Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia and as one half of the award-winning improvisation duo The Bear Pack.

References

  1. ↑ "ABN Lookup". November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Time Out | Best Things to do and Events in Cities Worldwide".
  3. ↑ "Theatresports". 13 November 2006.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-04-09. Retrieved 2014-02-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "Thank God they're back in the black". 15 June 2007.
  6. ↑ "Late Night Impro | Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2014". Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  7. ↑ "Celebrity Theatresports | Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2014". Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  8. ↑ "Regional Arts Victoria". Archived from the original on 2014-02-04.
  9. ↑ "Regional Arts Victoria". Archived from the original on 2014-03-01.
  10. ↑ "Regional Arts Victoria". Archived from the original on 2014-03-01.
  11. ↑ "Home". heraldsun.com.au.
  12. ↑ Tyler, Bethany (April 21, 2013). "Review: Celebrity Theatre sports". Herald Sun . Archived from the original on February 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ "REVIEW: Late Night Theatresports | What's on Comedy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  14. ↑ Stock, Dan (April 16, 2012). "Celebrity Theatresports". Herald Sun . Archived from the original on February 24, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Celebrity Theatresports".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.