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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.
Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself, is in the Latin 'improvisus', which literally means un-foreseen. But it is also related to both the old French word 'emprouer' and the English 'improve', to improve. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of improvisation can apply to many different faculties, across all artistic, scientific, physical, cognitive, academic, and non-academic disciplines; see Applied improvisation.
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.
The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Adam McKay, Rick Roman, Horatio Sanz and Drew Franklin. Other early members included Neil Flynn, Armando Diaz, Ali Farahnakian and Rich Fulcher.
Colin Andrew Mochrie is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and US versions of the improvisational TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959, and has become one of the most influential and prolific comedy theatres in the English-speaking world. In February 2021, ZMC, a private equity investment firm ironically based in Manhattan, purchased the Second City.
Patrick McKenna is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Harold Green on the television series The Red Green Show.
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is an American improvisational theatre company and training center founded by the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe members Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh.
Dan Bakkedahl is an American actor and improvisational comedian. He is best known for starring as Tim Hughes on the CBS sitcom Life in Pieces, as Congressman Roger Furlong on the HBO series Veep, and as Steve Nugent in the FX comedy series Legit. From 2005 to 2007, he was a correspondent for three seasons on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He additionally has recurring roles on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs, the HBO Max comedy series Made for Love, and the Netflix comedy Space Force.
Nicholas David Offerman is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer and woodworker. He became widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), for which he received the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy and was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Isaac Barinholtz is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. He is best known for his starring roles in the comedy series MADtv (2002–2007), Eastbound & Down (2012), The Mindy Project (2012–2017), Bless the Harts (2019–2021), The Afterparty (2022), and History of the World, Part II (2023). In February 2023 he won the inaugural primetime season of Celebrity Jeopardy!, winning US$1,000,000 for charity.
Anthony Joseph Alcantar is an American actor. He has done improv work with the Windy City Women Improv Troupe, acted in TV shows and films, provided voice acting for TV animation and video games, and worked as a dialect coach.
Robert Martin is a television and musical theatre actor and writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
John Michael Lutz is an American actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing J. D. Lutz on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, and for his work as a writer on the NBC series Saturday Night Live for seven seasons. In 2014, he joined the writing staff of the NBC late-night talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Ed Sahely is a Canadian actor who is best known for his role as Possum Lake business entrepreneur Murray Woolworth on the second season of The Red Green Show.
Monika Smith is a Canadian actress, writer, and comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and The Second City in Los Angeles.
Ronald Pederson is a Canadian (Métis) actor, comedian and theatre director who has worked extensively throughout Canada and in the United States. He has performed with most of Canada's major theatres including The Stratford Festival, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Citadel Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, The Arts Club, The Vancouver Playhouse, The Young Centre, The Canadian Stage Company, The Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Soulpepper and The SummerWorks Festival. Pederson has also worked extensively in television and may be best known for his Canadian Comedy Award-Nominated work and his three seasons on Fox Television's MADtv.
Under the Gun Theater is a theater company located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Angie McMahon and Kevin Mullaney, Under the Gun is a sketch and improvisational comedy theater which opened in Chicago's Lake View community in 2014. The theater was known for its interactive show Comedy Against Humanity, which ended due to legal concerns, based on the game Cards Against Humanity. In September 2017 Under the Gun Theater announced it would partner with the Chicago stand-up comedy institution Lincoln Lodge to focus on producing stand-up comedy shows.
James "Jimmy" Carroll was an American-born Canadian actor and radio personality, best known for playing Max Sutton on Wind at My Back, which aired on CBC Television from 1996 to 2001. Most recently, Carroll found a second career as a community radio host and personality based in Huntsville, Ontario. Carroll initially joined Hunters Bay Radio (CKAR-FM) in 2010 as the host of a local afternoon radio show. However, he soon became involved in the growth of the community station, hosting a Top 20 countdown, a Motown show on Mondays, and a local talent show. Carroll helped Hunters Bay Radio expand from its origins as a small, online station broadcast from a household basement into a full FM radio station with a staff of 60 employees by 2016.
Albert Howell is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer, most noted as a Gemini Award nominee and Canadian Screen Award winner for his work on the writing team for the sketch comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
References
- ↑ Season 2 Characters – The Classic Red Green Page
- ↑ Nick Johne – Chicago Improv Festival
- ↑ Nick Johne. Impatient Theatre Co.