I had a workshop for my August Thursday Night Slot show last night. It went very well, with lots of enthusiasm from the folks that came.
The show is called Improvolution, inspired by The Blind Watchmaker and the essays of Stephen Jay Gould. I’m advancing the theory that if we allow an audience to weed out characters in a story they don’t like, we will end up with a story that is the fittest for it’s environment, which I hope means the most entertaining for the audience. So, the last show in August should be really, really good.
Alternatively, it could end up like the duck-billed platypus.
I’m also going to hold open notes after the show, where the audience can sit in and offer comments and criticisms. So if anyone wants to come and smack-talk us, feel free.
The duck-billed platypus is splendidly adapted for its environment, so don’t you be talkin’ smack.
The duck-billed platypus is a ridiculous animal, adapted or not.
and the last thing improvisers want is to be ridiculed.
Sounds like an interesting concept. I like the audience element. I always have problems with long form shows that don’t deal enough with the audience. they take one suggestion at the beginning and then leave the audience completely out for the rest of it.
I completely concur. I love the interactive nature of improv.
Yeah…like when you ask for a profession and some drunkard yells out “proctologist!”
That always cracks me up.
I’ve always felt there was an untapped wealth of scenes about proctologists that prejudice prevents us from exploring.
If only we were more open about the artistic process.
“Gynacologist!”, however, would yield no fruit, even if given the chance.
Wow!
That sounds really cool!
Just characters or can the audience kill story lines that don’t appeal?
Re: Wow!
Just characters, but if you kill a character, their storyline is likely to die out as well.