DB at Genesius Theatre, Reading PA
Adam, Rob & Andi perform in "Vacation" at Reading Community Players Theatre
Since we returned from Chicago this past summer, our troupe members have been very excited and motivated to try new and intricate games, especially the Long Form. At Second City and throughout the Improv club community in Chicago, the trend is to take one suggestion from the audience, and then do a 20- to 30-minute sketch, all centered around that one idea. Here are a few examples:
RASHOMON: The audience suggests a “Natural Disaster.” From that, three cast members each tell their own point of view on what happened, eventually tying all of their experiences together.
VACATION: Based on the suggestion of a vacation destination, a group of travelers returns from their trip. When they reminisce about a particular event, they go into “Flashback” mode and act out the memory.
LA RONDE: This one is a bit complicated. It starts with an audience suggestion of a family get-together. Two players start a scene based on that idea; the other players remain in the background until one calls out “Freeze.” The onstage players freeze in place, and the new player comes in and taps one of them on the shoulder. Then, assuming that exact same position, the NEW player starts an entirely new scene, but the OLD player *must maintain their original personality throughout the rest of the game.* This continues to the end of the game, so that every player has a personality that remains the same and maintains different relationships with each of the other players. WOW! It is fun and interesting!
WORKING ON THE BASICS: Every week, the troupe gets together to rehearse. How do you rehearse Improv? Good question! First, we do warm-ups, which include some basic exercises that help us to listen as well as watch and vocalize, and react physically at the same time. Then we go through some games in our repertoire, using suggestions we wrote on scraps of paper and put in a hat. Finally, we try to work on something new or different every week. Right now, we are working towards a highly intricate game called THE HAROLD. When we get good enough, we will definitely present that to Reading and it will be the first time for this area, so it will truly be a very special event!
In the meantime, of course, we continue to include a lot of fast and furious short form games in our program. Audiences love REPEAT, in which players must quickly change whatever they immediately said and/or did whenever the REFEREE ring the bell… DATING GAME is tons of fun, as is AMISH ORACLE, 264, EVERYDAY OLYMPICS and more.
We have also updated the website to include more information, different videos, and our revised Price List & Brochure in PDF format.
Thanks for reading, be sure to comment, visit the website at http://www.dutchblitzkrieg.com and come see our show!
Next Public Performance: Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 7:00 PM at Genesius Theatre. For information and to buy tickets online, go to http://www.genesiustheatre.org.
Thanks!
