Audience participation is a sticky element of many impro shows, including our current Maestro™ season. Because anything can happen in an impro show, audience members are often hesitant to get involved—after all, anything could happen! In reality, we take great care to make any audience volunteer’s experience a positive one. Despite this, sometimes it’s a bit tough to get an audience to contribute to our scenes; but at other times, like in Maestro™ this past Sunday, there’s no holding them back!

Early in the second half, Amy and Josh were challenged to grab a couple of willing volunteers from the audience for a Moving Bodies scene. “You won’t have to say anything, just move me around the stage,” said Amy as she motioned to her side of the audience. Josh did the same, and soon enough a scene began with a husband and wife discussing the unexpected sale of their home, with our two fabulous volunteers moving their limbs and guiding their steps around the stage.

“Knock knock!” said Roland, suddenly, from the shadows at the side of the stage. Roland’s number hadn’t been drawn for this scene, and yet there he was, standing at the edge of the light, joining in, in flagrant violation of the rules. And so was Vicki, standing right there next to him! Both of them called cheerfully from the sideline, playing friendly neighbours come for a visit.

These two new players were cheeky enough to break one rule, but they were still playing the game. Though they called happily, their arms hung limply at their sides—it was a Moving Bodies scene, after all! They couldn’t move themselves without the assistance of an audience member. What would happen next? Would the audience volunteers moving Amy and Josh have to do double duty, running between the players? What happened instead was even better.

Responding to the needs of the scene, two more audience members jumped to their feet and assumed positions behind the two new players! They lifted the players’ arms and waved their hands along with their calls of greeting. Meanwhile, the first two volunteers manipulated the original players over to the invisible door that separated them, opened it wide, and welcomed the guests inside.

The scene continued this way for a few moments as the offstage improvisers giggled with glee along with the audience. Soon enough, the fun was too much to resist, and even more players leapt to their feet, shouting “Knock knock!” And sure enough, even more audience volunteers flooded the stage to support the growing mayhem.

It’s at times like these that we as players are reminded that our audience is just as capable of surprising and delighting us as we are able to surprise and delight them. And some of our best shows are the ones where our audience volunteers are the stars.

See you this Sunday night for the season finale of Maestro™!