As an Improviser, every performance is a wild ride. We pack our bags with memories and imagination, and head towards the comedy unknown.
We have no maps, no itinerary, and no idea of the road ahead - just blind faith as we drive forward with only the ability to look back on where we have been. However, every now and then, we come to a fork in the road, and we have a decision to make.
Do we take a right into the Real World, or left into Crazytown?
Crazytown is an extraordinary place, set in a magical location with fantastical characters doing absurd things. It can be wild and fun.
This ‘mash up’ is what makes the performance entertaining, but unless we stay grounded, it won’t have longevity. We can only cling to chaos for so long before we, both the performers and audience, lose interest. While we strive to keep these scenarios balanced, Crazytown is sometimes milked for laughs until boredom strikes and everyone speeds from the scene.
So, why even head to Crazytown? Well, while Crazytown can be a daunting place to explore, it can also be completely liberating! We get the ability to “boldly go where no one has gone before”, regardless of real physics or biology.
There is also a mindset that real life is boring. Audience members will challenge us, taunt us and tease us, flexing their own imaginative muscles by invariably calling out bizarre locations.
“A dragon’s cave” or “A walk-in wardrobe in a Hobbit’s hole”
It’s as if no one wants to see a “normal” scene in a “normal” kitchen! …Give me dragon’s cave!
A real relationship? What? …Give me retired Klingons!! I want to see THAT scene, because that will make me laugh. After all, that’s why I came here in the first place!
We love doing scenes in crazy places, about crazy things with crazy characters. So, when we have this license for laughter, why should we even head down the road into the Real World on our comedy journey? Because the Real World is hilarious, too! We all have mirthful, magical or momentous stories that we, or someone we know, have experienced. And we all have improbable, unbelievable or hysterical situations that we would love to share.
We all know the phrase: “I guess you had to be there”; well, Impro in the Real World takes you there! When we craft realistic relationships and convincing characters with whom our audience resonates, we all can relate to these lifelike creations more readily than conjured constructions from Crazytown.
Improvisation allows us to both creatively call from Crazytown and collectively expand from the Real World, and in the process, discover new and amazing experiences, right there in the authentically unpredictable action of each new moment. It all comes down to being present and grounded with each turn. The audience knows who we are; they care about us, and they are right there with us, coming along for the ride.
While the crossroads challenge us as we decide which way to go, we are seasoned travelers at Impro Melbourne, and we are ready to explore! We look at where we’ve just been and think of where to take the audience next on the best comedy road-trip EVER!
You can take Character with Patrick Duffy Thursdays 7 - 9pm from July 24.
Click here for more details.