Bad Dog Theatre Company

Ask an Improviser: Different Philosophies

alice.moran — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:24:11 +0000

“How do you, as veteran improvisers, approach playing with a fellow player who approaches improv from a different philosophy that you do?”

Alexander Wong

AJ Vaage (¡Fuego!):I always remember to make strong, compelling choices and to be as open as I possibly can be. By being open and listening, different styles of improv can only compliment each other. I learn something new with every player I am fortunate to improvise with.

Carmine Lucarelli (E snob):I’ve never been faced with a philosophy in a scene, just a player. If you ‘yes, and’ what is in front of you I really don’t see how it can go too wrong. If they are all about game and heightening, ‘yes, and’ takes care of that. If they are all about platform/tilt, ‘yes, and’ takes care of that, too. But of course, if you are dogmatic about a particular style of play then you could run into trouble. Just goes to show that these things are tools, not philosophies. Tools can be chosen for the job at hand, philosophies seem to demand adherence. I don’t like adherence, I like improv.

Jess Bryson (The Guest List): Improv has many philosophical stances; and most are different way of getting to the same thing- a great funny scene. My advice, in general, is to learn them all, and there will be some that don’t fit with you as a performer, but educating yourself will only make you better. That being said, it can be really jarring to enter a scene with someone who doesn’t share your style and philosophy. Be yourself. You were asked to do the show for a reason: maybe you can’t make “a million jokes a minute”, or you have a super crazy style and you’re playing with someone slow and grounded, but people want to see you and believe in you. And hey, everyone learns the same lesson day 1: Say Yes! If your both agreeing to the scene choices, it’ll be great- then you can have a philosophical debate in the bar after.

Colin Munch (Throne of Games): I think having an ‘improv philosophy’ is dangerous. We all have styles and habits we enjoy, both as performer and observer, but any time you share a stage with someone it’s your job to accept their brain one hundred percent. Saying “Oh, I don’t do that” limits an art form that is too young to be limited. I may bristle at an organic opening but if you start doing one on stage with me, I’ll jump right into that whoosing tribal maelstrom.

If you have a question you’d like answered by our improv veterans, leave a comment below!

Gavin Williams

jess.bryson — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:41:04 +0000

Gavin has been performing improvised theatre since 2001. After completing a theatre degree at the University of Lethbridge, he joined the Loose Moose theatre company in Calgary where he trained under Dennis Cahill, Shawn Kinley and Keith Johnstone. In addition to improv, he tours written shows with his company Backyard Spaceship and is a founding member Calgary’s premier sketch company “The Late, Late Breakfast Show”.

Gavin has directed, written for, and appeared in a variety of productions over the last 12 years, and is a regular performer of TheatreSports and Gorilla theatre. He is currently living in Toronto where he runs Micetro Impro with Bad Dog Theatre.

jess.bryson — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 15:46:17 +0000

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Payment plans are available upon request. Please contact General Manager, Allison McColl at allisonm@baddogtheatre.com to make arrangements.

MEET THE TEAMS

jess.bryson — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:23:29 +0000

Lisa Amerongen: Los Idiotas
Lisa Amerongen grew up in Fort McMurray, Alberta where she was introduced to the world improv through the Canadian Improv Games. After graduating she moved to Edmonton and joined Edmonton’s Rapid Fire Theatre company. She played in their weekly Theatresports show, as well as their long form show, Chimprov while she went to school at the University of Alberta. Lisa moved to Toronto this September and is overjoyed to be performing with Bad Dog Theatre while she pursues a career in arts management. When she’s not improvising you can find her working as the Communciations Coordinator at Sue Edworthy Arts Planning, writing for the Toronto blog She Does the City and pouring other people’s coffee! Follow Lisa on Twitter: @lisaahh

Craig Anderson:Los Poetas

Craig Anderson has been performing improv across North America for the past 7 years, but has spent most of his improv life in Vancouver working with The Sunday Service, !nstant Theatre, Ghost Jail Theatre, and The Vancouver Theatresports League. With his group “The Sunday Service” Craig is proud to have won the 2012 Canadian Comedy Award for best Improv Troupe, and 1st place in the Improvaganza International Theatresports Tournament 2 years running. Craig most recently starred in Bad Dog’s amazingly successful run of Throne of Games at The Next Stage Festival. You can catch him performing regularly with The Bad Dog Repertory Players

Zoe Daniels: Ésnob

Zoe Daniels is from Minnesota, which is basically American Canada. She started improvising in Chicago at The Second City when she was in the Comedy Studies program. She continued her training at Montreal Improv with a bunch of the absolute best anglophones and bilinguals you’ve ever seen. She is also a cartoonist and writer, sometimes published, sometimes not. She recently moved to Toronto and hangs out with/at/on Bad Dog, Second City and the TTC.

Kerry Griffin: Los Poetas

A founding member of the Bad Dog Theatre and an alumni of the Second City, Kerry is a multiple Canadian Comedy Award winner for both improv and sketch comedy. He is also a member of award winning troupes Slap Happy and Monkey Toast. His acting credits include “Covert Affairs” (Showcase) “Trojan Horse” (CBC), “Connor Undercover” (Family Channel) , Degrassi: The Next Generation (CBC) and numerous television commercials. Kerry is an instructor with both the Second City and the Bad Dog Theatre and has appeared in far too many fabulous improv shows to even mention.

Conor Holler: ¡Fuego!

Conor is an improvisor, comedian and producer. As an improvisor, he has toured Canada and the US with featured performances at the Vancouver International Improv Festival, Improvaganza in Edmonton and the Big City Improv Fest in Toronto. Conor is a regular performer at Catch23 Improv and Theatresports with Bad Dog Theatre, as well as with improv groups “Gentlemen’s Club” and “Big Fella”.

Hayley Kellet: Los Idiotas

Hayley Kellet is an improviser, writer, actor and puppeteer. She has performed in multiple Second City Theatrics shows including three seasons of The Bench, Big Bad Wolf… and the critically acclaimed Miracle on Mercer Street. Hayley has performed sketch and improv across the GTA, and also North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans while cruising on the Norwegian Star and Dawn. She produces a successful monthly improv show called War Porsche in the Comedy Bar Cabaret, a BeerProv champion, one half of the comedy duo Kris and Hayley, and is currently writing a full-length revue with Bagged Lunch to be mounted in June. Other credits include “Missed Connections” (Best of Fest 2010, Bad Dog Theatre Short Play Festival), “Name This” (History Television) and “Skatoony” (Teletoon). Follow Hayley on Twitter: @hjkellett

Carmine Lucarilli: Ésnob

Carmine is mucho pleased to be taking part in ¡Theatresports! as a Frasier Crane-like member of Ésnob. He has spent the better part of 12 years improvising, winning several Canadian Comedy Awards as part of ensemble casts. He coaches, teaches and often makes jokes that are “too BBC.” When not conjuring up his own words he interprets those of others as an actor and director. He has two cats and writes his bio in the third person.

Thomas MacKay: Los Idiotas

So happy to be yellow! Clattering around the improv scene in Toronto for nearly a decade, Thomas has been a regular in many seasons of TheatreSports (Bad Dog Theatre) and recently in Throne of Games as part of the Next Stage Theatre Festival. He has been part of three Canadian Comedy Award nominated shows including Doctor Whom (Directive Collective) and Dreadwood. He was recently at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival with Baggage (Green With Envy Productions) and hosts Teh Internets Quiz Show panel show nearly every month.

Lisa Merchant: ¡Fuego!

Lisa trained with Keith Johnstone at the Loose Moose International Improv School and has competed in numerous tournaments throughout North America. She is a multiple nominee and winner of numerous Canadian Comedy Awards. Some of Lisa’s television credits include: Train 48, Listen Missy, Go Girl!… Lisa was a founding member of the comedy troupe, The Chumps. She performs monthly in Monkey Toast, the live improvised talk show. Lisa is an understudy for the highly acclaimed Women Fully Clothed.

Most recently, she delivered workshops to some of the Canadian Olympic Team hopefuls for the London 2012 Summer Games as well as the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.

Kirsten Rasmussen: Los Poetas

AJ Vaage: ¡Fuego!

AJ Vaage is an Edmonton born actor-improvisor now based in Toronto. After winning the high school theatresports tournament, The Nosebowl, was accepted into Rapid Fire Theatre where he began to perform weekly for sold out crowds in Edmonton. He was on the Gemini-nominated YTV sketch comedy show “That’s So Weird”, for which he won a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Ensemble. He also has twitter.

Gavin Williams: Ésnob

Follow Gavin on Twitter @gavinwilliams

REGISTRATION

jess.bryson — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:32:38 +0000

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