Theatresports Grand Championships | ImproMafia
The Theatresports Grand Championships was a snappy demonstration of creativity, wit, and timing as two plucky teams battled it out for improvisational supremacy. It was a world championship, MC Glenn Seaby quipped, involving the only part of the world we can readily access at the moment: Brisbane. Representing Brisbane’s northside was team Taipan Kai (Wade Robinson, Tom Dunstan, Jaz Robertson and Ryan Goodwin), with The Mighty Ibises (Luke Rimmelzwaan, Carla Haynes, Isabella Pilbeam, Siobhan Finniss and Alex Simpkins) flying the flag for the southside.
Image + cover image: Images by Anderson
Over the course of an hour, the two teams took turns in presenting short skits, scenes, and songs – all completely improvised on the spot, guided only by a scene set-up and prompts shouted out from the audience – in the hopes of getting the biggest laughs from the audience and the biggest scores from the judges. Even though there were quite a few impro afficionados in attendance (if the audience’s approving oooh’s as each scene set-up was announced were anything to go by), the MC and team captains Wade Robinson and Luke Rimmelzwaan did a great job of quickly, clearly explaining each set-up to those of us (like myself) far less familiar with the genre.
Some of my favourite scenes were The Might Ibises’ ‘Sing About It’, where an interaction between a seductive Jesus, a devout parishioner, and an exasperated God was interspersed with musical-theatre-style songs whenever the audience demanded that the characters “sing about it”; and Taipan Kai’s ‘Emotional Rollercoaster’, where a domestic scene centring on ironing a shirt and tax evasion was re-enacted three times with the characters first aroused, then jealous, then anxious. Those descriptions don't quite do justice to the magic that took place on stage in those scenes, but it’s the spontaneous, ephemeral, never-to-be-repeated nature of impro that makes it so delightful.
I counted fourteen different scenes across the show, which I thought was an impressive number for an hour-long show, and served as a tantalising sampler of the wide, wild world of impro possibilities. Over those scenes, the performers each showcased their strong individual talents for improvisation, imagination, and characterisation – and their sheer joy at being on stage was palpable. There was a great sense of chemistry between all of the performers, which allowed them to skillfully, smoothly riff off each other through even the most surprising changes in a scene.
The audience was enthusiastic, and more than happy to engage with the set-ups. Part of the show’s fun was listening to the prompts suggested by the audience – the creative and the curious (a budding psychologist would surely have a field day). One audience member was very insistent on “public toilet” as the prompt for each and every set-up, as was someone else with “watermelon”; there were, thankfully, broader offerings from others in the audience! I did get an extra giggle when a young man a few rows behind me cheerily yelled out “Wanking!” when the audience was prompted for an adjective. (“Mate,” his friend kindly corrected, “wanking is a verb, not an adjective.”)
Rob Zosars provided the music for the show; again, entirely improvised according to the needs of the scene and the given prompts. From funky blues grooves to jaunty jazz numbers to sweeping theatrical melodies, Zosars’ musical genius supported the performers seamlessly through each scene, no matter what surprising twist or turn they took. MC Glenn Seaby was sharp and funny in his own right, ably keeping the audience in line when things got too rowdy, and ensuring the show skipped along at its jubilant speed.
The competition was tightly contested, and I didn’t envy the three judges their task in scoring each scene. The Mighty Ibises took the trophy (which I have to admit, as a southsider myself, made me very happy), but both teams would have been worthy winners. The true winners of the night, though, have to be the audience. Reasons to laugh might be few and far between recently, but the clever, joyful, funny – at times completely silly – Theatresports Grand Championships was a very welcome outlet in these troubled times.
While the Theatresports Grand Championships have wrapped up for this year, the fun doesn’t have to stop. Info about upcoming impro shows and events can be found on ImproMafia’s website or Facebook page. For those wanting to learn how to create impro magic themselves, check out the upcoming workshops and classes hosted by ImproMafia.
The Theatresports Grand Championship, presented by ImproMafia and the Brisbane Powerhouse, took place on August 28th, 7.30 p.m, as part of the 2021 Brisbane Comedy Festival.
