Theatresports® is a form of 'competitive', improvised theatre. It was originally formulated by Canadian-based theatre director and teacher, Keith Johnstone. And, of all things, it was inspired by pro-wrestling!
Johnstone fancied the idea of audiences getting the same kind of thrills from theatre as they did from sporting events.
So, he imagined, instead of wrestlers you'd have improvisers. And instead of grand gestures played out to the audience, you'd have... well... more grand gestures played out to the audience.
And that's a unique thing about Theatresports® compared to other forms of theatre - its audience-focused nature. Audience participation plays a vital role in the creation of scenes. Theatresports® is theatre for the people - interactive, exciting, irreverent, engaging, and immediate.
Of course, the sporting spirit is very much at work too. You still have whistle-blowing referees, excitable hosts, and audience members cheering maniacally. There are points and penalties, goodies and baddies, victors and the vanquished.
Like many sports, Theatresports® has several rounds in a match. There is a variety of events, each testing a different set of skills from the competitors - from storytelling to characterisation, from mime to music, from rhyme to accents.
For Sydney audiences, Scared Scriptless upholds the Theatresports® tradition of popular stagecraft. While giving veteran players a place to call home, Scared Scriptless also nurtures up-and-coming improvisational talent.
Theatresports® was pioneered in Australia by the nation's most recognised improvisation teacher, Lyn Pierse. Lyn's ImproCorp is the place budding improvisers go for training. To find out more, check out the ImproCorp website.
Once students complete these classes, they are eligible to become members of Impro Australia.
Membership of Impro Australia means you:
To become a member, download this pdf and return it Impro Australia with some money (all details on the pdf). You also need to join our yahoo group for casting calls. To join just email scriptless-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and let us know your background and experience.
