We’ve been interested in starting a blog for quite some time now but have always been unsure how to start. That’s the thing about improv: we never know how it’s going to start. No matter how much practice the team goes through we will never know how the show goes go until we do it. So with that in mind we will never know how this blog goes unless we do it.
What happens before the lights go up? Everyone is different, but personally it’s the most terrifying and rewarding experience. The music blaring, heart beating, sweat beading, team bonding, voice echoing, chatter fading, chairs scraping, wooden floor creaking, darkness surrounding, creative energy doing everything it can to start escaping until a voice from the speakers says “Welcome to the stage Mad Cowford”. The lights go up and then there’s a moment… everything stops for a split second. I’m looking at you and you look back at me. You and I try to feel each other out in a 2 second tango. Then the music stops, the sweat rolls and the show begins. That’s what happens for me. As performers the cast knows they will get a suggestion. That’s all, the rest of the show is unknown to us. The truth is we don’t even know what the suggestion will be but we’ve promised you a show. We come out and there is nothing but air until you provide a suggestion. It’s like jumping out of a plane and waiting for someone else to pull the cord. You are the ones that start the creative engine. That’s the fun in it. Every time the stage lights turn on we start to fall. Plummeting until you pull the cord at which point the team unravels into a parachute and the steady flight to the end of the show begins. That’s enough of the metaphors. If you have seen our show you know it’s high energy, physical, and smart, but most importantly it’s funny. If you haven’t seen one then I invite you to come and see for yourself. I invite you specifically…because the show is for you, it’s about you, it’s made by your thoughts. The audience is both a welcome friend and an equally dangerous foe. Your laughter carries us and your silence crushes. Come take a risk and see. I have one question for you. What will you create?