Theatresports & Impro in Sydney

Laughter is very good medicine it soothes the soul and eases the stress. A few year's ago Sydney's comedy scene was not so funny, with only a few shows here and there with little publicity. However, it was there hidden in small bars. Every week groups of men and women would meet, they were determined to have a good time themselves and see where it would take them. Little did they know the impact they would have on the Comedy scene in Sydney.
Now Sydney has it's own comedy annual festival, it has the fiercely fought over Cranston Cup, it has several weekly Theatresports/Impro shows that are well established and it has the National Theatresports Championships. All of these have grown over the years and have produced and promoted talented acts such as The Axes of Awesome who are about to go on a World Tour.
So what is Theatresports and Impro Comedy? Basically it is a team of people who make stuff up on stage and somehow make it very funny. Some Impro I have seen has been very clever. I recently saw Pink Ladies (Friday night late show at the Roxbury Hotel). They acted out a documentary about different characters which they made up on the night. How these characters came about and interacted with each other was very clever. Not all the scenes were rip roaringly funny but you had to admire their quick thinking and reactions to the unknown. In 45 minutes you had met and understood at least 10 - 15 characters all acted out by 5 women in a scenario that unfolded and twisted and twisted and then came back together, from the plans of Kenya to a mental institution, a university to a covent and from Woolworths to a prison cell! Where will the Pink Ladies take you next week?
The Cranston Cup 2010 is underway with heats 1 - 4 already been and gone! This is a serious competition with the grand play off in December for the cup. Each heat has 4 teams who are set various challenges, there are judges and a time keeper! For example one team had to put a marshmallow in their month but not eat it every time the audience laughed, there were playing a scene in a launderette! Another had to perform a yodeling opera in the wilderness, and so it goes on with challenges until the scores are added and a winner is announced! I saw heat 3 on Sunday and yes I was crying several times with laughter, it did soothe my soul and ease the stress. I think I should return each week for therapy and so should you. The Cranston Cup.

To find out all that is happening in Theatresports and Impro in Sydney head to Impro Australia.