You really got a hold on me
Improv round up for Pōneke, Monday 3 October
Damn, son, it’s good to be able to breath again. Just in time too, as there’s a bunch of improv on this week, and we are spoiled for choice - luckily none of the shows clash so one could reasonably attempt to go to everything! If you have events coming up (workshops, shows, something else relevant) or you know of something improv adjacent I could share here, please scroll down and click the links. Plus if I haven’t yet profiled you or your company, I would LOVE to. Send me your deets!
imProfile: Liz and Ben Make Stuff Up
Who they are: Liz Butler and Ben Jardine are in love and in love with improv. Realistic, musical character driven improv is their catnip and they are in constant pursuit of shows to play, shows to watch, workshops to host and play in, and having a good time.
What they do: Perform, teach, and tour. They are currently toggling between the states and NZ!
The vibe: “Right now we’re really into character driven long form improvised musical comedy - lol, so esoteric. But we’re also really into grounded improv: building realistic characters in realistic moments. Our shows blend the two. We love all the forms and merging them!”
Get involved: Buy tickets to our shows, register for our public workshops, design posters! Produce! Lights! Musicians! We love collaborating with other artists on shows. If you are in New York, they have a show coming up!
Stay updated: Their instas are the best place right now but they’re working on a website so stay tuned! @lizzbutts @thebentalist
Help me profile all the improv companies and ensembles in Pōneke!
Send me your group’s info and you’ll feature in a future post.
coming up this week…
shows
Basejump Comedy's Character Showcase (Basejump). Thurs 6 Oct, 8pm at The Pow Wow Room, tix $15-20.
Tiny Dog (Tiny Dog). Fri 7 Oct, 9:30pm at BATS Theatre, tix from $15.
Double Feature (Locomotive). Sat 8 Oct, 6:30pm at BATS Theatre, tix from $15. With special guests Widows on a Boat (Alayne Dick and Tara McEntee).
Late Night Knife Fight (Locomotive). October 8, 6:30pm at BATS Theatre, tix from $18. With headliners The Queen’s Jubbly (Dianne Pulham and Malcolm Morrison).
workshops
Improv Theatre 101 (Locomotive). From 17 October, 7pm at Thistle Hall. Tell your improv-curious friends.
Regular spots: WIT Tuesdays, Java Dance improv jam. Check out earlier issues for more details.
other links and stuff
Last week I missed sharing this (curse you, ailments!) but Voice Arts Trust ran a bunch of workshops as part of Seniors Week / Te Wiki Kaumātua which is just bloody delightful. I hope it went great!
This is a very sweet write up for SpontaneoUS in Palmy which for some reason includes a photo of the radio version of Whose Line is it Anyway? from January 1988.
The seven habits of highly effective improvisors.
Links links links
Help me collate all the upcoming improv and improv-adjacent events and useful news - tell me about yours! Deadline is Saturday, I put this together on Sunday.
let’s talk…
I’ve never intentionally listened to the Beatles. I realised this while researching quintessential songs for my Musical Improv workshop, and was recommended a couple of their songs for the list. I’ve made a playlist and am starting from the beginning and plowing through, and I’m excited about the experience! I’m a big fan of knowing the basics when you’re exploring an art form, the influential standards and people which infuse the wider scene - which honestly is rather difficult in improv, as we can’t go back and make a huge playlist of the improv hits we’ve absorbed over the years. How do you fill people in on the influential things of improv?