Improv team heads to Ottawa

Burnaby South improve team heads to Ottawa
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published April 5, 2003

Clowning around in school has paid off for the members of the Burnaby South theatre improvisation team.
The troupe, which won second place at the B.C. high school improv championships last month, is now scrambling to raise enough money to go to the Canadian Improv Games being held in Ottawa this week.
The seven-member group, most of whom have been acting together for almost three years, are ecstatic at the chance to both represent their province and have a whole lot of fun in the process.
Improvisation is that style of acting best characterized by the American TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway, featuring well-known Canadian actor Colin Mochrie, also of This Hour has 22 Minutes fame.
Basically, the actors have to learn to play a role without any preset lines or plot. When done in competition, improv is almost like a sport and, done properly, all heck can break loose on stage or even during practice.
"I think it's really good for your mind," says troupe member Aaron Stevens. "It teaches you to think for yourself and it's applicable to real-life situations."
The four elements of improv are:
- Story - where actors are given a very simple plot outline, and they have to act out a four-minute scene without any rehearsals;
- Style - where the actors have to perform in a certain mode of acting, such as film noir, mime or maybe even animation;
- Theme - where the actors are given a single word or sentence they have to explore. For instance, the word 'space' could become a piece on outer space exploration or a group of actors moving around a stage without much space; and
- Life - where actors have to recreate a moment in real life in as natural a setting as possible.
In Ottawa, from April 9 to 13, the team will perform and compete inside the National Arts Centre, where they will meet some of the top acting coaches in the country, take part in professional workshops and then take their acting skills onto the street.
One optional workshop is called Street Foolery, where students join a professional actor on the streets of Ottawa to entertain the public as they go shopping or visit the Parliament buildings.
And it's the clowning around that most of the troupe members love the most.
Kelsey Corrigan, the daughter of Burnaby's mayor, joined the team on the advice of her older brother Darcy, who is currently taking drama at the University of British Columbia.
"I like it for the adrenaline rush," Corrigan said. "When you're up there on stage, everything goes so fast. Your mind is racing."
Doug Ferguson said he wants to become an actor, and he already has an agent and has done a few extra roles for the local film industry.
Josh Heatherington is interested in the behind-the-scenes production work such as the lighting and electrical aspects of theatre, plus setting up props and costumes.
The club is also hoping to do a bit of fundraising before they depart on Tuesday.
Anyone who can help them with travel expenses is asked to call the school drama department at 604-664-8560.