First Workshop After Covid
After the dreaded Covid hit our shores and locked us down, we finally had our first workshop. And what a great workshop it was too!
Thankfully, the weather was sunny as the keen students arrived in the Green Room, anticipating a great day. Sadly Covid had crashed one out, but all others on the list were tentatively coming through the door.
The students were wonderfully multi-cultural from Malaysia, South China, South Africa and Scotland, plus the Honest Liars who hail from the USA, the U.K. and N.Z. it certainly made for diversity.
After introductions, the first warmup brought the students out of their shells and set the mood for the rest of the day. ‘The Catwalk’ is exactly as it sounds. In pairs, everyone got to dance down through the line of the others and be as silly as they wished.
‘The World in a Box’ was a bit more of a challenge for some. The students broke into teams of two and began pulling things out of an imaginary box. It helped to get the brain fired up.
Next, it was learning some basics of Improv, so into two lines the students went and taking turns of two they created ‘Three Lines Scene’. Imaginations ran wild as there were strippers, circus visits and the best line, “let’s murder your husband”.
By this time, the students were beginning to loosen up, and laughter was abundant. Onward to ‘Ring the Bell’. This game taught the art of delivery – nice and slow.
The morning session ended with a couple more learning games, and then it was lunchtime and a welcome break. This was an excellent time for the students to get to know each other more personally.
Food and beverages over; it was time for games. First up was the ‘Alphabet Game’ one that looks easy, but looks can be deceiving. There was help from the other students as, in pairs, they took to the stage to have a go in the spotlight for the first time.
Jamie and Neil had a great interaction as Neil wanted Jamie to fix his baldness. Jamie’s solution was to give him a blue pill to help the hair stand up!
Time to learn more skills to add to the tool kit. The ‘Change’ game got the students thinking quickly.
A few more rounds of stage work and then the final game of ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’, solving problems from the audience. “How do I meet a nice lady?” received answers about online dating, looking at the newspaper, finding the latest divorcees, and finally, going onto LinkedIn and stalking the wealthy.
Then with the question “How do I get my husband to help with housework?” the best answer was “Withhold EVERYTHING!”
The workshop drew to a close with everyone saying what they had got out of it. For the Honest Liars, it was terrific to see how each student had stepped out of their comfort zone. Quite a few had arrived very shy, and their confidence had blossomed by the end. The skills learned in the workshop can be taken into personal and work areas enriching lives both for the student and those around them.
There’s more to Improv than meets the eye. Laughter certainly is excellent medicine.
Thanks to the fabulous students it was wonderful to get to know you all
| Steve Summer Jamie Maree Daniel George |
Gail Sharin Danie Neil Ted |
Thanks to the Honest Liars who ran the workshop:
Kathy, Jon, Matt, Kathy, Fee and Sue
Thanks to players
| Kathy Jon Matt |
Sue Fee |
The next show on the Black Box Stage is on Sunday 4th June at 7.30 pm
Book your tickets and join the players for loads of laughs.
1st Saturday of every month.
16th Ave Theatre.
16th Avenue, Tauranga.
Show Starts: 7.30 p.m.
Licenced bar available.
