blog

The cast of Improv Niagara on stage at Mahtay Café, posing with Colin Mochrie.
Uncategorized

In Conversation with Colin Mochrie

admin
What do you say when you get that chance to meet one of your role models? Well, it turns out quite a bit! Last week, the crew from Improv Niagara got to have a private sit-down talk with Colin Mochrie, on our home turf of Mahtay Café, for over an hour!

We talked about everything Improv: What are his favourite games? (“Greatest Hits” with Ryan were always memorable ones for him.) What was it like to audition for Whose Line is it Anyway? (He got turned down the first time he auditioned for the British version of the show, believe it or not!)

We also got to learn a lot about his new show “Hyprov,” where he performs with professional hypnotist Asad Mecci. In this show, Mecci brings people on stage and hypnotizes them, removing all their fears and self-doubt, then proceeds to get them to improvise scenes with Colin. Most of the IN team also got to see the show later on in the evening and we were all thoroughly entertained. We're so thankful Colin took the time to meet with us! Maybe someday we will all get to meet again... maybe even on stage!
Dina Senior
Co-Founder, Improv Niagara
Improv, Longform, Shows

Isn’t Armando a Person?

admin

This Saturday, in addition to hosting an Improv Jam for everyone in Niagara’s improv community to come play, the cast of Improv Niagara will be performing a well-known longform format called “Armando” (named after Armando Diaz, NYC improviser and founder of the Magnet Theatre.) 

We asked Mickie Krish to tell us how he feels about Armando:

Over the past year I was asked if I wanted to participate in an “Armando”. At first I thought, “Isn’t Armando a person? How do you participate in a person?" Secondly, “Isn’t that the name Will Ferrell says in Elf? Armando, Armando... Francisco. Nope it isn’t that name.” Thirdly, “I desperately want to be liked and to have attention, so whatever it is, the answer is; “YES!” Of course, I played it cool and agreed. “Yeah, uh... If I could fit it into my schedule...” One of the best decisions I have made!

As I have had the opportunity to perform Improv, the Armando style has been the form that appeals to me most. A brief summary is that the performers will get a suggestion word from the audience. One of the performers then comes forward and tells a true story about their life that the suggested word brings to their mind. Then the rest of the performers move forward and improvise scenes that the story brings to their mind.

This style allows for so much creativity and fun. You truly get to see a little bit of how the performers' minds work based on what they create from the given material.

The other reason I love this form is that, my experience shows that a lot of improv is finding the first person willing to step out with an idea and then the rest of the performers are in many ways scrapping their idea to fully commit to what has been presented. In an Armando, we see multiple scenes of where the suggested story takes people. So you can see multiple people's creativity on full display. And ALL OF THIS, comes from a one word suggestion!

As we have performed the Armando style, I have been more and more impressed with the performers from Improv Niagara. The creativity and level of skill that is demonstrated in being able to go from one idea to the next and the various ways that the performers are able to go to create a hilarious scene from a one word suggestion is remarkable! I am so thankful to be performing with this group and so excited for you to come experience this creativity before your eyes.
Mickie Krish
Improv Niagara Cast Member

Don’t miss Improv Niagara’s Improv Jam Night + Armando, Saturday January 18th 2020 at Mahtay Café & Lounge, beginning at 8pm.

Improv Niagara's cast outside their home of Mahtay Café in downtown St. Catharines
Events, Improv, Shows

A FREE Improv Niagara Show for a Good Cause

admin

Christmas time is finally here! And, I have always found that giving is way more fun than receiving. Improv Niagara truly wouldn’t be what it is today without the many people who come to see the shows every month, and for that we are truly grateful. I can honestly say that without you, there would be no show (I mean, we do have great fun at rehearsals, but there is nothing like a laughing crowd of people!) 

This year, we are doing two “After-Christmas Specials.” Our first is “Improv Fallout” on Friday evening – the show you’ve come to know and love, but with a festive twist! The second show, Saturday evening, will be our first ever “Audience Appreciation” show!  This means, if you come to see Improv Fallout on Friday night, you will get the second Saturday show for FREE! (Pfffft…and they say that nothing in life is free!) 

If you are unable to attend the Friday Fallout show, that’s OK! Just bring a canned good or non-perishable food item and you will be admitted into our Holiday Improv Gathering.  All of the goods received will be donated to Community Care – St. Catharines & Thorold. 

It feels good to give back to the community that has supported us for nearly two years now! 

Happy Holidays from Dina and all the other improvisors at Improv Niagara! We hope to see you at the show. Maybe you can bring your out-of-town family too?

– DINA SENIOR
Co-Founder of Improv Niagara

Improv Niagara at the District School Board of Niagara's Professional Development Day
Events, Improv, Workshops

IMPROV IN EDUCATION: Using Improv to Help Teachers

admin

Evie Jones recounts her recent experience representing Improv Niagara at DSBN’s Fall Professional Development Day. Teachers, take note!

Many years ago I had the pleasure of meeting a soft, kind, talented man by the name of Jack Wieler. Jack is an actor in St. Catharines, and during my youth, my mother was making lots of independent theatre in our town. She would often bring me to rehearsals and I would get to watch from the distance, with my young, fresh, impressionable child’s mind. One of her colleagues was Jack. They would put on shows together at the old NAC- you know when it was on Bond Street before our friends from Liberty Bikes arrived on the scene. It was through these in-and-out rehearsal halls that I would come to formulate my dreams, by watching people with talent, dedication and a love for the Arts. 

Jack is now the Secondary Consultant for the Arts in Education programs with the District School Board of Niagara. He helps to generate social momentum surrounding arts and culture in our city and within our educational system. He works with high school students and educators.

Much of what we do with Improv Niagara- other than performing our monthly “Improv Fallout” each month at Mahtay- and building a lively,  fun and interactive comedy presence in Niagara- is outreach to the community. We reach out to groups such as seniors, youth groups, people struggling with anxiety- etc. We do this because improv offers wide variety of activities and games that help relieve stress, build self-confidence, and support team building!  

It only made sense to have an afternoon coffee with Mr. Weiler to discuss how Improv Niagara could bring our skills, knowledge and expertise to our local high school teachers. 

Each year the District School Board of Niagara hosts a few Professional Development Days. Their purpose is to facilitate new and innovative ways of teaching for educators to bring into their classrooms and help guide their students through their learning journeys. Myself and Brie, Head Instructor and Owner of Improv Niagara had the pleasure of being able to offer what we do in a workshop setting. Teachers participated in games, discussed some improv theory and focused on some basic themes that cover how improv supports learning. 

It was an awesome experience for all. We learned so much! We learned that high school students struggle with self-confidence and that can sometimes make or break their openness to a learning environment. It can prevent their cognitive processes and hinder them from getting a full experience of a lesson. We showed teachers how improv can relieve some those issues. Improv is designed to generate “messing up.” It is designed to allow participants to “let go” and have fun. Once those two goals are accomplished, the sky’s the limit! 

It was a great opportunity for me to reconnect with Jack. He has inspired me over the years, and now I got to bring something that I am practicing in my own artistic life to the table. Brie and I had a fantastic experience holding such a unique, important workshop. Repping IMPROV NIAGARA in the community is a great feeling, and we hope to keep connecting with Educators and students alike. Let’s keep up that social momentum surrounding arts in St. Catharines and beyond!

– Genevieve (Evie) Jones
Actor, Director, Playwright
Cast Member at Improv Niagara

Improv, Shows, Sketch Comedy

Variety Comedy Show

admin

Improv Niagara recently held a Variety Comedy Show in St. Catharines. We wanted to challenge our comedic abilities and present a show completely different from the improv shows we normally perform. Our newest member Pat shared the following about his experience branching out into the word of musical comedy:

I’ve been a super fan of Improv Niagara since their very first show at Mahtay Café. I’ve attended improv shows in Chicago, New York City and Toronto. And I love shows like ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ It became very clear to me how quick, versatile and in-tune one had to be to ‘play’ in the big leagues.

I wanted to play in the big leagues.

I was lucky enough to study improv at The Second City Training Centre in Toronto, but driving two hours around the lake was becoming less and less of an option for me. Along came Improv Niagara; led by amazing improv and theatre professionals, they’ve added to the heartbeat of downtown St. Catharines. I watched as they found their rhythm, grew their skills and packed the house!

I wanted to get involved. Just over a year after seeing their first show, I was finally in a place where I could participate in my first show with Improv Niagara. And it wasn’t even Improv! It was a Variety Comedy Show!

Watching the gang perform improv over the year, I thought I knew what they were capable of. But gee golly, was I wrong! Every single person left their comfort zone at the door and took a chance doing something spectacular! Collectively, we had acts ranging from stand-up to sketch comedy and even interpretive dance!

I chose to combine my love of music and a few accents and performed a Christmas song I used to hear when I “lived above a hostel.”

It was a great and eye opening night, one of many I’m looking forward to sharing with my new peers at Improv Niagara. 

Patrick Gagliardi, Improv Niagara’s Newest Cast Member

Don’t miss Pat in our upcoming Holiday Edition of Improv Fallout, actually performing improv this time, on Friday December 27th 2019 at 8pm.

An imagine of Improv Niagara's Mickie and Tino posing with the guest of honour Mickey in a frame that says "Mickey's Roadshow".
Birthday, Events, Improv

Mickey’s Surprise Birthday Party

admin

One of the many ways Improv Niagara brings humour and joy to the Niagara Region is by performing at special events. Recently, IN was asked to participate in a Surprise 70th birthday Party in Port Colborne, Ontario. Take a look at what our cast member Mickie Krish had to say about the event:

What a wonderful party! Improv Niagara players, Tino Notarianni and I had the pleasure of sharing in a surprise birthday party for Mickey Mayne. It was a fantastic opportunity to use improv as a way to celebrate and honour a lovely woman.

Mickey is has been a fan of the “Antique Roadshow” television program for years. Her family decided that it would be fun to surprise her with an Antique Roadshow-themed party! Guests were invited to bring any items that they would like to have appraised. Tino and I came dressed in bowties and improvised histories and details about what made each item uniquely special and the price these beloved possessions would fetch from motivated buyers. Some of these “heirlooms” included, an old doll, a rotary telephone, a straight razor, and even some “dinosaur dung”. The audience enjoyed hearing what made each piece so special, while also seeing their family and friends present and become part of these histories.

Everyone had a fantastic time and we were so pleased that we could bring a bit of joy to such a lovely woman. Improv is a wonderful tool that allows people to come together and create.

– Mickie Krish

If you’re looking for a fun and unique way to bring joy to someone important in your life’s special event, say “Yes And!” to Improv Niagara!