Improv Conspiracy Blog

This is a post in our "Five Questions" series of interviews with Improv Conspiracy members.  During the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival we'll be posting a new interview on every day that we have a show. You can find out more about our show "Our Friend Harold" and buy tickets by clicking here!

What was the first improv show you saw that made you think "wow, I'd like to do that!"?

There was never a particular show that made me want to improvise. I had seen parts of Thank God You’re Here but my exposure was rather limited. I stumbled upon improv through an elective at university and loved it. It was from there I went to see performances from The Big HOO-HAA and The Improv Conspiracy and they really blew me away.

This is a post in our "Five Questions" series of interviews with Improv Conspiracy members.  During the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival we'll be posting a new interview on every day that we have a show. You can find out more about our show "Our Friend Harold" and buy tickets by clicking here!

What was the first improv show you saw that made you think "wow, I'd like to do that!"?

I can’t remember seeing a particular show but I do remember reading a book (Bossypants by Tina Fey) that discussed Improv and some of the general rules that players follow. I can specifically remember thinking, "wow, I'd like to do that!" So I did. 

This is a post in our "Five Questions" series of interviews with Improv Conspiracy members.  During the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival we'll be posting a new interview on every day that we have a show. You can find out more about our show "Our Friend Harold" and buy tickets by clicking here!

What was the first improv show you saw that made you think "wow, I'd like to do that!"?

My brother Liam – who has five years on me – doing his school TheatreSports competition when I was in Year Seven. It was love at first sight! Although, to be fair, for the first 18 years of my life I was so in thrall to be my brother that the mere fact of his participation in any particular activity was enough to lock me on a new life trajectory. We can just be thankful he picked improv as opposed to, say, white supremacy.

This is a post in our "Five Questions" series of interviews with Improv Conspiracy members.  During the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival we'll be posting a new interview on every day that we have a show, and on a few other days when our Artistic Director is bored!  You can find out more about our show "Our Friend Harold" and buy tickets by clicking here!

What was the first improv you saw that made you think "Wow, I'd like to do that!"?

I think the first impro I saw was The Big HOO-HAA! in Perth. I was already doing standup and there were a few comedians who improvised onstage, but it was different. Having other performers respecting your idea and helping build a shared imagination is something really inspiring.

What aspects of the Harold do you find the most rewarding? The most challenging?

The most rewarding parts of Harold for me are also the most challenging. The third beat- trying to thread ideas and concepts from what's gone before all together is especially challenging, and can be so rewarding when you feel the whole group is thinking as one. So yeah, hive minds... that's what I find difficult.

This is a post in our "Five Questions" series of interviews with Improv Conspiracy members.  During the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival we'll be posting a new interview on every day that we have a show!  You can find out more about our show "Our Friend Harold" and buy tickets by clicking here!

What was the first improv show you saw that made you think "wow, I'd like to do that!"?

I think it was Spontaneous Broadway. I was blown away by how it all came together, I couldn't get my head around it. “What do you mean they are MAKING IT UP?”

What aspects of the Harold do you find the most rewarding? The most challenging?

I love how we can come up with whatever we want – completely different worlds or ridiculous situations - and play with our ideas over a number of minutes or scenes. It's so rewarding when everything ties together neatly at the end and you can see the audience go “wooahhhhh”. The challenging thing is saving the scene when things start to go awry. But that's where your team mates all help each other out. Love those guys!!