This week we had a new member joining the group called Ben. He comes from a background of Improv and was part of the group the Shambles which funnily enough we interviewed on this site two weeks before I met him and it was a funny coincidence. The great thing about someone joining us from such an established group means they can bring a lot to the table.

 
This week we were looking at the games we could add to our set as we have just been given our first ever 20min slot so this means we can add a game. We first discussed what Ben did as part of The Shambles to see what they did. We still want to do the emotions and sound effect game it just narrowing down the others.
We started warm up with high energy games such as Zip Zap Zop,Bunny Bunny and character circle. Then we focussed on games. We played the Mock the Week game to see how we feel about playing it as a performance piece. We also dabbled with the game Meanwhile as well ( this is when you get the audience to write in a hat scenes they would like to see and In a quick fire round you act out the random scenes).
We then brought a game to the table that Ben knows and it worked well that we have thought about using it in the future. We spent the rest of the training working on games we played last week and introducing them to other members of the troupe who hadn’t had a chance to play yet.
It was fun and we had fun and learnt a lot. New members bring new ideas and it’s all about seeing what fits us all correctly.
Case study – Taskmaster

Bit of a weird case study this week but funnily enough it really fits into everything that I have been talking about this week.
The thing I really like about taskmaster is the silliness of the tasks and the way that the contestants approach them all differently. I think this sort of relates to people and improv – everyone approaches it differently and when you have a group reshuffle people are going to bring lots of new ideas and fun and exciting ways to approach it.

Unlike Taskmaster, we aren’t competing for the trophy of Greg Davies head, instead we are competing to make a show that will be successful and Work and entertain an audience whilst leave them wanting more.