Welcome to a special edition of Improv Corner this week, where we are handing over the reigns to Cambridge Impronauts for a very special edition. The troupe will be taking to the stage of Cambridge’s ADC Theatre from 17-19 March. I decided to hand over the reigns this week to the team to tell us more!

Hi, I’m Persephone: Welcome to #Kimprov Corner! 

I devised and am directing The Cambridge Impronauts’ upcoming show “Keeping Up with the Kimprov”. It’s an hour-long improvised comedy in the style of a reality TV show. I wanted to share some of what we’re doing with Phoenix Remix readers.

The ‘Nauts are a lovely troupe based in Cambridge, UK. Our members are a mix of ages and backgrounds, with everyone from first-year english students to local engineers: the main thing is that we love to play, train, and hang out together. That core of caring really shines through on stage: Sometimes the closeness makes it hard for us to stay on task during rehearsal, but I much prefer that to the alternative of us not getting along or worse: having nothing to talk about. 

Although I first thought of the premise 4 years ago, none of us had actually seen a full episode of any reality show. I made everyone watch an episode of the Kardashians (S6 E1) and we all came in with notes on what happened and how we could incorporate it into the show. We talked for an hour just about what we thought the tropes were and how we could incorporate them. Then we did some “talking heads”/“confessionals”. The show requires a lot of monologues and when we get those down, everything else will fall into place.

What’s great is that we now have a common vision of what we’re creating, and that’s key to a solid show. Also, we won’t be relying on niche knowledge, so everyone can enjoy the show!

I’m really interested in the familial relationships of the Kardashians, so Kimprov will be mostly character-driven, with a focus on the personal priorities of the lead characters. 

Although we’ve discussed the structure of the show in depth, rehearsals have so far been centred on the foundation scenes: these are where we establish the characters, and it’s their goals and relationships that will shape every decision. That solid base will help the rest of the story develop more easily.

We will be taking to the stage of Cambridge’s ADC Theatre from 17-19 March – we hope to see you there!

@impronauts

www.impronauts.com

#Kimprov

Tix: www.adctheatre.com/whats-on/comedy/keeping-up-with-the-kimprov/