The revolution will be improvised
The former comedy partner of Austin Powers star Mike Myers will be among the special guests taking to the stage this weekend as part of the 2012 Improvathon. Founded by Impropriety, it is the 3rd annual event of its kind in the city, an entirely improvised comedy epic that will run continuously for 2012 minutes (just over 33 and a half hours). During this time, the cast will forego the luxuries of scripts, planning, and most of all sleep to continually perform a soap opera consisting of 17 two-hour episodes. The final episode beginning at 9pm on Sunday promises to bring the narrative to a thrilling climax, with none of the story scripted beforehand. Artistic director, Rosie Wilkinson, says “When performers are deprived of sleep, they lose the ability to censor themselves which leads to some truly remarkable theatre being created. The performers discover the story at the same time as the audience, something which can never be achieved in other theatrical formats.” The Improvathon is based on a format created and made popular by Canadian company DIE-Nasty, who have held an annual 50-hour “Soap-a-thon” for nearly 20 years. This year, Impropriety was chuffed to announce they will be joined by three special guest performers from DIE-Nasty -- Mike Myers' former comedy partner Dana Andersen; three times World Improv Champion & Atomic Improv performer Donovan Workun and Kory Matthewson of Rapid Fire Improv. Each year, the Improvathon runs to a theme. Last year it was a wedding, this year, a TV studio. They say: “Welcome viewers! For one weekend only, Impropriety becomes ImproprieTV- the newest thing in live broadcasting! It’s live TV, coming to you, er... live! See the cut and thrust of modern media as it happens. From script to screen – without a script! Join us at our studio in the Kazimier for this ground-breaking continuous broadcast - The Revolution Will Be Improvised!” The first episode of Back To The Studio will begin on Saturday (March 3) at 1pm with doors opening every two hours until the final episode at 9pm on Sunday (March 4). Audiences are free to join the story at any point and to stay for as little or as long as they wish. Each episode begins with the ‘story so far’, so you won’t miss anything. Parental guidance is recommended they say, however a family episode taking place between 11am and 1pm on Sunday will be suitable for audiences of any age. It all takes place at the Kazimier, Wolstenholme Square, Liverpool, and episodes begin on odd numbered hours: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm, etc (all through the night). Tickets are £5 per episode on the door, or £25 for a weekend pass to come and go throughout the event, on the door or online at www.thekazimier.co.uk. It’s £5 for the family episode (11am to 1pm Sunday), with children free (must be accompanied by an adult though). Finally, it’s £10 for a Sleepover ticket (valid between 11pm Saturday to 9am Sunday) -- audiences encouraged to bring pyjamas and sleeping bags, which sounds rather amazing. Here's a trailer, which is great (I particularly wish Bastardchef was real): And here's a clip of Dana Andersen and Mike Myers in character as 'Kurt and Dieter'. Dieter went on to become a regular character on Saturday Night Live.
