What happens when you put a group of adults in a room and tell them to jump into character spontaneously?
You might get a shark and a feral crab on a mission, or King Henry VIII being coerced by a mermaid, laughs Emily Wise, one half of Blenheim’s Goodly Creatures Adult Improv Club founders.
The club started in July, and produces a hilarious, creative mix of stories that unfold totally randomly each week. More than that, it gives adults a space to unwind, connect, and work on their improvised acting skills, say founders Emily and Josiah Wise.
The group has gained traction, with the duo confirming that a variety of people from their early 20s to late 60s are now part of the troupe, some with prior acting experience and some who are totally new to the stage.
Josiah, who has led the Goodly Creatures youth drama programme for four years, says the group starts with as little as possible.
“Maybe an opening phrase or a title for a story, and then throw in a big mix of different performers who have to work off each other and decide what to build from there.”
The goal is not perfection, but simply “relating and listening closely to each other.”
“We have to kind of end up on the same wavelength as much as we can, so that we can take whatever idea is just randomly thrown out,” he says.
The club opened its doors to its first public viewing last Friday at Cornerstone Church, which Emily says “was great! We got some big laughs from the audience, and the cast all had a really good time.”
Closed sessions run weekly, and the plan is to put on shows approximately once a term.
In a world where creativity is increasingly being challenged and moulded by artificial intelligence, the pair say there is a much-needed space for improv theatre, as it “helps us experience what it is to be human”.
The duo is proud to provide a space that celebrates creative expression in all its messiness.
“It’s the sort of thing we do every day. It’s thinking on your feet. It’s making up a story, a scene, anything on the spot, no script. It’s just taking life really and putting it on stage together,” says Josiah.
Most importantly, “it’s really, really, really, fun” says Emily.
The pair encourages anyone to join their weekly Friday sessions - no experience needed.
