Improvised Comedy Show Celebrates Shakespeare
Improvised comedy that would make William Shakespeare himself proud takes the stage in an upcoming performance at Alma College.
The Chicago-based Improvised Shakespeare Company performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 in the Remick Heritage Center. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors 62 and up, and free for Alma College staff, students and youth 18 and under. Seating is reserved. Call (989) 463-7304 for ticket information.
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
The company’s gifted cast of improvisers takes suggested themes from the audience and transforms them “on the spot” into plays featuring Shakespearean language and style, says Mike Sheldon, event coordinator at the Remick Heritage Center.
Any performance with the Improvised Shakespeare Company can include impoverished kings, princesses, fairies, star-crossed lovers, persons in disguise, sword-play, monologues, asides, insults and all that one might expect of Shakespeare, says Sheldon.
“This performance will be different from any other performed by this group because the audience dictates what kind of show it will be,” says Sheldon. “Watching people create theatre spontaneously is very entertaining. Improv takes great skills and is a lot of fun to watch.”
The Improvised Shakespeare Company has been astounding Chicago audiences at the legendary iO Theatre for more than five years.
"Their experience doing Shakespeare flowers in the language: they relish iambic dialog, execute perfectly timed asides, occasionally utter rhyming couplets, and drop prodic phrases, and well-placed anachronisms. Even the ending echoed the real plays: story lines resolved tidily — and uproariously," wrote the Chicago Reader.
Chicago’s iO Theatre has provided Chicago with star-making improvisational comedy for more than 25 years. Alumni include Mike Myers, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Vince Vaughn, Amy Poehler, Niel Flynn, Adam McKay and Rachel Dratch.
Posted: Sat, January 16th, 2010 at 1:48PM
