LA's own Impro Theatre continues their residency at The Edye at The Broad Stage, presenting a different style of their signature improvisation for one weekend, each month. February brings Chekhov UnScripted. For each performance Impro will create a full-length play, in the style of the great Russian master. Starting with audience suggestions, each performance will feature characters dreaming of a different life, all the while dealing with the everyday unpredictability of feeling love, disillusionment and the certain catastrophe that is the comedy of life! LA Weekly called Chekhov UnScripted a "Pick of the Week," adding, "You don't have to be a Chekhov aficionado to appreciate this entertaining and clever mock-up of his art."
Anton Chekhov, who famously said, "One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn't going to go off," is considered "the greatest dramatist of the 19th and early 20th centuries" (The Independent). A prolific writer of short stories and other forms, Chekhov wrote only a handful of full-length plays (including The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard and Uncle Vanya), but they revolutionized theatre. With his meticulous observation of character, his anti-melodramatic action, and his wistful evocation of isolated characters trapped in their provincial self-delusion, he left a legacy of funny, haunting and unique creations that still delight audiences today.
In December 2017, the Los Angeles Times said, "Impro Theatre has evolved into a powerhouse improvisational company in full-length shows that are off-the-cuff and consistently hilarious. An indigenous Los Angeles treasure, the company should be seen - and reseen!"
The residency continues with four more months of unpredictable, improvised plays in the styles of
Twilight Zone UnScripted (March 16 - 18), Shakespeare UnScripted (April 20 - 22),
Dorothy Parker UnScripted (May 18 - 20) and
Tennessee Williams UnScripted (June 15 - 17).
Impro Theatre received two 2016 Ovation Award nominations: "Best Presented Production" for
Jane Austen UnScripted at The Broad Stage and "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" for Michele Spears' performance in Sondheim UnScripted. The Los Angeles Times calls Impro Theatre, "One of the funniest evenings in town...an amazing comedy troupe spins an entire play into comedy gold right before your eyes."
Impro Theatre has a long history with The Broad Stage, where the company performed
Jane Austen UnScripted for several years, performed the world premiere of Fairytale UnScripted and performed the world premiere of 1966 Holiday Variety Extravaganza in December of 2016.
About Impro Theatre
Founded as Los Angeles Theatresports, Impro Theatre has evolved from a successful short form improv troupe into a critically acclaimed theatre company.
Impro Theatre creates completely improvised, full-length plays in the styles of the world's greatest writers. With no pre-planning or prepared scenarios, the performers start with audience suggestions and then write theatre as they perform it, combining verbal dexterity and dynamic physicality to bring character and plot to life in an instant. Impro Theatre's performances are unique; there are no repeated characters and no set story structure. Each performance offers an exploration into the process of spontaneous creation while encouraging a profound level of engagement between performers and audience, who are all united in discovering what happens in the moment on that particular night.
In Southern California, Impro has performed sold-out shows at
South Coast Repertory, The Broad Stage in Santa Monica,
The Pasadena Playhouse, North Coast Repertory in San Diego, The
Falcon Theatre in Burbank, and many more. Venues around the world include the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Athenaeum Theatre in Chicago, Evans Auditorium at Texas State University, The Melbourne Fringe in Australia, and Theatre Adyar in Paris.
Impro has received multiple Ovation Recommended honors and Critics' Picks in Los Angeles Times, Backstage and L.A. Weekly.
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