The Moose story

So if you're a fan of improvisational comedy, you might want to check out the Loose Moose theatre. I've already mentioned going there for Friday night Theatre Sports, but last night I had a chance to check out the Gorilla Improv show which happens every Saturday. Now that I've had a chance to see both formats, I can report the difference between the two.

The Friday night gig is basically 2 parts - the first part showcases the newer improv players and the latter the more experienced crew. In each part, teams are formed and compete against each other in short scenes. Sometimes the players not on a team judge the acts and sometimes the audience gets to judge. It's fast paced and perfectly suited to those with short attention spans. The only drawback is that the scenes don't get to develop into anything substantial since they're so pressed for time. But it's a fun romp and often an audience member even gets to play in some way. Trivia: Loose Moose is the birthplace of Theatre Sports.

The Saturday night gig is a little more structured - 5 improv players, each taking their turn directing the others in scenes of their own creation. So each director gets to create the set, pick the players, define the roles, describe the premise, and set the rules. The rules and players can even change mid scene. Each improv director gets scored for their creation by the audience. Last night, each person got to direct 3 times and perform up to 12 times in various scenes.
Since the 5 had the night to themselves, it felt like each scene got to develop a little bit more. It was great fun. Not better - just different.

Soon, Friday nights will be the venue for Micetro Improv instead of the Theatre Sports. I'll tell you what that's all about after it starts.

Quiz: Name the (pixelized) person pictured, an alumni of Loose Moose who went on to star in an awesome comedy troupe.