"Yes And" The Fringe #CSZED2015

Hello from Edinburgh! We've already had one show and a great crowd and plenty more shows and slots lined up. The Fringe is a great opportunity to meet old friends, make new ones and have fun with audiences who have travelled from all over the world (though admittedly, not just to see us). For audiences it's a busy, hectic, vibrant place to see loads of great shows. Here's a few thoughts on how you can use the skills of improvisation to make the most of your fringe.

Audiences: Take risks.

The main principal of improvisation is “Yes, And”, the notion that you accept what is being offered to you (in Edinburgh terms this can mean something as simple as taking a flyer from a flagging, rain soaked act) and then building on it (again, in Edinburgh terms this means coming to a show and having fun). In Improv you're never sure what is going to happen. You take risks and you end up in places you never expected. Here's a terrible metaphor, the Fringe is the worlds largest all you can eat buffet so don't just have the chips!

If you're up in Edinburgh then say yes more (unless you're being offered something illegal or asked by a large Glaswegian if you're looking at his wife, obviously) and see shows you weren't expecting to see. Take a punt on that sketch act or that stand-up or that Improv group you've never heard of before - especially if it's a free show!

Don't feel you have to plan every show you're going to see. Just walk down the mile, take every flyer, grab a drink in City Cafe and see what you fancy. Join the half price tickets queue and not know what you want to see (though please have an idea by the time you reach the box office, because that queue gets long).

Performers: Help each other out.

Another fundamental principal of Improv is you make the other person look good even in a “competitive” Improv show such as ours. It would be nice to see more of this in others areas of performance especially Stand-Up. Make recommendations when you’re flyering or when you're on twitter. If you liked a show then tell people. Make recommendations for other shows like yours or acts that you enjoy. You make them look good (because they are) and they'll look after you (because you're good too).

Reviewers: Don't come in with pre-conceived ideas.

I'm not going to go off on some mad tirade about reviewers in Edinburgh but I will ask this of critics for all shows. Too often you read reviews of Edinburgh shows where the critic already seemed to have a pre-conceived notion of what the show was going to be or that they had already decided not to like it. In Improv there are no pre-conceived ideas, if there were then it wouldn't be improvised and it wouldn't be exciting or fun. We don't know what's going to happen but we're always pleasantly surprised by the results.

It's such an important part of Improv to be fully aware of your surroundings and the people around you. Pay attention to the audience around you, if they're laughing then they're giving you an offer, accept it.

Everyone: Have fun.

The joy of Improv is getting to play with other people. To start with nothing and end up with a story to tell. The Fringe is an opportunity to do that writ large, to try new things and make new connections. It's our festival. Let's play.

ComedySportz UK are at The Free Sisters (venue 272) 6^th-12^th August 7.30pm as part of Laughing Horse Free Festival. Follow our adventure on twitter @comedysportz_uk #cszed2015

Sunday Worship

‘Take me to church,’ sings Hozier but I’d rather spend my Sabbath as a ComedySportz Sunday League player, writes Jennifer Banks

I’m not a religious person. I suppose I should say that’s despite my Catholic upbringing – but it’s because of my Catholic upbringing that I’m now a devout and profane heathen. But I do believe in the Improv Gods. And I have proof they exist. It happened whilst performing with the ComedySportz Sunday League at the Manchester Improv Tournament in 2014. There we were, playing Blind Line, picking bits of paper off the floor and reading out film, TV and song lines that the audience had supplied while we were out of the room. Somehow, these famous quotes fit perfectly with what was going on in the scene, much to the delight of the audience – and my own amazement. And so it came to pass, on that day, whilst holding a large mimed fish, that my spiritual conversion to the Church of Improv was complete. Amen. Or as we say in this particular sect, ‘Yes And’. That was my second performance with the Sunday League – a talented troupe of improvisers who are a bit like the kid brothers and sisters of ComedySportz Manchester’s main players. I found my way into this congregation of hilarious misfits after being a keen workshopper (notice the strange similarity between that and the word ‘worshipper’), starting with the foundation in improv then repeats of the intermediate course, which I still do… er… religiously.

Creating spontaneous moments of hilarity in front of an audience is joyous – and it’s thanks to Liz, Allyn, Vicki and the other wonderfully witty Sunday Leaguers I play with that it’s so much fun. And, of course, to the rambunctious Rachel Wareing – a founding member of ComedySportz Manchester and the Sunday League’s coach – our high priestess of funny. Now, you may consider it blasphemy for me to compare goofing around for laughs to an actual religion but improv has its own set of commandments – and they make more sense to me than all that ox coveting business.

Thou shalt listen to your fellow players. 

Thou shalt accept the ideas offered by your fellow players.

Thou shalt give and take

...these are just some of the tenets of improv that also double up as pretty good rules for life. And there’s no smiting, garrotting or burning in hell in the Sunday League either – unless it’s in a scene, of course. So, yes, I’d much rather spend my Sunday as part of the band of fools doing all that silly stuff – it’s my own little piece of heaven.

My name’s Jen and I’m an improv-aholic

ComedySportz Sunday League player and workshop stalwart Jen Banks explains why she’s hooked on improv…

There have been times in my life when I’ve drunk far too much wine, smoked far too many cigarettes and munched through far too many giant bags of Revels. I can proudly say I’m now over these habits. I can also proudly say I’ve whittled my addictions down to a number I can count on the fingers of just one hand, and only half of these – lattes and Facebook – are ones I need to kick into touch. The other two, I have no intention of ever giving up, ever – and they are yoga and improv.

Given the blog we’re on, you won’t be hearing about the benefits of the downward dog, the tree and the plough from me. Although, let’s say that for a reformed hedonist seeking more natural highs, both yoga and improv fill the gap my previous less-than-healthy pursuits have left behind.

Until volunteering to write this blog, I’d never actually sat down and pondered why I get my kicks from improv. But now I have, and I’m ready to propound a thorough, evidence-based, peer-reviewed hypothesis. Well, I’ve just done a bit of googling about laughing. And, according to a random website I’ve found, “laughter can help release endorphins and may also reduce the production of the stress hormone cortisol.” So that’s the science bit, which I’m sure any boffin reading this will corroborate. But who needs a dork in a lab coat to prove that laughing makes you feel good?

Although cracking up at the buffoonery of fellow improvisers can be habit forming, it’s not just the passive act of laughter that’s got me hooked. If it was just laughter I was after, I could plonk myself down in front of an episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys – although it’s open to debate whether I’d find it there. So, what is it then if it isn’t laughter alone? It’s stepping into the unknown, standing before an audience but having no clue what happens next. It’s like bungee jumping or sky diving – an extreme sport without the risk of actual death. And the thrill, the exhilaration, comes in the moment you and your fellow players start ‘freefalling’ into the scene – characters pop out of nowhere, a situation, a story, a game emerges – and when it all comes together and gives the audience pleasure, it’s the best feeling in the world – it’s the kind of buzz you’ll never get from chocolate confectionery with assorted centres.

Being around improv people is pretty addictive too. The fun, the laughter and the supportive mind set inevitably spill over into the social stuff. So two hours of workshops is often followed by more hilarity socialising after. You get asked questions like, “If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you wish for?” My response was the ability to eat, drink and consume anything I wanted and never have any ill health effects. Once a hedonist, always a hedonist, I guess. So thank god I’ve found a healthy way to get my kicks – improv might just be keeping me alive!

Since The Dawn of Time...

LOYAL FANZ

Ella Littlewood, niece of one of our Sunday League players Jen Banks, shares her favourite things about ComedySportz UK and why the show is so popular with people of all ages!

Why I like ComedySportz by Ella Littlewood, aged 10

ComedySportz is a family friendly improvisation show and it is super funny. There are different types of shows you can attend, such as Sunday League, which is a show on a Sunday evening where two teams go head to head for your laughs. The main show is basically the same but the audience is bigger as the show is held in a bigger place and the players are more experienced. ComedySportz also hold a tournament every year with lots of different comedy teams from around the UK, so you won’t see them in the Sunday League or main show but both the Sunday League and the main players competed in the tournament, and the winners in 2014………. were The Discount Comedy Checkout from Leeds! Well done :)

The way I found out about ComedySportz is because my auntie does the Sunday League so we go to watch her and we also go to the main show just because we enjoy watching comedy. There are lots of really funny players but my favourite boy player is Lukas Kirkby because he is very funny and he is only 20!!!! But everyone else is hilarious as well, and Maggie is my favourite girl player, and my auntie Jen, of course!

The games are super funny and amazing to play at home or with friends at school. Here are some games I like to watch and play.

* Situation Navigation

* Top That

* My Sitcom

* Back in My Day

(If you want to know how to play these games and see them for yourself then come to the next ComedySportz show!) The reason I like these games is because they make it very easy for you to be funny but with some games it is harder to make people laugh.

It is great being in the audience at a ComedySportz show because you can get involved in the games and give suggestions. The first show I went to, to decide which team went first, they played ‘What did Ella have for breakfast?’ but they didn’t get it right - they guessed Coco Pops and toast but I’d had a bacon sandwich, lol. Do you love laughing with your friends? Because Comedy Sportz is great for birthday parties too. How cool is that? There were kids celebrating birthdays last time I went to a show – and the players sang them a special song! Hope to see you at the next one ;) x Ella

OUR SHOWS

WELCOME!

Thanks for visiting the ComedySportz Manchester UK Blog! Keep checking back or subscribe for the latest on shows and workshops, behind the scenes information and our thoughts on improvisation both on and off stage.

WHO WE ARE

ComedySportz Manchester UK is the top all ages improvised comedy group in the North West. The show started 13 years ago at Chorley Little Theatre before moving to Manchester where it continues to grow and recently formed a Sunday League show featuring some of the best talent to graduate our workshops. We have regular shows at Sale Waterside Arts Centre and teach workshops in improvisation and stand-up comedy. For information on how you can get involved in workshops, book tickets or hire private shows and bespoke workshops for your school or company visit www.comedysportz.co.uk.

WHERE WE ARE

Our regular family friendly ComedySportz Show is at Sale Waterside Arts Centre but under the CSzUK banner we also host ComedySportz Sunday League (same show, same rules, different shirts) and Comedy Unplugged at Fuel Cafe Bar in Withington and Let's See What Happens at the King's Arms, Salford (adults only). We also perform shows across the UK and are regular survivors of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

WHAT WE ARE

We are a competitive, fast paced, super witty, kinda cute, family friendly improv comedy group. We are also a proud member of the ComedySportz Worldwide family. Our players create quick witted sketches, scenes and songs from whatever suggestions are thrown at them by the audience to create shows that are fast, feel good and always unpredictably funny.

WHY WE ARE

We believe in the joy of improvisation and play and bring that ethos to our shows and workshops nationwide.

HOW WE ARE

Great! Thanks for asking.

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