AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION IN THE CARDS DURING THIS SHOW
In case you haven’t played, Cards Against Humanity is a card game where participants compete to submit the funniest or most outrageous answer to a randomly drawn question. Improv Against Humanity is a monthly show at the Rio Theatre in which Vancouver troupe The Fictionals (formed in 2010) mixes improv comedy with the card game. And Improv Against Humanity’s HO HO HOliday Special is — well, we talked to Fictionals co-founder Daniel Chai about that.
Q:Do people come to you for training or have they already been trained?
A:People come to perform with us. Currently we don’t do official classes. Twice a month we open our stage at Cafe Deux Soleils (The Fictionals perform Tuesdays at the Commercial Drive eatery) and invite members of the Vancouver improv community to jam with us onstage in an open mixer.
Q:What have current or former members of The Fictionals gone on to do?
A:We’ve been on television shows like Motive and Supernatural, movies like Fantastic Four, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. As well, our improvisers also teach at different schools and perform elsewhere in Vancouver. A number of our members also perform with Vancouver TheatreSports, and teach there. I also teach improv at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
Q:How are you Christmasizing Cards Against Humanity?
A:We’ve collected the cards that are Christmas-themed. Throughout the different expansion packs and games that Cards Against
Humanity has released, there has been a number of holiday special cards and Christmas cards. For this show we’re pulling them all together. As well, this month I got direct from Cards Against Humanity their latest expansion green box, which contains allnew cards. We’re going to have fun breaking that open onstage and playing with those as well. At Improv Against Humanity, we get audience members to compete live onstage in a tournament. For our holiday special, audience members will read out cards that say things like, “This year, Santa is giving all the naughty kids blank.” Then we’ll read different cards that may fit into that blank. It may be, “This year, Santa is giving all of the bad kids Darth Vader.” And I’m being very PC! There are many horrible cards of things kids might not want to get for Christmas. The audience may end up choosing, “This year, Santa is giving all of the bad kids raptor attacks.” Then the improvisers act out the concept of what a raptor attack being given to a child might look like. To hilarious and usually horrible effect.
Q:Will there be Christmas music?
A:Usually before each show we have a special-themed playlist. This year we’ll definitely be playing Christmas music. As well, to tie in for the Christmas season, we get a chance to be Santa Claus. We have amazing prizes from our sponsors for audience members who play live onstage, or tweet with us. On December 21st (the day of the show), it’ll be four days to Christmas, most of the company holiday parties will likely be wrapped up, most of the personal holiday gatherings with friends have been wrapped up. This is an opportunity for people to unwind and be like, ‘Sweet, I survived my annual performance report, in two days’ time I’m flying back out east, I’m just going to go and watch a hilarious comedy show with some friends and laugh, at the Rio Theatre.’