A festive feast from Improv Salad
Cult following grows around comedy troupe
Question: When is a salad a feast? Answer: When the salad consists of six Taranaki improv actors making up the team known as Improv Salad.
Improv Salad is the brainchild of Phill Spear and he and his fellow five comedy actors have gained a cult following this year with their improvisational comedy shows.
“No two shows are the same,” says Phill.
“We are making it up as we go along.”
As well as Phill, Improv Salad consists of Jessica Charlotte, Franzi Maciej, Hannah Taylor, Toni Marie and Adam Harris and the six actors work well together, he says.
“We all bring our own strengths, with improv it’s a real team effort.”
That team isn’t just the six actors on stage, he adds.
“The lighting and sound team are a key part of it as well.”
Improv is very different to stand up comedy, says Adam.
“It’s closer to theatre sports than
stand-up comedy. Stand-up is actually quite far away from improv really. It’s more character based, I normally describe it to people as being like the comedy you see in a television show.”
He says it’s all about fun, and bringing your inner child out to play.
Toni says while she used to do stand-up, “and I would still do it if asked, I am not on a hiatus or anything”, improv comedy is more rewarding as a performer.
“It’s much more fulfilling. It combines teamwork, connecting with an audience and lots of spontaneity.”
In stand-up, she says, the comedian
is telling a story as though it’s the first time they’ve told it, when it’s likely to be a set part of their routine.
“In improv, it really is the first time we are telling that story, because every show is different.”
The show is different every time because the audience is different every time, says Hannah.
“We are making it up as we go along, and the audience are the ones giving us the direction.”
The audience participation is gentle though, says Adam.
“We don’t put people on the spot, they can be as involved as much or little as they want. We ask for suggestions - ideas, props, scenarios, and we take those suggestions and create the sketches.”
While each night’s show is effectively made up on the spot, there is plenty of work behind the scenes, says Hannah.
“And Phill has done so much, he’s the reason we formed this group. He offered a beginners course in improv and then we all got involved in creating Improv Salad.”
Phill tends to undersell just what he has done for comedy in Taranaki, says Adam.
“He has brought a lot of experience, and passion for it, and he has even bigger plans for the future.”
Phill says the best way to keep abreast of the latest plans for improv in Taranaki, as well as the latest Improv Salad shows, is to follow them on socials - with both Facebook and Instagram pages for Improv Salad.
Their latest show is playing this week and is a Christmas special, he says.
“In that we mean it’s got a Christmas flavour to it. There’s lots of comedy to be found in all the Christmas things happening, so we will get the audience suggesting things with a festive theme through the show.”
While they have two shows scheduled for the Christmas special, each will be different, he says.
“That’s the magic of improv, it’s completely in the moment. It’s not scripted, and we don’t record the shows, so if you aren’t there, you will never see it. We create something unique with each audience, once seen, never repeated.”