The First Improv Show You Ever Saw

[Jeff]

I saw Maesetros for years until I actually saw another improv show that wasn't Maestro and it was a Pgrah show. I don't really remember anything about it except for being confused that they were doing an entire story, and not understanding how that could possibly be a thing.

Yeah, I'm still dubious. Sounds unlikely.

Ha! I love it.

C-Men

The Achilles' heel of our fine name.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

C-Men

The Achilles' heel of our fine name.

why, cuz it sounds like your sailors? what's so bad about that? don't get caught up in that Army/Navy rivalry, Jeff! it's all just merchandising rights...

[Ryan Austin]

The first live show I saw was when I was in level one. I went to see PGraph (I think maybe Improv For Evil opened for them?) because Roy was my teacher and I thought I'd go and support him. Until that night I had never seen -nor was I aware- that people improvised long-form narratives.

It blew me away.
I studied screenwriting in college and had been working/pursuing writing so the idea of an improvised story that still maintained structure and character arcs was incredible.

They did a Sci Fi story that involved death chambers and a planet of rednecks. (I could probably reenact the whole thing, it was so vivid) I was convinced that they had at least worked out ahead of time who would be the protagonist. Roy assured me it was all spontaneous and though I walked in that night with only a mild interest in improv, I came out knowing that I wanted to do what they were doing.

Thanks Roy/PGraph! (And possibly Improv For Evil)

[warren]

Chicago in the mid-sixties. On vacation from college in Wis. where I was NOT studying theater. Don't remember if it was the company or the venue that was called The Happy Medium. Assume they were Sills/Spolin people. I think it was a dinner show.
Later, much later in fact, the late 80's, having been involved in the so-called legitimate theater for quite a few years, I saw a show in NYC by a company that I think was from Calif. and I think was called The First Amendment. My firmest memory was that they improvised an opera and the piano player was the 17 year old Bill Charlap, now a major jazz artist. Then later, a theater sports tournament at the Orlando Fringe.
All this stuff was great, yet I somehow resisted getting involved until I came here to Austin and decided in my old age to become illegitimate.

[Spots]

Don't remember if it was the company or the venue that was called The Happy Medium. Assume they were Sills/Spolin people. I think it was a dinner show.

I'd love to hear more about this if you have any specific memories. Through PM or otherwise.

[Tyler B.]

My first was ComedySportz at Northcross Mall in 1996 or so. I was a junior in high school and it was a date. They asked for a volunteer for a dubbing game and since I had always been such a huge fan of the British Whose Line reruns I'd been watching for years, I went up. I rocked the classic moving my mouth for a long time when the dubber just said one short little line. It got a huge laugh and I was hooked.
I met them after the show. Tyler Bryce, now of Obviously Unrehearsed at OU and the guy who organized the Improv Festival they just had in OKC, was one of the performers and super nice. I told them it was amazing and that I would be back every weekend. Never went back.

As I am mentioned in this thread, I thought I would chime in. The first show I saw was in Dallas in 1990. My friend Greg Wilson was cast in ComedySportz Dallas (they later became Ad Libs). I went to the show and thought it was wonderfully crazy. Moved to Austin a year later and auditioned here. Never looked back. Perhaps I should get a rearview mirror.

[frenchanna]

My first one was when I was around 17, in Paris.
It was in a beautiful theatre and the opening act was a young group of stage actors who were taking classical theatre classes is a very prestigious Parisian school. They did a 30 minutes improvised Moliere and it was highly entertaining. They were so inspiring that I auditioned to join The Cours Florent (also because at the time I was enamored with its founder/director Francis Huster). I got to spend a year taking their evening classes and fantasizing about the great actor that was also my teacher.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

My first one was when I was around 17, in Paris.
It was in a beautiful theatre and the opening act was a young group of stage actors who were taking classical theatre classes is a very prestigious Parisian school. They did a 30 minutes improvised Moliere and it was highly entertaining. They were so inspiring that I auditioned to join The Cours Florent (also because at the time I was enamored with its founder/director Francis Huster). I got to spend a year taking their evening classes and fantasizing about the great actor that was also my teacher.

...okay, Anna's story wins. everyone else can go home now!

[Cortney]

I was actually *in* the very first improv show I ever saw... Now, to be fair, the original EPIC was partially scripted, but only to the point of: Here's a Start; and; Here's an End; and how you get there is your business. I'd never had to come up with things to say on the spot, or figure how to get the conversation where I needed it to go on the fly. I was completely in awe of the people who could do smoothly, like Andreas; and when I met Brad and Leng... Things really took off. It was only after that, that I learned there was such a thing as "Improv Classes" and other shows that exist in this realm. Really, I got into this whole wonderful crazy fulfilling medium; entirely backwards. And I'm so glad I did.

[Andrew Maniaci]

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Oh, wait. That wasn't live. I think the first live improv show I saw was recently at one of The Institution Theater's student showcases.

[ChadW]

Ka-Baam with special guest Joel Watson of HijinksEnsue, Oct. 23 2009. Pics mean it did happen: http://twitpic.com/mqx6f http://twitpic.com/mu7ef
(though I think the latter is from the next day's show).

The one protagonist had a wombat theme, the other some sort of radioactive mario knockoff. Fighting the Twittler. Good times.

[AmyD]

The first live improv show I saw was Baby Wants Candy (improvised musicals) in 2004 when I first moved to Chicago, when they were still doing a weekly show at iO. I just remember thinking it was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen people do. I still remember parts of one of the songs from that show, and I remember not understanding how they seemed to know what was coming next and how they could all return to the chorus at the exact same time. It seemed like magic. That group was (and still is) crazy talented, and set the improv bar pretty high for me. I started seeing their shows fairly regularly, and finally started taking classes at iO 3 years later, because that was how long it took me to convince myself that I might be able to try improv too.

[Paul]

My first show was actually Pgraph, ages ago. I don't remember the format exactly, but I do remember that they did something with the girls, then something with the guys (Adventure Squad and the vaudevillian Batter and Jahnik). I actually ended up making a suggestion! (Not bad for my young dumb self.) I suggested a topic of "racecars" to Kareem and Roy, and I think it ended up with them fucking nuns for a bus ride because they got stuck somewhere.

Needless to say it was an eye opening experience.

[Roy Janik]

I suggested a topic of "racecars" to Kareem and Roy, and I think it ended up with them fucking nuns for a bus ride because they got stuck somewhere.

Needless to say it was an eye opening experience.

Only Batter had intercourse with a nun.

Also, watch your language.

[kbadr]

I think that was our Hawaii fundraiser...4 years ago.

I'm old.