Where comedy is a full-contact sport

By Keisha Thomas
Staff Writer

Think "Kwik Witz"...only better! If you're amused by the fast-paced improv antics of the comedians featured on that television program, chances are you'll appreciate the onstage hilarity of L.A. Theatresports' diverse performances and formats. However, even if you're not a fan of the impromptu game show, any of the theater company's productions is an absolute must-see for comedy lovers in general.
Featuring an assembly of some of the wittiest minds in Hollywood humor today, Theatresports is a company of more than three dozen comedy writers and performers. Many have been both in front of and behind the cameras of such hits as Ellen, Seinfeld and Whose Line is it Anyway. The company is one branch of Theatresports, a virtual "league" of improv groups Created more than 20 years ago, its intent was to reinvigorate theater, particularly its audiences, so that spectators would approach it with the same zeal and vigor as they did sporting events. In addition to the L.A. chapter, other branches have developed in New York, Washington D.C., Denmark and South Africa, just to name a few.
But the L.A. group has come into its own, combining its members' extraordinary talents to produce an amazing and vastly entertaining set of shows.
While the company has four established formats for its work, no single performance is exactly like another. Various members of the company rotate in and out of different performances, and with the new faces come fresh storylines and a seemingly limitless level of energy and enthusiasm. However, the cast members don't merely rely on each other for ever-changing material; they look to the audience as well. Audience participation -- in its purest form -- takes place as viewers are encouraged to shout out their suggestions and sculpt the story before them. The company's formats include old favorites such as "Triple Play" and "Theatresports" as well as two premiere shows, "The Life Game" and "Moral Kombat."
"The Life Game" draws directly from the pool of patrons as cast members interview a single member of the audience for an outline of his or her life. After acquiring the shell, the company gets to work filling in the details in a completely spontaneous reenactment of the person's life. The results can be a bit touchy at times, but the company always retains its humor and good fun.
"Moral Kombat" lands the actors closer to the edge, as they take on a range of contemporary issues ranging from prejudice to the DMV. Exploring one theme per performance, the improvisers plunge into their subjects in what they term "a psycho-gladiatorial game show setting." The results must be seen to be believed.
The original shows, "Triple Play" and "Theatresports," are reminders of the company's original intent. In "Triple Play," a cluster of performers create a musical, a movie and a play, each staged in three acts. Scenes are intermingled, but never confusing, for each is set to a different motif. Examples of the different styles include a Noel Coward play, a gladiator epic and a Sondheim musical. "Astounding" is the only word suitable to explain the seamless swiftness with which the actors embody songs, characters and situations (suggested by the audience), which all instantly mesh as though they had sprung from a written script.
Finally, "TheatreSports" is the point from which it all began. Performers go toe-to-toe with each other in Olympic-like teams in a fierce -- yet friendly -- competition, complete with judges, scorekeeping and the instantaneous assistance of a charged audience. By so willingly incorporating viewers into its performance, Theatresports puts a new face on the theatrical experience.
The Theatresports company is spectacular on a number of levels. However, its strongest quality is in actors' ability to present something fresh and innovative each time they step on the stage. Where one might attend the shows of several different companies, liking or disliking any number of them, Theatresports creates that feeling of varied experiences, while maintaining a constant thread in each of its performances -- a high level of quality.