Rendell Park students energetically raised their hands to be part of an improv act on Friday morning.
The Vancouver TheatreSports – School Tours stopped in Lloydminster to visit schools on Friday, October 18. Taz Van Rassel, lead facilitator, says that on this leg of their tour they’ll perform at about 30 schools from across Saskatchewan, in Fort St. John.
“We were performing for an elementary school, and doing an improv show; which means we come in and that every single scene has suggestions that we were using from the students or volunteers that are also the students. It’s a very interactive show, [it’s] totally inclusive and consistently using the ideas from the students.”
The two performers asked the students who wanted to help with a scene and students raised their hands, yelling ‘pick me’. Students were told to yell three, two, one and clap when a new scene started and knew exactly when to laugh.
A scene they performed was a man traveling to New York City, and they recreated a scene of an accident that happened on the playground. Hayden Cart, in grade four, was picked to share her story.
“I got to beep a horn for my story because I fell off a poll at the playground a few years ago. I beeped the horn when it was wrong and when it wasn’t wrong, I didn’t beep the horn.”
Hayden said it made her feel better about falling off the poll while playing “grounders”, and couldn’t wait to tell her parents about her about being picked.
Jaycee Broussea, in grade four, says her favorite part was when a teacher, Mr. Lyons, was picked to act in a scene.
“I learned that people try their best no matter what happens, and if they are in a huge crowd of about 300 kids, then they will still be confident.”
Broussea believes she will watched improv again because it was funny.
Taz Van Rassel says in his 25 years, he likes doing shows for every age, but kids are already creative and don’t have to come out of their boxes the same way adults do.
“They already know about improv, it’s more that they were coming in and saying it’s okay, I think, what you are doing, it’s okay to be creative and hopefully they don’t lose that; because look at these weird adults that are still being creative and making stuff up as it’s happening.”
The Vancouver TheatreSports – School Tours will be stopping in Lloydminster again on Halloween.