The live version of the show will follow a similar format to the web series, but will also give the opportunity for a level of interactivity with the audience; Saraceni reminiscences on one of their test shows at After
Dinner Mint, the variety show hosted by the Lords of
Luxury, audience members were given an opportunity to provide the written down prompt for the improviser to use on stage. Audience members were given
a cloze-type activity where they were to complete the
sentence ‘I’m dumping you because….’ “and then
they had to tick a box that said whether it was used
by them, used on them, or whether they just made it
up. And from that we got forty or fifty suggestions”.
Zwolenski adds, “there was a whole bunch. So we
picked the best ones. There was one ‘you don’t know
how to drive a tractor’. And it was great, because you
get the guys onstage and you’ve got one guy in a
business suit, just finished from work and he’s talking
about how business was business was awful and
then he reads it and goes ‘I’m breaking up with you
because you don’t know how to drive a tractor’. The
audience loves it because they’ve been involved in
creating it, but also, they’ve already set themselves
up in a certain way and then it has to take a diversion.
So far the trial runs have been working really great”.
When it comes to rehearsing for the shows, the actors do a lot of workshopping to practice their craft
and work through possible scenarios. Zwolenski
notes that he finds it very interesting to watch the
process that the comedians go through in their training sessions, “they know the structure, but not [the
content]. I think it almost sells it short by saying it’s rehearsed or worshopped, because they actually can’t
workshop a new idea”.
Saraceni adds that “you kind of find out what works
and what doesn’t work. We’ve found that with breakups, having strong characters and strong histories
and big relationships, that lends itself very well to a
good breakup scene. But there are so many different relationships and different ways it could work and
things you could bring to the table. The most skilled
improvisers will come in with these idea about what
makes a good scene, but will be completely willing
to throw it out if there’s something better or funnier
right in front of them. Which is why we’ve picked the
improvisers we have, because they’re all really good
at listening and if there’s something better, they will
go with it”.
Written It Down will be on at the Lithuanian Club, 44
Errol St North Melbourne, at 8:15pm on the 26th of
September. One night only!
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/
show/written-it-down-live/