Here's a Fascinating Topic: Us
In the beginning...
It all started when Kate’s improv teacher stopped teaching. As she lamented to a friend soon after that no one was teaching improv in the desert, her friend simply replied “Why don’t you teach?” So what started in the spirit of a dare became something of a calling.
Before long, Kate found herself teaching improv at several places in the desert, including Gilda’s Club in Cathedral City, Mizell Senior Center, The Center for Spiritual Living, and the LGBT Center in Palm Springs. To boost her knowledge, she signed up for intensive weekends at Second City in LA, attended various improv festivals, and gobbled up books and online videos to gain insights into the world of improv.
The only thing missing was a group of people she could experiment with—intrepid souls willing to try different games and see what was fun, and to give her more teaching experience in general. So in 2013, Kate gathered an extended group of friends in her living room for what she billed as an improv Play Day. The goal was simple: to bring together a bunch of people who didn’t necessarily all know each other and to have fun learning the principles of improv—and how those principles could be effectively applied to day-to-day life.
Out of this group emerged a smaller group who aspired to take things to a performance level. Thus, The Improvables of the Desert was born. Of the five players in that original group, Michele, Lin and David remain. To date, The Improvables have given about 10 performances throughout the Coachella Valley.
How we play
Our kind of improv is called "short form," which is fast and fabulous. Rather than performing written skits or creating long-form works that take several characters through story arcs in one cohesive story, short-form improv is about playing rapid-fire games. Each game has its own rules that must be followed while key elements of the games—such as a location, an occupation, or a topic—are taken from audience suggestions and must be incorporated during play. Sound tough? It is. But we love it.
We keep about 25 games on our “active” list, and play 12-15 of them in a typical show. We’re constantly experimenting with new games to challenge ourselves, to keep the audience guessing, and to expand our repertoire.
At every Improvables show, everything is made up on the spot. When we rehearse, it isn’t to memorize lines. It’s to explore characters and dialects, to explore movements and rhythms, to learn how to play new games, and to figure out the best ways to integrate the audience’s suggestions within the structure of the games themselves. Another important component to rehearsals is team-building; gaining trust and familiarity in working as a troupe.
Improv is not necessarily an innate skill. Some players are gifted, but you really do need to practice the basics of the craft. Because believe it or not, not all of us are born knowing the most interesting way to tell a story about magical rutabagas. That’s a creative muscle you gotta take to the gym on a regular basis.
Where we perform
We embrace any opportunity to share the joy of improv. Sometimes we simply pick a date, rent a venue, and promote a show. Sometimes organizations ask us to entertain at a fundraiser. And sometimes we’re booked for private events. It’s all good! Recent venues include:
Tolerance Education Center
Desert Rose Playhouse
Heather James Gallery
Stonewall Gardens Assisted Living
If you’d like to become our new best friend by booking The Improvables of the Desert, click Contact Us to send an email.
It all started when Kate’s improv teacher stopped teaching. As she lamented to a friend soon after that no one was teaching improv in the desert, her friend simply replied “Why don’t you teach?” So what started in the spirit of a dare became something of a calling.
Before long, Kate found herself teaching improv at several places in the desert, including Gilda’s Club in Cathedral City, Mizell Senior Center, The Center for Spiritual Living, and the LGBT Center in Palm Springs. To boost her knowledge, she signed up for intensive weekends at Second City in LA, attended various improv festivals, and gobbled up books and online videos to gain insights into the world of improv.
The only thing missing was a group of people she could experiment with—intrepid souls willing to try different games and see what was fun, and to give her more teaching experience in general. So in 2013, Kate gathered an extended group of friends in her living room for what she billed as an improv Play Day. The goal was simple: to bring together a bunch of people who didn’t necessarily all know each other and to have fun learning the principles of improv—and how those principles could be effectively applied to day-to-day life.
Out of this group emerged a smaller group who aspired to take things to a performance level. Thus, The Improvables of the Desert was born. Of the five players in that original group, Michele, Lin and David remain. To date, The Improvables have given about 10 performances throughout the Coachella Valley.
How we play
Our kind of improv is called "short form," which is fast and fabulous. Rather than performing written skits or creating long-form works that take several characters through story arcs in one cohesive story, short-form improv is about playing rapid-fire games. Each game has its own rules that must be followed while key elements of the games—such as a location, an occupation, or a topic—are taken from audience suggestions and must be incorporated during play. Sound tough? It is. But we love it.
We keep about 25 games on our “active” list, and play 12-15 of them in a typical show. We’re constantly experimenting with new games to challenge ourselves, to keep the audience guessing, and to expand our repertoire.
At every Improvables show, everything is made up on the spot. When we rehearse, it isn’t to memorize lines. It’s to explore characters and dialects, to explore movements and rhythms, to learn how to play new games, and to figure out the best ways to integrate the audience’s suggestions within the structure of the games themselves. Another important component to rehearsals is team-building; gaining trust and familiarity in working as a troupe.
Improv is not necessarily an innate skill. Some players are gifted, but you really do need to practice the basics of the craft. Because believe it or not, not all of us are born knowing the most interesting way to tell a story about magical rutabagas. That’s a creative muscle you gotta take to the gym on a regular basis.
Where we perform
We embrace any opportunity to share the joy of improv. Sometimes we simply pick a date, rent a venue, and promote a show. Sometimes organizations ask us to entertain at a fundraiser. And sometimes we’re booked for private events. It’s all good! Recent venues include:
Tolerance Education Center
Desert Rose Playhouse
Heather James Gallery
Stonewall Gardens Assisted Living
If you’d like to become our new best friend by booking The Improvables of the Desert, click Contact Us to send an email.