Improguise to Present POP-UP IMPROV at Alexander Upstairs

Improguise will present POP-UP IMPROV, performed and created by Anne Hirsch, Tandi Buchan, Leon Clingman, Ardine Fick, Brett Fish Anderson, Megan Furniss, Jaco Griessel and James Harvey, at the Alexander Upstairs Theatre, for three nights next week, starting 29 June. With over twenty years of improv experience and a huge repertoire of improv styles and formats, ImproGuise, Cape Town's wildly popular improv troupe, will bring audiences three favourite formats nominated by three of the group's favourite improvisers.

On 29 June, Anne Hirsch's favourite format, TheatreSports, promises to be a night of "Annebelievable" fun. Theatresports is highly competitive, short-form improv, where teams of actors compete against each other in a series of short games based on suggestions from the audience. Hirsch comments on her choice:

Watching Theatresports is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. But we highly encourage you to take them off as well.

For the second night, 30 June, Megan Furniss has chosen her favourite format, Tribute! An original format by Improguise, Tribute! is an improvised tribute show about a made-up band, with real, made-up songs based on titles from the audience. Discussing her personal connection to this raucously rambunctious fun format, Furniss says:

I love Tribute! because I get to pretend to be connected, in some way, to a band (my secret fantasy) and I get to sing their songs (regardless of the fact that I'm no great shakes as a singer). I also adore playing with everyone in this format and feeling the love from the audience. It's a serious winner!

Thirdly, on 1 July, they perform Leon Clingman's favourite format, SuperScene. IN this format, five actors take to the stage and each one gets a chance to direct. One by one, the scenes are voted off by the audience, who use a clapometer. Finally, there is one winner of the ultimate prize of SuperScene! Says Clingman:

I love SuperScene because it offers a full package of entertainment. I get to act and direct and there is so much variety in styles, genres, stories and characters, and to top it all off the audience get to decide what they see. This is a very exciting, highly entertaining and competitive format.

ImproGuise, Cape Town's longest-running, award-winning improv company has been performing continuously in Cape Town and around the country for the past 23 years, bringing South African audiences the internationally recognised format, TheatreSports. They have also introduced audiences to other fabulous improv formats, some that they learned from fellow improvisers across the globe and others that they invented themselves, such as Little Space Between, Soapathon, Jam Sandwich, First Kiss, Last Kiss, Musical, Naked Improv and The Chair to name a few. Improguise performs and teaches at various theatres, schools, corporates and festivals both in South Africa and abroad.

To book for one or more of these unmissable, totally made up, hilarious and unexpected hour-long performances, which start at 21:00 each night, visit the Alexander Bar website, where tickets cost R80 if booked and prepaid online. Ticket are also available at the door for R90. For telephone enquiries, call 021 300 1652. The Alexander Bar, Café and Theatre is situated at 76 Strand Street in the Cape Town city centre and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.