Do you remember the fashionable 80’s leg warmers? The Rubik’s Cube? Shoulder pads? Big hair? For those of you who weren’t yet born, you’re probably familiar with some of them through retro fashion, music re-mixes, period movies and old TV re-runs. Enter Vancouver TheatreSports™ League’s latest show: Throwback TheatreSports™!
35 years ago, a group of Vancouver actors came together, formed a co-op and experimented with a newly evolving theatre genre, TheatreSports™, which gave birth to the entire realm of improv comedy. That inaugural group of actors (including improv super star Colin Mochrie) took up residence in a little theatre off the alley at Thurlow and Alberni streets – City Stage (which later became The Back Alley Theatre), and grew to become Vancouver’s, and one of North America’s premier improv comedy companies – Vancouver TheatreSports™ League (VTSL).
From October 15 through November 21, VTSL celebrates its milestone anniversary and all things 80’s with a new feature show – Throwback TheatreSports™, a no-holds-barred comedic trip down Memory Lane (aka ‘the back alley’) complete with classic, and newly-created, TheatreSports™ formats and scenarios.
Artistic Director Denise Jones has invited back VTSL alumni from years past to perform alongside current ensemble members. Executive Director Jay Ono, who started his career 32 years ago as a rookie improviser on the VTSL stage, will also make the occasional performance appearance during the run.
While much has changed over the past 35 years, one thing hasn’t – audience participation. Improv comedy relies on audience suggestions to move the action forward. That’s what makes it such a daring art form: performers and tech improvisers don’t know what to expect from one moment to the next. No two performances are the same. It’s a fresh new show each and every night.
Throwback TheatreSports™ is a show with more twists than the Rubik’s Cube. It will keep you in stitches regardless of whether or not you lived through, or should we say ‘survived,’ the 80’s. We invite you to dig out your leg warmers, don your headband and join us in celebrating the beginnings of VTSL, improv comedy and the decade when ‘more was more.’
Throwback TheatreSports™
Dates: October 15 through November 21: Thursday, Friday, Saturdays, 7:30 pm
Venue: The Improv Centre on Granville Island, 1502 Duranleau Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Available in advance online
Note: This is a licensed venue; all minors must be accompanied by an adult 19+
Visit TheatreSports™ online for more information and other shows, including the Halloween Monster Match on October 31. Rubik’s cube photo credit courtesy of Gerson Leesa on Flickr.
