A laugh riot on the spot

A theatrical production happening in the city today aims to involve the audience in creating impromptu comic skits

Not satisfied with the traditional format of a play? Then, create your own production at this Improvisation (Improv) night happening in the city today. Inspired by the popular US sitcom — Whose Line Is It Anyway? the show is expected to be completely impromptu, where the actors and audience create comic skits together. “Improv nights are a fairly new concept in India, though very popular in the West,” says Dhruv Sachdeva, 24, founder director, Humour Me, an entertainment company organising the show.

The entire production is spontaneous without any pre-written script. It has five segments of 10 minutes each, which revolve around topics like politics, relationships, and love. The performers use games like freeze tag, party quirks and props to involve the audience in each act. “The audience is as much a part of the deciding process as the actors and director. We drive the show on the directions of the audience,” says Sachdeva.

But what made the organisers think that the Delhi audience will accept this format? “Delhiites love to talk. Anything that makes them the centre of attention is sure to be a hit,” says Clifford Alfonso, one of the actors. “We focus on making daily mundane life more fun through our performance, often creating a song on an audience member,” he adds.

Scenes from daily life are made fun of by a team of five performers, including Clifford Alfonso, a 23-year-old opera singer, Dhruv Sachdeva who has been playing the guitar for the last 10 years, Andrew Hoffland who can speak in 15 different accents, Pranay Manchanda, 24, and Shantanu Anam, 22.

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