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Theatresports™, or Theatre Sports™, is a form of competitive improvisational theatre and is a trademark and copyright of Keith Johnstone and is managed by the International Theatresports™ Institute (ITI). It was originally developed by improvisational theatre pioneer Keith Johnstone who created the ITI to manage the licensing of the term.
Theatresports™ incorporates various short scenes and theatre "games" (scenes with specific rules or gimmicks that limit the actors), which are performed by two opposing teams, and usually scored by a panel of opposing judges. The "competition" is friendly and not taken particularly seriously; players often freely participate in an opposing team's scene if more characters are needed. Various "games" are popular, such as moving people around while they deliver dialogue, or commenting on slow motion actors portraying an everyday situation. Most scenes, and in particular the games, tend to be comedic, but, unlike some improvisational troupes, Theatresports™ places greater emphasis on the theatrical elements of improvisational theatre rather than the pure comedy. Thus an attempt is often made to respect the theatrical conventions of character and plot, and such activities as "gagging" (stepping out of character in a scene for purely comedic effect) are frowned upon.
Johnstone emphasized certain principles in plot development during an improvisational scene. He believed that the opening moments of a scene should establish a framework, or platform, generally free of conflict, which defines the characters and background for the unfolding scene. Only once that platform was established, should some wrinkle or conflict be introduced; he called this the break in the routine. For Johnstone, a scene involves an ever-shrinking "circle of possibilities", which defines what sorts of offers the improviser might reasonably make in the scene. At the start of a scene, anything is possible; but, as more offers are established, and the reality of the scene is more clearly defined, then circle of possibilities shrinks, and improvisors should not step outside that circle of possibilities by making offers that seem inconsistent with what was previously established.
More on [ Theatresports ]
TheatreSports TONIGHT: Bar Kick, 127 Shoreditch High St., E1. Tube: Old St. or Liverpool St. Kick off: 8pm Entry FREE!
aproposltd (Paul Dubois) Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:36:59 -0000
TheatreSports TONIGHT: Bar Kick, 127 Shoreditch High St., E1. Tube: Old St. or Liverpool St. Kick off: 8pm Entry FREE!
TheatreSports TONIGHT! Free, 8pm kick off, Bar Kick, 127 Shoreditch High St., E1 Tube: Old St or Liverpool St
offthecuffTC (paul dubois) Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:32:38 -0000
TheatreSports TONIGHT! Free, 8pm kick off, Bar Kick, 127 Shoreditch High St., E1 Tube: Old St or Liverpool St
@waynebrady I can still clap on 1 and 3 Safe Trip P.S TheatreSports
rjtbaum (Robert J, Teitelbaum) Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:16:07 -0000
@waynebrady I can still clap on 1 and 3 Safe Trip P.S TheatreSports
I supported Bay Area Theatresports by voting for them to win $25k with #chasegiving. Please fan, vote, and RT! http://bit.ly/NXJUP
rebeccastockley (Rebecca Stockley) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:25:37 -0000
I supported Bay Area Theatresports by voting for them to win $25k with #chasegiving. Please fan, vote, and RT! http://bit.ly/NXJUP
Seems to be a feud going on between @michaelrobles & @muppetaphrodite about tonight's TheatreSports match! Who will win? 10:30pm tonight!
UnexpectedImpro (Unexpected Improv) Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:27:31 -0000
Seems to be a feud going on between @michaelrobles & @muppetaphrodite about tonight's TheatreSports match! Who will win? 10:30pm tonight!
Playing in Seattle TheatreSports at 10:30PM against @MuppetAphrodite and her (soon to be former) winning team. ;) Don't miss us!
michaelrobles (Michael A. Robles) Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:18:01 -0000
Playing in Seattle TheatreSports at 10:30PM against @MuppetAphrodite and her (soon to be former) winning team. ;) Don't miss us!
Bay Area Theatre Sports - San Francisco-based Theatresports performers with a hectic schedule and an extensive improv school.
Meta Description: [ BATS Improv - Center for Improvisational Theatre ]
Cape Town Theatre Sports Improvisation comedy group - Cape Town, South Africa TheatreSports team - the longest running show in Cape Town. Sit contains show and class information.
Meta Description: [ Welcome to the improvision website. Find out what Theatresports is, where and when you can see it in Cape Town, and more. ]
Dad's Garage Theatre Company - Home of TheatreSports Atlanta, features a weekly competitive show as well as extended runs of theme long-form productions.
Fastfood Theater - Munich Theatresports ensemble.
Freestyle Repertory Theatre Home Page - New York City's TheaterSports home also houses An Order of Chaos, an improvised play about a restaurant.
Meta Description: [ Freestyle Repertory Theatre, New York, home of TheaterSports ]
Impro Melbourne - Melbourne, Australia, troupe's web site provides information about upcoming shows and classes.
ImprovBoston - Boston improvisational comedy troupe has a Web site with show times, improv essays, info about workshops, and a discussion board.
Keith Johnstone Workshops Inc. - The creator of Theatresports offers workshops around the world at his Web site, as well as info about his work.
London Theatresports - London edition of Theatresports has at their Web site info on the history of the show, a chat room, and links to other improv-related sites.
Los Angeles Theatresports - Los Angeles league of Theatresports offers an improvised soap opera called Carnal Peaks, as well as the student-run Sunday Show.
Meta Description: [ Improvised comedy and theater from the school of Keith Johnstone. ]
Rapid Fire Theatre - Edmonton company that performs Theatresports, as well as other long-form shows.
Meta Description: [ Rapid Fire Theatre, guardians of Theatresports and Edmonton's finest improv, produces weekly comedy shows like you've never seen before, and will never see again. ]
San Diego Theatre Sports - Improvisational comedy performance troop information including show schedule, reservations, and class schedule. Based in San Diego.
Scared Scriptless - Sydney, Australia group performs weekly shows in a smoke-free venue. Site includes upcoming show information, news, photo gallery and a guestbook.
Meta Description: [ Sydney's longest-running improvised show! Every week, teams of improvisers battle it out to win the love and laughs of a jovial audience in a plush, smoke-free venue! The Clarence Hotel, Petersham. Fridays at 8pm! Tickets are only $5.Scared Scriptless - often exciting, often hilarious, always imp... ]
Steife Brise - Hamburg Theatresports group.
Meta Description: [ Sie suchen für ihren event die passende Show? Hier finden sie Improvisationstheater, Theatersport, Comedy, Moderation, Walk-Acts, sowie Workshops, Training und Seminare, z.B. für Manager, Lehrer, etc. Schauen Sie sich unser grosses Angebot an, wir haben garantiert das passende für sie. ]
The Spontaneity Shop - London comedy troupe based on the work of Keith Johnstone.
The Stanford Improvisors - Stanford University ensemble that are licensed to perform Theatresports.
Theatresports Toronto - Toronto's licensed Theatresports league includes members of the Kids in the Hall as alumni and offers shows and classes.
Meta Description: [ The Bad Dog Theatre is an improv comedy club in Toronto with shows most nights of the week, improvisation workshops, and acting classes. We also offer corporate entertainment and teambuilding events. ]
Unexpected Productions - Seattle branch of TheatreSports, also featuring long-form productions and classes. Includes bios, schedule, ticket sales.
Meta Description: [ Unexpected Productions :: Seattle TheatreSports + Improv Classes ]
Vancouver TheatreSports League - Vancouver's version of TheatreSports also performs Rockin' At The Improv, an improvised music and comedy show.
Meta Description: [ Vancouver TheatreSports League began in 1980 and is now a local institution and
a worldwide phenomenon, producing and staging some of the most daring and innovative improv in the world. ]
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