Students set for Improv Games

BY MARC LALONDE

marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca

Making it up as you go along is a lot harder than it sounds.

West Island students will compete with other high school students from as far away as Quebec City when the Montreal regional portion of the Canadian Improv Games takes place at John Rennie High School in Pointe Claire next week.

Three West Island high schools — Riverdale High School, St. Thomas High School and John Rennie will be in action from Feb. 21 to 24 looking to advance to the national championships in Ottawa. The top team will advance to the nation’s capital and take on the best teams from across the country.

Of the 11 years the competition has been run, John Rennie has emerged as a perennial powerhouse, winning the competition eight of the eleven times it’s been run, said drama teacher Louise Chalmers — and this year, thanks to a dedicated pair of senior students who took it upon themselves to prepare early, they have a real shot at the elusive national championship.

Two members of John Rennie 1 — Tom Cassidy and Malcolm Archer — spent part of last summer at improv camp in Regina, with an eye on figuring out what judges at the national level are looking for. When school resumed in September, they were raring to go. One problem; Chalmers was directing a play at the time.

“At that point, I went ahead and told them that they would have to get started on their own,” she said.

They did just that, creating a team and practicing without their teacher for four months, three times a week. They’ve since upped that practice schedule to five days per week (two pre-school practices and three after school every week) and are confident they have what it takes to go all the way.

“I’m confident,” said Archer, a Lachine resident. “That’s what we’re pushing for. We want to win a national championship,” he said.

Despite national-championship aspirations from some schools, the program aims to foster a non-competitive aspect at the high-school level, the Montreal regional director of the Canadian Improv Games tournament said.

“We focus more on improving the player’s performance rather than focus on who’s the best, because people are at so many different stages of development,” said John McNeish-Hastings. “When I work with the students during training sessions, I get them just to think about the best scene you can do. Drama is another aspect of the competition. Not every aspect of improv has to be funny. Humour is tough. They say dying is easy, but comedy is hard,” he added.

Students from the competing schools prepare ideas for four rounds of improv play. Students are told in advance the five events: story, style, character, theme and lines; they will perform four of the five categories.

“They’re judged on that criteria; but it’s really a loving competition. We want the kids to focus on learning the process and not on winning or losing,” he said.

That’s OK by some teachers. Riverdale High School drama teacher Katrina Kondonis said her philosophy jibes with the one set forth by the organizing committee.

“I’m definitely OK with it. I’ve sort of never been all that competitive,” she said. Her teams, Random Acts and Random Two, will take to the floor Feb. 23 against St. Thomas 2 and Quebec (City) High School.

“It’s always a learning experience. The first time we were in it, we didn’t know anything about it. The kids were finished with a play and needed something to do, so the organizing committee asked us to join. That was a Wednesday. The tournament was on a Friday. We came in fifth out of seven. Not bad,” she said.

John Rennie 1 will take on Royal West Academy and Westmount High School on Feb. 21, St. Thomas 1 and John Rennie 2 will take on Centennial Academy and Marymount Academy Feb. 22 in other nights. The top five teams from the three nights of play will square off Feb. 24, and the winner will go on to Ottawa and the national championships. All shows start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students with valid ID. For more information, e-mail montreal@improv.com.