Improv goes nostalgic with performers taking on the roles of the audience's grandparents, revealing funny and insightful truths about family.
Amy Currie and her partner in improvisational crime, Luke Rimmelzwaan, are taking on an ambitious project, in which they inhabit the characters of ambiguous but vaguely European grandparents who tell stories based on cues from the audience. “The stage is our living room and the audience are our grandkids whom we have quite a bit to say to,” explains Amy.
Currie fell in love with improvisation back in 2008. “I went to see an ImproMafia festival, their first Off The Cuff Festival back in 2008 and I was sitting there with my poor cousin. After the show she had marks on her arm because I had grabbed her arm and started saying, 'I want to do this, this is what I want to do, these are my people' … I went to a workshop and I have never looked back.”
Both Amy and Luke are now working with ImproMafia to present 'Tales From The Old Country', which presents a unique perspective on immigrants and their families. “Of course back when they were young in the old country, tales often come up of the adventures that they had, but we also like to tell stories of after they arrived in Australia. Sometimes funny, sometimes the differences that they notice here and sometimes things that are purely family, family arguments, that sort of thing,” Amy says.
“We do keep in mind that immigrant experience and [the show] very much comes from a sense of respect for people who made that journey.” Luke, whose grandparents originally hail from the Netherlands, and Amy, who has a Russian grandmother who was born in China on the way to Australia, are conscious of their ancestral links to immigrant families. “We really wanted to make sure that we were incredibly respectful to these characters,” she explains.Amy, reflecting on her grandmother, says: “She was a bit of a cranky old so and so, I loved her very much of course, but I think there's a little bit of my Nana in the character I play... No matter where you come from there's always little things, little bits of family legend that's so embarrassing for other people to hear, but everyone recognises it when they see it.”
Amy has had some interesting experiences performing stand-up around the world, from the UK to New York to even Beijing. “While we were there, my dear friend Natalie who's also in ImproMafia, we had a Jane Austen-themed show based on the real life romances of audience members. Not very offensive stuff but we still had a censor from the Chinese government sitting in the audience throughout the whole festival making sure that nobody said anything too critical,” recalls Amy. “That was probably my most amazing festival experience.”
Despite being an entirely improvised show, there is no lack of forethought and planning when it comes to directing the show, which both Luke and Amy are sharing the responsibilities of. “Even though we're making up the story as we go, there are a lot of beats that we've sort of thought about and thought, 'If x happens, you'll have to do y'. We're flying by the seats of our pants because we never know what's going to happen but we do like to practice the format as much as we can. In rehearsals we'll run a whole show that audiences will never see.”
Amy speaks highly of the Brisbane improv scene. “We have something really special here and the work that we're doing is up there with things that I've seen around the world. So I'm really proud to be back in Brisbane with ImproMafia again.”
As to what we can expect from the show, Amy teases: “Well, if people come along and are very good grandchildren, they might get a biscuit.”
