For the eighth year, students in Ivy Church’s College in the Schools literature class presented Theater Sports to an appreciative audience at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. The students faced off in two teams in an evening of action-filled improvisation. There was even some last-minute mugging for the camera.
Giggles, guffaws and downright fits of howling laughter were the result of the shenanigans taking place on the stage at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts (ACA) on Wednesday, March 20, 2013.
It was a raucous, rowdy, family fun night, and at times there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room as the laughs went viral.
Folks turned out in droves to watch 21 seniors take part in Theater Sports, a high-energy event that features improvisational acting with a competitive sports angle.
All of the students on stage are enrolled in Ivy Church’s senior college literature class. They spent several weeks practicing for the show under the tutelage of senior high English teacher Michael McHugh, who once again led the performances as master of ceremonies.
Making up the dream team of “Canadia” were: Sterling Anderson, Kale Boomer, Sarissa Falk, Clay Johnson, Cailian Carpenter, Mara MacDonell, Mark Marxen, Maggie McMillan, Alexis Eliasen, Peter Warren and Alexandria Palmer.
Not to be outdone, the mighty “Murika” consisted of Cecelia Schnobrich, Collin Berglund, Ben Seaton, Michaela Peterson, Justin Goldstein, Colin Everson, Rachel Wieben, Katie Vander Heiden, Sarah Larsen and Kyle Martinson.
As the emcee Mr. McHugh led the crowd (who participated by asking questions or throwing out ideas) and led the students through the brief improvisational skits or dialogues at a brisk pace.
Before the athletic acting took place McHugh told the audience a little bit about theater sports. It was started by Keith Johnston of Calgary, Alberta about 20 years ago and has become a worldwide hit, with many teams in colleges and high schools participating.
“Theater students are taught to accept anything offered as an idea or a suggestion,” said McHugh, “And teams are encouraged to work together and take care of each other. The focus isn’t on trying to get laughs, but on creating a unique and fluid moment.”
But of course, when thrown into one ridiculous situation after another, laughs are the result.
While no scores were kept, typically two teams perform scenes with judges scoring each performance on a scale of zero to five. The audience on this night judged both teams to be winners. But the big winners were the crowd who got to enjoy the evening and who helped raise money for the kids so they can attend one or two theater performances in Minneapolis over spring break.
Leave a Reply