I think I say this every time – watching the videos is not the same as coming to the show. That is nowhere more apparent than with our audience participation shows – like our Annual Night at the Improv show. The 3rd Annual Night at the Improv was the best one yet. I’m not sure if it’s because the storytellers are getting better at making stuff up as they go, or if the audience is getting better at throwing out fun prompts. Or maybe it was due to our hostess with the mostess, storyteller and improv artist, Anna Marie Trester.
The night of storytelling improv at The Auld Shebeen in Fairfax, VA started out with an improv game of story creation.
After the game, the storytellers shared true, personal stories inspired by what they’d heard – like zippers. You can watch the first half of stories below. I summed each one up in a word or two because I think it’s interesting to see the progression of a theme as it made it’s way through the evening.
Mary Supley Foxworth “Pants”
Jessica Robinson “Potty”
Mel Pine “House Bathroom”
BN Heard “Work Bathroom”
Richard Barr “H.S. Mess”
Ellie Klein “H.S. Class”
Sandra Hull “Snakes”
Liezel Munson “Neighbors”
Robert Lovejoy “Camping”
After a brief break to recover some of our senses, Anna Marie led the more improv friendly storytellers, like Peter Gorman, in a short character driven game.
Once again, taking inspiration from the improv, the Better Said Than Done storytellers jumped on stage and spouted out newly formed stories on subjects like the paranormal. Here are the stories in order.
Mel Pine “Dream Interpretation”
Anna Marie Trester “Prophetic Dream”
Sandra Hull “Signs”
Robert Lovejoy “Prophecy”
BN Heard “Surprise”
Mary Supley Foxworth “Devil”
Richard Barr “Snakes”
Jessica Robinson “Scary Movies”
Anna Marie closed out the night with another storytelling improv game which involved each and every storyteller viciously interrupting each other’s train of thought.
Improv will be back in 2017. Until then, you have only one more chance to see Better Said Than Done storytelling live in 2016. Put down that turkey leg and join us on November 26th for “Tradition. Tradition!”