Improv Mon Nov 02 2009

Improvised Shakespeare in NYT

A New York Times article features Lisa Leingang, a senior vice president at Comedy Central, saying great things about Chicago's own Improvised Shakespeare Company.

In case you aren't registered on the NYT site, here's how it goes down: The Q&A has turned to what Leingang looks for when she's scouting for talent:

Q. How do you keep from becoming jaded?

A. You just see one performer for every 50 who is just bizarre, irreverent, who has some sort of take that you have never seen. Not to sound Mary Sunshine, but it's rejuvenating. It reaffirms why I do it.

Q. Who was the last person who made you have that reaction?

A. The group Improvised Shakespeare; I brought them to Bumbershoot. They improvise a Shakespeare play based on a suggestion by the audience. It starts with rhyming couplet; it ends with rhyming couplet. The way they worked together is amazing. Every show had a standing ovation. It was one of those things where I'm crying laughing: just, how did they do it? That's the feeling that I like to have, and it's very validating. You can't translate that to TV. But we can try.

— Michelle Peterson / Comments (1)