- Scared Scriptless
Scared Scriptless is an
improvised comedy show performed by theCourt Jesters every Friday night at the Court Theatre inChristchurch ,New Zealand .The show was established in 1990 and is currently New Zealand's longest running comedy show.An unrelated show with the same name is performed in Sydney, Australia by Impro Australia. There is also an unrelated "Scared Scriptless" improv comedy troupe in Anchorage, AK, USA.
The Show
Scared Scriptless is hosted by an MC along with anywhere from 4 to 10 players a muso (a musician who improvises the backing music) and at least one
technician /stage manager (who operates the lights and sound). Players and MCs are all members of theCourt Jesters and rotate frequently.Format
The format for the show can change from week to week but is mainly focused on
shortform improvisation including Micetro,Theatresports , Gorilla Theatre, themed performances as well as variations on these and original formats devised by the Court Jesters. Scenes are based on suggestions from the audience and often challenges/rules (also called "handles" or "games") from the MC.Scared Scriptless is often performed on the set for an existing play rather than having one of its own. In some cases, some rudimentary furniture may be used. Similarly, players do not use any props or costumes relying instead on mime and physicality. The exception is when the MC may bring along props or costumes for special scenes/games or to fit with the theme of the night.
A Scared Scriptless show runs on average for 90 mins.
Performance Times
When it debuted in 1990, Scared Scriptless was staged at 11 pm on Friday nights at the Court Theatre.
At the beginning of 2006 the start time was moved to 10 pm, still keeping it as "late night" improvised comedy, but more accessible to a wider range of the public.
In Sydney the show begins at 8pm every Friday night.
External links
* [http://www.courtjesters.co.nz/ The Court Jesters official website]
* [http://www.scared-scriptless.com/ The Australian Scared Scriptless official website]
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