Improv Theatre Sports in Regina, Saskatchewan

The Exchange buzzes on this cold January evening. A bearded dude wearing a striped light green on dark green sweater sits at a table near the door. He charges a $5 cover. Every candle-lit table is occupied by, with few exceptions, a mostly late high-school to university aged crowd. The candid faces of the night's improvisors are projected onto a large screen hanging from the ceiling at the stage. Interspersed among the photos are ads for Combat Improv t-shirts, available for twenty dollars at the door. The event is well organized. Now the music fades, the screen retracts, and the spectacle begins.

I have a love-hate relationship with improv.

When improv works, I laugh so hard my abdomen hurts, my eyes water and I want to high-five my friends, exultant from witnessing moments of pure comedic chemistry.

But when improv is bad, my guts twist. My polite, supportive nature strains under the pressure of a gurgling guttural desire to shout out in frustration: "You suck!"

The visceral quality of improv is part of why audiences love it so much. Improv thrives in nearly every North American city, and the small Western Canadian city of Regina is no exception.

Judging by the audience's enthusiasm, the full house, and the group's 400-plus Facebook members, Combat Improv is a success story. Tonight marks the fourth performance of the group's third season. Each year, they put on one show per month, beginning in October and ending in May.

Combat Improv began a few years ago as a joint project between the Uberkill Sketch Comedy troupe and Hectik Theatre, explains Judy Wensel, a co-founder of the group. A general venue for improvisors did not exist, so Uberkill and Hectik organized a monthly improv show at the (now defunct) Manhattan Room, Wensel says. After its first year, Combat Improv became its own entity and now presents at the Exchange.

As its name implies, improvisation is theatre with no script. The actors create the dialog and action as they perform. "Spot" improv is the most popular version: the performers ask the audience for suggestions - places, activities, moods, and objects - and then use them to create short scenes.

At the intermission, I manage to corral three improvisors to share their thoughts on why improv works and why they do it.

Audiences like to see the performers out on a limb, says Laura Pfeifer, a biological scientist by day and improvisor by night.

"They like to see someone else in that vulnerable position," Pfeifer says. And unlike other forms of theatre, the audience can influence the outcome of the scenes through participating, she adds.

Combat Improv has a competitive element which increases the audience's participation. After each scene, the host asks the audience to vote (by applause) on how much they liked it. The scores are tallied by the host and the team or individual improvisor with the most points wins at the end of the act.

The relationship between improvisor and audience is unique on an improv stage, says Judy Wensel. A professional actor and regular performer on Regina's Globe Theatre, Wensel says she feels more frightened by improv than by performing a scripted play.

"It's not as safe," she says. "On a theatre stage, I think the audience is more or less on your side, because they've come to see your play. But on the improv stage, you're fighting for their love, and you want them to laugh at your jokes, and (you) hope they like you. For me it's much scarier."

Half the fun is trying to become an audience favourite, says Mike Schmalenberg, a fourth year arts education student. But he points out that good improv isn't only about getting a laugh for oneself. Improv works best when an improvisor helps sets up the other person to help build a story together and to develop its arc, he says.

"Really, improv is just about listening and responding," Schmalenberg says. What you do everyday is unscripted, he tells his students. You're just going with your natural responses, and that's how improv works too.

Combat Improv's next show is at the Exchange on February 24th at 8:30 pm.