You wouldn’t expect making people laugh would be a terrifying experience, but for Steve Fedyna, the experience of performing improv for a live audience is both scary and fun.
The local actor with the Canmore Improv Association (CIA) said the group’s first two live shows were “amongst the most terrifying experiences of my entire life.
“I used to teach public speaking and people were afraid of standing up in front of a crowd and people laughing at them. Now I’m afraid of standing up in front of a crowd and people not laughing at us because you never know, because it is improv and everything comes from the audience.”
CIA’s founder, Rob Heighington, a former member of Second City in Toronto, has been offering improv classes in the valley for several years. Fedyna said over time the class has attracted talented people that have gelled as a group and were looking to expand.
Their third show, Live Improv Night, is next Thursday (July 17) at Good Earth Café and audience members can be as involved as they want with the comedy on stage.
“It is entirely up to the audience member; there are definitely a couple of sketches where we invite members of the audience to participate if they want to, or if they want to sit in the back enjoy a glass of wine and laugh, that is totally acceptable as well,” Fedyna said.
Suggestions from the audience are part of the show, which he said will include material, sketches, skits or exercises from CIA’s previous shows and brand new material they are experimenting with.
“We expect it will turn out great or it might blow up in our faces,” Fedyna said.
Proceeds of the show also go to a group started by Heighington called Creative Spark, which is a non-profit that works with youth using creativity to improve mental health.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and doors open at 7 p.m. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door, otherwise they can be purchased online at www.canmoreimprov.ca for $12.
