Review: The ScriptTease Project (The National Theatre of the World)

The Script Tease Project puts on ten different improvised plays over ten days in Toronto

Here’s The ScripTease Project in a nutshell: The National Theatre Of The World (Ron Pederson, Naomi Snieckus and Matt Baram) ask ten well known playwrights to write the first two pages of a play. Pederson, Snieckus and Baram do a cold reading of the two pages and then improvise the rest of the play. They have a bit more help than just the two pages. They’re in costume and there’s a set. Both costumes and set are based on the two pages. Obviously the stage manager has read them.

Monday night’s play was Plants That Kill based on two pages by Maya Ardal.

Put aside the concept of improv as a series of short quick skits, a frantic laugh-a-minute. Think of three actors on the stage performing a play. Yes, they make it up as they go along, and yes, they are very funny, but this is a play. There was even a plot of sorts. Very impressive.

Pederson, Snieckus and Baram are all talented actors – you have to be to make this work. They stay in character, and don’t overact. Even though I knew that the play was improvised I found myself thinking that maybe there actually was a script – and a lot of ad libs.

Not to say that you’re going to see one of the best plays you’ve ever seen at The ScriptTease Project but you will see a play that will never be seen again which is pretty cool.

You could go to each of the ten shows and you’d experience something different each time. The common denominator though is laughter. These are seriously funny actors.

There are nine shows left, definitely worth going to see at least one of them. Here’s the shcedule:

  • Monday, May 28th     Maja Ardal    8pm
  • Tuesday, May 29th    Michael Healey    8pm
  • Wednesday, May 30th    Anusree Roy    8p
  • Thursday, May 31st    Sky Gilbert    8pm
  • Friday, June 1st    Karen Hines    7:30pm
  • Friday, June 1st    Lee MacDougall    9pm
  • Saturday, June 2nd    Scott Thompson    8pm
  • Saturday, June 2nd    Adam Pettle    10pm
  • Sunday, June 3rd    Ins Choi    2pm
  • Sunday, June 3rd    John Murrell    8pm

Details:

– The ScriptTease Project is playing at Theatre Passe Muraille Backstage (16 Ryerson Ave) until June 3, 2012
– See above for performance schedule
– Tickets are $20 plsu HST, $15.00 plus HST for seniors and students
– Tickets are available online, by phone at (416) 504-7529 or at the box office