It’s a performance genre unlike any other — actors come on stage without any lines rehearsed or act prepared.
Enter the world of improv comedy, where participants work entirely off audience cues in order to delight the crowd. It requires a quick wit, an ability to adapt to the moment and, perhaps most importantly, an engaging personality.
One of the masters of this field is Colin Mochrie. While he is now known for almost a decade and a half of success on the popular television show Whose Line Is It Anyway, it was a local experience that launched the comedian on his path.
Raised in Vancouver, Mochrie was quickly drawn to the improv stage after seeing his first show by the Vancouver Theatre Sports League. He immediately signed up for classes to learn the craft.
“I thought how cool to walk out in front of an audience who are expecting a show, and you don’t have one at that point,” said Mochrie. “Using the suggestions from the audience and working with the people on stage you end up having a show. I liked the fact that it was an ensemble art form.”
It was here that Mochrie developed the skills that he says has not only helped him in comedy, but also in his everyday life.
“It helped me in my relationships, it’s helped me with acting, it teaches you how to actually listen,” said Mochrie. “It really benefits people, whether you decide to do this as a career or not, to get some improv skills. It builds your confidence.”
Mochrie said that one of the most important tenets of improv theatre is saying “yes” to things. On stage this can lead to avenues that a performer may never have envisioned. In life, meanwhile, it can lead to new adventures and experiences.
One of these experiences recently saw Mochrie and his wife decide to embark on a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to do charity work with World Vision. It’s something that Mochrie, who says he is naturally very shy, would likely not have done prior to his improv experiences.
Aside from developing his skills, Mochrie’s time at VTSL also introduced him to longtime friend and fellow improv performer Ryan Stiles. Stiles had been working at a local comedy club at the time and, along with Mochrie, was invited to join a small improv troupe.
“From day one we meshed. We have the same reference level, we find the same things funny, we just hit it off both on and off stage,” said Mochrie. “And it’s been like 40 years now.”
For all his success Mochrie always says he’s happy to return to the city that launched him. He’s also excited to get the chance to work with new local talent at the upcoming shows.
“The part I love is, because I don’t know them [fellow performers] that well, it makes me sort of go back to the basics of improv – listening and accepting,” Mochrie says. “When I’m working with Ryan I pretty much know what he’s going to do most of the time. With these guys I don’t, and that makes it exciting. It makes me really have to concentrate, and work hard to keep up.”
Mochrie says this unknown element of improv is what makes the genre so fascinating, and why he believes it will endure.
“I love the fact that people are constantly finding different ways of using improv, whether it’s a long form, coming up with different games, or a blind date,” says Mochrie.
Mochrie will perform five total shows this week, starting May 24 at the Improv Theatre on Granville Island. He will return there for a pair of shows on May 26, with two shows on May 25 at the Vogue Theatre.
