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SOTP's Show Quick Wits & Hard Hits
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Mary DeBerry
March 11th 2007 |
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The Speed of Thought Players fall on their faces a lot. I don’t mean they fail – I mean they actually fall on their faces, on purpose, a lot. And it’s funny every time. I saw this improvisational troupe in Pawtucket, RI at Corinne’s Restaurant last Thursday night. They also perform every Friday night in New Bedford. After all that falling down, they must spend the rest of the weekend nursing bumps and bruises. The funny thing is that they genuinely enjoy what they do on stage.
The SOTP bill themselves as “fast, funny and furious” and they are. It is well worth the ten-minute trip north of Providence. One of my favorite bits of the evening was when the Larry Soares launched himself across the stage as a mime of being shot out of a cannon. He landed flat on his face of course. His assignment was to show that he was at the fairgrounds. The other player guessed a circus, but at that point, the energetic cannon launch was much funnier and more interesting than the correct guess.
Corinne’s Restaurant provides a good menu of drinks and food during the SOTP performance. The tone of the performance is largely based on the input of the audience. The night I was there, it did get a bit on the raunchy side, but only because the audience was quite willing to go there. I suggest eating before the show begins when you go. Otherwise, you might be snorting food out through your nose.
Christian Galpin, co-founder of the Speed of Thought Players, served as host/taskmaster for the group. He circulated through the audience prompting suggestions and assigning characters and situations to various members of the troupe. The assignments sound ridiculous, and luckily that translates into nonsensical, but hilarious scenes. The group is comprised of players that vary in age and who hold down a variety of day jobs. They all are devoted to developing their skills, entertaining the audience, and having the best darn time they can while working with each other on stage.
Co-founder Cory Green informed me that the troupe was formed “out of necessity”. He and Christian Galpin were members of another acting troupe that desperately needed money. So to help out, Christian and Cory performed an improvisational show fund-raiser. Eventually, they were doing so many shows that they decided to form their own company.
The troupe runs an educational training workshop that serves to feed players into the “A” group when needed. The workshops are currently on hold until the troupe finds permanent studio space. The newest member to feed into the “A” group is Ryan Hanley. Hanley was surprised when he heard he had been voted into the top group. Ryan’s training and devotion is obvious. He worked so well with the rest of the players I would not have picked him out as a “newbie” during the show.
Amy Pontes, the only female in the group, rates high praise from her fellow SOTP members. “She’s the best” troupe member Tom Wilbur told me before the show. Said Pontes, “I think a lot of women are worried about what they look like [on stage]. That’s why there are fewer women in improv.” Deric Bender keeps a “poker face” when he is off stage, so I did not expect the explosive comedy he provided on stage along with his teammates. Everyone had a silly moment in the spotlight.
It takes more than physical humor to do good improv. The SOTP included bits with characters and lines from twenty-year-old television shows, films, stage plays and random eras of history. Looking to the future, they told me they want to integrate more media and technology into the program. They have already done one successful webcast, and plan to do more.
I know that I enjoyed the show more because they were having such a good time on stage. Just before the show began, each of them said the best part of their week is performing on stage with each other. The only thing lacking about the performance for me was the space. Corinne’s Restaurant is a great place, but the SOTP group really fills up a room. I found myself wishing we were in a larger venue. The SOTP deserve a large space, but will entertain anywhere.
You can find out more about the Speed of Thought Players by visiting their website: www.speedofthoughtplayers.com or thier Myspace page. They perform every Thursday evening at Corinne’s Restaurant in Pawtucket, RI and every Friday night at Accu-Billiards, New Bedford, MA. |
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