We had a three hour rehearsal tonight for Counterpoint/Theatresports. Yes, it was grueling. Not many of us had time to grab food after work, so there was a certain amount of crankiness in the room. We went over the format of the show, including fine tuning the opening and closing segments. I understand the purpose of this, but three hours seemed excessive. Fortunately I had brought a box of chocolate dipped granola bars to distribute to cast members. I think this was the only thing preventing the onset of cannibalism.

Anyway, the show will be undergoing some major changes. I had felt that the competitive nature of the show had disappeared since I started coming to the theatre two years ago. I remember that being the most fun part of the show: watching two teams of improvisors competing for the hearts of the audience. It had evolved into a string of scenes, which just ended when we ran out of time. During the “suggestion period” of our meeting, I recommended bringing competition back to the format. We group discussed it, and someone suggested we hand out score cards to the audience to score each scene. I really like the idea. I hope the producer and artistic director agree to it, because it will definitely make the show more fun and more participatory to the audience.