Arts Access AotearoaImproverished, an Auckland theatre company, has grown from a small group of university students and young performers experimenting with short improv scenes and games into a fully-fledged company.
Now producing improvised long-form plays, the company showcases spontaneity, storytelling and the power of collaborative creativity.
It will host a special show mid-year to celebrate its tenth anniversary.
Rebecca Mary Gwendolon, one of the founding members of Improverished, says that inclusivity has always been part of its identity, and creating accessibility features is important to its evolution.
They reflect on the moment they realised the small group was evolving into something bigger. “One day we were doing an exercise and what was meant to be a five-minute scene organically turned into a 40-minute narrative. We really found a vibe and a theatrical identity that day.”
As much as the group has evolved, Rebecca says that some things have stayed the same.
“At its core, we have always been a group of people from a variety of backgrounds who meet up once a week to improvise together, and that’s never changed.”
Improverished has always been an open space for people to come in and experience improv without having to pay large sums of money – a rare opportunity back in 2015, and even now.
Through their open-door policy, they have helped hundreds of people find themselves through the art of improv.
Recently introduced, its relaxed performance matinee, full wheelchair access, touch tours and opt-out lanyards have been a step forward in terms of accessibility.
“Frankie Browne and I directed Can I Get an Underground Location and a Mythical Creature?, which is where we implemented these new features,” Rebecca explains. “We both worked with Tim Bray Theatre Company and were both inspired by Tim Bray, who obviously is an absolute leader in terms of theatre accessibility.”
Can I Get an Underground Location and a Mythical Creature? is highly dependent on audience interaction to roll a large 20-sided dice and Rebecca says opt-out lanyards were an integral tool for audience members not wanting to participate. Around 100 bright yellow lanyards were available on entry into the theatre.
“It was crucially important for us to find a way of minimising the risk that anyone who wouldn’t be comfortable with this interaction would accidentally end up a part of it.
“Something we found interesting was the number of people who would put on a lanyard at the start of the show and then take it off once they became more used to the show.”
Making performances accessible not only helps people enjoy it more fully but it also makes it more comfortable.
“One lovely and unforeseen benefit was that a number of audience members who were breastfeeding new babies came to the relaxed performance, knowing they were able to come and go as they needed to. It’s wonderful how accessibility helps everyone.”
Looking ahead at the future of Improverished, Rebecca says, “I’d like us to be known in the community as welcoming, reliable, accessible and, of course, funny.”
