Improvisational Theater

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Review for Domeka / Blank Slate / Brody Theater

I have had the opportunity to see Domeka Parker perform improv several times and she has never failed to make me laugh! She is part of comedy troupes “Blank Slate” and  the “Brody Theater Ensemble” a few talented groups of quipsters who perform skits and acting exercises at the Brody Theatre in Portland, Oregon. Domeka’s humor, talent and love for her craft are evident in her every performance. Her fellow actors take her lead and clearly love being on stage with her. 

I recently got to see Domeka perform with “Brody Theater Ensemble” in their October show “Scary Movie”, where they turned two classic horror genres, (monster movies and sci-fi), into onstage performances. It was a lot of fun to watch because the actors called out scene descriptions to give the audience a visual of what they would be seeing if they were watching an actual movie. The show was fun, unique and high energy as you never knew when someone was going to call out a change of scene and take us to another scenario happening during the performance. The group even involves the audience at a lot of their shows, asking for volunteers or concepts that they can interweave into the show.

It’s great to see the range of characters the actors can take on for each performance or what kind of scenario they create as they go. It takes a lot of thinking on your feet to be able to do something that is as difficult as improv, and yet make it look effortless. Domeka and her gang have definitely perfected it. I highly recommend checking out a “Blank Slate” or a “Brody Theater” performance next time they are on stage!

Holly Petersen

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