The vibrant theatre culture of
Mumbai has been witnessing a steady stream of talented and innovative actors
which are bent on changing the old ways. Their penchant for travelling on the
path less travelled has resulted in creation of an innovative theatre scene in
Mumbai. ‘Improv’ has been the talk of town in recent years. Improv theatre has
changed the way we watch and experience theatre by making the audience a part
of the action. Discovering Mumbai presents Adam Dow, founder of ‘Improv ComedyMumbai’ (ICM), a group dedicated to pushing the boundaries of Improv theatre
and taking it to the masses. Time for some improvisation!
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| Adam Dow |
Adam Dow, who hails from Seattle,
US, has been doing improv since the age of eighteen and has grown up performing
with Seattle Theatre Sports and Unexpected Productions. “I think I really first started improvising when I was a kid playing
with my Dad's old VHS camera”, says Adam. Then he was making small video
projects to get extra credits at school. His induction in the School Theatre
Sports team was what sparked off his journey of Improv. He also helped start
the first college improv group called ‘The Collective’. In 2011, CNN placed him
at #9 of people to watch in Mumbai.
Adam moved to Mumbai four years
ago to help on a documentary project. Seeing the need for more comedy and
entertainment in the city he started improv classes. Through his initial workshops
he was able to gather a core group of improvisers. ICM performed their first
show in October 2009 and since then they have performed at places like Zenzi
Mills, Cafe Brun, Lagerbay and now at the Comedy Store. “India is great! I now have had lots of cool experiences performing with
all kinds creative people”, says Adam about his time performing on the
improv scene in India. He believes there is still a long way to go in terms of
education, the venues and overall knowledge of improvisational theatre in
Mumbai and India.
ICM is a collective group of
great performers made up of Naveen Kaushik, Mukul Chadda, Dhruv Lohumi,
Natascha Chadha, Kaneez Surka, Nigel Rajaratnam, Ankit Challa, Daylynn DeSouza,
and Shawn Williams. It is an ensemble of professionals from TV, theatre,
movies, call centres, colleges and even IT specialists. ICM is not just limited
to performing in Mumbai, to promote improve, it performs across the country.
This year ICM has also participated at the International Improv Festival at
Amsterdam and in March 2013 they have been invited to participate in the Berlin
Improv Festival.
Their performances are making
people across the world sit up and take notice. But getting ICM to this stage
has been an uphill task. “We had a lot of
challenges of getting ICM up and going and are still facing them today”, says
Adam. Initially the biggest challenge was to find a venue that would allow them
to perform regularly. Creating awareness about improv theatre was also a big
challenge for the group. To spread word about ICM they had to network with all
of PR and Marketing channels. “Building
the educational program while still directing the content so it is always fresh
and new has been a big undertaking”, he says. On the personal front,
adapting to new languages, customs and commuting have also been the challenges
that Adam has faced in India.
“Some of my favourite shows have been at Wilson's College, the Amsterdam
Improvised Bollywood Show, and all the Lagerbay Shows”, he says. He
believes that as an improviser every show is different and if there is a proper
venue with a good audience, then the show can be a lot of fun. “Being a new art form spreading in India we
have to be ready to perform in all kinds of different venues”, says Adam. The
group tries their best to adapt to each venue to keep the show dynamic and fun.
Currently their favourite venue is Lagerbay at Waterfield road, Bandra. They
will also be performing at the Comedy Store at Phoenix Mills, first Friday of
every month.
Through their hard work and
brilliant performances ICM has established itself on the theatre scene in the
city. So what are Adam’s plans for ICM’s future? “I would love to help develop an Indian Improv TV show, teach more
corporate workshops”, he says. He also wants to start a proper college
improv tournament, help develop ICM’s training workshop and also do more improv
outreach programs with kids and troubled youth. “I have learned recently is that it is important to love yourself and
let that love and good vibes reflect back out onto the community and those
around you”, says Adam about his learning’s from the journey so far.
Adam adores Mumbai, as it the
place where ICM started and it is also the place where innovative ideas like
improv can mushroom. “Mumbai is one of
the most diverse chilled out cities in all of India. The people here are very
down to earth and understanding, it is a hugely populated city and everyone has
to work hard to make it, but I don't think I could live anywhere else in India,
except maybe Goa”, he says.
If you are interested in
participating in the improv scene then Adam has some advice for you, “I would suggest watching lots of shows,
taking classes, and performing as much as possible”. And if you are still
wondering what improv is all about then catch their shows at Lagerbay on Nov 29th
and Dec 13th, and also at the Comedy Store on Dec 7th, or
you can watch their videos on ICM’s website – here
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