Court Jesters
Encyclopedia
The Court Jesters is a professional improv
company founded in 1989 and based in Christchurch
, New Zealand
. It is a subsidiary of the Court Theatre professional theatre company, acting as a second company within the theatre.
The group provide entertainment for corporate and private clients, run weekly community improv workshops and an annual Theatresports
competition for high schools, as well as performing their own twice-weekly improv comedy show, Scared Scriptless.
In 1990 The Court Jesters manager Michael Robinson began a late-night improvised comedy show titled Scared Scriptless, at an 11pm timeslot every Friday at The Court Theatre. Scared Scriptless still runs to this day, and as such is the longest-running (and continuously running) show in New Zealand. Original members of the company were John Hudson, Patrick Duffy, Geoff Dolan, KC Kelly, Greg Cooper, Ross Gumbley, Cal Wilson
, Simon Peacock, Susan Fogarty
, Matthew Gould, Kevin Smith, Craig Cooper, Carl Nixon
, Andie Spargo and Michael Robinson.
called The Wedding.
In 1994 The Court Jesters sent a team of improvisors to the World Theatresports Championships in Los Angeles
. Teams from the UK, South Africa
, Canada
, Australia
, Denmark
, America
, New Zealand
, The Netherlands and other countries competed. New Zealand's team, comprising Simon Peacock, Cal Wilson
, Susan Fogarty
and Greg Cooper, won the competition.
The late 90s saw the company push the boundaries of improvisational practice through script-based improv works such as I Spy, The X-Philes, Blood, and Doctor Pussy Finger Says No To Tomorrow. The company's first fully scripted work was The Complete History of New Zealand (Abridged), first presented in Christchurch in 1998. Their only other fully scripted play was A Fistful of Dolores which premièred in 2002. The Complete History of New Zealand (Abridged) continues to be presented throughout the country, most recently back in Christchurch in 2008 as part of the Summertimes festival, and produced by The Outwits (see 2000s section). The company also pioneered a school holiday theatre programme using tight casts of three to four actors and scripts that could effectively use the main stage sets for daytime performances. The Court Theatre continues to use this production model for holiday performances.
Alongside the newfound confidence with scripted and part-scripted work, The Court Jesters continued to explore pure improv. The 1997 season of Abandon Script used an approach that saw a full 90-minute show generated from a single word offered by the audience.
These new Jesters took over Scared Scriptless, Theatresports In Schools and corporate entertainment at the beginning of 2003. Effectively starting from scratch, the Jesters had to rebuild a fan base and increase audiences for Scared Scriptless, as well as attract more corporate entertainment work and retain the goodwill of the Court Theatre management. While described as a "hard slog" by many, progress was made financially and artistically.
In 2005 Kirsty Gillespie took over as manager of the Court Jesters with Jeff Clark remaining as assistant to the manager. While Patrick Duffy remained an active member of the Jesters, Ross Gumbley (another original Court Jester who had moved to Centrepoint Theatre in the mid 90s, and then returned to take the position of Associate Artistic Director of The Court Theatre in 2000) took a much more active role in the performance side of the company.
At the beginning of 2006 the Court Jesters enjoyed a marked surge in numbers at Scared Scriptless (coupled with a change of the start time to 10pm) and continued to build audiences, often moving the show to the larger Court One venue to accommodate ticket sales. Ross Gumbley was appointed Artistic Director of the Court Theatre in March 2006, effectively securing the company's position.
In May 2006 the company received improvisation tutelage from Keith Johnstone
to couple the rise in financial success with increased artistic standards. Scared Scriptless ended its 2006 season having set a new record for box office sales, and the continuing rise in attendances saw a second show added on Saturdays in mid-2009.
in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Scared Scriptless resumed performances within three weeks and is performing in a variety of venues whilst The Court Theatre constructs its new venue in Addington. During this time shows have been staged at 8pm Fridays and Saturdays.
The original members were either acting interns at The Court Theatre or were brought in through auditions and recruitment. Members often left to pursue other careers or move overseas; subsequently people from school teams, workshops or other towns were regularly recruited into the company as "Associate" Jesters - jesters who played Scared Scriptless semi-regularly but were not used for corporate work or permanently contracted. By the mid-1990s, many if not all of the troupe were 'second-generation' jesters, having been coached/taught by the Court Jesters themselves and gone from Associate to Full Jestership.
When the company reformed in late 2002, many of the new troupe were garnered from the University of Canterbury Comedy Club, high school teams and other entertainment groups/organisations. Again, there were numerous reshufflings and recruitments as the company continued to evolve.
In November 2009 the troupe added 4 new members to its roster, bringing its total of regular performers to over 20.
The flagship Court Jesters show is Scared Scriptless, a short-form improvisation show on at 10pm (originally 11pm) every Friday (and, since June 2009, Saturday) at The Court Theatre. The show was established in 1990 and is New Zealand's longest-running comedy show.
Scared Scriptless is hosted by an MC, along with anywhere from 4 to 10 players, a muso (a musician who improvises the backing music) and at least one technician
/stage manager (who operates the lights and sound). Players and MCs are all members of the Court Jesters and rotate frequently.
The format for the show can change from week to week but is mainly focused on shortform improvisation. Formats include Micetro, Theatresports
, Gorilla Theatre and themed performances, as well as variations on these and original formats devised by the Court Jesters. Scenes are based on suggestions from the audience and often challenges/rules (also called "handles" or "games") from the MC.
Scared Scriptless is usually performed on the set of a current Court Theatre production, although in some cases rudimentary furniture and props may be used. Similarly, players often do not use any props or costumes, relying instead on mime
and physicality. The usual exception is when the MC may bring along props or costumes for special scenes/games or to fit with the theme of the night.
When it debuted in 1990, Scared Scriptless was staged at 11pm on Friday nights at the Court Theatre. This timeslot continued until the beginning of 2006 when the start time was moved to 10pm which, while still remaining a late-night show, became more accessible to a wider range of the public. In mid-2009, a second weekly late-night Scared Scriptless show was added on Saturday nights due to the demands of an increased attendance. . Currently performances are at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
An unrelated show with the same name is performed in Sydney, Australia by Impro Australia. There is also an unrelated Scared Scriptless improv comedy troupe in Anchorage, AK, USA;
another "Scared Scriptless" group in Canton, Ohio, have been performing together since May of 2006.
and New Zealand
.
Fairyable was performed in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in February 2004 as part of the Chistchurch City Council's "Summertimes" festival. The format of the show was a long-form improvised fairytale. In 2006 two more shows were staged to capitalise on "vacant" theatre slots in Court Two: The Early Early Late Show, essentially Scared Scriptless at an earlier time and A Very Merry Scriptless, a family-friendly improvisation show running for the four weekends before Christmas. Both shows had very strong box office numbers and, in 2007, three devised shows were scheduled in the rebranded Court Two (now "The Forge"): Radio Ha Ha (an improvised radio show that was also aired on Radio New Zealand
); Chatterbox (an interview show with improvised segments based on guests' stories) and a revival season of A Very Merry Scriptless. All had solid attendance and positive critical acclaim.
The Jesters staged Pulp William (a long-form mash-up of the Shakespeare and Tarantino genres), "Scriptless Uncut" (an Oscars-themed improv show) and A Very Merry Scriptless as a part of the 2008 Forge season. The latter show is scheduled to return as an annual production, each time with a slightly different take on Christmas: in 2008, this took the form of an improvised retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol
and in 2009 the story revolved around the nativity
and the Magi
.
The Early Early Late Show returned as part of the 2009 Forge season: both The Early Late Show and A Very Merry Scriptless will return in 2010.
On June 25 2010 the Court Jesters will stage a 30-hour "Improv Marathon" to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of "Scared Scriptless", with several original/previous members returning for guest performances.
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
company founded in 1989 and based in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is a subsidiary of the Court Theatre professional theatre company, acting as a second company within the theatre.
The group provide entertainment for corporate and private clients, run weekly community improv workshops and an annual Theatresports
Theatresports
Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges...
competition for high schools, as well as performing their own twice-weekly improv comedy show, Scared Scriptless.
Origins
Theatresports at The Court Theatre began in 1987 under the direction of Bryan Aitken and Judie Douglass. This was largely due to the upswing in popularity of improvised theatre internationally and the desire to introduce it to a New Zealand audience. The popularity of the style led to the formation of a permanent improvisational wing of The Court Theatre under the moniker "The Court Jesters" in late 1989.In 1990 The Court Jesters manager Michael Robinson began a late-night improvised comedy show titled Scared Scriptless, at an 11pm timeslot every Friday at The Court Theatre. Scared Scriptless still runs to this day, and as such is the longest-running (and continuously running) show in New Zealand. Original members of the company were John Hudson, Patrick Duffy, Geoff Dolan, KC Kelly, Greg Cooper, Ross Gumbley, Cal Wilson
Cal Wilson
Cal Wilson is a New Zealand stand-up comedian and radio and television personality. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is well known in Australia through her appearances on television and radio.-Biography:...
, Simon Peacock, Susan Fogarty
Susan Fogarty
Susan Fogarty is a New Zealand writer and comedian.-Television and theatre:Fogarty has been a regular panelist on the television show Good Morning and Newstalk ZB's Christchurch Friday panel, and appeared on Pulp Comedy...
, Matthew Gould, Kevin Smith, Craig Cooper, Carl Nixon
Carl Nixon
Carl Nixon is a New Zealand novelist, short story writer and playwright. He has written original plays and has adapted Lloyd Jones’ novel The Book of Fame and J. M. Coetzee's Disgrace. He has won numerous awards for his fiction, including winning and being nominated for key short story competitions...
, Andie Spargo and Michael Robinson.
1990s
During the rest of the 1990s the Jesters expanded their repertoire with corporate entertainment and teaching improv/theatresports to high schools (as part of the "Theatresports in Schools" programme) and community improvisation classes. The Jesters also had considerable success with dinner theatre including a show at Mona ValeMona Vale, Christchurch
Mona Vale, with its homestead formerly known as Karewa, is a public park of 4 ha in the Christchurch suburb of Fendalton. The homestead and gate house are both listed as heritage buildings with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust . The fernery and the rose garden, together with the setting of the...
called The Wedding.
In 1994 The Court Jesters sent a team of improvisors to the World Theatresports Championships in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Teams from the UK, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, The Netherlands and other countries competed. New Zealand's team, comprising Simon Peacock, Cal Wilson
Cal Wilson
Cal Wilson is a New Zealand stand-up comedian and radio and television personality. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is well known in Australia through her appearances on television and radio.-Biography:...
, Susan Fogarty
Susan Fogarty
Susan Fogarty is a New Zealand writer and comedian.-Television and theatre:Fogarty has been a regular panelist on the television show Good Morning and Newstalk ZB's Christchurch Friday panel, and appeared on Pulp Comedy...
and Greg Cooper, won the competition.
The late 90s saw the company push the boundaries of improvisational practice through script-based improv works such as I Spy, The X-Philes, Blood, and Doctor Pussy Finger Says No To Tomorrow. The company's first fully scripted work was The Complete History of New Zealand (Abridged), first presented in Christchurch in 1998. Their only other fully scripted play was A Fistful of Dolores which premièred in 2002. The Complete History of New Zealand (Abridged) continues to be presented throughout the country, most recently back in Christchurch in 2008 as part of the Summertimes festival, and produced by The Outwits (see 2000s section). The company also pioneered a school holiday theatre programme using tight casts of three to four actors and scripts that could effectively use the main stage sets for daytime performances. The Court Theatre continues to use this production model for holiday performances.
Alongside the newfound confidence with scripted and part-scripted work, The Court Jesters continued to explore pure improv. The 1997 season of Abandon Script used an approach that saw a full 90-minute show generated from a single word offered by the audience.
2000s
By the early 2000s, natural attrition saw the company with only one original member (Andie Spargo). In 2002 the then-current members, dissatisfied with their relationship with The Court Theatre, left to form their own corporate entertainment/improvisation business, 'The Outwits'. In response, The Court Theatre announced that it was reforming The Court Jesters under the management of Nicola Wellbourn and the direction and tutelage of Patrick Duffy (one of the original Jesters who had left the troupe in the early-mid 90s). They held open auditions and from the various actors, singers, entertainers, comedians, street performers, and improvisors who applied formed the new troupe of Court Jesters in December 2002, effectively a reboot for the company.These new Jesters took over Scared Scriptless, Theatresports In Schools and corporate entertainment at the beginning of 2003. Effectively starting from scratch, the Jesters had to rebuild a fan base and increase audiences for Scared Scriptless, as well as attract more corporate entertainment work and retain the goodwill of the Court Theatre management. While described as a "hard slog" by many, progress was made financially and artistically.
In 2005 Kirsty Gillespie took over as manager of the Court Jesters with Jeff Clark remaining as assistant to the manager. While Patrick Duffy remained an active member of the Jesters, Ross Gumbley (another original Court Jester who had moved to Centrepoint Theatre in the mid 90s, and then returned to take the position of Associate Artistic Director of The Court Theatre in 2000) took a much more active role in the performance side of the company.
At the beginning of 2006 the Court Jesters enjoyed a marked surge in numbers at Scared Scriptless (coupled with a change of the start time to 10pm) and continued to build audiences, often moving the show to the larger Court One venue to accommodate ticket sales. Ross Gumbley was appointed Artistic Director of the Court Theatre in March 2006, effectively securing the company's position.
In May 2006 the company received improvisation tutelage from Keith Johnstone
Keith Johnstone
Keith Johnstone is a drama instructor whose teachings and books have focused on improvisational theatre and have had a major influence on the art of improvisation.-Education:...
to couple the rise in financial success with increased artistic standards. Scared Scriptless ended its 2006 season having set a new record for box office sales, and the continuing rise in attendances saw a second show added on Saturdays in mid-2009.
2011 Canterbury Earthquake
Following the closure of the Christchurch Arts CentreChristchurch Arts Centre
The Christchurch Arts Centre is a hub for arts, crafts and entertainment in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the neo-gothic former University of Canterbury buildings, the majority of which were designed by Benjamin Mountfort...
in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Scared Scriptless resumed performances within three weeks and is performing in a variety of venues whilst The Court Theatre constructs its new venue in Addington. During this time shows have been staged at 8pm Fridays and Saturdays.
Performers
Over the years the roster of The Jesters has changed regularly.The original members were either acting interns at The Court Theatre or were brought in through auditions and recruitment. Members often left to pursue other careers or move overseas; subsequently people from school teams, workshops or other towns were regularly recruited into the company as "Associate" Jesters - jesters who played Scared Scriptless semi-regularly but were not used for corporate work or permanently contracted. By the mid-1990s, many if not all of the troupe were 'second-generation' jesters, having been coached/taught by the Court Jesters themselves and gone from Associate to Full Jestership.
When the company reformed in late 2002, many of the new troupe were garnered from the University of Canterbury Comedy Club, high school teams and other entertainment groups/organisations. Again, there were numerous reshufflings and recruitments as the company continued to evolve.
In November 2009 the troupe added 4 new members to its roster, bringing its total of regular performers to over 20.
Scared Scriptless
Scared Scriptless is hosted by an MC, along with anywhere from 4 to 10 players, a muso (a musician who improvises the backing music) and at least one technician
Technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Experienced technicians in a specific tool domain typically have intermediate understanding of theory and expert...
/stage manager (who operates the lights and sound). Players and MCs are all members of the Court Jesters and rotate frequently.
The format for the show can change from week to week but is mainly focused on shortform improvisation. Formats include Micetro, Theatresports
Theatresports
Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges...
, Gorilla Theatre and themed performances, as well as variations on these and original formats devised by the Court Jesters. Scenes are based on suggestions from the audience and often challenges/rules (also called "handles" or "games") from the MC.
Scared Scriptless is usually performed on the set of a current Court Theatre production, although in some cases rudimentary furniture and props may be used. Similarly, players often do not use any props or costumes, relying instead on mime
Mime artist
A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
and physicality. The usual exception is when the MC may bring along props or costumes for special scenes/games or to fit with the theme of the night.
When it debuted in 1990, Scared Scriptless was staged at 11pm on Friday nights at the Court Theatre. This timeslot continued until the beginning of 2006 when the start time was moved to 10pm which, while still remaining a late-night show, became more accessible to a wider range of the public. In mid-2009, a second weekly late-night Scared Scriptless show was added on Saturday nights due to the demands of an increased attendance. . Currently performances are at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
An unrelated show with the same name is performed in Sydney, Australia by Impro Australia. There is also an unrelated Scared Scriptless improv comedy troupe in Anchorage, AK, USA;
Scared Scriptless Improv
Scared Scriptless Improv is an improvisational comedy troupe based in Anchorage, Alaska. The troupe performs regularly on the Second and Fourth Saturday of each month at 8 PM at Snow Goose Theater in downtown Anchorage...
another "Scared Scriptless" group in Canton, Ohio, have been performing together since May of 2006.
Other performances
Beyond their primary Scared Scriptless show, the Jesters perform a wide variety of improvised and semi-scripted shows. They also regularly perform as corporate entertainers for businesses, societies, groups and festivals around ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Fairyable was performed in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in February 2004 as part of the Chistchurch City Council's "Summertimes" festival. The format of the show was a long-form improvised fairytale. In 2006 two more shows were staged to capitalise on "vacant" theatre slots in Court Two: The Early Early Late Show, essentially Scared Scriptless at an earlier time and A Very Merry Scriptless, a family-friendly improvisation show running for the four weekends before Christmas. Both shows had very strong box office numbers and, in 2007, three devised shows were scheduled in the rebranded Court Two (now "The Forge"): Radio Ha Ha (an improvised radio show that was also aired on Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand is a New Zealand public service radio broadcaster and Crown entity formed by the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news, current affairs and arts network Radio New Zealand National and classical music and jazz network Radio New Zealand Concert with full government funding...
); Chatterbox (an interview show with improvised segments based on guests' stories) and a revival season of A Very Merry Scriptless. All had solid attendance and positive critical acclaim.
The Jesters staged Pulp William (a long-form mash-up of the Shakespeare and Tarantino genres), "Scriptless Uncut" (an Oscars-themed improv show) and A Very Merry Scriptless as a part of the 2008 Forge season. The latter show is scheduled to return as an annual production, each time with a slightly different take on Christmas: in 2008, this took the form of an improvised retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
and in 2009 the story revolved around the nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
and the Magi
Biblical Magi
The Magi Greek: μάγοι, magoi), also referred to as the Wise Men, Kings, Astrologers, or Kings from the East, were a group of distinguished foreigners who were said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh...
.
The Early Early Late Show returned as part of the 2009 Forge season: both The Early Late Show and A Very Merry Scriptless will return in 2010.
On June 25 2010 the Court Jesters will stage a 30-hour "Improv Marathon" to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of "Scared Scriptless", with several original/previous members returning for guest performances.
See also
- Kiwi Jokers: The Rise and Rise of New Zealand Comedy, Matt Elliott, HarperCollins Publishers, 1997
- Theatresports Down Under, Lyn Pierce, Players Pr; 2Rev Ed edition, February 1997