By J.R. Breen
Contributing Writer
A Seoul-based expatriate improvisation comedy troupe is taking its skills overseas for the first time.
Seoul City Improv (SCI), a collection of foreign comics, will perform in Taiwan next month alongside fellow expat troupe Taichung Improv, based in Taichung, Taiwan.
``I asked Taichung Improv if they would like to host an event with us, to do a joint show, and they were really excited,'' Margaret Whittum of SCI said. ``I have a good feeling about it ― they are the biggest expat troupe in Taiwan.''
SCI was created in 2007 by Whittum as an outlet for actors involved with Seoul Players, an expat-run theatre group.
``I am involved with the Seoul Players, and I saw many talented people who weren't getting to perform because they only do two plays a year,'' said Whittum, who is American. ``So I wanted to establish something else, 'improv' is low commitment and it is really fun.''
The Seoul-based troupe are planning to make their trip April 24, but given the expensive travel costs, have decided to do some fundraising to pay for it.
This Saturday, they are holding a comedy improv show at Roofers Bar in Itaewon. The show begins at 8 p.m., with admission costing 5,000 won.
SCI performs in a style similar to that of popular U.S. television show ``Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' where they use games, such as freeze, which involves volunteers from the crowd creating a scene from scratch, as a basis for comedy.
Whittum, who came into contact with Taichung through a former Seoul-based expat, said that depending on how this trip goes, she would like to take SCI overseas more often in the future.
``If it goes well, then I hope to take our troupe other places. I have been doing some research and found there are similar groups (to ours) in Osaka, Tokyo and Beijing,'' she said, adding, ``I also hope that we can host Taichung in Seoul in the future.''
SCI have become well known among the English-speaking community in Seoul, having performed 37 shows in popular venues such as Woodstock, Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon, and Orange Tree, Haebangcheon.
SCI is affiliated with Seoul Players theatre group which puts on two fully fledged plays each year. They also do a 24-hour theater, a unique concept where small teams write, rehearse and stage short sketches to a live audience, within a 24-hour period.