After the punchlines were punched and the unscripted script improvised its way to life, there were songs to be sung.
Shawn Bullshields, a First Nations guitarist and amazing harmonica player, led improvisers and audience members into harmony at the end of a recent instalment of Friday Night Live, Lynn Valley’s weekly sketch comedy show.
Standing safely outside the spotlight, producer Shauna Grinke felt the contentment that comes with seeing entertainment transform into a “joy-filled experience.”
“I’m absolutely grateful to do this work in the community,” she says.
Grinke is one of a core group of volunteers responsible for: “production and promotion and pulling all the pieces together.”
Friday Night Live was the brainchild of organizers at Lynn Valley United Church who noticed that Sunday mornings were no longer a guarantee of packed pews.
The decline of regular parishioners led to a key question, according to Grinke: “’How can we deliver something that is relevant, that brings people together of all ages, to truly celebrate being in a community together?”
In order to foster the “richness and the sweetness of life” that comes with community, Friday Night Live was born.
Alan Mariott took the helm as artistic director and the Ad Libretto troupe, including Brian Anderson, Ellen Kennedy, Elizabeth Bowen, and Shaun Stewart, are tasked with scouring the stage for laughs.
Music is provided by Capilano University jazz studies student Matt, Grinke’s son.
“As the mom of an artist, what you do is you go to your son’s gigs,” she explains.
Much like soccer parents sometimes unwittingly end up as equipment managers and assistant coaches, Grinke ended up moving from her seat in the audience to a spot backstage.
“They needed somebody to help produce and organize it on a weekly basis and that’s where I started getting involved,” she says. “It’s been a fascinating ride.”
With a budget of about $700 per show, Grinke is part of the crew that squeezes each dime until wind fills the sails.
“Ticket sales do not cover the costs of putting on a production like this,” she says.
The show has garnered a range of sponsors, assuring performers are paid. Boston Pizza usually donates a pile of slices, the Lynn Valley United Church comes through with snacks, and twice a month there’s wine – thanks to Grinke snagging a special occasion liquor licence.
She also set up the website, sends out a weekly e-blast that goes out to about 400 improv fans, consults with graphic artists over posters, and is part of the team that sets up the stage, lights and microphones every Friday evening and takes it all down every Friday night.
When Friday Night Live debuted it was 100 per cent improve, but the format has evolved, Grinke notes.
The improvisers usually begin each show by going into the audience and talking to the audience about the weather, an upcoming holiday, or whatever’s on their mind.
The show is a performance but it sometimes ends up being a chronicle of the mood of the community and a space where families can share a common experience.
“To be in a shared experience that is positive and uplifting and reminds us of our humanity is such an incredible gift,” Grinke says.
For Grinke, one of the most rewarding parts of her work is seeking out each week’s special guest.
Besides having a story to tell, the guest also needs to be “playful enough” to partake in the ensuing improvisation.
Guests of the show have included tattoo artists, actors, and songwriters; all of whom seemed to relish the chance to talk about their inspirations and influences in an intimate venue.
Discussing the spontaneity that drives the show, Grinke turns philosophical.
“Life is not lived in a past remembered or a future imagined, life is lived actually in the richness of the moment,” she says. “As we are aware of the moments of our lives, the richness of our lives is developed.”
This season of Friday Night Live is set to wrap up with a show on Nov. 25.
After two years spent playing catch-as-catch-can with community spaces, and most recently operating out of a community room in Lynn Valley Square, the show is set to move into a permanent home in the redeveloped Lynn Valley United Church in 2017.
The next season is scheduled to kick off Jan. 20.
