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20 Artscene · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 Locals bringing improv and laughter to Oakville By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Their name is Bad Dog Oakville, but they promise to bring good times and laughter. The non-profit improvisation and comedy group started this summer by offering classes for youths and adults. The response from the community was overwhelming, with full classes and lots of giggling, cementing the interest in the group, according to Bad Dog Oakville founder Amy McKenzie. "We got what we expected -- excited improvisers who just want other people to play with," she said. "Everyone we've talked to about this have been supportive." McKenzie, husband Duncan and friend Gary Pearson are professional comedy writers and producers. The trio is behind the formation of Bad Dog Oakville. The company is a partner of Toronto's Bad Dog Theatre, where all three did improv in the 1980s when it was known as Toronto Theatresports. Pearson used improvisation to launch a career in comedy, moving from performing on Toronto's Second City stage to writing for top Canadian TV shows like Corner Gas and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, as well as for Fox TV in Los Angeles for Mad TV. He is currently producing That's So Weird, a new youth sketch comedy show for YTV. Amy McKenzie went from improv to sketch comedy, writing and acting on CBC Radio, as well as the Gemini-nominated sketch comedy TV series History Bites and Train 48. Improv also led to comedy writing for Duncan McKenzie. He worked with Amy on History Bites, and later incorporated improv into his TV work when he produced the Global TV series Train 48. He is also currently working on That's So Weird. All three live in Oakville with their families and found there was a need for comedy here in town. "There is no comedy scene here in Oakville at all," Amy McKenzie said. "And since we all have kids, we wanted them to participate in improv shows and classes, but there is not much out here." The group is offering classes this fall for youths and adults at Central Baptist Church and The Moonshine Café. The focus is on improvisation, which is a quirky mix of performing, writing, party games and comedy. "Improv is actors making up things on the spot," McKenzie said. "One of the great things about improv is that the actors don't NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER A BRIGHT IDEA: Oakville-based comedy writers and producers Duncan and Amy McKenzie are bringing fall improv classes and a monthly Comedy Jam to The Moonshine Cafe through Bad Dog Oakville, which they founded along with fellow Oakville resident Gary Pearson. The trio says there is a need for a comedy scene in town. know what is going to happen. They are "For the kids, we had a lot of shy kids," taking enormous risks she said. "Half of them and getting their charac- "Improv is like car racing -- had taken drama before ters into trouble and they and were really comfortit is really exciting when often find hysterical soluable on stage, and the tions to their problems. someone wins, but even the other half were kids Improv is like car racing crashes are brilliant." where parents sent them -- it is really exciting because they were shy. when someone wins, but Amy McKenzie Often, shy kids are very Bad Dog Oakville even the crashes are brilclever and they keep it in liant." their heads, and this is The fall classes are an interesting way to get ideal for both limelight it out." lovers and those who are shy, McKenzie It is also great for building confidence said. among adults, she added. "In the adult class, we had an ESL student who wanted to improve her conversational English, people in business who want to be able to stand up and make a presentation, and more," she said. "We saw so much growth among them, as well." Word is spreading about Bad Dog Oakville, with classes already filling up. "We've got a lot of people registered so far and we hope more people come out," McKenzie said. "We've actually got two adult classes now." Bad Dog Oakville will also be offering monthly comedy jam nights starting this fall. The first night is slated for Sunday, Sept. 20 at The Moonshine Café, 137 Kerr St. "We're working with John Marlatt at The Moonshine Café to have a regular venue," she said. "We're hoping to give regular players, as well as some of the more experienced people from the classes, a place to perform." There will be two performances, including a 7 p.m. all-ages show and an 8:30 p.m. show for adults. Both shows will mainly feature local performers. The lineup at the all-ages show includes Alice Moran, Molly Davis, Scott Meiklejohn, Shauna Doherty and Cameron Wylie, as well as an open mic featuring Bad Dog Oakville alumni. The show is ideal for teens, McKenzie said. "A lot of these 20-somethings are graduates of Abbey Park and they have fans that are not of drinking age, so they want to come to a place where they can appear in a club," she said. She said Oakville has a wealth of talented improv performers, especially since several local high schools, most recently Oakville Trafalgar and Abbey Park, have went on to compete at the Canadian Improv Games. McKenzie said she wants to keep the local talent here in town for everyone to enjoy. "Improv is huge at high schools and we wondered where those kids go to perform when they graduate if there is no comedy scene in Oakville," she said. "A lot of graduates who did improv in Oakville high schools are performing in Toronto at Bad Dog Theatre and in clubs. They are dying to have a place here in Oakville." The adult show will include some special guests who are well known on the Toronto comedy scene. See Comedy page 21