The Craigdarroch Castle, with its regal stone towers and polished red oak interior, transports the visitor into the posh life of a wealthy coal baron, and also serves as a perfect setting for a mystery, such as Paper St. Theatre Co.’s Murders on Paper St., which combines improvisation with drama to create a wholly unique experience.
Paper St. Theatre Co. artistic director Dave Morris says that unlike a traditional theatre show, his troupe creates a brand new story with new characters during each performance. Styled off of classic murder-mystery novels, they strive to capture the spirit of old media, rather than reproducing the stories themselves.
“None of it is pre-written, and that’s something that often surprises people when they see the show twice, that they expect it to be more similar,” he says. “When we break down a style and study it, we’re trying to find the grammar of the style, like how do they speak, what kinds of characters do they have, what are the themes they tend to explore? We make our choices through the lens of Agatha Christie, instead of trying to take those stories and recreating them.”
Morris focuses on creating memorable characters with distinct personalities, physical traits, and pasts. He says that the beauty of improv lies in its transient nature, in the magic behind creating something that will only ever be seen once by one small audience, and never again.
“I enjoy theatre, but the thing I love more about improvisation is that we get to create a play for that audience, for that night, that is just for them, and nobody else ever gets to see it again,” he says. “Some people treat improv like it’s tissue paper, it’s just one use and then disposable, whereas I think of it more like Halley’s Comet, like it happens once, it’s a unique event we’re only ever witnessing in that moment together, and then it’s gone, so you want to be as present as you can to enjoy it. There’s something about an experience that only lasts this one time that is so important, and so beautiful.”
People often think of improv as purely a frivolous comedy gimmick, but Morris believes that utilizing the vitalizing and powerful energy of improvisation holds boundless capacity for real, meaningful drama.
“Improv is a joyful light that we can take with us into darker places. When you’re watching someone make something up, it’s a joyful experience, even if they’re doing something sad,” he says. “I find that my favourite type of improv is that joyful drama, where the story we’re watching is really serious and really moving, and really powerful, and yet still, as I’m watching it, I’m happy because I know I got to watch you come up with that idea. We can take that joy and go into these serious issues, and explore them, and why would we waste that?”
Morris refuses to record his shows, because he feels that excising the “live” aspect from a live performance is antithetical to the very principle of improvisation.
“I think capturing it is kind of against the beauty of the medium,” says Morris. “The medium is meant to live only in that moment, and if you try and capture it then you add this other layer of, ‘If it’s good, then we’ll share it, but if it’s bad, then we won’t.’ And now you’re no longer improvising, you’re editing, and that to me goes against the whole ethos of improv.”
Unlike regular theatre, the audience and the performers are in the same boat, figuring the story out as they go along. Morris says this is what makes improv theatre so unique and enjoyable.
“We’re making it up. We don’t know anything you don’t know. If you’re ever watching an improv show, and you don’t know what’s happening, then the improvisers also don’t know what’s happening,” says Morris, laughing. “That’s the fun of improv, is that we’re all in this together, and this is our one chance to make it amazing.”
Murders on Paper St.
Various times and days,
until November 16
$32, Craigdarroch Castle
thecastle.ca