TS Nationals
2011 sees the Theatresports National Championships held outside of Sydney for the first time! This is a unique opportunity for Brisbane audiences to experience Australia's funniest improvisers on the one stage.
Queensland
Dan Beeston, Amy Currie, Tom Dunstan.
Forged in the ferocious South-East Queensland sun, these plucky underdogs have a home team advantage as they look for their first Nationals victory.
Team captain Tom Dunstan is a veteran tournament campaigner, and a former Impro Australia committee chair. His acolytes are Amy Currie (sketch comedienne) and Dan Beeston (science podcaster). Between them they have 30 years of impro experience. Their goal is to rise to the insurmountable odds, and go down fighting - with each other if necessary.
New South Wales
Amanda Buckley, Steve Lynch and Jon Williams.
Amanda, Steve & Jon were born just over 30 years ago to the Wurst family in Bavaria, a kindly sausage maker and his wife. Finding the sausage business hard to swallow, they moved to Sydney, hoping their style of German humour and 1980s fashion would win people over. But it didn't. Amanda had to work for Sydney Water, Steve had to become a lawyer and Jon had to perform at children's parties as Dumkopf Wurst ("Silly Sausage"). They fell into improvising about 10 years ago and, despite the language difficulties and not understanding English humour, have performed in improvised comedy shows (Scrabble Unscripted and Ultimate Board Game Unscripted), musicals (Tabloid the Musical, Dr Strangelove the Musical and Beaconsfield the Musical), puppet shows (Puppets vs People) and last year won the NSW Theatresports Cranston Cup.
ACT
PJ Williams, Nick Byrne, David Callan and Ruth Pieloor.
In 2010, Canberra's team, The Feds, were invited to the the Theatresports National Championships for the first time. Like cops who'd seen it all in there day, PJ Williams, Nick Byrne, and David Callan, maintained a facade of calm, that hid their astonishment of taking home the Runners-Up medal on their first outing. Whilst Impro ACT don't want to blow their cover and reveal the final team line-up for 2011, The Feds are back to sorta kinda defend their almost Cinderelly sorta story.
Western Australia
Shane Adamczak, Michael Burke, George Gayler and Glenn Hall.
The love children of Rose Porteous and Basil Zempalis, "The Perthonalities" represent WA, the first state to break the Victoria and New South Wales' stranglehold of the Theatresports National Championship by winning the title in 2009. This year's team features an enviable blend of youth, beauty and world-weary cynicism.
South Australia
Eugene Suleau, Eden Trebilcock and Sam Caleija.
They might be from the city of churches, but South Australia impro team will be making the trip to Brisbane to show the audience that they are anything but conservative! You will bust a gut laughing at this trio of funsters. Leading the way will be Eugene "Man of a thousand faces" Suleau. Hell be ably backed by Sam "Rubber Man" Calleja and Eden "Don't call me Harry Potter" Trebilco as this team looks to build on a dazzling display at last year national championships.
Victoria
Rik Brown, Anna Renzenbrink, and Patrick Duffy.
Anna, Patrick and Rik are known as the Impro Ninjas of Impro Melbourne. Forged in the crucible of time and awesomeness, this A-Team of mirth embody the elements of the universe every time they hit the stage: time, space and energy. They are the E = mc2 of the stage. The Alpha and the Omega and the Seiko. The Captain and the Tenille and the Jon Belushi. Above all, they are the spirit and backbone of this good country.