BY DUCK PATERSON
Ladysmith Secondary School’s improv team showed the rest of the country what they are really made of. The members of the team and two teachers returned home Sunday, April 9, after earning bronze at the Canadian Improv Games.
The team was really stoked to be at nationals and it showed on their first day of competition in Ottawa on April 5, as they finished ahead of three other teams – one from Ottawa, one from Thorold, Ont., and one from Regina – in the preliminary round.
The top five teams from the preliminaries performed the evening of April 8 at the National Arts Centre.
“It was our great privilege to be able to learn from and play with teams from across Canada…” said William Taylor, the team’s teacher.”Improv is a challenging art form. We create beautiful moments, which become shared stories. Listening, accepting offers, advancing … these are core skills. In improv, we say yes to adventure and lift up the members of our ensemble.”
Michelle Steel, former LSS teacher and coach, said it was an “awesome time” in Ottawa with the team and she expressed gratitude for “the opportunity to spend time with these seven fun, caring, considerate, intelligent, funny, hard-working and just plain fabulous youths.”
She said if there was a most sportsmanlike award, LSS would have won it.
“Their care for and thoughtfulness about other teams and their passion for spreading the spirit of loving competition was so wonderful to witness and be a part of,” Steel said.
Steel thanked the town, service clubs and community members who supported the team’s trip to nationals “and ensure they felt the love while there.”
Ladysmith Mayor Aaron Stone said the community is happy and proud about the improv team’s top-three finish at the Canadian Improv Games, and he thanked the team and its support group for representing Ladysmith so well.
“Having been able to watch the finals on the weekend, I was moved by their ability to set the stage for engaging, humourous and meaningful performance, all while on their toes in the moment,” Stone said. “Improvisation is one of the most difficult performance arts and I know our entire community beams with pride in their accomplishments.”
The two schools that finished ahead of Ladysmith in the Canadian Improv Games were Mayfield Secondary from Caledon, Ont., and Cairine Wilson from Ottawa.
READ ALSO: Ladysmith youths make their way to Canada Improv Games after ‘magical’ fundraiser night
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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