Brace yourselves. Montreal Improv’s newest house team is here. According to their Facebook page, the Mongrel improv comedy troupe is here to tap into our souls and steal our hearts. The pack is made up of six loveable mutts: D.J., Paul, Jaymie, Mark, Taylor, and Alex (not me unfortunately). And they’re coached by this guy:
With a coach that glorious you know they’re producing quality performances. (That shot was taken during my Faces of Improv project).
We had a photo shoot in the Mile End. The gritty part of the Mile End that is, and with their regular clothes and makeup they fit right in with the environment. Our initial plans for the shoot included fire, but logistics (and maybe legality) got in the way. Like they do on stage Mongrel were pros and brought the fire in their performance in front of the camera.
In case you’re not familiar with the house teams in Montreal Improv, each member is selected into the troupe following auditions. According to the rumours, the gruelling audition process lasts 48 straight hours and involves starvation, a hot coal walk, vaseline, and it's what inspired Suzanne Collins when writing the Hunger Games trilogy. These are just rumours I heard though, so it’s probably all true.
Now don’t be fooled. Despite their recent union, Mongrel already has the chemistry to produce hilarious energy-packed performances. Your face hurts walking out of the show because of your smiling and laughing. So there you go. Mongrel joins Room Service, Helmut, and Doreen, three other wonderful house teams who haven't had a photoshoot yet (wink wink wink, hi there). They’re featured during the House Team nights at the theatre (among other performances). Their next show is Sunday August 2nd, 6:30 at Montreal Improv.
And in other news, I’ve just sent out my first Postcard from my email newsletter Postcards from Alex! I’m really excited to share more stories and photos, you should sign up and join the fun!
See you next time!