Comedy review: The Improv Centre's Camp What’s-It-Called is a whacked-out nostalgia trip
Audience suggestions make for a fun night of cabin shenanigans, lake whales, and poison ivy
Camp What's-It-Called’s Raf Rogers, Helen Camisa, and Mary Saunders.
The Improv Centre presents Camp What’s-It-Called to July 13, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm
SUMMER’S ARRIVAL marks the return of cherished summer activities, and one of the most iconic of these is camp. The Improv Centre’s Camp What’s-It-Called is a two-act improv-comedy show that pokes fun and celebrates camp nostalgia, including friendships, crushes, and the zaniest situations you can think of—seriously. Camp romances finally realized thanks to the help of living trees, inventive uses of poison ivy, and whales swimming in the lake are just a few of the situations you might encounter here.
Every performance is different, based on audience ideas and on-the-spot acting choices by members of TIC’s ensemble, who take turns performing throughout the show’s run. But the structure of Camp What’s-It-Called remains the same. At the top of the show, the Program Director (played by a hilarious Will Vaughan on the night of this review) welcomes us to the as-yet-unnamed camp. In fact, it’s the audience’s job to come up with the name, and on this particular night, it was “Camp Oh-Shoot”. Vaughan reasoned that the name stems from the fact that the camp is for kids who love photography. He then introduced the campers who were, unsurprisingly, archetypes and tropes of kids one would expect to see at camp—all in the name of fun.
Audience members were encouraged to shout suggestions to help round out each character. When a performer wearing a yellow vest asked the audience for ideas on what his character was allergic to, someone yelled out “the colour yellow”. And when a performer playing a rebellious kid named Butterfly Knife asked the audience what her character was afraid of, the suggestion “butterflies” offered ample opportunity for hilarity.
A fun lineup of improv sketches (“theatresports”) by the ensemble followed, including one game where two performers were sent out into the hall while two others improvised a scenario based on audience suggestions. When the actors from outside returned, they watched another pair re-create the recent scene, speaking only in gibberish. The two who had previously been outside then played out the scene in English, trying their best to infer what it was about—a minor car crash at a gas station being interpreted instead as two people cleaning their house.
In another sketch, one audience member was asked what their initials were—in this case JM. The ensemble had to think of a bizarre situation based on the initials. Alan Pavlakovic’s idea of “Jazzy Monkeys”, where performers would suddenly transform into primates each time jazz music played, was a hit with the audience.
The second act takes place on the final day of camp, which is “Choose Your Own Adventure Day”, and we get to see each camper do an activity related to audience suggestions from earlier. On the night of this review, Jalen Saip’s character’s goal of swimming with whales came true when Pavlakovic spontaneously transformed himself into a cetacean. During the second act, one willing audience member also gets to come onstage and join the camp—so for any audience members who love doing improv, this is your chance to dive in.
Throughout the unpredictable and hilarious twists and turns the show takes, the ensemble skillfully keeps the things on track, including weaving in a subplot that involves saving the camp from financial trouble. At this performance, Saip and Emily Schoen were delightful as a pair of campers from Camp Oh-Shoot’s rival camp, Camp Oh-Painters, who show up as part of the subplot.
Audience members who don’t want to participate can rest assured that participation is completely voluntary, and audiences are welcome to simply sit back and enjoy the wacky action. But be warned—once the show gets going, you’ll find it hard to resist shouting ideas and joining in on the fun. Camp What’s-It-Called is a summer camp where everyone is welcome. You’ll never know exactly what to expect, but you can bet on having a blast. 
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