Puppets of Impulse Improv Theater April 11, 2013

Apr 4-6, San Francisco; Apr 11-13, Pleasanton; Apr 25, San Ramon

Creatures of Impulse, the Bay Area's popular 26-member teen improv troupe, presents Puppets of Impulse on Tour. Combining for the first time puppetry and musical improv, the award winning group is taking their show on the road this spring. With a cast of human and not-so-human characters, they will be exposing the life of the American teenager through puppets and improvised songs. The tour kicks off at the new Un-Scripted Theater Company venue on Union Square in San Francisco (522 Sutter Street) on April 4-6. The show comes to Pleasanton at the Amador Theater April 11-13, and then they play the California High School Theater in San Ramon for one night only April 25. On May 11 the troupe heads off to Chicago to perform at the big Teen Comedy Festival. They are not only the only troupe representing California at the event, but this is also their fourth year doing so.

For the past two months, the teen performers of Creatures of Impulse have researched and rehearsed improvised musicals and long-form story structures. Even though the actual shows are improvised, studying story form and types of musical genres gives the group a foundation from which to create.

"I like to use our spring improv show as a time for us to grow together by taking huge risks," says Creatures of Impulse director and driving force Mark Duncanson, himself an enthusiastic and award-winning improv veteran. "This year I threw a bit of a wrench in by telling the kids we would be creating our own puppets. Not knowing how to make puppets myself, I saw this as a quintessential improvisational opportunity, learning by doing...learning to fail and succeed together in a new process, and whatever happens in the end is that much greater! This challenge has been fun, frustrating, inspiring, and I can't wait to share our successes with our fans."

Official Website: http://www.firehousearts.org