Comedian Timothy Nyanzi introduces the very first Improv night in Uganda

Comedian Timothy Nyanzi has brought open mic comedy to a roadside establishment which is easy to miss if you’re not ready to venture off the beaten path and into the underbelly Kafunda paradise.

The show starts at 8:00 pm with comedians such as Don Andre, Jonathan Mudhaasi, Hillary Okello, Sundiata, Optional Allan and other comedians in a fellowship of funny.

However, the night would be like any other ordinary comedy night if it weren’t for Nyanzi’s creation of the very first Improv comedy night in Uganda.

Okello Okello brings the house down Pulse

What is Improv?

Improvisational comedy, or improv comedy, is a theatrical art form where improvisers perform without a script. Many improvised comedy performances begin with a simple premise—often via an audience suggestion.

In America, improv comedy blew up into an explosive artform in the 1970s. Many Improv comedians started at Second City in Chicago, the USA.

Several improv comedians who worked there went on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.

Poet Mercy Geno in the house Pulse

Amy Poehler, a great Improv comedian, became a household name after starring on Saturday Night Live, she also co-founded the famed Upright Citizens Brigade improv troupe.

Other hilarious improv comedians include Stephen Colbert, Kristen Wiig, and Jane Lynch.

Categories of Improv

Modern improvisational comedy falls generally into two categories: shortform and longform.

By definition, shortform improv involves short scenes usually constructed from a predetermined game, structure, or idea and driven by an audience suggestion. A good example of such comedy is the old comedy television series Whose Line Is It Anyway?

A pleasant establishment Pulse

Longform improv performers create shows in which short scenes are often interrelated by story, characters, or themes. These may come in the form of full-length plays.

Nyanzi’s revolution

His introduction of Improv is sure to lean on, shape and test the creative capacities of comedians and thereby make them better at what they do. This can only improve Ugandan comedy by taking it to the next level.

Nyanzi, a visionary, will do more for comedy than any other comedian in Uganda if he feeds this baby well.

And going by last night, he is doing just that.