The Derby
| The Derby | |
|---|---|
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| Theater | Salvage Vanguard Theater/Gnap! Theater Projects |
| Directed by | Various |
| Cast | Various |
| Run | ??-2012 |
The Derby was a biweekly competitive short-form show produced by Gnap! Theater Works at Salvage Vanguard Theater. It ran every second and fourth Friday of the month at 10pm. The show was discontinued with Gnap!'s exit from regular improv shows at the end of 2012.
Format
The Derby's personnel consisted of two directors, a cast of twelve improvisers broken into four three-person teams, and, in later months, a scorekeeper. The directors would pair two teams against each other, assign improv games, then the directors (or the scorekeeper) would gather the audience's vote as to which was better. The winning team gained a predetermined amount of points. The team with the greatest number of points at the end of the show was the winner. In earlier shows, the winning team won the "prized possessions" of the other teams --- usually knick knacks brought from home, or found lying around the theater's green room, around which tales of sentimental value would be spun; in any event, the items were returned to their original owners after the show. In later shows, a professional wrestling-style belt was the prize for the victorious team.
Rhino Dino
For later shows, a "house troupe" called Rhino Dino was created, which played every week. This lent some stability to the Derby's ever-changing roster of players, many of which had never played together before. Rhino Dino took the responsibility of leading the "rap battles" which often served to punctuate the show, and adopted the persona of the "heel," a target for the audience's hatred.
Rhino Dino included, in various combinations of three:
Rhino Dino has continued to perform together following the discontinuation of the Derby.
