Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2016, Síða 29

THE HOUSE AT EYRARBAKKI

Opening hours: May 1st - September 30th daily 11.00-18.00 or by an agreement
Tel: +354 483 1504 & +354 483 1082 | husid@husid.com | www.husid.com
Árnessýsla folk museum is located in Húsið,
the House, historical home of the Danish
merchants built in 1765. Húsið is one of the
oldest houses in Iceland and a beautiful
monument of Eyrarbakki´s time as the
biggest trading place on the south coast.
Today one can enjoy exhibitions about the
story and culture of the region, famous piano,
shawl made out of human hair and the kings
pot, are among items. Húsið prides itself with
warm and homelike atmosphere.
The House at Eyrarbakki
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We’re expecting a busy summer but you
can check-in 2 1/2 hours before departure
and have plenty of time for refreshments
and shopping in KEF.
We offer unlimited free Wi-Fi, many
charging stations and a range of nice
restaurants and stores. Icelandic design
and quality brands tax and duty free
at the Airport.
Concerts & Nightlife Listings
May 20 - June 2
They’ve only been around for a
year, but Improv Iceland has al-
ready made a name for themselves
with high-energy performances
in their mother tongue, garnering
attention from the likes of Fred
Armisen and Anthony Atamanuik.
Due to popular demand, the group
began fortnightly shows in English
at Húrra on May 10.
The room was packed for Im-
prov Iceland on May 24, only their
second regular show in English,
with a crowd of people from across
Europe and North America. Af-
ter asking for a prompt from the
crowd, the group would improvise
a sketch, complete with characters
and rising action. Watching im-
prov is a bit like watching someone
put together a puzzle in the dark—
there’s an element of improbabil-
ity and magic to how improvisors
craft elaborate scenes from noth-
ing.
All three of the group’s impro-
vised acts had the crowd in stitch-
es, but none more so than an en-
tirely improvised musical—song,
dance, and all—centred around the
prompt “pancakes.” Their comedy
was smart when it needed to be,
but also inappropriate when neces-
sary, striking a balance that made
you forget they were performing
in their second or even third lan-
guage.
Bringing improv
to Iceland
Dóra Jónsdóttir is the person who
brought improv to Iceland, hav-
ing previously studying with the
American comedy group Up-
right Citizens Brigade, known for
launching the careers of stars such
as Amy Poehler and Matt Walsh. “I
studied improv in the States, and
of course when you’re improvising
with someone who’s doing it as a
first language, then it’s more of a
challenge than doing it with some-
one who also has it as a second lan-
guage,” Dóra says about the chal-
lenge of improvising in English.
Today, Improv Iceland consists
of 30 performers, who Dóra says
have varying degrees of English
fluency. “But it doesn’t have to be
perfect,” she adds. “It’s improvised,
and people know that it’s not our
first language, so most of the time
it just adds an extra joke.” For ex-
ample, Dóra says that once, when
she had a show in New York with
other Icelandic improvisors, the
audience tried to trick them by
using a prompt the improvisors
wouldn’t understand. “We spent
five minutes guessing, and that be-
came the integration for the show,”
she explains. “So we can work with
whatever.”
Attracting interna-
tional attention
At their show on May 24, Improv
Iceland was joined by John Hart-
man from The Second City, argu-
ably the most prestigious improv
group in North America. John had
heard that improv was gaining
traction in Iceland, and contacted
Dóra to organize workshops with
the group in Reykjavík. As interest
in Iceland grows in parallel to the
country’s improv community, Dóra
says more and more comedians
are contacting them to collaborate.
“Now we’re getting a lot of requests
from people, so we can kind of just
pick and choose the best improvi-
sors,” she says.
Whether for an audience of Ice-
landers or tourists, Dóra says im-
prov shows are always unique and
exciting experiences. “There’s a
close bond that the audience and
the performers have because it’s
only happening once and it’s never
going to happen again,” she ex-
plains. “It’s like this electricity in
the room when you’re doing im-
prov, because you’re making it up
and it’s so likely to go south. When
they figure it out it’s such a relief
for the audience and the perform-
ers.”
Improv Iceland’s next English-lan-
guage show is on June 28 at Húrra,
and they will be continuing every sec-
ond Tuesday throughout the summer.
Visit improviceland.com for more in-
formation.
Music 'Tis the season
Improv Iceland reaches international audience
with English shows
Improvising In Your
Second Language
Words & Photo ISAAC WÜRMANN
29The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 8 — 2016