Tight-knit audience a testament to The Making-Box’s success
A whole lot of hilarity with a pinch of sincerity — that’s how I would describe The Making-Box’s show, Royal City Heroes. Once a month, downtown Guelph’s own improv studio and comedy club puts together a unique show which highlights a spectacular person or group from Guelph, and tells their story in the funniest way possible. Through a combination of interviews, improv, and — in the case of this month — music, The Making-Box offers a fantastic show which immerses the audience from the moment that they walk through the door.
Before the show even begins, it is clear that The Making-Box is a special kind of place. Upon entering The Making-Box, you are entering a community. It seems that the majority of audience members were returning guests at the show on Friday, Sept. 14, and it is also absolutely undeniable that the audience’s familiarity with the venue did not at all lessen their enthusiasm.
At times it was difficult to distinguish the staff members from everyone else, as they seemed to be having just as much fun as the people who were there to watch the show. Members of the improv team, the bartender, and various other Making-Boxers got warmed up by dancing along to the excellent music, which played until the show began, and bear hugs and jokes were amply shared. Also, did I mention that their WiFi password is “friendship”?
While the sense of community may be enough to make anyone want to come to The Making-Box, the show itself assures that the audience will never want to leave. Hayley Kellett, the host of the show, started the night off by introducing Jeff Wilson, Carey West, and Tyler Wagler — members of the Guelph Jazz Festival, and the inspiration for the night’s show. Then hilarity ensued as the improv team took to the stage, warming up the audience by acting out a film noir-themed story involving a detective, a cactus, and the Chupacabra. As would be imagined, this set some pretty high expectations for the rest of the show. Luckily, what followed did not disappoint.
The show started with Kellett interviewing the evening’s guest — a notable member of the Guelph community (in this case, it was Carey West) — in order to provide the audience with an accurate idea of who that person is, what inspires them, and why this town has been a good place for them to live and thrive. Then the improv team took to the stage to perform a comic rendition of the events that they had just learned about. Among the many skits performed was a scene that featured children preparing for a talent show that was organized by West in her role as a music teacher. This depiction was… less than accurate. The audience laughed until their stomachs hurt. Repeat.
This show is something incredibly unique and wonderful to experience. Both the interview portion of the evening and the skits put on by the improv team are testaments, in their own one-of-a-kind way, to a very strong love for this city, which allows its inhabitants to create, connect, and to laugh (a lot).
Article and featured photo by Hannah Stewart.