Theater with a funny twist

The audience was welcomed with plastic roses to the first English theater sport competition, ranking the skills of UT's Pro Deo team against opponents from Zwolle called, `When the cats is away…' (als de kat van huis is). The public was guided through the performance by the `lovely' host Rita who explained what to do with the roses and instructed on how to behave during the performance like yelling a loud `boo' at the panel of grumpy judges or supporting the teams by shouting in an Obama style yell, `Yes they can!' The piano player churned out tunes like the theme from the Pink Panther while performers developed skits with only suggestions from the audience. Some of the cleverly acted skits showed a band of joy riders, improvisators perched on make-believe toilets or posed as trees, and at peek moments the audience threw roses on stage as a sign of approval. The Pro Deo Theater Sport Association has been around since 1993, concentrating on demonstration theater, improvisation workshops, typecasting and competitive matches. For more hilarious antics, join in the Battle of the Cultures, where three theater associations (Contramine, Nest and Pro Deo), will compete for the title of the `best improvisators' at the UT on June 18 from 8pm to 10pm in the Agora theater at the Vrijhof.