Improv Troupe Names
Naming your improv troupe is no science but there are a lot of trends out there. Like band names, these trends come and go and vary by region. I’ll be using examples pulled from here. By the by, if I’m using your troupe name as an example, I’m not trying to single you out for ridicule, you just happen to fit the category.
The Meta
Our name falls under this category, so I’ll start here (though we also fall under The Pun category which I’ll get to next). The meta name is about improv itself in some form. The three Montreal English troupes fall into this one starting with On The Spot, followed by ourselves and Uncalled For. (Note: there are no less than 5 “On The Spot”s listed in the US). Other Examples: Speed of Thought Players, Totally Unrehearsed Theater.
The Pun
We combined two trends in our name so we have to deal with mockery from two angles. Ah, the burdens we bear! In any case, the pun is well worn throughout music band names and improv names are as, if not more, susceptible to this trend. It always seems clever at first blush and who can resist being clever? Examples: Lipschtick, Mile Hi-Larity (from Denver, of course), Die Nasty.
The Zany
Improv is crazy and zany right? So why not pick a name that reflects the wackiness! This is the largest category by far. Animals are typically involved. Examples: Flying Fish Fun Factory, Rubber Chickens, Crazy Monkeys.
(blank) Improv
This is the generic version of the troupe name. Bands have “The (blank)s”, we have this category. Sometimes it’s plainly descriptive, sometimes it has a little colour but it’s the denim jeans of names: functional, simple and neat. A minor variation is to have Improv come first. Examples: Solid Gold Improv, McGill Improv, Laughing Matter Improv, Main Street Improv, Improv Toronto.
The Improv Pun
Related to both “The Pun” and “(blank) Improv”, you have the improv pun, usually some form of the word “improv” forcibly inserted into a familiar phrase or even a random word. This vein has been thoroughly mined. Examples: Mission Improvable (this one has many varieties), Room for IMPROVment, ImproVision, Improvateers, Improvoholics.
The Funny Word
If a word sounds funny, there’s a good chance it’ll get used as an improv name. Stand-up comedians have long abused them so they’re fair game for improvisers, too. Examples: The Omelettes, Bovine Metropolis, Whammo Players, Buttered Niblets.
The Undersell
Improv doesn’t always work. That’s just part of the art. So why not prepare the audience by letting them know about your impending failures with a name that lets you off the hook? Examples: Room to Improv, This Is Pathetic, The Huge Embarrassing Failures, Obviously Unrehearsed Improv!
The Mental Image
The troupe name describes something that immediately creates a (hopefully) funny mental image. Bizarre and incongruous are the keys to this tactic. Examples: Seven Foot Baby, The Angry Beavers, Stick Horses in Pants, Makeshift Robot.
The Random
Don’t want to follow a trend? Just pick some random words that you’d never see together normally. D’oh! This is just as much of a trend as all the others! This category has a lot of overlap with The Funny Word. Examples: Baloney Rodeo, New Kevin, Pool Party Massacre.
Any trends that I missed?
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By Gil, June 27, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
Which category is Sparkletime Jazz? I think we generally fall under “misinformation” because most times I told people about it they just assumed it was improv jazz.
By vinnyfrancois, June 27, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
That would definitely be in the “Random” category.
By b.j.swank, June 27, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
Fun topic, bro!
There’s also the band name as improv name, which you could include in the random category. Examples include: The Stepfathers, Mailer Daemon, the Shoves, Swarm, and pretty much every single troupe in New York. These aren’t actual band names, but they sound more like bands than improv troupes. These names are likely chosen by people who wish they were in bands.
By Andrew, June 27, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
This Is Pathetic is an Emerson troupe. Is that the one you were thinking of? They actually were pretty pathetic while I was there for the first years of my degree.
By vinnyfrancois, June 27, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
I just grabbed names that fit my category especially well. I went back to the list and, yes, it’s the Emerson College group. They haven’t updated their info on that site since 1997 so I’m not sure how valid any of it is.
By Mariana, June 27, 2007 @ 9:10 pm
I am offended that you didn’t mention Kitsch in Sync in the pun category. I think you could also include straight up descriptive (usually made for specific shows), and people’s names (1 2 3 Marc!).
By vinnyfrancois, June 28, 2007 @ 8:13 am
I apologize for my failure to repruhzent!
People’s names is a good category… I might add it if I get a moment.
By hbc, June 28, 2007 @ 8:42 am
Also portmanteaus… often involving the players names. (like Stephnie Weir + Bob Dassie = WeirDass)
Some of what you label as improv pun names are probably better described as improv portmanteaus. “The Protmanteaus” would be a good name too. I just like saying portmanteau. PORTMONTEAU! PORTMONTEAU! EGOIST!
By Andrew Golding, July 12, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
In the “improv pun” category, “New and Improv’d” was the outside-performing McGill Improv offshoot which came between On the Spot and Without Annette. McGill Improv was originally called McGill Theatresports, but when On the Spot became a Theatresports(tm) franchise they made them stop calling themselves that (This was just before I joined). They needed a name for the imminent annual McGill tournament, and joked about names like “McGill Athletic Thespians” but settled on McGill Improv as a kind of default value. Still in use 16+ years later, I guess it ain’t bad! Apparently “On the Spot” was so called because it was the suggestion the members collectively disliked the least. “Without Annette” evolved from “Jumping Without a Net”, which Alex listed in a sarcastic outpouring of cliche names in the “Meta” category. Founding members decided they actually like it – I nixed the “Jumping” (as I remember it!) and someone else turned it into the pun.
I’d like to call a troupe “Take the Money and Run”, which I thought might be in the band name category, but I guess is more of an undersell – inspired by the feeling you get after certain shows…
By hbc, July 12, 2007 @ 10:35 pm
“Sarcastic outpouring” unfortunately sums up more of my speech than I’d like to admit.
“Jumping Without a Net” -> “Jumping Without Annette Funicello” -> “Without Annette”
ASK MY MOM!
By Hunter W, August 8, 2007 @ 3:29 pm
Thanks for noticing Stick Horses in Pants!
By Jennifer, August 30, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
A point of explanation: When Obviously Unrehearsed was formed, we were primarily a college campus organization based out of the University of Oklahoma, so we called ourselves “OU Improv!” Shortly thereafter, the university totally came down on using “OU” without permission in the name of stuff, and they certainly weren’t going to give a bunch of kids making dick and fart jokes that kind of license. But, by then, we had an audience that knew us by that name, so we had to think of something “OU” could stand for. We decided on Obviously Unrehearsed, but only as a last ditch effort. Now that most of us are graduated, we want to take the troupe and go non-profit, away from the university, so we are brainstorming better names. But, thanks for the mention anyway, that’s just one more google hit. ^_^
By DAniel, September 28, 2007 @ 7:32 am
i like cheese and milk bye!!!