Die-Nasty

Die-Nasty is a live improvised soap opera, running weekly in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 1991. Die-Nasty's improv comedy format features a continuing storyline and recurring characters, live music, and a director who sets up scenes for the audience (and performers) in voiceover.

The cast of Die-Nasty features Dana Andersen, Matt Alden, Leona Brausen, Belinda Cornish, Tom Edwards, Jeff Haslam, Mark Meer, Cathleen Rootsaert, Sheri Somerville, Davina Stewart, Stephanie Wolfe and Donovan Workun. Notable former cast members include Josh Dean, Nathan Fillion, Ron Pederson and Patti Stiles. In the course of its twenty-season run, Die-Nasty has welcomed many prominent guest stars, including Joe Flaherty, Mump and Smoot, Robin Duke, Mark McKinney, Alan Tudyk and Mike Myers.

Since 1993, Die-Nasty's home has been the Varscona Theatre, an improv comedy hotspot in Edmonton's historic Old Strathcona district. The regular season show runs on Monday nights at 8pm, from mid-October until late May. The Die-Nasty company has also performed an annual mini-series at the world-renowned Edmonton International Fringe Festival every August since 1997.

Every September, Die-Nasty hosts the annual Soap-A-Thon — 53 hours of continuous improv, which features many performers going the entire weekend without sleep. The first Soap-A-Thon was held in 1993, and was the company's first production in the Varscona. The current record holders for most performance hours at the Soap-A-Thon are core cast members Mark Meer and Patti Stiles. In 2005, director Dana Andersen exported the company's annual Soap-A-Thon to England, working with legendary British theatre artist Ken Campbell to produce a 36 hour-long soap opera in London.^[1] Several members of Campbell's company made the pilgrimage to Canada in the years 2006-2010 to take part in the original 53 hour long event. Andersen paid further visits to London (along with several members of the Die-Nasty troupe) to direct 50-hour Improvathons (in 2008 and 2009 at the People Show Studios in 2010 at Hoxton Hall).^[2] The following February, Andersen and company returned for another 50 hour Improvathon in the same venue, produced by The Sticking Place in conjunction with Die-Nasty.^[3] In 2011, Mark Meer, Belinda Cornish, and Donovan Workun appeared in the London Improvathon at Hoxton Hall, directed by Adam Meggido.

Die-Nasty has been honoured with a special Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Excellence in Theatre, and has also been nominated for several Canadian Comedy Awards. In 2006, Die-Nasty was the recipient of the Canadian Comedy Award for best improv troupe in the country. On February 12, 2007, the troupe received special recognition from the government of Alberta upon reaching the milestone 500th episode of Die-Nasty.

Directors

• Cathleen Rootsaert 2010-Present
• Dana Andersen 2001–2010
• Trevor Anderson 1998-2001
• Stewart Lemoine 1996-1998
• Ian Ferguson 1991-1996

Musical Directors

• The Amazing Paul Morgan Donald 1992–present
• Jan Randall 1991 2008–present

Technical Directors

• Brad Fischer 1997–present
• Brad Mitchell 1996-1997
• Jody Longworth 1991–1996
• Jason Golinsky (SM) 1995-1996

Producers

• Nicole Thibault 2009–present
• Chloe Chalmers 200?-2009
• Stewart Lemoine 1998-200?

See also

• Improvisational theatre

References

1. ^ Irvine, Lindesay (2005-12-22). "Say yes to improv". Guardian Unlimited (Guardian Unlimited). http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,1672140,00.html. Retrieved 2008-01-06. 
2. ^ Shuttleworth, Ian (2008-01-22). "The Improvathon 2008, People Show Studios, London". Financial Times (Financial Times Ltd.). http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bcacc730-c91f-11dc-9807-000077b07658.html. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 
3. ^ Maxwell, Dominic (2009-01-31). "Improvathon takes theatre to new extremes". The Times (The Times of London Ltd.). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article5613250.ece. 

External links

• "Die-Nasty website". http://www.die-nasty.com/. Retrieved 2006-11-13. 

• "Die-Nasty Joins the Knight Life". The New Varscona Theatre. http://www.varsconatheatre.com/dienasty/. Retrieved 2006-09-03.