In his nine years with ComedySportz-Portland, Andrew Berkowitz has honed the skills necessary to think on his feet. The troupe’s improvisational format pits two teams of comedians against each other, similar to a sporting event. It’s usually a level playing field, but there’s one event a year where players such as Berkowitz have a distinct disadvantage.
When ComedySportz squares off against Tears of Joy Theatre, the comedians are bound by rules of physics and decorum that don’t apply to puppets.
“The puppets almost always win. They have a dominating lead in the series,” said Berkowitz, a 41-year-old Vancouver software developer and artistic director of ComedySportz-Portland.
Puppetz vs. People is back for its 10th year Saturday, and the ComedySportz players will battle characters such as Rumpelstiltskin, Aladdin and a dragon.
“It’s a unique show,” Berkowitz said. ”You’re playing against a bunch of puppets, which is incredibly silly.”
Silly, but challenging.
“If a puppet wants to fly, the puppeteer makes it fly. If a puppet wants to reach out into the audience and jump across everyone’s heads, a puppet can do that. It opens up a whole new world of improv,” he said.
In addition to the physical limitations that human players have, they’re given less latitude from the referee of this family-friendly show, said Amy Gray, a founding member of ComedySportz-Portland and Tears of Joy puppeteer who started Puppetz vs. People to blend her two passions. It’s cute when puppets talk back and give a little sass, but frowned upon from their human challengers.
“The puppets tend to be a little more outspoken. They’re more boisterous and can get away with more,” she said.
Coveted gig
Puppetz vs. People typically pits teams of four ComedySportz players against four Tears of Joy puppeteers who use upwards of 20 puppets throughout the performance. It’s an in-demand gig among comedians and puppeteers.
ComedySportz-Portland, which was founded in 1993 and joins ComedySportz teams in 20 other U.S. cities and the United Kingdom, has about 45 paid players, three of whom live in Vancouver. Show lineups typically aren’t finalized until the week before a performance, and Puppetz vs. People always has plenty of players vying for positions, said Patrick Short, ComedySportz-Portland general manager.
On Monday, Berkowitz learned he’d been tapped to referee Puppetz vs. People. He’s done the show twice before and is happy to make it three times.
“There’s a sense of wonder and fantasy playing with the puppets. Everyone likes puppets, kids and adults,” he said.
It’s popular among the puppeteers as well, said Gray, a 42-year-old Portland resident and owner of Zing Productions, which focuses on “educomedy” shows for children and families. She’s considering including six puppeteers to give more people the opportunity to participate.
That’s especially important this year because there’s only one show. Puppetz vs. People always falls on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Historically, there have been both Friday and a Saturday performances, but declining ticket sales in recent years prompted Gray to scale back to just one show.
“We really want one show that’s full and rocking,” she said.
The show will follow the typical ComedySportz model, with the audience driving the performance. The crowd calls out suggestions that are incorporated into games, songs and skits created on the spot by the human and puppet teams. For example, the two teams might act out the same scene but in different styles, such as Shakespearean or Western. The audience decides who wins each round, and points are tallied at the end of the show to crown the overall victor.
The ComedySportz team wears its standard jerseys for Puppetz vs. People, while the puppeteers wear “ninja black,” Gray said.
It can be disorienting to act opposite puppets, so ComedySportz and Tears of Joy, which has offices in Vancouver and Portland, get together to practice.
“You have to remember to interact with the puppet, not the puppeteer,” Berkowitz said. “It’s very silly. The first time I did it, I couldn’t stop giggling. But you get used to it. You have to stop thinking of them as puppets and think of them as just another actor.”
Mary Ann Albright: maryann.albright@columbian.com, 360-735-4507.
