Man in the moment

(From left) Mikhail Almeida, Mukul Chadda, Adam Dow, his student, Avinash Verma and Ankit Challa on a set

In the span of 10 minutes, he's a foreigner on a Mumbai local, flirting with a co-passenger; a man grieving the death of his close friend, only to find that his wife cheated on him with the latter; and an employer interviewing a candidate for a call-centre job. All of it, completely unscripted. That's Adam Dow for you, the man who brought improv to the Indian scene back in 2009 and has since gone on to mentor big names in the country, including Nasir Engineer, Tanmay Bhat and Kaneez Surka. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Dow, who has worked with improv masters like Russell Peters, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, is bringing The Improv Spot to a Khar venue this Tuesday.

The performer, who shuttles between Mumbai and Seattle, where he is associated with Unexpected Productions, is also a guest lecturer at Whistling Woods International in the city.

The Guide caught up with him ahead of the show. Edited excerpts from the interview.

Adam Dow

How did you start teaching improv in Mumbai and how has the scene grown since?
I started teaching in 2009, when I had come to India for a documentary project. That was taking some time, so I started teaching to earn extra money. Back then, there wasn't anything happening here. Since then, I've groomed so many batches. Eventually, people started forming their own groups out of my classes; one of my students conducted the first improv festival in India at Bangalore. I was with Improv Comedy Mumbai for 10 years and now, I run Adam's Improv Club here, apart from taking classes. Most people in the improv community here have either taken classes from me, or from people whom I have taught.

Tell us a bit about the Improv Spot and the vibe we can expect from the show.
The Improv Spot will be like an open mic jam, but for improvisers. There'll be some participants with a lot of experience, while some will come with none. Anyone who registers can join and I'll be hosting the event. I will join them in a lot of scenes and explain to everyone the different games that will be played. It will be an interactive and in-the-moment thing, unlike a scripted comedy show, which is rehearsed. It should be a fun evening.

If you had to suggest some tips to get improv right, what would they be?
I would say improv is all about having fun, listening carefully, working as a team and building on each other's ideas.

On March 10, from 9pm
At The Habitat, OYO Townhouse, Khar West.
Log on to insider.in
Cost Rs 300 onwards

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