Cindy produced Scared Scriptless Theatresports for several years when it was at the Clarence Hotel in Petersham. In 2009 and 2010 she was instrumental in bringing 2 Chicago improvisers to Sydney to Chicago-up the improv. Cindy from iO Theatre promoted the two seasons which resulted: the Jason Chin Project, and Improvactually (the product of the Bill Arnett Adventure).Here are Cindy's questions turned on herself:
What’s your all time favourite improvised scene that you were in? why?
It was a very slow scene about a drought, a war and a relationship going bust. In 3 minutes. As a he said, she said. Tom Allen was in that scene and Tess Niemand. I will remember it forever!
What’s your all time favourite you witnessed but weren’t in, and why?
I echo Karena Thomas’ vote that TJ and Dave, who are Chicago based, are pretty damn fine. I see great improvising all the time – when the players/characters are vulnerable, when the relationships are true, and it"s more than just gagging. When the comedy comes from the characters, not the words...
Why do you love improvising?
It frees up a certain part of the brain to be playful, stop thinking and start doing, and because I never laugh so much as when I improvise. Laugh. Laugh. Laugh.
What’s your favourite colour (after pink)?
Orange.
What’s your favourite fruit and why?
Pears. I'm not allergic to them.
What’s your porn name? (first pet + first street you ever lived in)
Snuffy Holtermann.
What’s your ambition for pink ladies?
Make some lovely money for the Breast Cancer Network, because they do such excellent work for women going through the horror that is Breast Cancer. To create shows people will talk about in years to come as a great memory. To get women improvising together so people can remember that women can improvise too. To give Sydney Improv more options for how shows can work…. Not much, right?
Favourite word?
Potato.
Photo: Linette Voller on the left. Cindy Tonkin on the right. This is a scene from Improvactually.
