The Pirates of Tokyo Bay’s last show of 2024 ended with Mike, the swashbuckling mind behind Pirates of Tokyo Bay, and Hiromi - the Jap-anglo-francophone Pirate newbie, warming up the crowd. Mike asked, "Tea or coffee?" Hiromi jumped in to translate into Japanese: "If you like tea or coffee, please raise your hand," which does seem to be the culturally appropriate instructions. Then Mike reiterated urging everyone to shout their preference at once. "Tea lovers say 'tea,' coffee lovers say 'coffee!'" Hiromi, without missing a beat, instantly reworked the rules to encourage Japanese speakers to join in…
On the count of three, the crowd erupted. It was clear: everyone was ready for a good time - and maybe it was extra loud due to the high caffeine intake as coffee seemed to overwhelmingly be the beverage of choice.
Hiromi and Mike were warming up the crowd because improv is a form of theater that relies on spontaneous collaboration, where performers create scenes, characters, and stories in real time without a script, using audience suggestions as a starting point.
This inspiration helps make each show one-of-kind and comes in many forms, from your one-word suggestions such as ‘a place where you’d take a first date’ to an interview of an audience member.
In this show, when MC Trey asked for a volunteer, a hand shot up right away. Once situated in the center of the stage, Trey asked the volunteer, “Should we do this interview in English or Japanese?" The answer? "English, please!"
Knowing the way forward, Trey asked, “Okay, what’s your name?” “Yui desu,” the audience member replied. And In true improv form, Trey took the answer and ran with it, “Okay this is ‘Yuides’...” Yui paused and laughed, saying, "No, my name is Yui. I said 'Yuidesu' like how you introduce yourself in Japanese." The stage and audience all giggled at this delightful bilingual miscommunication.
The Pirates of Tokyo Bay improv group works hard to be inclusive. The performers play games and host the whole show in both English and Japanese, allowing the audience to enjoy a truly bilingual experience. They also play some games in made up languages, called gibberish, and everyone can understand those.
In that night’s gibberish game, jack-of-all-trades Rodger worked tirelessly to convey the phrase 'palm tree' without using real language. Speaking a language and in a manner that I can only ascribe to an exceptionally helpful and fervently caffeinated martian, Rodger did a small hula dance and patted a tree, which he climbed up and down.
Mike, whose job it was to guess the word, gestured to a bra to convey that he was guessing the word “coconut”. The martian, extra determined to convey “palm tree,” doubled down and climbed up that tree again, reached the top, and caressed the palm fronds. And then he caressed those fronds again. And again.
At this point - the game was won - Rodger successfully communicated “palm tree” to Mike who signaled, thumbs up, got it! As backstory, in this game, Mike had to do his household chores of cleaning the litter box, but with a twist. His teammates had to explain the new chore to him without words. Instead of cleaning the litter with a scooper for his cat, he was cleaning a palm tree with a cowboy hat for his pet bulldozer, of course!
Pirates of Tokyo Bay shows are downright hilarious. But as someone who has taken improv classes, I also see all the real-life lessons that the improv show puts on display that I hope to carry into my everyday life. What if I engaged in my work meetings as enthusiastically as the audience members yelling out “coffee.” What if I embraced language, cultural and other misunderstandings in a fun and lighthearted way, as Trey and Yui did, turning a mistake into a joyful inside joke. What if I reimagined my chores in a whimsical, magical way?
I hope for these things for myself in the new year!
It’s the start of the new year— make it your new year's resolution this year to come to your first, second, or 47th pirates’ show. It’s a roaring good time filled with surprises, laughter, and a lot of creativity and spontaneity that can inspire your everyday life - whether that be participating fully, embracing mistakes, or looking for fun.
Say “yes, and” to 2025! Looking forward to seeing you at our next show!
