Edmonton’s infamous improvised musical show, The Eleven O’clock Number, is back at The Grindstone Theatre for its 10th season. The hour-long musical show is entirely improvised and is based on audience suggestions.
“Our typical format is that we interview an audience member and ask them for a profession that they’ve had,” says Byron Martin, artistic director of The Grindstone Theatre. “Based on that interview, we do a program called ‘Life is a Musical.’ We base it off the interview with the audience member, and turn their life into a musical.”
What’s fun about The Eleven O’clock Number is that no show will ever be the same. The show follows the structure of a classic musical, except for the fact that it’s all improvised. Expect crazy plot twists and show-stopping, heartfelt musical numbers. Even the accompanying musicians are improvising!
“We’re always trying to improvise the perfect musical, and yet, it will never happen because it’s improvised,” says Martin. “And so that’s what’s fun about the show. We fail every time, but every time we do fail, it’s really funny.”
The Eleven O’clock Number is in its 10th season, with over 300 shows performed. You can catch the show at The Grindstone Theatre every Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15, and, who knows, it might be your life being turned into a musical.
