• Campus , Culture , Sports
  • 01/11/2024

NSK Theatersport to take place on TU/e campus

NSK Theatersport, a competitive improv theater tournament, will take place on TU/e campus this year. From November 8 to 10, 23 teams will compete against each other in several rounds, acting out improvised scenes themed around the theme biljoenenjacht (hunt for trillions). Doppio will try to get first prize again this year.

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photo Jaap Joris Vens / Super Formosa Photography
Jesper Kapteijns during last year's NSK Theatersport. Photo | Jaap Joris Vens

“Improv theater is a special type of stage performance, which requires being very well attuned to one another,” says Jesper Kapteijns, student of Industrial Design and NSK Theatersport board member. He himself competed in the tournament in Utrecht last year with Doppio, the Eindhoven student theater association.

This year, he will be behind the scenes instead of on stage, taking care of organizational matters such as promotion, marketing, and graphic design of the event. Last year it wasn’t his team but another Doppio team that took first place, which is why TU/e got to be the proud host of the largescale improv theater tournament this year.

Unique experience

The previous edition, which took place in Utrecht, was themed Utrecht aan zee (Utrecht at sea). Although teams from all over the Netherlands flocked to the event, two teams representing Doppio ended up in the final. “That was very special,” says Kapteijns. This year, the NSK Theatersport is themed around hunting for trillions.

Doppio's winning team. Photo | Jaap Joris Vens

“You can sort of compare this type of improv theater to the long-running TV show Whose Line is it Anyway?,” he says. “You get five minutes to act out a scene with your team based on the input of the audience.” In each match, two teams go head to head. For every scene, the team is awarded points by a judging panel. After the preliminary rounds, the teams with the most points advance to the quarter finals, and then the semis and the final.

As the content of the scenes is created on the spot, there are always a lot of surprises and a unique experiences, both for the players and the audience. “You have to associate quickly and play off each other. With every scene something completely new is created,” says Kapteijns.

On Friday evening, the tournament will kick off with an opening show modeled after the TV show Deal or No Deal, and the playing schedules of the teams will be announced. On Saturday and Sunday, all of the matches will be held. The grand final will take place in the Blauwe Zaal of the Auditorium on Sunday evening. “This year, three teams of Doppio will be competing again and they’re all gunning for first place of course,” Kapteijns concludes with a smile.

The judges hand out points. Photo | Jaap Joris Vens

For more information and tickets, go to NSK Theatersport. In addition to a weekend ticket, you can get separate ones for Saturday and Sunday, as well as just the final on Sunday evening.

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