brownstein: the improvaneers ‘redefine disability’ with comedy, and they are pumped for jfl debut

their crew name mostly sums them up: the improvaneers.they do improv comedy and they are pioneers.but it goes well beyond that: this cast is unlike that of any other improv comedy troupe anywhere, made up entirely of members with down syndrome.the improvaneers will be making their just for laughs festival debut saturday at théâtre sainte-catherine, and patrons will be treated to a show unlike any they’ve seen.“it’s part comedy, part social reckoning — and all heart,” says rob snow, a former standup and improv performer who is the creator/producer/director of the seven-member improvaneers.snow started the troupe in 2018. his intentions were entirely personal.rob’s son henry was born with down syndrome, so his dad decided to apply his improv expertise to put together this ensemble — of which henry is now a charter member.rob and henry snow, along with team leader nick doyle, are plenty pumped about their jfl debut, looking forward to catching the likes of jerry seinfeld, gabriel (fluffy) iglesias and other wits here.nick, the self-described john belushi of the bunch, is particularly thrilled about being at the same festival as seinfeld.“i’m such a huge fan of his — i grew up on his show,” says nick, 37, in a zoom call with henry and rob. “he once did improv as well.”interjects rob: “we’ve been to many places and even won an award at a fringe festival in cleveland, but this is by far the biggest show we’ve ever undertaken.”henry, 17, realizes this could be the biggest break yet for the group. he’s excited — “but i’m not nervous.”rob insists this performance is beyond anything he has ever experienced before. and he experienced plenty in chicago, the epicentre for improv three decades back. he was with the fabled second city troupe then, working alongside future snl stars like tina fey, rachel dratch and horatio sanz.“they tended to be on the main stage, while i was washing dishes in the back and sometimes performing then — i liked to keep a low profile,” rob jokes. “i did have some moments that could have potentially taken my career off. but ultimately, i gave it up after five years.”years later, after henry was born, he did standup for a spell to raise money for the stand up for downs organization, which he and his wife founded. the group’s mission is to enhance the lives of those with down syndrome through humour.this would lead to the creation of the improvaneers in 2018. rob held his first audition for troupers, attended by 25 people with down syndrome. he ended up casting 10 members, including nick.“as soon as i found nick … he just blew us away. then i said to myself: this is going to be good, because he had it all. he was a shining star. henry was only eight at the time and became like the little brother of the team. now he’s a full cast member. and it has all become more exciting than any of us could imagine.”the mission statement of the improvaneers is, simply put: “we deliver more than laughs — we redefine disability, confront systemic prejudice and prove that the greatest limitation isn’t down syndrome … it’s (others’) perception of it.”nick promises an unforgettable evening here. “you guys are going to laugh your faces off. we’ve been doing this for eight long years and we’ve put all our blood, sweat and tears into this comedy.”nothing in the act is scripted. that’s the cardinal rule of improv.“every time we do the show, it’s different,” rob says. “we get a lot of improv suggestions from the audience and we’ll even bring up an audience member or two to play with us … games like freeze and dr. know-it-all that improvisers have been doing forever.”“it can be tough,” henry acknowledges. “and my dad can be tough on me sometimes. but that’s his job.”adds rob: “yes, i can be a little tough on him. but i tell him after rehearsals that it’s always tough being the coach’s son. i give him notes. he takes it all in stride. we work on things at home. all of them work at home with their parents on the things we practise. that’s a big part of the way their minds learn: it’s reiteration.”nick jumps in: “this is a tough business. rob needs us to be ready.”“i’ve been a lot tougher on them the last three months preparing for this,” rob concedes. “we’re not performing for a group down the street. this will be the biggest showcase we’ve ever had. this is something that could make the world aware of us — something that will prove these improvaneers need a seat at the table. and the fact that we’re filming it all for our documentary makes it even more important.”the doc will culminate with their jfl show and begin with a tour the troupe did last year.“the name of the film is the improvaneers — simple and to the point,” nick offers.some big comedy players are behind the documentary, including former jfl president bruce hills, one of its executive producers. (hills will be presented with the jfl legacy tribute award on friday at the fest’s awards ceremony at mtelus.)“the dream for me is to keep it going and to become a movie actor,” nick says.“my dream is to become a rapper and become an anime voice actor,” a self-confident henry says.as for rob: “global domination!” he cracks.“my dream is to put us on the map and show the world what people with developmental disabilities can achieve … that we should never underestimate them. the most exciting part of the work is that we can get to change people’s minds about what our people are capable of doing. if we can get to be a conduit for that, we’ve met our goal.”the improvaneers perform saturday at 5 p.m. at théâtre sainte-catherine. tickets: hahaha.combbrownstein@postmedia.com