A participant in the “improvisation” show on TNT told the whole truth about the project. “Improvisation”: what was going on behind the scenes of the new comedy show from Comedy Club Production Improvisation shockers shaman cut his hand

The show "Improvisation" on TNT for the second season in a row has delighted fans of humor and unexpected turns. The trick of the program is that four actors participate in miniatures, the theme of which is known only to the presenter. Their task is to do anything to make the viewer laugh. In an unpredictable comedy show from Comedy Club Production no script. There is only an action plan that was prepared by the presenter Pavel Volya and the show team. The artists remain in the dark. One of them, Arseny Popov, revealed to Metro some secrets of the filming process.

Behind the scenes of “Improvisation” only everyday moments remain: how we eat, change clothes, trip over wires, or respond to messages from relatives in the spirit of: “Well, did you get an electric shock today?” ( Note ed.: one of the obligatory miniatures of the program is called “Shockers”. The artists literally have to joke through their tears. They have electric shockers attached to their hands, which shock them until they guess the letter guessed by the presenter). The show is filmed in one take, and we do not replay the numbers, even if one of the celebrity guests urgently asks for it,” Arseniy tells Metro. “We have an unspoken rule: “If you mess up, it’s your problem.”

The show must include guest stars. Each program has a new one. As it turned out, so far only one celebrity guest has refused to come.

We rarely get refusals from them. We may have difficulties in coordinating schedules, as, for example, with Philip Kirkorov, but, they say, he still promised to come to us, Arseny hopes.

According to Arseny, it takes 2 hours to film one episode. 4 programs are recorded per day. Since everything is filmed in one take, funny things often happen. From time to time, things happen that require you to interrupt the filming process.

Once I played in the improvisation “Shockers” and wet myself,” Arseniy shares with Metro. - It would seem that nothing critical, especially compared to the power of the discharge that constantly passes through the body, but I started getting red spots all over my face. Everyone was in a panic: they urgently called a doctor, he gave me an injection, I was almost happy that I had earned myself an extra day off or financial compensation, but, alas, all my dreams were shattered by harsh reality. It turned out that the problem was not an allergy, but only a powder that changed color upon contact with the liquid! Another funny incident was when, instead of me, the presenter called my colleague Dimka Pozov into an improvisation of “Mousetrap”. (Editor’s note: in the improvisation “Mousetraps” the entire floor is strewn, in fact, with mousetraps. The task of the actors is to play their roles with their eyes closed, despite the obstacles). And I, bad boy, didn’t tell anyone about the mistake and calmly sat on the bench while the guys suffered.

As it turned out, the artists still know something in advance, namely, who will participate in which miniature, and for them this is not a surprise, as it seems to the TV viewer. The creative producer of the show, Stanislav Sheminov, explained: “The participants know about this, but don’t remember, because as a result they still have to improvise. There are 30 improvisations filmed a day, and it’s not so easy to remember which ones you’re participating in.”

Actually, this is all that the artists know in advance. There are no rehearsals, but technical parties are held instead.

We invite spectators to attend. We do not take any responsibility for what is happening, we are just having fun and fooling around, because we really love tech parties! - says Arseny Popov. - Unfortunately, Pavel Volya does not participate in these concerts due to his busy schedule, so ours is replacing it creative producer Stas Sheminov.

Who would have thought that an improvisational actor is like a tightrope walker walking on a tightrope over an abyss? One wrong step and you fall down, slipping on the slippery floor. One wrong word and an electric shock shoots through your body.
Improvisation "shockers". The most dangerous and most fun improvisation, according to Pavel Volya. Maybe he was having fun. But Anton Shastun was not laughing. What kind of laughter is there if for several minutes now, literally for every word, the improviser is being shocked. Strength is lost, movements become chaotic, thoughts are confused and there is no longer time for this damned letter.

Nearby, a faithful friend and comrade-in-arms, Dima Pozov, suffers less, but he has already smashed almost everything that is beating in their built-in decoration. Pozov tries to help, snatches a bottle of wine from the improviser’s trembling hands, so that at least something will survive. His strength is running out, his nerves are on edge, and Anton can’t stand it...
- You can have a drink! - the improviser’s voice trembles noticeably, and he silently snatches the bottle from the hands of Pozov, who clearly does not understand what to do next.
- Nope! - Volya waves his head and presses the button, because in the request of the tired improviser there is a hidden letter.

Shastuna shudders, and this makes him want to drink even more and drown out the throbbing pain throughout his body. The improviser touches the bottle, and Volya presses the button again. Anton slips and falls to the floor. The people burst into laughter.
- You can't drink without letters. You drank where this letter is! Can not be so! - The presenter can barely restrain himself from laughing out loud.
Pozov helps the friend get up and continues the dialogue.
- Dessert! - the oligarch yells.
- Or maybe pasta! - breaks through nervous voice Anton, and Volya presses the button again.
- Bitch! - Anton slips on the slippery floor, strewn with glass shards, and puts his palms up to somehow hold on. There is a sharp pain in his hand, and Anton, realizing that something is wrong, looks at his palm for several seconds, on which blood is already appearing.

Ooh, this is so joyful! - Anton, biting his lip, shakes his bleeding palm, and everyone understands what happened.
- The doctors! - Volya reacts quickly, and the filming is stopped. People are fussing around, cleaning the floor from fragments. Why has there been no doctor for so long? Confused guys are walking nearby, Volya is trying to defuse the situation as best he can, but it’s clear that he’s not at ease either. Shastun stands, clutching a napkin slipped by someone in his bloody palm, and stoically endures what happened. His palm hurts unbearably from numerous cuts, but the guy, in spite of everything, does not show that he is in pain.

Perhaps later, when no one can see, the cameras turn off, the lights go out, people disappear, he will give free rein to his tears. Perhaps even nearby at this moment will be the one who is now on film set worries about him more than anything in the world, but cannot approach him. He really wants to, but he can’t.

There is universal sadness in Arseny’s eyes, and pain in his heart. What a pity that now he can’t help his comrade in any way, all he can do is stand aside and gesture to Anton to raise his bloody hand up so that the blood does not flow down.

The doctors work their magic on Anton’s hand, treat the cut, apply a bandage, and now Shastun, like the hero of the film “The Diamond Arm,” is again ready for exploits.

Everything is fine! Why are you sour? Everything is fine! - Anton raises his good hand to calm the silent people, and the hall explodes with applause. - Everything is fine!

This is what Shastun is all about: even when it hurts, he knows how to control himself. How much courage and strength is needed for this, only he knows.
In the meantime, the show goes on. No matter what, the show goes on!

About the stars

Dmitry Pozov: “The star is not required to joke. The star is required to simply come to good mood and have a lot of fun. And we help her do this. Therefore, anyone can come to us. But here you need to understand that many stars have a busy work schedule, and some are still afraid to star in a new project and want to see first on the screen what it is like before agreeing. That's why the bravest ones came in the first season. There were no dissatisfied people. At least, no one has made any complaints to us. Everyone left in a good mood. Our creative producer communicates with the stars in advance - informs them of the rules of the game and discusses technical issues. But what they say on stage is improvisation.”

Anton Shastun: “All the stars were very good, they coped with a bang, they giggled. Miguel was especially positive: he laughs very loudly.”

Arseny Popov: “It’s incredibly difficult for stars. It seems that at some point they even regret that they came. At first, it is difficult for them to understand how everything happens in the project and what is required of them. But in the end, something funny is born with them, they themselves become someone they have never been, and stage euphoria appears. We don't force the stars to follow our lead, but give them the opportunity to play with us. This is interesting to everyone. We do not write any texts to celebrity guests. And why? It turns out much funnier during improvisation. And if we write lyrics, we will turn into another project.”

Sergey Matvienko: “The main thing for improvisation is to have a good sense of humor. This is a humorous genre after all. At the same time, she needs to train and play in a team. Many comedians took up improvisation without delving into the essence, and nothing worked out for them. Improvisation is team game. Here, in addition to the fact that you yourself must joke, you must make sure that your partner can joke. And at the same time not break history.”

Participants of the show “Improvisation” Arseny Popov and Anton Shastun

About what it is after all such show “Improvisation” and what is its highlight

Dmitry Pozov: “This is not a show about how stars get out of sticky situations. This is a program about four guys who have unique skills. And the star only helps to reveal them.”

Anton Shastun: “We honed the skill of improvising at numerous performances in front of audiences, because this is a genre in which the audience and the audience are more important than ever. If in stand-up you can write jokes and, based on own experience, to understand whether it will be funny or not, then in improvisation it is impossible to rehearse while standing in front of a mirror. We need feedback."

Arseny Popov: “For us, first of all, this is an incredible experiment. We go out every time to challenge ourselves. Pavel Volya guides us. It takes incredible concentration to get the story across."

Sergey Matvienko: “In improvisation, the audience is more forgiving because they know that everything happens without preparation. People see it and they believe it. Although sometimes it happens that after a performance they come up to us and say that everything is prepared. But for us it’s a compliment, because we know that we don’t prepare anything, and when people say that everything is prepared, it means it was good.”

Arseny Popov

Watch the show “Improvisation” on Fridays at 20:00 on the TNT channel.

Interviewed by Anna Prishchepova

Photo by TNT

The unpredictable and beloved comedy show "Improv" is back. Today, January 13, 2017, at 20:00 on the TNT channel the premiere of the second season of the program will take place. Some experts in the field of real humor claim that there are only four people left on television who can joke without a script, and this is the “Improv” team: Anton Shastun, Arseniy Popov, Dima Pozov And Sergey Matvienko. One of the four, Anton Shastun, on the eve of the premiere of the new season, spoke about what was happening behind the scenes of the show.

Correspondent: Tell us about the secrets of working on the show behind the scenes. Is there really no script?

Anton Shastun: In the show “Improvisation” there really is no script; the only thing that is prepared in advance is the topics that Pasha Volya offers us. In our program, in addition to four actors and Pavel as the presenter, there is a creative group. It's a group of writers who come up with themes for the show. Naturally, all this is being prepared without us, and in general we very rarely see the creative group. Then Pasha gives us the invented topics, sometimes changing something on the fly. We don’t come up with anything in advance, and we don’t have prepared humor. Everything is fair.

Corr.: Were there any barriers in working with Pavel? You already knew each other when you took part in "Comedy Battle"?

A.Sh.: Yes, I participated in comedy show"Comedy Battle". Having performed, I moved on, but for some reason I could not come to the next stage. We can say that it was then that I met Pasha (smiles). Naturally, I saw Pasha Volya on the program, then we exchanged a couple of phrases. And when work on “Improvisation” had already begun, we became more closely acquainted. Pasha – wonderful person. To be honest, we were a little afraid of meeting and working with Pasha, since at that time he was already an accomplished humorist, comedian and a big star on a Russian scale. We thought that some misunderstandings might arise between us, but it turned out that Pasha good guy, he is easy to work with, he is a great professional and we look up to him.

Corr.: Before the “Improvisation” show, you were known in your circles as a stand-up actor. Why didn’t you continue to work in this vein, but started doing improvisation? After all, this is probably the most difficult genre...

A.Sh.: In fact, I have been doing improvisation for a very, very long time. It started in Voronezh in the format club show, designed for 50 people. We grew up, soon moved to a larger hall, began performing in the theater, and only then a producer from the TNT television channel noticed us, inviting us to work in the program. The process of working on the show was very long, we filmed pilot episodes, and only three years later the program was released. By the way, I started doing stand-up even later than improvisation.

Corr.: Often in improvisation it’s you who gets the female roles. Why do you think Pavel Volya entrusts you with these difficult games?

A.Sh.: There is such a thing (laughs). In fact, when the creative team comes up with themes, all the roles are already spelled out in them. For some reason, the creative group decides this way, but sometimes Pasha makes these spontaneous decisions, and I have to play female roles. I don't even know what this is connected with.

Corr.: Celebrity guests come to your program. Are there any difficulties when you work with people who have nothing to do with the improvisation genre?

A.Sh.: Yes, they have nothing to do with improvisation, but they are not required to improvise or joke. All the stars are quite easy to work with. Everyone was open to dialogue, active and cheerful. There was no guest who sat and suggested bad words in the game "Prompter". Everything always goes positively.

Photo by TNT

Corr.: Is it difficult to give interviews for stars?

A.Sh.: I actually turn off my head at this moment and answer without thinking. Naturally, I keep myself within the bounds of decency. At least no one had any complaints against me. It seems to me that so far I am doing well.

Corr.: You graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Management. Was this education somehow useful to you or did you make a choice entirely in favor of creative activity?

A.Sh.: Yes, I am an education manager, and it was of no use to me. I have never worked in my specialty. At that moment, when I graduated from university and wrote my diploma, I understood that I would go on creative path. And so it happened: first KVN, then stand-up, and now I’m doing improvisation.

Corr.: In one of the interviews, to the question “How many seasons is the show designed for?” you replied that you were planning for life. Would you like to realize yourself in some other project?

A.Sh.: Well, they definitely won’t take me on “The Bachelor.” As for stand-up, well, I write something, but it all ends up in notes on my phone. For now, “Improvisation” is enough for me to express my humor.

Corr.: Anton, and finally, a question that interests many girls: your heart busy?

A.Sh.: I have a girlfriend, but I won’t say anything more (Smiles).

The new season of the show “Improvisation” can be seen on the TNT channel from January 13 at 20-00.

thanks TNT for the materials provided

Anton Shastun – Russian comedian, participant entertainment shows"Improvisation" and "No Sleep".

Childhood and youth

Anton was born on April 19, 1991 in Voronezh, where he spent his childhood and youth. Even at school, he was known as a joker, inspired by the acting talent of Jim Carrey, but he was able to truly reveal himself as a comedian and learn how to masterfully improvise in the KVN team of the Voronezh State Agrarian University, where he studied at the Faculty of Economics and Management.

Later, Shastun became the captain of the university KVN team “BV”, which participated in the Central League “Start”. In his first season, Shastun's team reached the finals, and the next year became the League champions.

Anton’s education and diploma were never useful. Already finishing writing thesis, he knew that he would not work in his specialty, but would follow a creative path. And so it happened.

Comedian career

In the fall of 2013, Anton performed on a trial basis on the comedy show " Comedy Club“, but his speech was never broadcast. A month later, he appeared on the stage of the competition show “Comedy Battle” (season 1, episode 20). Eminent judges - Semyon Slepakov, Sergei Svetlakov and Garik Martirosyan - appreciated Shastun's performance and, although with some reservations, allowed the young comedian to proceed to the next stage of the show. Shastun could not get into the final round, but the audience remembered him.

After leaving the show, Anton returned to Voronezh and continued performing stand-up at various city events. Even before his debut on TV, he and a group of like-minded people founded the improvisational project “Controversial Question”. Seven comedians came up with jokes on the go, and the audience and the presenter helped them with this. At first the audience was small - about 50 people, but when the people of Voronezh fell in love with the work of young comedians, they “moved” to the Voronezh House of Actors.

Anton Shastun at the beginning of his career (show “Controversial Question”)

It was this show that at one time inspired the producers of the TNT channel to create a television version of live performances called “Improvisation”, the first episode of which was released in February 2016.

Together with Shastun, two more participants from the Voronezh show were invited to the new weekly TV show: Dmitry Pozov and Stas Sheminov, who acted as a producer. Other participants in the program were Arseny Popov and Sergey Matvienko from the St. Petersburg improvisation theater “Cra3y”, and Pavel Volya acted as the host.

Anton Shastun in the show “Improvisation”

Anton is also a regular participant in the humorous project of the “18+” category on the TNT channel “Don’t Sleep”, in which comedians, both famous and newcomers, fight for the title of the funniest, risking their own money.

The artists' humor is assessed by three judges, among whom are famous Russian comedians: Pavel Volya, Vadim Galygin, Timur Batrutdinov, Ekaterina Varnava and many others. The host of the show is Sergei Gorelikov. Anton, together with his friend Ilya Makarov, has been performing since the second season of the show in the duet “Shastun and Makar”.

Personal life of Anton Shastun

The first time Anton Shastun fell in love with primary school, and a girl two years older. I fell in love according to all the canons - I thought it was once and for all. It was in a pioneer camp, and her name was Nastya. During the shift they barely communicated, but before leaving, he still took the risk of taking her phone.
Anton loves to travel, preferring hot countries where he can sunbathe on the beach and go on excursions.

Anton Shastun now

At the beginning of August 2017, Shastun became a guest of a new comedy and music show on TNT “Studio Soyuz”, and at the end of August Anton and Dmitry Pozov could be heard during the evening broadcast of the Love Radio show “Couple for Rent”.

Dmitry Pozov and Anton Shastun (“Couple for Rent”)

Talking about immediate plans, the artist noted that August and September will be spent filming the new season of “Improvisation”, and then the “Improvisation” team will go on tour across Russia.