HIP.BANG! PRESENTS SURVEIL - VAN FRINGE 2018

Playwrights: Tom Hill & Devin Mackenzie use humour and a simulated tech conference to alert you about a very serious topic with Hip.Bang! presents Surveil. This comedy duo uses that awkward humour, reminiscent of The Office, to the delight of the audience. These two really embody their characters well; foils of each each other in every way, they strike a hilarious balance between over-confident and socially awkward. Get ready for lots of audience participation for this tech presentation and there might even be some free food. Make sure you arrive early because they’re serious about those waivers!

Hip.Bang! presents Surveil is playing at The Improv Centre on Granville Island 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival.

~ reviewed by Selene Dublanko

Click "read more" for the full video transcript.

Selene Dublanko:             Hi there theatre addicts, my name is Selene Dublanko and I'll be reviewing the show Hip Bang Present Surveil. Which is by Hip Bang and happening here at the Improv Centre on Granville Island as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. And in the programme guide it says to prepare for some very deep belly laughs so I'm hoping that this is gonna be a fun ... and I think it says it's also going to be an interactive show so I'm a little nervous for that, but we'll see how it goes.
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Selene Dublanko:             Hi, I'm Selene.

Annina:                                    And I'm Annina.

Selene Dublanko:             And we just reviewed Hip Bang Present Surveil. As in surveillance.

Annina:                                    Yeah it was a sketch comedy show. It was supposed to have improvisation in it, we didn't see a tonne of improvisation but what we saw was pretty exciting.

Selene Dublanko:             Yeah, so before you go into the show you do have to sign a waiver.

Annina:                                    Which is kind of interesting.

Selene Dublanko:             Because there is a interactive element to it and you might be filmed or singled out at some points during the show. I was very happy that I was not singled out during the show. So if you're gonna go see it make sure that you are prepared to share a bit of your life with everyone else.

Annina:                                    That being said though it was kind of like living a Black Mirror episode, I think.

Selene Dublanko:             Yeah, yeah. So definitely with ... in the programme guide it says that, something about, they are exploring surveillance with technology and so yeah it definitely has that Black Mirror kind of technological aspect to it.

Annina:                                    It was a really good interplay between the two actors that were constantly on the stage. They had an awkward super confident thing going on, which just, it played off really well. Everybody laughed a lot, you could feel the energy in the room.

Selene Dublanko:             Yeah.

Annina:                                    People enjoyed the show very, very much.

Selene Dublanko:             The audience was very, very responsive. I will say that this is not always by favourite kind of theatre to go and see. So I might be a little biassed but I still really enjoyed the show. And definitely the ... they were both very energetic and into their characters. I really appreciated the one guy who was more of the awkward character. And they really brought a lot of that good, just like that awkward humour where there's some awkward silences.

Annina:                                    And for anybody who likes to watch SNL, they were pretty reminiscent of the Trump brothers, who are often on the weekend update desk. So they had that kind of interplay. It was really interesting to watch them that way.

Selene Dublanko:             It also kind of reminded me a little bit of The Office, the American version. Just with, 'cause they're doing a presentation and they're a business and those kinds of things. Just like the awkward kind of humour.

Annina:                                    I like sketch comedy a lot more I think then she does. It's definitely my thing and I loved it. I really enjoyed going to it. So I would recommend it and I think, if you're just looking for a nice chill night out, this is a really good show for you to come see.

Selene Dublanko:             Yeah. One of the things is that the show started a bit late. It was about 15 minutes late, so hopefully that doesn't happen every time. Maybe that's part of the show, to make you wait.

Annina:                                    Maybe.

Selene Dublanko:             Yeah. And at least this time tonight, the theatre was really kind of chilly inside.

Annina:                                    So bring a sweater.

Selene Dublanko:             Yeah. But I've been the the Improv Centre before and it hasn't been cold before. So maybe it was just tonight. But yeah.

Annina:                                    But we really, we enjoyed the show. We had laughs and we had fun.

Selene Dublanko:             We made some friends.

Annina:                                    we did make some friends. Quite a few of them. And the people around us also seemed to have quite positive reactions to the show afterwards. And luckily, we sat on the side where all the shy people were, so all the shy people were happy that they weren't picked on too much.

Selene Dublanko:             Yeah, I think so. Oh yeah, and that's the other thing I would say, all the lighting and tech cues were so on point.

Annina:                                    Spot on.

Selene Dublanko:             They were so good. So I really, that was really good. That makes the show just that much better when those all line up well. They also have a very important message, take home message at the end. So they do have a serious note, even though it is a comedy. So yeah. Once again, I'm Selene.

Annina:                                    And I'm Annina.

Selene Dublanko:             And this was a review of Hip Bang Presents Surveil by Hip Bang, which is playing at the Improv Centre on Granville Island. We'd love to hear what you guys think about the show, so please comment in the sections below and check us out at theateraddicts.com and we also, check out our youtube channel for more reviews and for interviews with other actors who are in the Fringe Festival.

Annina:                                    That's right. And don't forget to subscribe.

Selene Dublanko:             [crosstalk 00:05:01]