by Kerry Larsen

Around 100 people turned out to Port Douglas' historical Clink Theatre on Saturday night to watch Theatresports, presented as part of Port Douglas Carnivale.

Four teams of four people competed in one, two, three and four minute games, as well as a final four-minute challenge round, to improvise scenes - usually with hilarious results.

Games played included death in a minute, emotional replay (replaying the same scene with four different emotions), slow motion commentary (where actors replayed the commentator's instructions on a pie eating contest in slow motion) and taking on animal characteristics during a scene. Suggestions were taken from the audience on locations and situations for the actors to use during their improvised scenes.

The judges panel, consisting of playwright Jack Heywood, Clink president Claire Tierney and local teacher and thespian, Richard Muranty, had a tough time adjudicating the actors' efforts, while hostess, Laura Muranty, was very entertaining (as was her baby bump).

The crowd favourite was the game of Double Figures, where Nat Johnson's "Plankers" team utilised two team members as the interviewer and interviewee with hands tied behind their backs, while the other two members substituted their hands with actions to complement the interview. This scene was also awarded the best one liner of the night, "I am the crotch grabber for Michael Jackson."

The Plankers took out the Theatresports honours, with The Michaels and the Mad Maidens second, Shaun and the Scriptless Sisters third and Double O's Swashbuckling Muskateers fourth.

Best crowd suggestion came from Geoff Herbert, asking the actors to improvise being caught in Julia Gillard's bedroom.