Ana Falcon and Isidora Salcedo combined forces to bring “The Expat Game Show” to the stage at Mouthy Pop-up on 1 September, reminding us exactly what it means to be a Fringe festival. I had no idea what to expect, for some reason, even though it is exactly what the title says: an actual game show that combines preliminary surveys and live audience interaction—think Family Feud meets the “Ask the Audience” portion of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? meets an Integratsioon meet-up.
Beset by a few technical issues—I’d never before heard someone wish it got dark sooner here, which bodes well for the return of the format this winter—and a slight illness on the part of one of the hosts, the show played out as a Kahoot competition between two teams represented by Falcon (Green Tigers) and Salcedo (Orange Raccoons). Before the show, the pair had surveyed one hundred foreigners living in Tallinn, asking a series of questions about the experience and leaving the answers open-ended. After sorting and filtering those, the live audience faced the same questions and were tasked with guessing what the survey said.
Falcon and Salcedo traded quips and took turns bringing the audience into the experience. The interactive format opened the floor to conversations on topics ranging from “What’s the sexiest language?” to “Most common question you’re asked.” I don’t doubt that future pre-game surveys may find even more willing participants if they do pick up the format after the Fringe. Mixed in with this were words from their sponsors, excerpts from the longer or more bizarre survey responses they received, and banter between the hosts as they tried to get their teams fired up for a win.
It’s always a gamble to rely on both technology and the audience to successfully pull off a show, but when done correctly, you end up with precisely what came out here: a near-seamless experience of technology, live performance, and community building. In case I haven’t made it clear enough already, I will say it one more time: I would love to see this become a regular event (and not just so the Tigers can have their revenge).
Isidora Salcedo performs with Pussy Jam Comedy, which is hosting a comedy jam at HUNGR on 13 September. Ana Falcon can be seen at two more shows this Fringe, hosting The Gong Show in English on 10 September at Heldeke!, or her solo show #1 Mexican in Estonia on 11 and 17 September at Ratas & Kohv. The Tallinn Fringe Festival runs through 18 September.
Author: Laurie
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