Angela Dee, a fellow New York improviser, discusses one of her favorite group games The Quest. Although I spent years performing the KROMPF improv form, the quest was really not something we focussed on when we performed group games. I think it’s a type of group game many improvisers don’t have in their repertoire, or even know exists and one they should think of adding.

One thing to note, Angela explains The Quest group game is “pretty plot-driven which a lot of improvisers worry about” being that most of the times in scenes, we want to stay on game and not follow plot. However, in this context we are talking about plotty in the sense of having a narrative, not in the sense of the absence of game. We still want to follow the game of the scene, although those scenes are part of a greater narrative context.

Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to do the Gator 600/performance class at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. I don’t know how that happened (I think a little birdy said a little something to a certain someone, but he flat-out denies it). It was one of the best classes I’ve ever taken and it changed the way I played. I wish Ryan Karels and Neil Casey would teach more than they do, dammit!

One of the many great things about The Gator (the “Krompf” form as taught by Ryan and Neil) is a group game called The Quest.

How is it that no one knows about this game? It is frigging excellent!

First off, I should say that group games are a complete mystery to me. Basically, I had a crash-course in them with my 301 class and we touched on them in one of the eight 401 sessions I had, but other than that I’ve basically been winging it ever since. Gavin Speiller used to teach a Group Game 501/ASH which I really wanted to do, but it doesn’t seem like he does those anymore and, other than that, it seems like group games are not really a focus at the UCB (might be a good elective for someone to teach… hint, hint). So, when we set out to learn The Quest in the Gator class, I was excited!

The Quest is an improv take on Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey — If you haven’t read it yet I highly recommend his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

It is pretty plot-driven which a lot of improvisers worry about, but when it’s done right it is magic. It is a great game to play when a character needs to do something very important — i.e. save someone, find something, get home, etc. There are 7 steps to the game:

Continue Reading: An improv post — The Quest group game

Back in 2008, a fellow traveller on the long road of improvisation came to me, or I came to him, probably at McManus Cafe and he or I asked if it would be cool to write some posts on Improvoker. Being the kind-hearted soul he or I am and not wanting to let this labor of love die, he or I agreed. A few weeks later Matthew Stillman created his first post on The Note That Sent Me Further On a Voyage of Discovery.

Feeling the thrill that writing about improvisation can instill, he then came to me (this part I remember) and asked if he could write a 10 posts on the 10 commandments and how they related to improvisation. Being the open-minded man I am, and realizing Matt was the sort of crazy who could flip and cut a bitch, I agreed. Matt quickly wrote 2 posts covering Commandment 1 — I am the Lord your God & Commandment 2 — You shall have no other gods before me. Both fantastic posts, both interesting takes on improvisation.

Then Matt stopped writing his posts and started his turbulent addiction to crystal dolphin figurines. Or so I thought… turns out Matt took all his awesome ideas he was writing for no money or recognition here and instead wrote a book A Funny Thing Happened at Mount Sinai – The Ten Commandments as a Guide to Improvisation.

I know what you’re thinking, what a selfish jerk right? Well, the guy’s got to eat right? More importantly those crystal dolphin figurines don’t grow on trees. I’ve ordered my Kindle version, but it is also available for the iBooks, Nook, formatted PDF, and in olden-timey printed variety. I will be sure to give my impressions of the book after I read it. It’s not every day you get to have a hand in inspiring another improviser… either him or me.

During the press conference, Matt Besser said that the shows that happen before midnight demonstrate the ‘art’ and the shows that happen after are wilder.

Of the primetime shows on Friday that followed the press conference, the ones populated with older gentlemen were played slower and steadier. The monoscenes presented in Bassprov and Nailed Down grew richer as the half hour slot wore on, using the time to effuse the characters like steeping tea bags, and the payoffs were in the nuance and detail that a fast moving montage cannot brake for. They also bore information to ponder: did you know that cigarettes are the most abundant form of pollution wafting through the oceans (Bassprov) and that the head can blush because it has many more blood vessels? According to a character in Nailed Down, our arms do not blush for that reason. While Bassprov was a fishing expedition that kept its four men in chairs with fishing poles and beers as props, Nailed down was set up by having two pairs of shoes nailed to the stage for players to stand in. Those slow, ponderous, and absorbing shows provoked physically immobile players to explore psychological spaces.

In contrast, Gausus and Cannon was full of storm and stress. Sincere and swift, that set had some unexpected surprises such as the embodiment of a barren cow’s yearning for children as a means to not be slaughtered unceremoniously while the fertile cow envisioned being eaten by a masseuse in a Whole Foods parking lot.

While that show was more character driven, the Stepfathers show demonstrated how creating patterns and callbacks that tie all strings of a show neatly together can be a cognitive feat for the performers and rewarding exercise for the audience.

Saturday

On Saturday, Bruckheimer carried a show proficiently with only two of its three members present, and even had one player do double duty as a third character to flesh out the monoscene. While delving into the spiraling neurosis of a violent, compulsive liar, Bruckheimer followed an escalating problem that dragged down of all those involved and was a delight to watch.

In his extended time slot, Scott Adsit went it alone by inviting audience members to improvise with him. A language barrier with one visiting audience member made for a fun scene where he was prompted by the ship captain (Adsit) to seduce an iceberg. In cases like that, a seemingly impossible task makes for great entertainment.

Away from the mainstage, a show titled Facebook employed a laptop and a big screen to display the Facebook page of a volunteer from the audience. The technology was integrated seamlessly into the show and begs the question of what other virtual means will work with improv. Is anyone doing Twitterprov?

Sunday

Back on the mainstage, the after midnight sets were opened with The Benson Interruption, which switched gears and invited comics on stage to be interviewed by Doug Benson. Relying on energetic impressions for the first half and comedic songs for the second, the show made for a surprising break from what preceded it. If you haven’t seen Garfunkel and Oates, their songs are fun and bawdy while their appearance is innocuous.

In The Straight Men, seasoned improvisors had fun giving a lesson in what happens when everyone on stage acts like a straight man by calling out what is unusual and grounding everything they do. While one straight character can be a great foil, a stage full of them makes the gears grind and watching this show was like being included in an inside joke. And it only used half of a regular 30 minute slot to get this point across.

Each form, when executed well, leaves the viewer with a different impression. In the montage presented by Kannon and Gausus, it was the pathos of a particular moment that wouldn’t go away after their set ended, while the Stepfathers’ show cued the viewer into the map of the show that only presented itself fully at the end when all pieces were integrated into a whole. In both cases, the mind gets to work towards understanding and engage in the way that the form encourages. In yet another style, the Bassprov show and the Nailed Down set treated each character like a well detailed creation that became more absorbing as time went on, giving first the thrill of knowing a character and eventually the payoff of conflict.

As the DCM expands the idea of what improv is while refining what already exists, the revolving palette of shows makes the experience eventful and stimulating.

Del Close Marathon 13!

As I missed last year’s marathon on account of a self enforced –improv sabbatical– I am really looking forward to this years festivities.

Unlike years past when I would give you long lists of things to see and places to go, I’ll deviate and instead say have fun. Experience everything and get sweaty and disgusting.

My one word of advice is treat DCM like a camping trip and get stuck in, forsaking showers and food – your improv will thank you.

I’m planning to be updating throughout the marathon with updates so stay tuned, but for the real story, make sure to check out the official DCM twitter hashtag #DCM13.

Links Elsewhere

Del Close Consierge: forming your Marathon gameplan
Del Close Lives on at the Upright Citizens Brigade Improv Marathon

What the digram illustrates, rather comically, is the idea of resting the game (point of interest, contention) and exploring something else in the scene. Returning to that point of interest heightens the scene and also rewards the players with a powerful pattern to play with.

I wish I had remembered this diagram last year when I took a class with Secunda, as I have no idea how he would react to anyone naming something the “Secunda Argument Wheel.” Although I do remember that Billy Merritt did preface the SAW as something he admired in Secunda’s playing.

If we hear about a retaliatory “Billy Merritt Wheel”, we’ll let you know.

It’s a common thing to do — when we’re presented with an idea that’s foreign to us, we request clarification. We ask what the person meant. We ask if we can do a thing. We ask what the rules are. We ask we ask we ask. In life, an inquisitive nature is fantastic, even encouraged (sometimes it even gets you a million dollars).

But when we’re on stage, that’s not the time for questions OUT LOUD. It’s the time for assumptions.

I watch a lot of very talented performers stop scenes dead in their tracks to ask questions. In essence, what we are doing when we ask questions on stage is asking permission to present the idea we have in our heads. But here’s a secret — you already have permission to present that idea by the very fact that you are on stage.

An improv audience is great because they ASSUME that you know what you’re doing when you step up. As such, you should ASSUME that you have the answers to any question you are about to ask. You may sound a little more forceful on stage than in IRL, but hell, if you can be a bit of an asshole anywhere it’s on stage, right? Also, by making an assumption, congratulations! You’ve also made a DECISION.

Continue reading IMPROV: No Questions (Out Loud)!

So, I’ve written a few guides on surviving the Del Close Marathon with your dignity in tact which are pretty right on.

• Pre-Del Close Marathon Tips
• Marathon Suggested Viewing
• 10th Annual DCM Tips

I’ve wrapped up my experiences after each Marathon which anyone visiting might like to take a look at.

• 2007 Del Close Marathon Wrap Up
• The DCM10 Wrap Up (finally!)

So this year, I thought I would give you all a wave and say have a great marathon. I really don’t have much more to say regarding all the insanity that goes on. I’m a little bummed Weirdass and Wicked Fuckin’ Queeyah aren’t around this year. They were always the backbone of the DCM for me, but there are still some amazing shows like:

• Code Duello: Hamilton & Burr
• I Eat Pandas
• Director’s Commentary LIVE!
• Scheer-McBrayer
• Delta Force 2: Operation Stranglehold
• Baby Wants Candy
• Mother = Soundtrack
• Improvised Shakespeare

Plus anything I mentioned last times. I know what I’m talking about… usually. Alright. Have fun. Say hi if you see me. laugh a lot.

Crossposted at stillman says, continuing my ongoing series on the 10 Commandments of Improv.

The text of the commandment from Exodus reads:

Do not have any other gods before me.You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

This, in the Jewish tradition, reduces down to a prohibition of other gods and idol making/worship.

So I have already posited that the God of improv is the present moment and this commandment adds some meat onto that proverbial bone.

Essentially this commandment tells the improviser that everything comes from the present moment. Much is made about “game” and its accurate description from various schools of improv but this commandment points to a unifying factor — whatever your description of game is or isn’t the fuel for that engine is the present moment.

So some may say that interesting choices or finding your where or establishing relationship are all critical the second commandment says before that you have to be fully there. You cant have an idol that represents your full attention and presence — you need the real thing.

But what I find interesting about this commandment is the repercussions. Essentially if you disobey the punishment goes on and on and on for generations. But if you obey you get 1000’s of generations of love.

It seems to me that this plays out on the improv stage. If you aren’t fully present, no faking, no tricks… the following beats and possibly following scenes are in a much worse state. But conversely when you are just there that you could have hundreds of beats playing the variations — and you want to have them. Following this commandment sucks you into following it more because it pays dividends in love.

Thoughts?

If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Here in New York it’s UCB Harold audition time. It’s the time of year when students gather outside of the UCB training center, in the freezing cold, to sign up for a prized audition slot. So it’s been for thousands of years… As someone who has auditioned before I thought I would share some of my experience with all of you and ask for any advice you might have for anybody else. Comments appreciated!

As a word of caution, I have not ever had a successful Harold audition, nor do I know anything you don’t. I just thought this might serve as healthy inspiration for all of you brave enough to audition.

1. Relax — I know it’s stressful to perform in front of all the teachers and higher-ups at the school, but remember they want you to succeed and they are on your side. Think of it like performing in front of your friends — friends you don’t usually talk to.
2. Perform with friends — I have to say that I’ve performed with strangers and friends and performing with friends has been much easier. Since you get to sign up with anyone already down, check for people you would like to perform with. I know where they are coming from and vaguely their playing style. I know we should be able to play with anybody, but if you get called back, chances are you will play with someone you haven’t.
3. Get there early — I can’t stress this enough. Get to the training center at least 15 minutes before your auditions slot. This will give you enough time to meet the people you will be performing with and get used to the energy of the day. If you rush, you will come in in a fluster and have flustered scenes. Get there early and relax for a second before blowing everybody’s minds.
4. Warm up — Once you get to the training center you might want to warm up with your group. I would recommend warm-ups that let you see their performance styles like 3 line scenes, or listening/eye contact exercises like swoosh or knife throw. Avoid things like stretch & share as they burn through time and while allow you to learn more about the other performers, but do not warm performance muscles.
5. Listen — You are going to be nervous, you are going to have a shit load of adrenaline flowing through your veins, and lets face it most of you will be high on life (PCPs) — remember to listen to what your partner is saying. respond to your partner. Keep in mind, that in panic situations your focus will narrow and you will tend to talk about the things rather than your relationship or behavior. Take a deep breath and respond to the last thing said.
6. And — One of my favorite teachers Christina Gausas always says “An improviser shows their personal style by ‘anding’.” This is extremely true for auditions situations. remember how you “and” is your signature. Only you “and” the way you do, because let’s face it “Yessing” is just agreeing with your partner’s “and.” Be sure to give really jusicy “ands.”
7. Support — This is totally related to giving juicy “ands”, but remember to support your fellow scene partners in every thing they do. Remember that everything your partners says or does in a scene is BRILLIANT. Take whatever they give you and treat it like gold, because it is. You make yourself look good when you make your scene partners look good.
8. Wear comfortable clothes — Hey, know that halter top and mini skirt you’ve been dying to wear… well this may not be the time to wear things that restrict your movement (sorry audition proctors). Guys, keep those balls INSIDE your pants (sorry audition proctors).
9. Have Fun! — If nothing else follow this rule. Anybody worth their weight in salt wants to see what excites you. If you are having a miserable time, chances are everybody is having a miserable time. Do what you would want to see on stage. Keep it fun.
10. Remember why you do this — Lastly at the end of the day being on a house team, or any place for that matter, is nothing more than an opportunity to perform regularly and not an indication of your worth. Remember that you started performing improv because you loved it, not because you wanted to be on a house team, and continue doing it because you love it, not because you want to be on a house team. Some people  put a lot of undue pressure on themselves thinking that the opportunity is it — a sign off on how worthy you are as an improviser — well let me assure you it isn’t. This is one theater’s opinion and they have very limited space and opportunity — so at the end of the day remember there are tons of places to continue to hone your skills in performance. You, as a performer, are never defined solely on the places you perform, but on the quality of your work. If it doesn’t work out today, no sweat — there will be many more times you can do quality work. (Ahem… indie community… cough… send me an e-mail… cough…)

So those are my thoughts going into this. You are all wonderful performers in your own right and no matter what happens in that room (watch out for shitting yourself) at the end of the day, you are still the performer you were when you walked in. Remember to be yourself and have fun — you earned it.

Okay, fine. I’ll do it. The 10 Commandments have a lot to teach us about improv.

Traditionally in Jewish theology the commandments are divided into the first four – the relationship between God and humans and the last six – the relationship between humans.

That distinction may become relevant shortly.

The first commandment reads

I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

This is traditionally interpreted as “I am the Lord your God”

So Who or What is the “God” of improv? This is your God after all… you are attempting worship in rehearsals and on stage. Every great mystical/ religious tradition that acknowledges a divine presence makes a critical point in emphasizing the imminence of God. That this God is here, now and can be connected to in a deep way if only you would get out of the way with your dumb old shit. And while certain strains of Christianity say that ultimate union with God happens in heaven even those strains say that you can meet God here on earth even if it isn’t as amazing as God in heaven — but even so, a temporary heaven on earth.

And now is the key part. Each religion has a whole battery of exercises, methods, philosophies and doxologies to simply get individuals into the experience of the unperturbed present moment. And so do we.

The God of improv is simply this — the present moment.

And who can dispute this? Certainly every improviser has had at least a glance through the keyhole of the beautiful and full moment of just being in the present — your personal past is gone, any thoughts of your future have vanished and you are just happily just there in your scene. It is heaven on earth at its best, no?

This actually reflects on the God that brought Jews out of slavery from the verse from the Bible. We have all been in horrible scenes — planning, trying, working, flailing. And it is absolute bondage, right? It’s slavery of a sort.  God, the present moment rescues us from that.

This commandment lets know what you are dealing with and is said to contain the other nine — the way to freedom and reminding you that you were in bondage.

But at its core improv is only about being in the present. Not being funny, but being truthful — now.

The first four commandments will set up the nature of the relationship we need to have with the present moment as improvisers. That established we’ll look at the rules between players in the final six.

Commandment two soon.

Discuss.

NEW!!! IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE with Blaine Swen ONE DAY WORKSHOP!!!*

Take a risk! Learn how to create a fully improvised story using the language and themes of William Shakespeare! We’ll explore the use of heightened emotional responses, rich character subtext, finding the game within a scene, and developing a sense of play. Our class will be filled with power struggles, star-crossed lovers, sprites, kings, queens, princesses, sword-play, rhyming couplets, asides, insults, persons in disguise and all that we’ve come to expect from the pen of the Great Bard. One day workshop. Limit 16 students. Pre-requisite: Level One or equivalent experience.

Availability: OPEN
Instructor: Blaine Swen
Dates: January 25 (One Day Workshop)
Day: Sunday
Time: 3-6pm
Price: $50
Location: Pearl Studios 500 8th Avenue 4th Floor, between 35th/36th Sts

For specific dates and locations click here.

Remember: Your registration is not complete until you have paid.

*Cod piece not included

When I first started taking improv classes in April/May of 1996 with the UCB Walsh, Besser, Ian and Amy were the only people teaching long form in New York. Indeed they were the only people teaching long form formally in New York for the next three years or so until Armando and Kevin Mullaney and Ali Farahnakian showed up.

While there were always people taking classes once or twice there was probably a group of about 40 people

Who.

Took.

Classes.

Took two classes a day, three classes at a time and the like. Really into it. Saw shows constantly. There was truly nothing like it at the time. The classes all felt blazing and raw, full of talent and potential.

Just as an aside, these were the days at Solo Arts when you could walk into ASSSCAT 10 or 15 minutes before it started and pick your seat.

All the UCB were incredible teachers for different reasons and with different focuses and that core of students really admired them and listened carefully to what we were learning. Classes were a simple joy. After a few months I had the vague thought that the “laws” that “govern” improv had applications off the stage and sort of aligned with the introspective and spiritual work I had done and cultivated in my life.

One day Amy Poehler gave our class a truly astonishing note – I don’t recall what spurred it.

Treat the stage with respect. Treat it with total and complete reverence. The stage is my church. There is no place that I feel more alive, more myself, more truthful, more satisfied and happy.

Some people go to church to feel in touch with that creative force that some people call God. Well, I get that on stage. I have learned more about the person I want to be and can be from the lessons I have learned in improv classes and performing in shows. That is why I am here today. So if the stage is my church, improv is my religion.

Now, two people up for a scene and just rock out with your cocks out.

It was a stunning moment. Amy just flashed an invitation to a secret part of improv if you wanted to go there with her. Improv wasn’t just being funny with smart funny people getting the rush of being funny on stage for paying customers. It wasn’t therapy, it was opportunity to see yourself differently and be free to just be a truer version of yourself somehow.

All terribly mystical, I know. But it appealed to me and rung deeply true. But a corollary arose in me after considering Amy’s note for a few days. I didn’t doubt for a moment the veracity of Amy offered – that improv offers a method and approach to living a more satisfying and fulfilled and genuine life – I was experiencing that by osmosis somehow.

But the corollary was that if improv could teach us about being better people, more in touch with the power that some people call God…could the great religious traditions teach us something about improv? I already had a deep and well studied library with great religious texts in it and got to work reflecting upon the question.

In further posts I’ll post my investigations and experiments with what the 10 Commandments teach about improv….then maybe I’ll go into some of the other spiritual traditions.

Maybe.

I’m a life long fan of comedy, and have been intrigued by improv ever since I learned that Ghostbusters was created by a bunch of guys who were good at it. And I thought, from watching many shows, that I ‘had’ it. After all, Truth in Comedy isn’t a long book. I’ll just get this 100 pages under my belt, and then practice until I get good!

Turns out that improv, like any other art, is a little more complex than that.

In my class at iO Theater with Craig Uhler (both the theater and the teacher come highly recommended) we were asked to do a basic exercise. Two people, with a conflict, but the trick was we couldn’t actually talk about the conflict itself. Simple, yes, but as a long time fan and only recent participant, it was enough to keep me occupied onstage.

As the pairs took turns, some groups made excellent scenes. Upon study of these excellent scenes, we came to realize that they were good because they focused on development of the characters instead of the conflict. That is to say, they used the given conflict as a starting point, and fleshed out their relationship from there.

In comparison, the scenes that didn’t go anywhere (I have a feeling mine was one of them) got hung up on the stuff that they were given as a start, and were unable to break away into the life behind the stuff.

When performing in a two person scene, there are exactly two topics that will make the scene work, the audience laugh, and the students sign up for your classes. These two topics are guaranteed to always be the right topics to focus on, from now until the end of time.

Those topics are you and the other person.

Anything else, the setting, the conflict, the situation, all of it is dependent on the two of you (or however many there are on stage). Don’t worry about that. Find out who that other person is, and the scene will slowly unfold organically, and the audience will laugh.

A basic point, sure, one that the experienced and intelligent readers of Improvoker have had drilled into their heads for years. But the next time you’re watching a scene that isn’t quite working, whether it’s a performance, a class, or whatever, be sure to keep an eye on how much character development you are seeing. Odds are, it’s not enough. There’s no humanity in the improv, just an attempt at jokes. And without humanity, there’s no scene and no funny.

The kids on Bastian, as I have told them in various states of drunkeness, are one of my favorite Harold Teams because of their incredibly supportive playing style. So look out for your new member of the flock, she is the jam.

Congratulations Abra! See you next Tuesday.

3 Years of Del Closses

This was my third year of Del Close Marathons and from the 3 I have attended, this year seemed the most sober. Perhaps it was the deaths of both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, or the missing energy of Amy Poehler, or the introspective press conference, or the vastness of the Marathon now filling 4 theaters, but I got a definite sense of a community looking in on itself. Of course being that the marathon is now 4 theaters wide, I may have only seen one impression of a now huge pool of performances.

UCB is in a strange place at the moment. Their success as both a theater where the best and brightest comedians are trained, with Bobby Moynahan moving to SNL, and also the most successful improv training center in New York, if not the country, has left UCB trying to figure out how to deal with it’s unparalleled popularity. This showed itself during the Friday press conference as the UCB3 — Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, and Matt Besser — took the stage outlining the UCBs revamped improv curriculum:

1. “Game is fundamentally important and central to comedic improvisation”
2. “There is nothing intrinsically better about doing a time-dash to the second beat of your game over analogous beats for your game”
3. Organically derived scenes are no better than premise based scenes initiations
4. Having your own “signature” opening is not important — “Bring back the organic opening”
5. Dress Appropriately for the stage — not too sloppy, too sexy/aristocratic
6. It screws up people to think about raising stakes when entering second beats — Think equally. “I want to find another scenario equally as funny or funnier than the first one. Thinking funnier will naturally raise the stakes. This will naturally create scenes with both heightening and exploration.”

These should be no shock to anyone who has spent time at the UCB training center. Most of these have been on the lips of instructors since I first started training, but the fact that the UCB is now defining it’s perspective publicly, on long form improvisation, is sign of their new found leadership roll in the improv community. Although, Matt Besser did make it quite clear that these may not be true of all schools, but they are what is true for the UCB.

Lessons Learned this Year

As most of you know each year I try to take away a few things which become apparent after watching hours and hours of improv. I trite them down in a notebook in the dark. I try not to edit them and write them down as I wrote them.

• Respond to what is happening now
• Repeating patterns is not game, just a piece of behavior
• Start in the middle — Make assumptions about who, what, and where you are
• Remember — not really sure what this meant, but I wrote it down so it’s got to be important
• Relax — Try not to let your fear as a performer manifest itself in your character and initiations
• Characters are important and should be used in service of the game — not for a cheap laugh
• Gay characters don’t have to have campy cliche accents
• Gay improvisers don’t always have to be a 1950’s housewife
• Breaking your character to laugh, giggle, or remark about your performance is a cheap trick
• The most important thing in the scene is your partner — try not to get sidetracked by inanimate objects, because they aren’t going to respond to you in the scene
• Work with what you have, it’s brilliant — Let’s not add new information half way through
• Fuck the form — do whatever honors the suggestion
• Del close doesn’t look like that
• Respect your audience — Don’t pimp your audience, because when they turn on you, you have nothing
• Saying funny things will eventually fail you
• It’s about what’s happening — not the details of what’s happening
• There are still 10 minutes and 19 seconds — It’s never too late do do something
• Look calm on the back line — the people on stage need you to yield focus
• Confidence makes the audience feel like you know what you’re doing — lack of confidence makes the audience panic
• Do NOT hang off the pipes — Fucking ever!

Performance Highlight

Out of all the performances of the marathon, I think the highlight was Code Duello’s saturday night performance off of the suggestion of “rabies.” The performance was based on Aaron Burr killing Hamelton’s cat and having to replace it with a sabertooth tiger. This however was nothing to the incredible playing of both Neil Reynolds and Matt Tucker, whose moves grounded the scenework so much that the idea of entire premise of a dead cat being replaced with a sabertooth tiger seemed totally justified. Out of the 4 times I’ve seen Code Duello, this was by far their most impressive show, so much so that they proved something that I had never seen prior.

We all Know how to get laughs from an audience. It isn’t hard. But I want us to get cheers.
– Del Close

They had cheers, laughs, and a standing ovation at the end of their set.

Other highlights

WeirDass at the FIT auditorium. As usual Stefanie Wier and Bob Dassie produced a show that was incredible to watch. Full of rich characters and incredible scenework their set again reminded me how important listening and responding is to improvisation. They have a bond that one can only imagine can only be made possible by being married to your scene partner. It was so inspiring to see the two of them on stage that the day after the marathon, I formed a 2 person improv group based very roughly on the Weirdass form. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, WeirDass is reeeeeeeeally good.

The always impeccable Baby Wants Candy, performed an incredible set about a speakeasy that had points of shockingly sublime songwork that really highlighted what committing to every part of performance can do.

And so, that’s the wrap up. If you have any questions, or comments feel free to drop a line. I’ll be sure to respond to you early February.

Saturday night was Mothers last show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York. The 9 year run of the group at the theater is the longest a house team has performed at UCB. It was a great show to boot.

During the show, I thought about what made Mother such an amazing experience to watch in all the years they have played. A group of performers that had grown together, like a vine wrapping around itself, to become one seamless entity. A group of performers who were taught in the earlier incarnations of the UCB training center. What about this group can we, as improvisers, learn from? What can we steal?

Commitment

Anyone who has ever seen Mother knows that they committed to realities and characters unabashedly. Never were initiations judged and never did anyone on the group bail on an idea. Everything was embraced and everything nurtured in their scenes. I always felt that Mother’s scenes were like seeds planted in the ground and everyone watered each idea until they grew.

Emotion

What I always loved about Mother was their embrace of emotion in scenes. Love, hate, lust, happiness, sadness; Mother ran the gambit committing to these emotions truthfully and realizing their extraordinary power in scenes. These organic choices led to scenes with decidedly more intimate content which the cast never shied away from.

Physicality

Mother would often would start scenes touching, holding, or embracing one another. This is one of those decidedly Mother traits in that they were not shy about using their bodies with each other. They were as comfortable making out on stage as they were brawling into the audience or pirouetting around the stage. This is one thing that I have been thinking much more about in my performances, and something I definitely need to steal.

Love & Trust

Here is where Mother really stood apart. Sure groups love their parts, but Mother’s time together really cemented their incredible trust with one another. You could see the intense love and trust pouring out of their playing. All scenes were pushed that much farther because each cast member knew that behind them were a group of performers that would do anything for them. With that support, your risks in scenes can be limitless and they were.

And so ends almost a decade of performance, it has been fun watching. What’s next? Something amazing I’m sure. But for now, Bye Mother.

What are the lessons you pulled away from Mother?

Will Hines talks about his impressions of Mother

So it’s been entirely too long and I haven’t updated improvoker. This is due to one unfortunate problem, those damn Del Close Marathon notes. See the thing is, I took notes in a dark theater in a little notebook and when I looked again at my notes, well, nothing made any sense. it was all scribbly “numer 4.5 — don’t wear slutty cloths on stag.”

Luckily I recorded the whole press conference on my iPhone, but I haven’t been able to copy the audio files over to listen to the pieces I need to finally post those notes. I feel terrible about this and I apologize profusely and hope we can still go to the sock-hop together.

Come on baby, where you going?

The good news I have not given up and will try, to make sense of what the UCB 3 said on that stage in the dark. Thanks for bearing with me while I flake a little — I’ll try to be better in future.

If you make a mistake, do it twice.

Jazz Saying

This is one of those truths that finds it’s way into every art form. It’s true for Jazz and it’s true for improvisation.