Friday, November 20, 2009
Is there anybody ..... out there???
I checked back to look at the list of improv books that I don't have and now I miss people :(
Monday, August 17, 2009
Movies: A Cheat Sheet
Hey ya'll. In our class with Maureen on Saturday, she had suggested we use this to discuss some "Pop Culture" movies, books, music, etc., to make sure our teammates (and selves) are not blindsided with suggestions we are unfamiliar with. Because we can't all watch the movies we would like, I thought about making a Cheat Sheet of movies we are likely to get as suggestions, and what should be known about each of them to help make a scene passable. I will start one about some of the movies I think we should know for now, with possibly a TV one to follow. I would appreciate it if people could add, especially to the movie one with current releases, as being a father of a 2-year-old has prevented me from seeing anything since 2007. My picks and hints are:
1.) Star Wars. If you have not seen at least the original trilogy, you should take a sabbatical from Improv until you watch them, mimmick them, and work on your: Darth Vader breathing; Chewbacca yelling; Yoda's syntax-changing verbal skills; and your lightsaber sound effects.
2.) Titanic. It's a long movie, yes. But watch it, even if in fast-forward, and get down: the whole "King of the World" moment at the hull of the boat (overdone, but good for a cheap laugh); an English-accent "Iceberg! Right ahead!"; sweaty sex in a fogged-up Model T; the string quartet "Gentlemen, it's been an honor playing with you tonight"; and the "Never let go" speech at the end. I'd also throw in the line, "I want you to draw me in this... and only this."
3.) The Princess Bride. I don't think I've ever heard this called out as a suggestion, except for the one time I did before I was in a troupe. Some great lines that you need to know to pull this off are: "I'm not left handed" (during a sword fight); "Anybody want a peanut?"; and "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." Actually, I just think everyone should see this movie; it is one of my favorites.
4.) E.T. If I were to get this, I would pretend I had a gun and wonder aloud why I was trying to shoot someone with a walkie-talkie (an unneccesary change Spielberg made in the re-release, and probably a joke 1/3 of the audience would get, on a good night.) But the bigs ones are E.T. saying, "Phone Home," "Ouch", and "Be Good." Use your scariest voice and point your finger. And mention Reese's Pieces, too.
5.) Forrest Gump. Your best Southern-accent, with a little extra "da-hoo!" twang thrown in. "Life is like a box of chocolates...", "Stupid is as stupid does...", "Run, Forrest, Run!" I'd probably jut out my lower lip and do Bubba's "Shrimp has a million uses..." speech. So don't steal it.
I'll add more as they come. Please add some of the superhero (Spider-Man, Transformers, Batman), Sci Fi (The Matrix, Star Trek), and Fantasy (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean) if you can, and any classics I haven't added (The Godfather, Gone With The Wind, etc.) Thank you for your support and cooperation.
1.) Star Wars. If you have not seen at least the original trilogy, you should take a sabbatical from Improv until you watch them, mimmick them, and work on your: Darth Vader breathing; Chewbacca yelling; Yoda's syntax-changing verbal skills; and your lightsaber sound effects.
2.) Titanic. It's a long movie, yes. But watch it, even if in fast-forward, and get down: the whole "King of the World" moment at the hull of the boat (overdone, but good for a cheap laugh); an English-accent "Iceberg! Right ahead!"; sweaty sex in a fogged-up Model T; the string quartet "Gentlemen, it's been an honor playing with you tonight"; and the "Never let go" speech at the end. I'd also throw in the line, "I want you to draw me in this... and only this."
3.) The Princess Bride. I don't think I've ever heard this called out as a suggestion, except for the one time I did before I was in a troupe. Some great lines that you need to know to pull this off are: "I'm not left handed" (during a sword fight); "Anybody want a peanut?"; and "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." Actually, I just think everyone should see this movie; it is one of my favorites.
4.) E.T. If I were to get this, I would pretend I had a gun and wonder aloud why I was trying to shoot someone with a walkie-talkie (an unneccesary change Spielberg made in the re-release, and probably a joke 1/3 of the audience would get, on a good night.) But the bigs ones are E.T. saying, "Phone Home," "Ouch", and "Be Good." Use your scariest voice and point your finger. And mention Reese's Pieces, too.
5.) Forrest Gump. Your best Southern-accent, with a little extra "da-hoo!" twang thrown in. "Life is like a box of chocolates...", "Stupid is as stupid does...", "Run, Forrest, Run!" I'd probably jut out my lower lip and do Bubba's "Shrimp has a million uses..." speech. So don't steal it.
I'll add more as they come. Please add some of the superhero (Spider-Man, Transformers, Batman), Sci Fi (The Matrix, Star Trek), and Fantasy (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean) if you can, and any classics I haven't added (The Godfather, Gone With The Wind, etc.) Thank you for your support and cooperation.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
TCIF Musings
Here I am, finally getting around to sharing my thoughts on the workshops I took during TCIF.
The first workshop I took was with Bill Arnett called Characters With a Point of View. I found this to be very helpful, as he gave us an extremely simple way to create a character: string together an adjective and a noun. Voila! Lonely balloon, whiny zookeeper, perfectionist coach, nervous general, savage panda, burned-out lawyer, ditzy crossing guard, intimidating apple, jealous microwave...these are all characters. This really spoke to me because I need to keep the improv simple. Otherwise I get into my head trying to create a character that has the depth of the Pacific Ocean. And then the moment is gone.
The other Bill Arnett workshop I took was The Power of Keeping It Real. We have heard this many times about playing the truth of the moment. There are endless opportunities to do zany and absurd stuff, and that end of the spectrum is certainly funny. Taking snippets of everyday life that anyone in the audience can relate to also yields memorable moments. Bill's thought was for you to be cool or uncool with your partner's choice. Our workshop just played out some exercises reinforcing this. One exercise was to respond with an emotional noise (not a verbal response) to your partner's declaration before you engage in dialogue. The noise deemphasizes the declaration, which is good; the scene is not about the declaration, anyway. "I made a Boston Creme pie." "[shrieks of joy]" gets you on the path of not talking about the damn pie. So is "I made a Boston Creme pie." "[stomps around angrily]".
Another exercise was something you could call Armchair Psychologist. Two people would engage in a scene, and a third person would observe it. After the scene is done, the third person analyzes each character like a psychologist might. The key here is to look for behavior, not actions. Not exactly sure how this exercise fit in with the theme of the workshop, I just remember doing it and thought it was interesting.
A third workshop I took was with Zach Ward called Spread to Survive. This was a technique that would be employed in a Harold structure, though it could easily fit into any multi-scene structure we do (a montage, even freeze tag, maybe some others...). Zach noted that occasionally you are in a scene that you know is not going anywhere, characters are blase, and there is not much established that would warrant calling it back later (like would be done in a Harold). You could spread out the world of the characters with other people who know of them. These Spread scenes exist as their own unique scenes with different characters, not just regurgitating ideas from the original scene. In that regard, Spread scenes are considered "one-way".
For example: if your scene involves a doctor unloading all his personal problems on an unwitting assistant, you could spread that out to a scene with new characters where the opening line is "My doctor was an emotional wreck. I do not want to see you turn out like that." That first sentence ("My doctor was an emotional wreck.") acknowledges the previous scene, and that is the entire connection of the Spread. The second sentence ("I do not want to see you turn out like that.") indicates this scene stands separately, not having anything to do at all with the doctor from the previous scene. It gets right to the relationship of the characters in this new scene. Spread scenes should connect characters, not objects.
The idea is that a Spread connects two scenes with the tiniest of threads. That way "boring" scenes end up serving a purpose: setting up a better subsequent scene. The earlier (shittier) scenes look better in retrospect by drawing on a detail used. In theory, you could have a scene, Spread that scene, Spread that second scene, Spread that third scene, and even Spread that fourth scene. If you finally hit comedic gold, the audience will feel rewarded for sitting through some mediocre scenes to get to the payoff. Those threads will help the whole structure "make sense".
Zach also had an interesting take on scenework that had nothing to do with The Spread. He thought you could approach a scene like an architect, where you build a scene from the ground up. He also thought you could approach a scene like an archaeologist: a scene/world already exists, and the player is just unearthing it and showing it to the audience. His preference was to go for the archaeological route.
The first workshop I took was with Bill Arnett called Characters With a Point of View. I found this to be very helpful, as he gave us an extremely simple way to create a character: string together an adjective and a noun. Voila! Lonely balloon, whiny zookeeper, perfectionist coach, nervous general, savage panda, burned-out lawyer, ditzy crossing guard, intimidating apple, jealous microwave...these are all characters. This really spoke to me because I need to keep the improv simple. Otherwise I get into my head trying to create a character that has the depth of the Pacific Ocean. And then the moment is gone.
The other Bill Arnett workshop I took was The Power of Keeping It Real. We have heard this many times about playing the truth of the moment. There are endless opportunities to do zany and absurd stuff, and that end of the spectrum is certainly funny. Taking snippets of everyday life that anyone in the audience can relate to also yields memorable moments. Bill's thought was for you to be cool or uncool with your partner's choice. Our workshop just played out some exercises reinforcing this. One exercise was to respond with an emotional noise (not a verbal response) to your partner's declaration before you engage in dialogue. The noise deemphasizes the declaration, which is good; the scene is not about the declaration, anyway. "I made a Boston Creme pie." "[shrieks of joy]" gets you on the path of not talking about the damn pie. So is "I made a Boston Creme pie." "[stomps around angrily]".
Another exercise was something you could call Armchair Psychologist. Two people would engage in a scene, and a third person would observe it. After the scene is done, the third person analyzes each character like a psychologist might. The key here is to look for behavior, not actions. Not exactly sure how this exercise fit in with the theme of the workshop, I just remember doing it and thought it was interesting.
A third workshop I took was with Zach Ward called Spread to Survive. This was a technique that would be employed in a Harold structure, though it could easily fit into any multi-scene structure we do (a montage, even freeze tag, maybe some others...). Zach noted that occasionally you are in a scene that you know is not going anywhere, characters are blase, and there is not much established that would warrant calling it back later (like would be done in a Harold). You could spread out the world of the characters with other people who know of them. These Spread scenes exist as their own unique scenes with different characters, not just regurgitating ideas from the original scene. In that regard, Spread scenes are considered "one-way".
For example: if your scene involves a doctor unloading all his personal problems on an unwitting assistant, you could spread that out to a scene with new characters where the opening line is "My doctor was an emotional wreck. I do not want to see you turn out like that." That first sentence ("My doctor was an emotional wreck.") acknowledges the previous scene, and that is the entire connection of the Spread. The second sentence ("I do not want to see you turn out like that.") indicates this scene stands separately, not having anything to do at all with the doctor from the previous scene. It gets right to the relationship of the characters in this new scene. Spread scenes should connect characters, not objects.
The idea is that a Spread connects two scenes with the tiniest of threads. That way "boring" scenes end up serving a purpose: setting up a better subsequent scene. The earlier (shittier) scenes look better in retrospect by drawing on a detail used. In theory, you could have a scene, Spread that scene, Spread that second scene, Spread that third scene, and even Spread that fourth scene. If you finally hit comedic gold, the audience will feel rewarded for sitting through some mediocre scenes to get to the payoff. Those threads will help the whole structure "make sense".
Zach also had an interesting take on scenework that had nothing to do with The Spread. He thought you could approach a scene like an architect, where you build a scene from the ground up. He also thought you could approach a scene like an archaeologist: a scene/world already exists, and the player is just unearthing it and showing it to the audience. His preference was to go for the archaeological route.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Notes: Improv In a Nutshell
Notes from a workshop with Michael Gellman:
A character knows more than the actor
The product of a scene is not your responsibility. It is the character's responsibility
Emotion and Reaction = Honesty
Pick something and find something about it to have a strong emotional connection. Out of the emotional response will come a character
Characters must have stairs to climb in a scene
Our discoveries come through objects, others and the environment
If you get a suggestion such as "you are in the desert" think about the possibilities. You don't have to be thirsty just because you are in the desert. "Fuck it...make a sandwich if you want!"
A character knows more than the actor
The product of a scene is not your responsibility. It is the character's responsibility
Emotion and Reaction = Honesty
Pick something and find something about it to have a strong emotional connection. Out of the emotional response will come a character
Characters must have stairs to climb in a scene
Our discoveries come through objects, others and the environment
If you get a suggestion such as "you are in the desert" think about the possibilities. You don't have to be thirsty just because you are in the desert. "Fuck it...make a sandwich if you want!"
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Your Faces
I miss you guys! Look forward to seeing you next Saturday! I took some notes at the workshop I attended. I'm putting together a real gollywopper of a powerpoint right now. (not really but I wanted a reason to use gollywopper)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
New Boys In Charge
Hey ya'll. I didn't notice any Outtakes on this notification email from Stevie Ray, so I thought I would post it here so we can all share our congratulations with Jason (and Kappelhoff, too.)
Here is the letter from Mr. Ray, in its entirety.
Hello all:
We are proud to announce some great changes at Stevie Ray’s.
Jason Bindas and Dave Kappelhoff are no longer just Troupe Leaders. They have moved into the positions of Creative Directors. This means they are responsible for ensuring that our shows at the cabaret continue to grow creatively, and that each member of the troupes grows as well. They will either act as troupe leaders or, if a separate troupe leader is assigned, they will help the troupe leader direct the shows.
Jason Bindas has also been become the Director of the School of Improv. He will be in charge of making sure the school serves the needs of the students and teachers.
Dave Kappelhoff has become the Director of the College Division of the School of Improv. We have typically focused on adult improv classes, but now it is time for the school to expand. Dave will be responsible for building a whole new program focusing on college improv classes.
John Haynes has become the Director of the Youth Division of the School of Improv. He will be responsible for building a new program focusing on improv classes for students 18 years old and under.
Jason will work with Artistic Director, Pamela Mayne on all school programs. We hope to begin partnerships with outside organizations, corporations, schools, colleges, and community centers to offer classes throughout the Twin Cities.
Any questions about the school should be directed to Jason.
Mark Bergren will continue to teach advanced improv classes and special programs.
Stevie Ray will stay out of the way.
And that is it. So, congratulations, Jason, on the promotion. I trust you will do exceptional in this new position.
Woooooooooooooooooolhouse
Here is the letter from Mr. Ray, in its entirety.
Hello all:
We are proud to announce some great changes at Stevie Ray’s.
Jason Bindas and Dave Kappelhoff are no longer just Troupe Leaders. They have moved into the positions of Creative Directors. This means they are responsible for ensuring that our shows at the cabaret continue to grow creatively, and that each member of the troupes grows as well. They will either act as troupe leaders or, if a separate troupe leader is assigned, they will help the troupe leader direct the shows.
Jason Bindas has also been become the Director of the School of Improv. He will be in charge of making sure the school serves the needs of the students and teachers.
Dave Kappelhoff has become the Director of the College Division of the School of Improv. We have typically focused on adult improv classes, but now it is time for the school to expand. Dave will be responsible for building a whole new program focusing on college improv classes.
John Haynes has become the Director of the Youth Division of the School of Improv. He will be responsible for building a new program focusing on improv classes for students 18 years old and under.
Jason will work with Artistic Director, Pamela Mayne on all school programs. We hope to begin partnerships with outside organizations, corporations, schools, colleges, and community centers to offer classes throughout the Twin Cities.
Any questions about the school should be directed to Jason.
Mark Bergren will continue to teach advanced improv classes and special programs.
Stevie Ray will stay out of the way.
And that is it. So, congratulations, Jason, on the promotion. I trust you will do exceptional in this new position.
Woooooooooooooooooolhouse
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Special Outtakes Show
Yo. So this was discussed at the beginning of this round . . . the whole "Let's have a special Outtakes show, where we kick all of the existing audience members out to let all new audience members in for The Outtakes portion of the night." Then, nothing more was talked about it.
Until now.
Let's pick a show, dammit. We've only really got four shows left. July 18th, Aug 1, 15, and 29th. I My vote is for one of the last two, the 15 or 29. It would give us time to actually get confirmations from the invitees about yes or no or both and really hammer home the point.
You know?
Let's have a date picked in one week. Can we do that? One week . . . I'll Facebook this to LJ since she doesn't have access to this yet (by her own fault, of course.) But if you see this, pass the word to the other Outtakes to let them know to come and check it out.
Wooooooooooolhouse
Until now.
Let's pick a show, dammit. We've only really got four shows left. July 18th, Aug 1, 15, and 29th. I My vote is for one of the last two, the 15 or 29. It would give us time to actually get confirmations from the invitees about yes or no or both and really hammer home the point.
You know?
Let's have a date picked in one week. Can we do that? One week . . . I'll Facebook this to LJ since she doesn't have access to this yet (by her own fault, of course.) But if you see this, pass the word to the other Outtakes to let them know to come and check it out.
Wooooooooooolhouse
Monday, June 22, 2009
Weekend of shows
Between yelling in "Love Is Like," belting out lead vocals in "Friday Fish Fry for Jeff," T-Bones the waiter, and having to yell because the threat of rain dissallowed the use of microphones at Improv in the Park . . . I have no voice. Good thing my job only requires me to talk on the phone all day with churches. But I'm sure when I explain to the churches in the Carolinas and Virgina that I was acting as a black prisoner over the weekend, that everything will be alright...
Monday, June 8, 2009
Outtakes girls rock BNW
The female portion of the Outtakes kicked it at BNW tonight in their individual performance groups. Emily brought wacky characters and LJ's accident seems to have only made her funnier. Well done girls !!! Oh, and the one and only Jeff Kaisershot also made an appearance to lend support to his castmates. With better than half of the Outtakes team in house, there was talk of said Outtakes taking the stage and puttin' on a show right then and there for all of those who routinely miss our Sheraton shows (ok, that may have been mostly me offering that).
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Way to go gang !!!
Great show everybody!!! I thought that with our reduced cast, everyone stepped up and brought a better game. Hats off to Alex for a successful first hosting!!! My opinion is that this performance showed that we are getting better at bringing our rehearsal improvements to our shows :) YAY !!!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Brent Musberger is 70 today
What timing! We could have celebrated his birthday Saturday night with guacamole...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
We had a show !!!
I had fun. It was something new in several ways. We did good happy fun stuff. How do you spell shyvie? That's how it sounds. I still chuckle a little bit here and there about it. Emily, you are sublime ;) and I mean that. Once again, Adam is a lucky man. I mean your Adam. Not Felitz or Woolhouse. Well, they're probably lucky too, but in a different way. Perhaps even in the same way, but not with you. Oh you bowlers ...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Vote and help a brother out!
http://www.filmracing.com/Films/competitions/minneapolis2009.htm
This is the Top 10 of the Minneapolis Film Festival that I participate in every year. Well, THIS year Damn You Banana Flims made it! Now, we need votes to place higher (and higher!) The link above allows you to click on and vote for your favorite (which is called "Detour," FYI) as well as view all 10.
What I would suggest doing is this: click near the bottom, where it says Click here to vote for your favorite film from the Minneapolis Film Race 2009 and place your vote for "Detour" first, before anything else. Then, if you want to, go back and watch them. (In case you're interested, "Scene 63" is Adam Felitz and John Haynes' film. It's OK, too.)
You can only vote once per IP Address, so vote on every computer, Blackberry, and iPhone you either use, or can preview at a Best Buy (for "Detour.")
It is appreciated.
Wooooooooolhouse
This is the Top 10 of the Minneapolis Film Festival that I participate in every year. Well, THIS year Damn You Banana Flims made it! Now, we need votes to place higher (and higher!) The link above allows you to click on and vote for your favorite (which is called "Detour," FYI) as well as view all 10.
What I would suggest doing is this: click near the bottom, where it says Click here to vote for your favorite film from the Minneapolis Film Race 2009 and place your vote for "Detour" first, before anything else. Then, if you want to, go back and watch them. (In case you're interested, "Scene 63" is Adam Felitz and John Haynes' film. It's OK, too.)
You can only vote once per IP Address, so vote on every computer, Blackberry, and iPhone you either use, or can preview at a Best Buy (for "Detour.")
It is appreciated.
Wooooooooolhouse
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Dr. Horrible
Hey All, This link is for a fun musical starring Neal Patrick Harris. I think it's good to see for 2 reasons: Funny, and secondly it gave me really a good sense of different ways to incorporate rhyme and meter. See what you think.
Dr. Horrible
Dr. Horrible
Thursday, April 2, 2009
April Fools Day- Rewind
Anyone pull any great April Fools' Day pranks yesterday? Any from years' past?
Monday, March 30, 2009
First show down
Hey gang, although bumpy and rough at times, our first show is now a memory. Of course I wish my first hosting would have been better, but I'm glad I did it and am happy with some of it. Everyone has to have a first time, right? (Unless of course you don't want to host, but where's the challenge in that?) I'm sure our next show will be tighter. I'll see SOME of you Saturday ... Oh and don't forget, "When I party, I like to return stuff ....."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Improv Games
So . . . anyone want to share what improv structures you are thinking of presenting on Saturday? Anyone want to come early and help me set up mouse traps?
Monday, March 16, 2009
NKOTB
In the words of that immortal group: Hangin Tough!
Welcome back, survivors. I see fun in our future!
Welcome back, survivors. I see fun in our future!
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