Santa Barbara Improv Workshop

Rehosting the Blog

2007-01-27T21:23:00.000-08:00

I have been slowly transitioning from Blogger hosting the Santa Barbara Improv blog to a WordPress blog directly hosted at the www.sbimprov.com site. The techno-details are of interest to very few of you, but the important impact is that I plan on retiring this site and only updating the new site. The new site is http://www.sbimprov.com/blog/ and I'd like you all to start linking over there. I'll be duplicating posts to both sites for awhile, but the sooner we make the change, the better. I'm sorry if this causes anyone grief, but the new site gives me a lot more flexibility and will be better for everyone.

Class January 24, 2007

2007-01-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Once again we had a pretty big class (okay, when does a class with 20 people stop being big and become normal?) but this time, no one was brand new. That let us get into scene work pretty quickly, and everyone dove in enthusiastically. After warm-ups we started in with a Stinky, Sexy, Silly scene, and here Terri, Toni, Dustin, and Nate were conducting the scene in a dentist's office. Guess how Nate felt about Dustin. Scott, Sharon, Andy, and Tristan in another Stinky, Sexy, Silly scene, this time they were camping. This was a wonderful scene with everyone endowing each other beautifully. Mike, Scott, Justine, and Li-At in their scene which had some great physical moments. At one point Li-At and Mike were fighting for Scott's attention by pulling his wheelchair in different ways. Here, Kenna, Nate, Alan, and Neil are in their version of the exercise, and again I think you can tell Neil's attitude towards me and probably Kenna's attitude towards Nate. As I recall, we were in a resort. This is a 5-Letter scene with Scott, Melissa, and Sol. They were working with the word CLONE and the setting was a painting class where Sol was the nude model. I don't know that you need much more than that - the scene lived up to what you're imagining. Unfortunately, it was about this time when the camera's battery died. So, no more images from all the other 5-Letter scenes, the Invent a Holiday scenes (and Insult Day was just about the most perfect scene I've scene in a long time), the songs, or the 3-Line Drills. Unfortunately I can't bring myself to type the words of the best opening line of the night, but let's just say that we all have a new picture of Melissa in our minds.

Improv Classes, Jan 10 and 17, 2007

2007-01-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

I wasn't in town to teach on the 10th of January, and Victoria was originally scheduled to take over. Unfortunately she got sick, so Jim took over as a last minute substitute, and from all accounts he did a fabulous job. Thanks to Jim for taking over and to Victoria for arranging the replacement while I was out of town. I never had to worry about it. It was a large class with several new players, all of whom I hope to meet in the next few classes. The following week, January 17, I was back to teach the class, but I was informed that no more pictures would be taken until I finally caught up on my blog postings. I appreciate a good class revolt (and an occasional kick in the pants), and so I'll accept my admonishment and briefly report that the class was a lot of fun, with 4 new players (or at least new to me), all of whom were enthusiastic and didn't hesitate to hop up on stage. We got in a few rounds of Tag Out Story, The [blank] Family, Human Props, a few Irish Drinking Songs, and Entrances and Exits. There was a lot of energy and some wonderful scenes.

Class January 3, 2007

2007-01-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

The first workshop of 2007 was a big one with 18 people attending. There were a few who were brand new to improv and the rest were returning players. And, luckily, there were a few folks willing to snap photos along the way. We led off with a set of conducted stories, and by popular demand they were all in the competitive Story-Story-Die format (I was willing to go easy with a more forgiving structure, but the players were anxious for the challenge). I think Marika is the focus of my "director's point", but Neil Scott, Sol, and Ben were ready to pick up the story when directed. We had a couple of new folks in this Story-Story-Die. Jason and Kenna were the two just learning the game, with Justin and Andy filling out the field at this point. I don't know who was "dead" in the background. Clearly, Andy knows my directing so well that he can do the piece with his eyes closed. One of the reasons that I like this shot is because Andy is usually taking the photos, so I don't get enough shots with him included. This is a Counting-Words scene with Jim, Allegra, and Scott. The crowd went pretty easy on this group with Allegra having he most words at 4. I like this photo because everyone is at a different height. It was an interesting scene to watch. Another counting words scene with Ian, Ben, and Mike. I like that Mike appears ready to burst out laughing. Once again, I'm drawn to this picture because all the players are at different levels. This is yet another Counting Words scene with Eric (5 words), Scott (3 words), and Bob (1 word). I'm using all these pictures from Counting-Words scenes because they came out so well. I've got lot's of pictures from other scenes, but these had the least amount of blur along with being interesting shots. Here, Robyn (3 words), Ana (2 words), and Kenna (4 words) are working on a scene which turned out to be quite physically expressive despite how new they are to improv. Here, Jason, Tony, and I are in yet another Counting Words scene. I like this because it looks like I'm criticizing a new player, which makes me look tough. Hmm, maybe Terri took the idea of criticizing the new players (here, Jason) a little too far (actually, I can't find any notes that would explain what this picture was about - maybe there are things I'm not aware of happening in the class). Okay, I know a fight didn't actually break out between these two guys, but doesn't it just look natural. Okay, maybe not. Eric and Justin are a couple of sweet guys and that's what makes this an even funnier shot. And that was a sampling of the first workshop from 2007.

Improv Classes, Dec. 20 and 27, 2007

2007-01-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

While doing some catch-up work on the blog, I realize that there are a couple of classes for which I don't have pictures and never made a blog entry. We had our regularly scheduled classes around the holidays. The December 20th workshop had 15 people and we were able to do a Museum game, Puppets, an expert panel, our usual song, and some open form work. On December 27, we had a smaller class with 8 people, so we took the opportunity to do a few two-person games that we haven't seen for awhile: Assigned Quirks; He Said, She Said; and Playbook (a.k.a. Actor's Nightmare). A Song and some open form work filled out the night. And that concluded Santa Barbara Improv Workshop's 2006. It was a good year, and although I've gotten to a slow start, 2007 is starting out even better.

Caught in the Act Show, January 6, 2007

2007-01-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

Caught In The Act will be putting on our first show of 2007 this coming Saturday January 6, 2007. This will be the first of our regular, monthly shows. We're very happy with our location and now that we have a larger team of players to call upon, we plan to perform the first Saturday of every month. With a more reliable schedule, we will be putting more effort into promoting the show and building up our audience. Our audiences have made our shows a fun place for us to perform. We want to keep building upon that energy in the coming year. And, with new players and games, we hope to keep it fresh for our returning audiences as well as those new to our shows. The particulars for this next show: Saturday, January 6, 2007, 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm Jefferson Hall, 1525 Santa Barbara Street Tickets are $5 at the door We hope to see you there!

Improv Class, December 13, 2006

2006-12-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

We've got a few pictures from the last class, thanks to Andy's skills with the camera. The lighting is pretty tough in our workshop space, but Andy keeps working the camera until we get some pretty nice shots, And thanks to the Picasa picture editor, I'm able to clean them up a bit for publication. Li-at, Jennifer, Scott, and Scott are playing a Typewriter scene. We haven't played this in quite a while, but this was a nice scene taking place at a librarians' picnic. This is also a typewriter scene with Karla playing an aide to Justin's governor. Marie is his wife who has walked in on their affair. I believe Scott is at the typewriter, but he's out of the picture. In this scene, Scott, Justin, Patrick, and Li-At are playing Entrances and Exits. There's clearly something on the floor that has them fascinated. Your basic Irish Drinking Song, with Marika, Neil, Li-At, and Karla. I'm sure there's a 5th singer, but I'm blocking the shot. I haven't decided whether the color balance in the picture is wrong, or Neil's blood pressure just spikes when he has to come up with a rhyme. Finally, I decided to include this shot because it shows off Andy's skill with my (crappy) camera. Although I'm a bit uncomfortable seeing myself like this, I think it's a lovely shot. Thanks.

Caught In The Act Show, December 2, 2006

2006-11-28T18:28:00.000-08:00

Caught In The Act will be putting on a show this coming Saturday December 2, 2006. We have some new players joining us this time, and it should be a great start to the holiday season. The particulars: Saturday, December 2, 2006, 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm Jefferson Hall, 1525 Santa Barbara Street Tickets are $5 at the door We hope to see you there!

Back from Borneo

2006-11-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

Hiya all - I'm back! Borneo was fabulous, very different than I expected, but easy, inexpensive, quite interesting, beautiful, and the food was fantastic. I was mainly in Malaysia and Brunei, and I can recommend it to just about anyone as a great vacation spot. I got back in time to sit in on Victoria's class last Wednesday (Novemeber 22). I think that was one of the best times I've had at an improv class in quite a while. I enjoy teaching, but I also enjoy just being a player - it gets my old rusty chops loosened up. Thanks to Victoria for filling in so beautifully! I've heard nothing but good things about every class she taught while I was away. Starting this Wednesday, I'm back at the helm - hopefully with batteries recharged and a new focus on individualized feedback. More on that another time. This coming Wednesday, November 29, we will be at the same address, but in Room C rather than in Jefferson Hall. I'll have signs up so it should be clear. It's only a one week substitution, we're back in Jefferson Hall the next week (December 6).

Victoria At The Helm

2006-10-29T23:17:00.000-08:00

For the next few weeks, Victoria will be teaching the workshop. I'm on vacation until Thanksgiving (I'll be traveling in Malaysia) and this coming Wednesday November 1 the class is canceled. But the following Wednesdays will see Victoria shaking things up. Also, while I'm gone, this blog won't be updated much (or at all). I'll be taking along an improv book or two so I may have something to blog about. Otherwise, watch for a flood of posts just after Thanksgiving.

CLASS CANCELED NOV. 1, 2006

2006-10-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

We are canceling the class for Wednesday, November 1, 2006. The entire facility is being used for a rummage sale and they don't have an alternate space available. I wasn't able to find us another location (within budget and time constraints), so we'll cancel for this week. Sorry about any inconvenience.

Class October 25, 2006

2006-10-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the last class, most of them taken by Andrew. I tried to color correct, but with mixed results, as you'll see. Our focus for the night was on physicalizing. Scott made an appearance and is seen with Victoria in this Create an Object to Speak exercise. They are in a hospital's ER room, but I don't think they're dancing. Marika, Allegra, and Jim are in another performance of the same exercise, but this took place in a jail. You can pretty much figure out the roles of each character just from this shot. I like this shot of Neil. I'm not sure what scene this was taken from, but it captures his expression, well. Okay, I had to throw this shot in. Ben and Dustin. You've gotta go with the interesting verticals in this scene. I also like this shot. It looks like they are listening to the most interesting feedback. Eric and I are in the middle of a scene that I know was all innuendo. Think Brokeback Mountain, but the topic of discussion is camp food. A fine class with 16 people that night. It's funny how 16 in the class starts to feel like a small class. We took advantage of the situation to do some extended open scenes, and I was pleased with how well they all went.

Caught in the Act, October 21, 2006 Show

2006-10-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from Caught in the Act's October 21, 2006 show. We had a good sized crowd and it was a fun show. These images are all captured from video, and may be a bit blurry. The Gibberish Translator scene was pretty good with Neil translating a disagreement on cooking styles between Victoria's character and Mike's character. Needless to say, the gesticulation and miming was wildly beyond the mundane argument. Here, Jim Andrew, and Neil are playing a Who Am I? scene where Jim is trying to determine his profession. For this scene, he was a baker, although the event being portrayed was the oddest bar-mitzvah. This was a beautiful Opera scene, with Mike translating an Indian opera for Victoria and Andrew. Some great physical work. This is a moment in the oddest scene that came out of Scenes From a Hat. Eric is a porcupine, and Jim, Andrew, and Victoria are international mosquitoes. Whatever it was, it was funny. Now that's a song. In this case it was the Fight Song, but just look at that enthusiasm. Wonderful to watch. This photo pretty much captures the essence of this Arms Through scene. It's a French cooking show, and yes, that is a raw chicken in "my" hands. They were Mike's hands, actually. And Neil was the one getting instruction. I'm not certain I can make clear how messy this scene became. Let's just say that I still smell of mustard. Ah yes, Eric, Mike, and I are performing ballet. This was the hit of the Repeating Scene, Changing Genre scene. Nothing more amusing than three guys trying to dance ballet. This is an Expert Panel with Magazines scene. Jim was from Good Housekeeping, Eric from Cat Fancier, Victoria from (I believe) Teen Life and I'm from The National Enquirer. Neil is the moderator. Our final piece of the evening is, as usual, a Montage. This particular piece was the ending scene where we had hired people off the street to come to Neil's party. There were quite a few more pieces in the show (19 total) but I thought this was a pretty good representation of what we did. A fine show.

Computer Problems

2006-10-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday morning (3:00 am), we had a very weird power surge at my home which blew out all of our computers. Although I was able to get access to the internet, the photos I had for a couple of blog posts were stuck on those systems. Just a couple of hours ago, we finally got my computer back up and operating. So I apologize for being out of touch, and I'll try and catch up by posting a few entries with photos.

Class October 18, 2006

2006-10-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

We had 11 people in our class this last Wednesday. It wasn't that long ago when I would have considered that a BIG class. Compared to most of our classes for the last year, however, it seemed pretty small. We took advantage of the opportunity to do exercises and games in smaller groups. For the night, we focused on character work. "Character Intro", "Greetings", "Info Booth", "Class Photo to Scene", "Panel of Experts", and (of course) "Animal Xform" were the exercises and games that had everyone stretching character creation. Throw in "One Word Story", an "Irish Drinking Song", "Three Line Drill", and some "Freeze Tag" and we had a pretty busy night. Only a couple of pictures from the class, I had to do a little tweaking to get them presentable. I like "Animal Xform" because you can explore new charateristics for portraying a character. Here Todd (parrot), Mike (octopus), Patricia (possum), and Marika (donkey) are transforming from their assigned animals to humans influenced by the characteristics they found while acting out their "totem". I found the characters to be very believable, interesting, and often a stretch for the performers. They moved away from their usual character portrayals. "Panel of Experts" allows each player to create a character appropriate for their assigned topic. In this scene, Eric is the moderator for a panel discussing hair. Mike player Luis, a French hair stylist working in New York. Jim played Stephen, Luis' long suffering assistant with wildly different philosophies on hair. And Justin created Jeff, a natural hair zealot who considers cutting hair to be morally offensive. He said my favorite line of the night, "Justice for Hair!"

The Right Way To Do A Scene

2006-10-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Bill Arnett at iO Chicago wrote up another interesting post, this time about "the right way to do a scene". His point: there really isn't a right way to do a scene. There are plenty of things you can do wrong, but there isn't some absolute best way for a scene to go. The process of building the scene is more important than the specific rules. And that process includes supporting the connections your fellow players make, no matter how wrong you may think they are.

Poster for Caught in the Act, October 21

2006-10-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Mike updated our poster for the Caught in the Act show, this Saturday Oct. 21 at Jefferson Hall.You can find the poster here, or click on the image. The specifics for the show are: Saturday October 21, 2006 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm Jefferson Hall 1525 Santa Barbara Street Tickets: $5 at the door

Class October 11, 2006

2006-10-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

When there aren't any pictures, there isn't as much to write about from a class. We were down to 17 players, which makes this class a relatively small one. And, we had no brand new players, everyone was returning with some experience. So, we did a few more 3 person games. In addition to the warm ups, we got in a nice "No P" game and a full round of "Playbook" (aka "Actor's Nightmare"). Everyone got in a song (a bit of a challenge this time) and we had the time to do a 3 line drill (long form) as well as a few rotations of a Montage. My two favorite lines from the night: "She wants you to nurse the damn thing", said by Jim to Allegra, quoting a message from her sister regarding a newly born child. "I loved you once", said by Mike to Victoria in a Montage scene.

Santa Maria's Mission Improvable

2006-10-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

I was just directed to a Santa Maria improv group named Mission Improvable by someone from work (thanks Rick). I recognize some of the players in the group from John Kinde's days running the Theatresports franchise up there, including Jeanne Sparks who was always a political oasis for me. Several of us from the Santa Barbara Improv Workshop used to travel up and perform with John's group. They always had large and enthusiastic crowds, and we had a good time performing with their players. Michael Passarelli is the director of this group, and according to an article in the Santa Maria Times, he's also the director of a San Luis Obispo based improv group. I'll try and get more info on that for another post. In the meantime, Mission Improvable is performing regularly on the 2nd Friday of each month, with shows posted for the following dates: October 13, November 10, and December 8. They perform at the Accoustic Lounge, which is located upstairs in the Santa Maria Town Center East. That's the S.E. corner of Broadway and Main Street (Google Map). They also teach a class on Monday nights from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the same location.

Caught in the Act show will be October 21, 2006

2006-10-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Caught in the Act will be putting on a show! It's been a bit too long since the last show, and once again we'll be changing some of our players around. The particulars are: Saturday October 21, 2006 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm Jefferson Hall 1525 Santa Barbara Street Tickets: $5 at the door We'll be trying to be a bit more organized with our publicity for this one. Thanks Patricia!

Class October 4, 2006

2006-10-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we don't have pictures from this class, so this will be a pretty short post. There were 18 people who attended with 3 of them new to our workshop and new to improv. Once again, the new players were quite good, enthusiatically jumping up to participate, and making some great choices on stage. My favorite opening lines of the night was given by Mark: "Mom, I'm home! The cops let me go."

Experiences Finding a Game in a Scene

2006-10-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

I want to direct you to series of posts by Ben Whitehouse in his blog Improvoker (which is a great name). He's going through a UCB (Upright Citizen Brigade) class in New York: Improv 201. At this point, there are only two entries, but the class is focusing on long form work and "finding the game". His first entry was from the 4th class in the session when he had an interesting insight into the concept of "finding" the game. Rather than it meaning he had to search out a game from the scene - artificially building a game from elements in the scene - he realized that it also meant discovering a game by chance or happenstance. Along with that realization he thought about the concept of finding "a" game rather than "the" game. This seemed to eliminate some resistance he was having to these "cerebral" concepts in long form work. His post is well written and insightful. His second entry focused on the second beat of a Harold scene. This second beat is the second round of scenes that follow the first set of establishing scenes. It should carry forward the games found in the the first beat, not necessarily the plots. He gives a good example of this and the post is worth a read for some more insights he has into the Harold long form.

Recital September 30, 2006

2006-10-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here they are: the 15 screen shots I've collected from last night's recital. I laughed almost as hard replaying the video as I did during the show. I tried to pick out a representative frame for each piece, and the only games I missed were those that didn't really look good in a single, static image - like Tag Out Story. Opening and Warm Up I was pretty pleased with this opening shot, until I realized I was missing Andy, Victoria, and Mike. They get enough exposure from Caught in the Act, so I'm glad all the other players have a good clear shot (well, and me of course). From the left we have Neil, Justin, Marika, Eric, Alan, Scott, Patricia, Allegra, Teri, and Ben. Pillars We had two great volunteer word-givers from the audience. Mike and Neil were given "laundromat" as their starting location, and at this point, the word "twit" was given out to be applied to Neil. I think our volunteer word giver surprised and embarrassed herself. Neil, on the other hand, is in a pretty typical pose. Story Story Die This is the start of the piece, so everyone is still in play. Andy is starting off, and he had been given something like "ineffectual evil" as his emotion/attitude. Victoria, Eric, Alan (from behind), Teri, Patricia, and Ben round out the players in this frame. Irish Drinking Song Teri, Victoria, Patricia, and Andy belted out this song about Irish immigration in the 19th century ... oh no, wait. This one was about NASCAR. I have it on good authority (well, the one Irish person who attended the show) that this isn't really an Irish song. Really?! Alphabet Mike, Justin, and Scott were given the set up "prison camp". At this point in the scene, the warden (Scott) is trying to get on with a pottery class while the prisoners are spending a lot of time talking about escaping. Almost all of the letters in the alphabet were used in this scene, although I do not guarantee that they were used in the order they are normally given. Open Scene Andy and Allegra had "nurses" as their starter. So, of course Allegra was stealing drugs (and anything else she could get her hands on) from the hospital. In this frame, Andy, the holy and pure co-worker, has discovered that she has tracks on her arm. Our shows are all about providing life lessons for the kids. It's odd how many scenes that night involved drug abuse in one form or another. Not normally a theme for us, they weren't particularly out of place. Just noticeably different. Surprise Lines Marika, Allegra, and Ben were given "train station" as their location. I think the surprise lines were delivered fast and furious, just like they should be. It was a good scene. My favorite surprise line was "I'm 64". I just found it delightfully mundane. Puppets For me, this was the funniest scene in the whole show. It was physical, situational, and Neil played his positions with some wonderfully simply but appropriate lines. From left to right, we have our volunteer puppeteer Mark, players Scott and Neil, and our second volunteer Kelly. By this point, Kelly was lost in hysterical laughter and was basically rough-handling Neil around the stage. Scott continued to set him up, and Neil just played out lines that addressed the wacky poses Kelly was putting him in. I finally stopped the scene because I couldn't breath anymore. Emotional Zones This scene had the funniest single line of the night. In this shot, Teri is showing a cow's tail to Eric and Andy. The setup was a cattle drive, and Eric's character had been preparing steak for dinner. But, Andy's character was a vegetarian. Teri's character, trying to be helpful, said "...try this tail, it's almost a vegetable". Hmm, it was MUCH funnier in the show. Continuing Scene, Changing Genre In this shot, Victoria, Scott, and Neil are playing their scene as a Film Noir. The setup was the location "amusement park". I love the way Victoria is just vamping it up. Look at that pose...and in sneakers! This scene went on to be about incest. As I mentioned before, we are nothing if not educational. Expert Panel Sorcery was the topic for this expert panel made up of Justin, Allegra, Ben, and Marika. Neil did a great job as MC. In this frame, Justin is discussing finger painting and sorcery. Allegra's character is trying to hit on Ben's character, and Marika is contemplating being 300 years old. My favorite moment during this scene was when Neil dealt with a question from the audience that was off track. He claimed there was a technical violation because the asker hadn't raised her hand, allowing him to avoid the having to get an answer to the question. Nice! Open Scene Eric and Mike were given "hairdresser" as a profession, and in this shot they are discussing the Parisian Finger Cut. I liked the physicalizing that occurred during this scene. The chair helped a lot as both players got in and out of it throughout the scene. Eric was really expansive in his miming. It was wonderful to watch him dunk his head into a water bassin while washing his own hair. By the end of the scene the two characters had switched roles, with Mike's character giving Eric's the haircut. Step Out Musical At this point in their scene, Victoria, Andy, and Allegra were dancing their way off stage in the final number of the musical. Their scene had involved a mother that had "tried everything" to raise her kids, like abandon one and spoil the other. They finally came together at the end and this final group song was about teamwork. It involved a lot of stomping and train noises as they worked their way off stage. It really worked much better on stage than it sounds from this description. Really. Switch Dubbing I'm sorry this frame is so blurry, because this was one of the cleverest moments of the night. Eric had timed the rhythms of my calling "switch" for this scene, and he set up a big kiss just before I switched him and Victoria into the scene. So he was celebrating his success before a big smooch on stage with Victoria. Nice. Final Bows Okay, in this somewhat blurry shot, captured from the video of our final bow, I've gotten at least a smidge of every player's face. From left to right: Patricia, Mike, Justin, Eric, Scott, Teri, Ben, Victoria, Allegra, Marika, Alan, Neil, and Andy. All are taking a well deserved bow at the end of a very successful show.

Class September 27, 2006

2006-09-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! We just topped last week's attendance with 22 people in class last night, including me. Four of the players were brand new to improv, and they still jumped up and participated in just about everything. The camera got passed around a fair amount. There were at least 4 people that I saw taking pictures. I'm trying to keep the total number of pictures in a post down to a reasonable amount, so I'm looking into how I can provide a slide show utility. There are a lot of fun pictures, even after I throw out all the really blurry ones. Victoria, Ben, Scott, and Marika are in a Continuing Scene, Changing Genre game. It probably goes without saying that they are in the middle of a Mystery. Teri, Neil, Brian, and Dustin are playing the same game, but from the looks of this picture, they are performing as a Children's Show. I like the expressions in this picture. Mark looks scared and Karla looks really mad at Eric's Dad (sorry, I don't remember his name). Mike just looks lost. The location was a drug store, but I believe that this segment was being played as a mystery. This was one of my favorite moments of the night. I don't remember the location, but Betts, Jim, Patricia, and Allegra are performing this part of the scene as a light opera. It was a very fun piece and just look at those expressions. Here, Andrew, Scott, Justin, and Eric (son of Eric's dad), are also performing in a Continuing Scene, Changing Genre (I had clear pictures for all 5 iterations of this game, so I was able to cover everyone in a picture!). I don't know if this is the part where they were performing an Opera, but that was certainly the most memorable genre! Even though there were a lot of other great pictures from the night, I wanted to include this shot because I think it's just a sweet capture of these two very funny women. I think we had a very full night, and we also had a chance to prepare for the Recital this coming Saturday. Don't forget, the show starts at 8:00, this Saturday September 30. IT WILL BE FUN

Just Say It!

2006-09-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Once again, Bill Arnett at iO Chicago wrote up a great post about scene work. This time he discusses the problem with being coy about an object or situation in a scene. We've all seen the problem where some object in a scene is described in indirect terms: how amazing or disturbing it is, how desirable it is, or how important it is. But, defining it is put off to somehow "build tension". Instead of building the relationship between the characters, we spend time focusing on some thing in the scene. When we find out the big "IT", can it possibly pay off on all the build up? Just say what it is and get on with the scene. As always, Bill says it to much better effect. Check it out.

Santa Barbara Improv Website Status

2006-09-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

The Santa Barbara Improv website is back up and running. We are now officially hosted at www.sbimprov.com, so be sure that your links are addressed correctly. I still have the members.cox site, but it should be directing you to the new home page. Just a quick note to warn folks that I'm going to be making more changes to the website over the next week or two. Some exciting things will be happening around the Santa Barbara Improv scene and I'm trying to get some infrastructure in place to support it all. This improv blog should be accessible with the latest announcements and updates, so keep checking back!

Website Problem

2006-09-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

If you are having problems getting to our front webpage (http://www.sbimprov.com), I am working on correcting that. For now, this blog is hosted at another location, so it shouldn't suffer while the main page is being corrected. Sorry about the inconvenience!

Class September 20, 2006

2006-09-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Andy for grabbing the camera and taking these shots. Last night was a big class, with 21 people including me. We still got everyone through 5 games, separate from the warm-up exercises. These pictures don't capture everyone, but I picked out 6 that I think represent the class pretty well. This was a panel of knitting experts. The players are Allegra, Ben, Marika, Scott (one of the two), and Neil who played the MC. They had a pretty good range of characters, although I think the favorite was Slash (Scott), a parolee who made his knitting needles from toothbrushes in prison. What was wonderful about this scene was how all the players kept endowing an event that had been offered in the initial introductions by Mary Beth (Marika). There was a horrible knitting accident in 1998. Rather than focusing on the external event, they made it affect each other in an immediate way. Lot's of feelings and support. Nice. The second panel consisted of experts on snowflakes. Scott (the other one), Diana, Sharon, and Eric were experts, and Jim served as MC. I think Julie Langsrom (Sharon) from Minnesota ("don't you know") was the best played character since she interacted enthusiatically with everyone. But Starshine Zephyr (Eric), who was searching for his personal snowflake, was quite memorable. We don't have a shot of the third group since Andy was in that one (oops, flaw in the system). This is the fourth panel of experts. Mark, Rosey, Brian, and Karla played experts on lollipops. Allegra was the MC, although she didn't make it into the shot. Mark is explaining how his character survived a horrible lollipop accident. Now we have a couple of shots from the Irish Drinking Songs. I don't remember the topic of this one, but Victoria, Ben, Allegra, Patricia, Karla, and Jim were setting the bar pretty high for the following groups. Here, Rosey, Scott, Scott (yeah, both of them), Lisee (oh man, I hope that's spelled right - I'm already sorry for screwing up the pronunciation of her name the whole night), and Teri. Somehow, I had the 4 brand new players teamed together for the song. Luckily, Teri served as an anchor. They all did great, especially for the first time. Actually, the new players were great all night. ALL of them were quick to jump up on stage when given the opportunity. ALL of them actively participated in the scenes without overwhelming them. I've been pretty impressed with the caliber of new players coming to the workshop. This last shot is from one of the Entrances and Exits games we played at the end of the night. The setting in the shot is a police station, and a police officer (Patricia) is trying to get the confessed murderer (Teri) back to her cell. Another officer is off stage (Lisee), and the interrogating police sergeant (Scott) was basking in his good police work. We went a bit late, but I think the night was worth it.

The Harold, diagramed

2006-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

Dyna Moe at Nobody's Sweetheart is putting together an Improv Infographic that explains a Harold. Roughly in the form of a flow chart, all the phases (beats) are illustrated along with an indication of the flow, timing, and points of focus. It's a pretty fun graphic although she hasn't finished it, yet. It's possible that she'll do other graphics on the elements of a scene. If she decides to make these into posters, I'm buying some!

Humor under the Nazis

2006-09-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

This post doesn't directly address improv performance, improv in Santa Barbara, nor improv techniques. This is more along the lines of my post on Soviet Era humor. I see these as examples of how humor is a common component of the human condition, no matter how horrific or oppressed that condition may be. This post will discuss humor under the Nazis, and if this sounds like too uncomfortable a topic, I understand and would recommend you exit this post now.

A new book is being published in Germany that looks at humor under the Nazis. The book is in German, but there is an English review at the Speigel website.The title translates as Heil Hitler, The Pig is Dead. The Speigel review quotes a lot of jokes:

Hitler visits a lunatic asylum. The patients give the Hitler salute. As he passes down the line he comes across a man who isn't saluting. "Why aren't you saluting like the others?" Hitler barks. "Mein F�hrer, I'm the nurse," comes the answer. "I'm not crazy!"

The book reports that this joke was told openly in the early years of the Third Reich. As with the Soviet era humor, the images are very dark, and in some cases a joke could lead to a death sentence:

Hitler and G�ring are standing on top of Berlin's radio tower. Hitler says he wants to do something to cheer up the people of Berlin. "Why don't you just jump?" suggests G�ring.

The German worker telling this joke was convicted of undermining the war effort and executed in the final years of the Third Reich.

The article gives examples of how jokes changed over the war years, and even discusses the gallows humor of the Jews. Jokes provided a pressure release, and from the safety of our current perspective, they give an insight into the common concerns, frustrations, and fear of the general population. This one was told as the allies were closing in, and the bombing was wiping out German cities:

"What will you do after the war?" "I'll finally go on a holiday and will take a trip round Greater Germany!" "And what will you do in the afternoon?"

Personally, I find it hard to read some of the jokes, even though I generally find this type humor interesting and powerful. The pain behind each situation is really close to the surface and is hard for me to keep distant. And, I've only read the few jokes that were translated for the review. But, I think there is a lot to learn from this book, and when it is translated to English, I'll read it.

Glossary: Questions

2006-09-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

I come from an improv background which advocated NO QUESTIONS. The core reasoning around this rule is based on very sound, scene building principles. A questions doesn't usually add information to a scene. And what's worse, a question typically demands that your partner supply additional, specific information. A question is usually asked to avoid defining something or to avoid providing information. "What are you doing?" is a typical, blatant example. But more subtle examples can be easily found, such as:"Why did you do that?"; "Where are you taking that?"; and "How long have you been there?". All of these accept the partner's offer, but do not add anything to the scene. This is one form of wimping. Instead of asking these questions, the performer should directly provide the answer. "What are you doing?" becomes "Please stop chopping down that tree!". "Why did you do that?" becomes "I hate when you become so competitive". "Where are you taking that?" can become "Mother needs that money, now". And finally, "How long have you been there?" is stronger as "Please don't tell anyone you saw me take the diamond". Each of these statements add more to the scene, giving something to the partner to work with. If you catch yourself asking a question during a scene, you can recover by immediately answering the question. Then it appears like a rhetorical question was asked. In the previous paragraph, each question could have been immediately followed by its strong statement counterpart, creating a 2 line, question/answer dialog that sounds natural. As a final thought, keep in mind the reasoning behind the rule. It's not that all questions are inherently bad. The real issue is whether a question adds information to a scene or requires the questioned player to add information. The question "When are you going to stop making a fool of yourself?" doesn't really require an answer. It adds its own information to the scene. That's the real test of whether a player has avoided wimping.

Recital Scheduled

2006-09-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

It's official. We have Jefferson Hall reserved for the next class recital. Here are the specifics so that you can start letting friends and family know: Date: Saturday, September 30, 2006 Time: 8:00 pm until 9:30 pm Location: Jefferson Hall, 1525 Santa Barbara Street I passed around a sign up sheet at the last class and I'll continue signing people up at the next. If you don't have a chance to sign up and would like to participate, please contact me.

Irony?

2006-09-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing: I'm not sure whether this is an amazingly ironic moment, or a setup by a very clever improvisor in the workshop. We rent a small performance space for our workshop, and I usually arrive a couple of minutes early to start setting up. Last week I unlocked the door, and there on the stage was a table with a lovely vase of flowers. Not thinking beyond the fact that I had to now clear the stage, I moved everything to one side and the class went on. Afterwards, as we were clearing up I put the table and vase back on the stage. At that point, several much more observant players in the class pointed out that this was a physical representation of my classic Yes And talk. That description appears in my previous post on the subject. Well, we were all impressed and amused so we took several photos. I even mentioned at the end of the posting for lasts week's class that there was a special picture which deserved its own posting. You can see that picture at the top of this post. However, in the interim it occurred to me how this was all a bit too perfect. Like maybe it was a setup. Perhaps someone who's heard my talk a few too many times (anyone who's been in the class more than a month) realized how damn funny it would be to put a table with a lovely vase of flowers out for me to accept and perhaps add something. So, which is it. A beautiful cosmic coincidence, or a funny setup that I didn't even get until a week later? Either way it's damn funny.

Class September 13, 2006

2006-09-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

Isn't that a great shot of people just having a good time on stage. And to think, they're all singing. Very cool. It was a big class on Wednesday. Eighteen people showed up ready to risk it all on stage. I was number 19, and we filled the room with some fine short form work. Three were brand new to improv, but each of them enthusiastically jumped up to participate, even for some games that were new to me. Inspired by my search for websites with game listings (see my previous post), I brought several new variations on games we normally use for the workshop. I think they worked out really well, especially for such a large group. In addition to new players and some new games, we also debuted our new curtains. I planned on posting an image as I was building the damn things, but they took so long I never had a chance to stop and photograph them. I think they'll work out fine, but there are a couple of tweaks I still want to make. I'm such an engineer. Okay, that expression on Scott's face makes this scene work for me. I believe he was playing a horse, although during this replay scene there was a critical beat when the horse lifted it's leg. Hmm, I guess we're more urban than I realized. And Victoria made her triumphant return after her adventures in house remodeling, moving, and a trip to the Burning Man event. We missed her, and she came back ready to play. In fact, in this scene I believe she was playing an octogenarian who couldn't quite make it to Burning Man. You know, I don't remember what was actually happening in this scene. but, I like just making up what might have been happening. What I like about this shot is that it doesn't involve me doing push-ups. It was one scene, okay. Don't ask. Once again, a very good night of improv work. I'm always happy to have such enthusiastic new players, especially when they're dragged in by their relatives and on their honeymoon. But, that's a story for another time.

Additional Game List Site

2006-09-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

I've added another website with a list of improv games to the post on improv game sites. I've seen this site referenced, but the links were always broken. I've just come across the current link: The Living Playbook hasn't been updated for awhile (the current list is dated from 2001), but it is a long list of long and short form games along with a glossary.

A List of Lists

2006-09-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

I am thinking about creating a list of critical improv aphorisms or 'rules'. But, I've come across a lot of exisiting lists that are available of the web and before I publish mine, I thought it would be a good idea to reference some other (and possibly better) lists. The first list is The Eleven Commandments of Improv which is found on the Improv Encyclopedia website. They reference Del Close as the source. Here's the list:

You are all supporting actors.
Always check your impulses.
Never enter a scene unless you are NEEDED.
Save your fellow actor, don't worry about the piece.
Your prime responsibility is to support.
Work at the top of your brains at all times.
Never underestimate or condescend to your audience.
No jokes (unless it is tipped in front that it is a joke.)
Trust... trust your fellow actors to support you; trust them to come through if you lay something heavy on them; trust yourself.
Avoid judging what is going down except in terms of whether it needs help (either by entering or cutting), what can best follow, or how you can support it imaginatively if your support is called for.
LISTEN

Another list at the Improv Encyclopedia is named the Ten Commandments. They didn't reference where they found this list. The commandments are:

Thou shalt not block
Thou shalt always retain focus
Thou shalt not shine above thy team-mates
To gag is to commit a sin that will be paid for
Thou shalt always be changed by what is said to you
Thou shalt not waffle
When in doubt, break the routine
To wimp is to show thy true self
(S)he what tries to be clever is not; while (s)he that is clever doesn't try
When thy faith is low, thy spirit weak, thy good fortune strained, and thy team losing, be comforted and smile, because it just doesn't matter.

The third (and last) list at the Improv Encyclopedia is named The Rules. Again, no reference of the source, but here they are:

Trust
Don't negate or deny
Don't ask questions
Make actional choices
Make assumptions
Give and Take
Listen, watch and concentrate
Work to the top of your intelligence

The next list comes from the Pan Theater Improv Theater and is titled The Rules of Improv Part I- the First Ten . The group is from San Francisco, and the article was written by David Alger. Here's the list:

Say "Yes and!"
After the "and", Add New Information
Don't Block
Avoid Questions
Focus on the Here and Nows
Establish the Location!
Be Specific- Provide Details!
Change, Change, Change!
For serious and emotional scenes, focus on characters and relationships
For humor, commit and take choices to the nth degree or focus on actions/objects

David went on to write a follow up article cleverly titled The Rules of Improv Part II. The ten rules in that list are:

Give information to your partner
Listen to your partner
Respond to your partner
See the impact of the response
Look beyond the words
Use more than words
Accept silence and being self concious
Be doing but don't focus the dialogue on what you're doing
Sooner is better than later- Do it now!
Have fun and relax

Dan Goldstein has created a long list consisting of some basic rules of thumb. The article is titled How to be a Better Improviser and the list consists of:

Accept Information: Yes And
Add History
Ask Yourself "If this were true, then what else is true?"
Be very specific
When Beginning Scenes, Cut to the Interesting Stuff as Soon as Possible
Commence with Characterizing Actions
Don't Deny
Enter and Exit with Purpose
The Game of the Scene Should Rhyme and Heighten
Get Behind the Story
Get in Groups when the Number of People on Stage is High
Give Yourself a Suggestion when you Don't ask the Audience for One
Go Against the Voice of Reason
Go Line for Line
Justification
Keep the Focus Human and Onstage
Maintain your Character's Point of View
Don't Make Jokes
Mime Better, Much Better
Play the Opposite Emotion
Provide Information About the Other Person
Raise the Stakes
Take Care of Yourself
Questions Should Give More Than They Take

The Purple Crayon of Yale is the college's improv comedy troupe. They have a list of rules that they call Improv Wisdom. That list consists of 160 rules so I'm not going to duplicate it here. I find lists that long to be be distracting, with only a few of the rules being generally useful or unique. However, I give you the link in case you want to mine it for your own gems of wisdom. By now you are probably cross-eyed from the all of these lists. You can see that there are some common items to all of them. The differences generally define the style of improv performed by the list maker. What's the best list? Well, you know I'm not going to answer that directly. Instead, I'll be putting together my own. You should do the same.

Class September 6, 2006

2006-09-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

There were a lot of great photos from the class last night. Thanks to all the players who picked up the camera and took shots throughout the night. I picked out a set that I believe covers everyone who was at class. Early on, we did an exercise where the dialog could not be about the environment. Here, Alegra, Eric, Marika, and Patrick were at an archeological dig, but discussing Allegra's blindness. Her hand is on his leg. Really! Same exercise, but here Geof and Mike are discussing the lousy gifts they got their mothers. At the same time, they're firemen cleaning up after a big fire. Sol looks rather pained during this Irish Drinking Song, but Ben's just happy it's not his line. I think Phyllis finds Sol more amusing than my directing (yes, that's my hand). Oh yeah, Neil and his new haircut. Sweet. Teri seems amused by his last line in the Irish Drinking Song. I liked this shot of me directing. It looks like I'm about to give some dynamic bit of stage direction or wise advice. This is Eric and Jim during a Three Line Drill. I don't remember what the scene was about, but I love Jim's face in this. A very enthusiastic response. No, Patricia is not flipping off the new guy, Geof. That's her index finger. I think she was actually miming the polishing of her fingernails since she was playing a prostitute being saved by a friend. Okay, I loved the colors in this shot and the looks of sheer boredom. Teri is in the reddish orange, Andy in green, and Allegra in light blue. I believe I was discussing a One Act that they were going to perform, and I had clearly captured their imagination. As I recall they all did quite well. I like this shot because both Phyllis and Justin were clearly having a good time. For some reason, I kept calling Justin by the name of Travis at the end of the evening. I don't have a good excuse, I was just wrong. Sorry Justin. So that was the evening, and it was a good one. There's another shot that we took just after the class, but it deserves its own post, later.

Links to Improv Games

2006-09-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

There are a variety of websites that have lists of improv games. Some are comprehensive lists that are compiled with the help of many contributors. Some are the list of games a particular troupe use for their shows. As of today, Sept. 6, 2006, this list is accurate. I will try and update this post periodically with any changes that I find. Improv games often are known by several names depending on the group referring to it. Also, the game may have several variant methods of playing it. Unfortunately, there isn't a single site that I go to for all games. Some are more comprehensive than others (listed first, below) , and I still review small sites to find any new or unique games. New games and variations are being developed all of the time. Improv Encyclopedia has the most comprehensive list, and provides the games either alphabetically or by categories. They also try and list the games under all known names and variants. I use this site most often. Chicago Improv Network Wiki is a new site to me. They have three lists, Exercises, Longforms, and Shortforms. I really like the layout, but there is a problem with a lot of incomplete definitions. In several cases, a page for a game is exists but without content. I plan on spending some time exploring this site. The Improv Wiki has a small set of games, and doesn't appear to be updated very often. However, it's worth checking in on this one from time to time. Learn Improv has a smaller list, but the descriptions are pretty good and their list is also categorized. Access their lists using the Structures box on the side. The Living Playbook hasn't been updated for awhile (the current list is dated from 2001), but it is a long list of long and short form games along with a glossary. Long Form Stuff Shaun Has ... is a list of long form structures that Chicago's Shaun Himmerick has collected from a variety of source. The descriptions are pretty good although brief. Idiotica has a smaller list, and the descriptions aren't detailed, but they do try to rate the characteristics of each game. Each game is given a score between 0 and 5 for Character, Plot, Timing, Mime, and Group Mind. Fuzzy's Game List is an older list that hasn't been updated for awhile, but is still out there and worth looking over. Mark's Guide to Whose Line Is It Anyway, The Games is a fun site where a lot of the games seen on the Who's Line Is It Anyway TV show are listed. The descriptions are limited, but they include a sample of the dialog. It's a fun list. The Spolin Games list games promoted by The Spolin Center. The group promotes the work of Viola Spolin, one of the founders of modern improv. The descriptions are way too short, but they do give you a sense of the games. FNI Games is a site listing the games played by the FNI (Friday Night Improv) in Pittsburgh. A short list, but I sometimes like seeing this kind of focused list. Improv Games for Rehearsal and Performance is an interesting site that has a short description of a large group of games. I'm not certain who put this list together, but it's a nice list. Improv Games for Kids is a nice little list of improv games that are appropriate for kids.

Postscript: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle

2006-09-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, this should be the last post about Laughingstock 3. Here's a group picture taken by the VATS folks documenting our participation in the festival. From left to right: Mike Gordon, Jim McRobie (kneeling), Andy Devore, Alan Irwin, and Patrick Desnoyers.

REVIEW: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle, Night 3

2006-09-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

Whew! The last night of Ventura Area Theatresports (VATS) Laughingstock 3: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle was a full on, short form extravaganza, and they went out with a very successful bang. They started the same as every night with a Free-For-All. Jim, Mike, Patrick, and I all participated in that first performance, along with players from VATS and Chimps (the Chadwick Improvisors). I think we all had a good time, and I really enjoy the challenge of working with other improvisers. Then it was a Micetro knockdown. There were a total of 3 shows, in an elimination match to determine the Master of the Universe. At least in Improv. And maybe just in our region. And pretty much just Theatresports folks. But still, it was damn good improv, and really funny. There's a better descriptions of the Micetro here, but briefly the idea is a large group of players compete by performing scenes in small groups chosen randomly. Each piece is assigned points by the audience, and all players in that piece are awarded those points. At the end of a match, the top point winners move on the next round. The first two Micetro shows of the night were preliminaries with 12 to 13 players in each match. The players came from VATS, Chimps, Rapid Fire Theatre (the Edmonton guys), and LATS (LA Theatresports). The top 6 from each met in the final match, with some alterations made to accommodate some of the guests. It was a lot of short form improv, and I was pretty tired by the end, but to their credit, that last show just got funnier. At the end, there was a multi-way tie, and frankly I don't remember who won what. It really didn't matter, since it was the end of the festival, and they didn't even bother with any sort of a tie-breaker. They invited all the performers from the entire weekend up on stage for a final thank you, and it was all applause and appreciation. VATS was a great host, and Tom Mueller and Judy Gottlieb deserve a lot of credit. Thank you both. Actually, I'd like to thank several of the folks from the VATS group who were very welcoming and helped put on a great show: Tom and Judy I mentioned before; George Morgan, the piano player who added mood to every piece and made each musical number sound like real show tune; Gary Best who MC'd many of the shows; Katherine Boring and Jim Kasmir who directed Sunday's Free-For-All; and a general thank you to so many of the VATS members who would check in to be sure we had whatever we needed or just to make us feel welcomed.

REVIEW: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle, Night 2

2006-09-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

Wow. Some amazing long form improv on the second night of the Ventura Area Theatresports (VATS) Laughingstock 3: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle. I've got some pictures, so let's get right to it. First, there was a workshop put on in the afternoon that I missed, but a couple of players from Santa Barbara attended. It was taught by Dan O'Conner from the LA Theatresports (LATS) group, and both Andy and Patrick reported that it was terrific. The first show of the evening started at 5:00 and I missed that, also. It was a performance by Straight Up, a youth improv group from Ventura County. I did get there in time for the 6:00 show, which was a Free-For-All consisting of VATS players, some performers from Chimps (the Chadwick Improvisers from Palos Verdes CA), the Rapid Fire Theatre (from Edmonton Canada), and maybe some LA folks. It was a pretty big group (13 players) so I don't quite remember them all. I didn't start taking pictures until it was almost done, so I don't have a good group shot. I do like this shot, which is one of the players from VATS and one of the Edmonton guys (Okay, tonight I'm getting a program and recording everyone's name). Next came the first long form of the evening, titled a Quirky English Comedy. One of the LATS groups put it on, and I enjoyed it. I know it got mixed reviews because it wasn't laugh-a-minute funny. But, it was touching at times, and I enjoyed the characters. I especially liked a couple of scenes where one player had to portray two different characters in the scene at the same time. Everyone supported the technique and I think it played well. Next was a brilliant Operetta put on by VATS along with Tristan from San Diego (as the itinerant podiatrist). This was another long form, where all the dialog was sung in that very distinctive operetta style (think Gilbert and Sullivan). This was funny all the way through and the singing was just so darn impressive! Next up was the most impressive show of the evening and was performed by LATS. I've got several pictures from that one piece, and so I'll spend a bit more time rambling on about it. They started with an extended warm-up that by itself could have been their entire show, and still have been one of the best of the night. It was called My Movie, and consisted of a series of movie titles and pitches made up on the spot. Any pitch that sounded interesting then had a scene performed. It was a high energy piece that they performed for about 20 minutes. Wonderful. Then came their long form performance piece, which was a Tennessee Williams play. I believe their starters from the audience were puberty and wedding. The performance was amazing! A full range of characters, most were important to the plot and really compelling. The main plot was straight forward, but the secondary plots were very well constructed, added nicely to the texture of the characters, and each was beautifully tied up by the end. And this was clearly a Tennessee Williams play. There was the young, naive summer gardener raising money for his coming marriage and who somehow never wore a shirt while in the garden; the man of the house (a dentist) who always had a drink in his hand and had a couple of hidden secrets; his wife (named Frustration) who had bouts of 'sickness' when reminded of her dead daughter (who was named Opportunity, and yes, she did knock at one critical plot point) and who lusted after the young worker; the younger (not dead) daughter (Honesty) who also lusted after the young worker but was convinced by her mother that she wasn't pretty (and who never seemed to be wearing pants); the sheriff looking into the dark secrets of the dentist and his 'tutoring'; 'Big Daddy' who was the patriarch of the family; and the local politician who wanted the wife as his own. There was also a soda jerk who was less involved, but did bring in a few key plot elements. I can't speak highly enough about this piece. In my mind, it's what long form strives to be. Interesting, funny, rich, touching, and memorable. This was a gem in what still would have been a great night. An extra treat. And of course, it didn't end there. Next was an Improv Jam, and it was pretty fun. Players from VATS, Edmonton, LATS, and San Diego put on a series of short form pieces that had some really fine moments. This picture came from a scene where two girlfriends were in a bathroom comforting a young woman at their prom after her date had said a few inappropriate things. A great scene. Finally, the last show of the evening was Jimmy Mooks, a trio of players from VATS that put on a short form show where there are no holds barred. At this point I was pretty tired, so after only seeing a few games, I left for the night. Okay, that's more than enough for now. One more night tonight, which I recommend you get out to see. A few of us from Santa Barbara will join in the Free-For-All at 6:00. Get out there!

REVIEW: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle, Night 1

2006-09-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first night of the Venture Area Theatresports (VATS) Laughingstock 3: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle, and I'd say we all had a great time. Five of the Caught in the Act players joined in the first Free-For-All at 6:00 pm, mixing it up with players from VATS, the Chadwick Improvisors (Chimps) from Palos Verdes CA, and Rapid Fire Theatre from Edmonton Canada. Afterwards, we stuck around to see several really fun improv shows. It started with a traditional Theatresports match which I enjoyed, except of course for the horribly deluded judging (boo! hiss!). Players from VATS, Chimps, and LA Theatresports (LATS) challenged each other to some very funny scenes. And I must say that this show included the best portrayal of a spaceship using a chair that I have ever scene. Ever. Then the Rapid Fire group performed a very funny long form structure. Three very appealing guys spent an hour taking suggestions they fished from the audience (you'd have to see that process to appreciate it) to put together some wonderful scenes, running the gamut from bullies at school to dealing with a delusional girlfriend. There was a Gorilla Theatre competition, which I thought was some of the best improv all night. The four experienced improvisers put on a great show. Three were from the VATS group, and one fellow was from San Diego. For me, he was the hit of the show. When performing, his characters had a riveting physical presence, creating some really wonderful scenes. I believe he won the competition, but who can understand the subtleties of scoring? The night ended with an Improv Jam, where they had 8 players from VATS, Chimps, and Edmonton on stage putting together whatever came to their crazed minds. It lasted about an hour, and although the scenes were risky and didn't always work, they hit to some fun moments, and their enthusiasm really made the show. I'm sorry I didn't get more of the players' names. Tonight I'll try and get a better list, and I may come back and add some to this post. I need to take better notes, but it's all so delightfully distracting. On a final note, I want to thank the VATS organizers, and let everyone know how damn well they treat their guest performers. Besides the logo tee shirts and food, they always made us feel welcome and appreciated. They put on a great festival. Get out there!

Class August 30, 2006

2006-08-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Mikki for snapping pictures through this class. I had a pretty good set to chose from. We had a particularly good night, and it was nice change to have an experienced set of players. I love having new folks come into the workshop, but it's also good to have a small, experienced group. Here's a sample set of pictures.

I liked this ABC scene between Sol, Teri, and Lily. Teri was the counselor as the other two argued over who needed to be seen first.

Ah, the smoking scene. I believe this was also an ABC scene between Andy, Ben, and myself. The setting was a cigarette factory, and Ben was the quality inspector. Luckily, the picture where I was licking the cigarettes was too blurry to publish.

The songs were particularly good this night. That's Andy, Abbe, Karla, Teri, Jim, and Patrick belting out the Irish Drinking Song. I was directing, and that's the back of Ben's head.

This is the start of a 3 line drill, with Andy preparing an emotional setting for Patricia's opening line.

You may have noticed that there aren't the usual curtain panels on the edges of the stage. There's an amusing story behind the missing curtains, but let's just say it was my fault that we now have the opportunity to build some fresh new stage settings!

UPDATE: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle

2006-08-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

I just got word that players from Caught in the Act will be performing at Laughingstock 3: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle this Friday, September 1 at 6:00 pm. That's scheduled to be a Free-For-All, so we'll be mixed in with other players. At this point, the players from SB Improv will be Jim, Andy, Mike, Patrick and myself. There are shows scheduled through the night on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so set aside some time and head on down to Venture.

Rumble in the Comedy Jungle

2006-08-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Ventura Area Theater Sports group is hosting their annual Improvathon this Labor Day Weekend at their Livery Theatre. This year the event is called Laughingstock III: Rumble in the Comedy Jungle. They host an extended weekend of improv shows and events, hosting groups from around California, and this year at least one group from Canada is being featured. Players from our Caught in the Act group participated last year, and we had a blast. Several of us plan on being part of the show, and I hope to get down to watch a lot of great improv. Check out their schedule and get yourselves down there.

Glossary: Yes And

2006-08-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

The term Yes And is a short hand reference to the concepts of Acceptance and Addition. These are core concepts of improv; actually the core concepts of improv. In an improvised scene, the players are building everything from scratch: setting, plot, and characters. It is critical that when one player defines some component of a scene (mimes an object, performs an action, refers to an event, or endows another player with some attribute), all the other players immediately accept that component as a real part of the scene. For example, if I mime placing a table on the stage, it's important that any other players walk around the table rather than right through it. If my partners walk through the mimed table, then the audience can see there is a problem, but what do they believe as the scene goes forward - is there a table, or not? Accepting that the table is now part of the scene is the YES. Beyond just accepting the table, if my partner mimes adding a vase of flowers to the table, then the audience senses a more interesting environment. And there is a subtle expectation that this is an important table and worthy of attention. Adding an object to the table is the AND. I use the physical, mimed example to simplify the concept, but Yes And is even more important to endowments between the characters. If I say the line "you don't pay enough attention to our kids" to my partner, and the response is "that's because we don't have kids!", well that's funny, but where do we go from there? Do we have kids? Do we not have kids? What does the audience understand? Instead, the line "that's because I've never liked our kids" accepts my original premise, and adds more information about the kids and the player's feelings about them. Now we can keep building the scene together. A good example of Yes And. There are a lot of "rules of thumb" for improv, and they cover a range of styles and methods for generating scenes. They're not necessarily hard and fast rules, and most can be creatively broken from time to time. But the concept of Yes And is a core concept to all of improv. Few things can shut down a scene quicker than not accepting, and a scene without additon will often seem lost or random. I'll talk about how Blocking and Denying - the opposite of Yes And - can drag down a scene in another post.

Class August 23, 2006

2006-08-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

I brought the camera ... really, I did! It was broken ... no, really ... ask Andy Rats! So, no pictures this week. Really unfortunate because there was some great physical work. I think just about everyone came up with interesting characters for the Class Picture scenes, and several had great physical traits. And, Emotional Zone kept everyone moving, so the stage picture really held our interest while it kept changing. Okay, and now for my favorite line of the evening (or at least the most notable). Eric threw this out in the middle of a Repeating Scene Changing Genre game:

I been through you like a man with a cream puff in the big one

I believe it was delivered in a Film Noir version of an office scene

Back in Control

2006-08-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

David Razowky has a great little article discussing what to do when a scene has spun out of control. To summarize:

Make sure each line of dialog starts with "You ...", keeping the focus on each other
Be honest when confused or lost
Tell your partner how you feel about them
Slow the scene down - allow silences and work the environment
Don't let anything get by you - react to everything

I like every one of his suggestions, and they should be part of any good scene right from the start.

Caught in the Act, August 19 Show

2006-08-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday's Caught in the Act show was great fun. We had 5 players for this one: Andy, Jim, Mike, Patrick, and myself (Alan). We got 18 games into the hour and half show. We always video tape the shows for the players to review and so here are a few images I was able to capture: This was from a Slideshow scene. I've got to complement Jim for taking the pose on his head, and holding it for Patrick's explanation. All I kept thinking was "Hurry up! Jim's gonna pass out" Eric volunteered to be the Frozen Audience member. As I recall, Jim and Andy were endowing him with trying to pick out a Victoria's Secret gift for their mother. Oh yeah, Patrick was describing the viscous lion that Andy needed to tame as I was petting it. From the Blind Dubbing scene. Our two volunteers, Krista and Mikki, were providing Patrick and Andy with words for their Pillars scene about earthquake safety. Hmm, it will be hard to appreciate this Movie Review scene without having been there. Jim had just consumed Andy's arm while Patrick was singing Hungarian revolutionary songs. Mike and I were reviewing their little art film. In this shot from a Montage scene, we were all consuming Andy's fresh-out-of-the-oven baked goods as he was getting ready to douse us with a glass of water. There's no way the humor translates from my description of these still shots. Still, it was nice for me to relive them while trying. And don't we all just look great in black.

Class August 16, 2006

2006-08-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well, no photos from this class; I forgot the camera. Ah well, next time. We had 5 new players show up this week. They came with a variety of stage experience but not much improv. That made for a pretty fun class, although with 16 people in the workshop right now, our range of experience is pretty broad. We did a few more large group pieces, including 5 Letter Word, Switch Dubbing, and Entrances & Exits. My favorite line for the night (and I appologize for not writing down who delivered it):

My Aunt likes the suppositories

Class August 9, 2006

2006-08-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

Another large class, this time about 16 people. And, the camera became a group tool that anyone could pickup and use to snap a shot or two. So, we had a pretty good selection from the class. Early on, we went through an exercise of hitch-hiker, and this is a shot of Metro, Patricia, and Scott. I don't remember what characteristic Patricia brought into this round, but I appreciate Scott's sneering driver. I included this shot of Allegra, because I wonder if she's like this when just driving around town? Plus, I really dig the red racing stripe on the shoes. I found this shot in the middle of a group of scene pictures, and I think I just like Andy's noggin. You can see Karla in front and Mike behind, with a half shot of Patrick's head. I'm going to assume that Mike is just squinting, and not sneering at what he's seeing. And just what is Colby doing there, under Andy's chin? Okay, this one was shot during a Pillars scene, with Scott and Mike as pillars. I'd say that Shirley is desperately trying to not react to Jim. Metro is delivering the next line of an Irish Drinking Song. I think Eric is swinging a beer stein, rather than taking a swing at Metro. Patricia and Patrick are preparing for their lines and yes, that is my hand, directing with a speed surpassing the capabilities of most digital cameras. There were some other pictures, but I think that's a pretty good representation of the class. Thanks to all the players who picked up the camera and shot a few. My favorite line of the evening was Ben's, who in response to his partner saying something like "...look at you striding in here all full of yourself" responded with "Yes, I do like to stride".

Improv Jam

2006-08-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, generally I focus on Improv as performance, typically comedy improv. However, this just caught my fancy, and I felt like it needed to be shared. It involves an additional (or more correctly, an occasional) pastime of mine. The public announcement is so well written, I'm going to be lifting direct quotes from the webpage:

The Fallen Fruit collective will conduct a Public Jam, in which they collaborate with the citizens of Los Angeles in a communal jam-making session...

The kinds of jam we make will improvise on the fruit that people provide...

This will be happening in LA on Sunday, August 20.

Caught in the Act, August 19

2006-08-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

It's official. Caught in the Act will have a show on Saturday, August 19. It'll be our usual format, starting at 8:00 pm and lasting about an hour and a half. I don't have a list of the players, yet. I'll be putting up a page for the show and sending out an email announcement later this week.

Class August 2, 2006

2006-08-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Pretty big class on Wednesday night with 16 people. Five were new to the class, and most of those came with no improv experience, so we had a night of good, basic work. Andy grabbed the camera, so we have pictures from actual scene work from this workshop! This first one shows Jim and Allegra during a Switch-Dubbing scene. Andre was off stage dubbing Allegra, and Patrick was dubbing Jim. I believe this was a Paraguayan film, involving a beauty shop and a barber. I'll let you figure out the roles from the picture. The second shot shows Mike, Allegra, and Eric (one of the new players) in an Entrances and Exits scene. I don't have many notes on that scene, although I believe there was a ficus plant, a knife, and a light involved.

Unfortunately, most of the other shots were pretty blurry. I selected thesetwo as the most interesting of the acceptable shots.

I think the new improvisers did remarkably well. They were all willing to get on stage and try whatever I threw at them, so there was a lot of trust between the players. We held off of any of the more advanced, open scene work, but that had as much to do with it being such a large class as anything else. We'll try to work in some of the open scene work next week.

Another interesting exercise ...

2006-08-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hmm, another interesting exercise from Bill Arnett at I.O. I really like the way he deconstructs improv and gets to nice little nuggets of improv insight. In his short article, he talks about the tendency to overly focus on coming up with a funny line, rather than staying true to the character we are creating. The lines and actions of our characters are what define them to the audience and they should come from the context of the character. To work on this, his exercise is to ask a player to name 6 things a character might say given their job or relationship. What are 6 things a mother would say? An elementary school teacher? And be specific. Don't give a line that someone from ANY profession would say. Plan on seeing something based on this next Wednesday...

Class July 26, 2006

2006-07-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Look! A picture from the class! If only it were an actual picture from an actual scene. No, I have to admit that this was posed. Thanks to Ben and Karla for taking pity on me when, after the class had just ended, I once again realized I had no pictures. Damn. Anyway, we had a fine class, with 12 folks making a bunch of improv goodness. For the three line drill, my instruction was that the opening line had to be something that the player had actually said or heard in his or her life. We were to start with that bit of reality and see how the scene would open. VERY COOL! Some of the best scene starts occurred, with really powerful lines and strong reactions. And the wants that the players found were great choices. I'd say that I wanted to see every scene all the way through. We'll try this exercse again sometime. Oh, here's another candid shot.

Puppet Improv

2006-07-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, how the heck did I miss this?!? Apparently, at ComicCon, the folks at the Jim Henson Company put on a performance called Jim Henson's Puppet Improv. Here's a clip from the show. After the introduction, they do a translation improv game. The sound isn't great, but you get the idea. I was astounded at their ability to do a nice improv scene, do the puppeteering, and keep those characters physicalizing their reactions. Sweet!

The Correct Way to Improvise

2006-07-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Bill Arnet is an experienced improviser at I.O. Chicago (Improv Olympic) and wrote a short piece about various ways of approaching an improv scene, especially at the opening. It definitely got me thinking, and I plan on trying his "slice from typical life" opening this Wednesday during the last hour. By the way, the heading for this entry is the name of his article, not a policy of the SBIW.

Bomb Scare Actually Second City Prop

2006-07-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is a goofy story with an improv twist. Apparently, a discarded prop from a Second City improv show was mistaken for a bomb in Chicago.

Auction Complete

2006-07-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

That group auctioning off the right to name their performing troupe has successfully completed their auction. The GoldenPalace.com (an on-line gambling site) had the highest bid ($1,385) and has named the group: The GoldenPalace.com Ha Rollers Ouch! Well, the publicity probably made it all worthwhile.

Back in Town

2006-07-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

Whoa! It's been over a week since my last post. I've been hosting family and traveling so no time for keeping up on the latest improv news. I went down to the San Diego ComicCon, and in addition to all the geeky things that happened, I ran into several improvisers. A couple from Vancouver are working in LA, and they'd been meaning to come up to Santa Barbara for some R&R. Hopefully they'll drop in to play sometime. I missed the class last Wednesday, but Victoria took center stage and I'm sure it was a fun night. When I get the low-down, I'll make another post. Maybe someone else was better at getting a few pictures. In the meantime, several items of interest have come across my screen, and I'll try and get them up over the next couple of days.

Hammer & Tickle

2006-07-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, Improv is not about the jokes. We work to avoid "going for the joke" in a scene. The humor comes from the situation, interaction, and relationship. We all get that, right? Good, because now I want to talk about an interesting article that won't really help your improv skills, but instead discusses jokes ... communist jokes. As in jokes told IN communist countries. Wow, did they have some dark sense of humor. This is the lead joke from the article:

A man dies and goes to hell. There he discovers that he has a choice: he can go to capitalist hell or to communist hell. Naturally, he wants to compare the two, so he goes over to capitalist hell. There outside the door is the devil, who looks a bit like Ronald Reagan. "What's it like in there?" asks the visitor. "Well," the devil replies, "in capitalist hell, they flay you alive, then they boil you in oil and then they cut you up into small pieces with sharp knives." "That's terrible!" he gasps. "I'm going to check out communist hell!" He goes over to communist hell, where he discovers a huge queue of people waiting to get in. He waits in line. Eventually he gets to the front and there at the door to communist hell is a little old man who looks a bit like Karl Marx. "I'm still in the free world, Karl," he says, "and before I come in, I want to know what it's like in there." "In communist hell," says Marx impatiently, "they flay you alive, then they boil you in oil, and then they cut you up into small pieces with sharp knives." "But?� but that's the same as capitalist hell!" protests the visitor, "Why such a long queue?" "Well," sighs Marx, "Sometimes we're out of oil, sometimes we don't have knives, sometimes no hot water?�"

The article is somewhat academic, discussing the history and reasons for the jokes. But it is peppered with examples of the jokes being discussed, and most are of the type that cause you to cover your mouth as you chuckle. A bit surprising, a bit tragic, self deprecating, and definitely funny. I guess it appeals to me because the humor lies in THEIR experience, although it is recognizable to me. And that it is humor coming out of the difficulties that they face. There's some parallel with the humor that comes out of really good improv: a reflection of the difficulties in life that are absurd, but recognizable. At least, that's what I find most memorable in really good improv. So maybe this was more about improv than I realized.

Class July 12, 2006

2006-07-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

We had a fairly big class last night; 15 people total. With that big a group, we don't get a lot of open scene work done, but I think everyone is really improving on the three line drill. I find myself wanting to see more of the scenes fully played out. Depending on time and size of the group, I'll do more of the three-line-drill to full-scene exercise. Once again, I brought the camera, but did not take a single picture DURING the class. I snapped a few with people after class, but someone made a very good suggestion that I hand off the camera at the beginning of class. Let someone else shoot pictures. Next time. Actually, speaking of next time, I'll be out of town next week so Victoria will be teaching the July 19 class. I hear nothing but good things after she teaches (uh-oh...) so plan on attending.

Reaction vs. Response

2006-07-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

I just read an interesting article by Jeff Miller titled Emotional Truth in Improvisation. He discusses the problem I see in a lot of improv scenes (mine very much included) where the player is so focused on an interesting response, that he or she loses any real (or believable) emotional reaction to an offer. He deconstructs the Reaction from the Response to an offer, and I think gives a good structure for getting away from over-intellectualizing in a scene. It's a short article, and well worth reading.

Improv Everywhere

2006-07-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

I came across the Improv Everywhere website which organizes what I would call "street improv" in NYC. In their own words, "Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places". I have a real fondness for this form of guerrilla theater, and envy/admiration for what they've already accomplished. I found the court document from their No Pants Case interesting and a bit reassuring that the justice system can allow for some random acts of fun.

Improv Glossary

2006-07-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

There's a pretty good glossary of improv terms at the Improv Encyclopedia. Some of the definitions are a little thin and some are circularly referential (what is advancing?), but overall it's got a lot of good information.

Using all you know

2006-07-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to read Chris Compton's article Every Part of the Buffalo from the playimprov.com newsletter. It's a great discussion of not dumbing down to the audience, not getting caught up in your head, and using what you know in a piece. I particularly liked his suggestion of naming characters using the names of people you know. Using names (actually, the lack of using names) is one of the many challenges I face in a piece (okay, I suck at it).

Auction to name a NY improv group

2006-07-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is wacky. A recently formed New York improv group is having trouble coming up with a name, so they plan on auctioning off the right to name the group. You can read their info at their website, nameourimprovgroup.com. The auction will take place on eBay, starting Monday, July 10, and run for 10 days. I'll keep an eye on this one.

bang. studio

2006-07-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I just came across this group called bang. studio. They've got a level 1 class starting up this Monday, July 10 and I wanted to post a link to it. I don't know much about them, so I can't really say how they compare. They say they've been around 10 years and provide a 'supportive, creative, fun environment'. There are a variety of shows performed at their performance space, and they produce some short videos. Check it out at your own risk!

Class July 5, 2006

2006-07-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

So, last night the class started off with a surprise birthday celebration for me. Thanks to everyone who participated in setting that up. It was very thoughtful and a complete surprise. And, the Kettle Cake was particularly tasty. Out of the 12 players, we had one brand new player, and one who was last with us a couple of years ago. We tried to convince them that we don't have cake every week, but I think WE all started to wonder 'why not?' One of the new players from last week returned this week, which is comforting. I don't think we're all that intimidating. Once again, no photos this week. I tried some shots with my cell phone but was unimpressed with the results. I'll try again next week. No particular line of dialog stood out for me, but all in all it was a good class. I was getting a bit tired at the end - crashing from a sugar high?

IO West Writing Programs

2006-07-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

I just came across this notice from the IO West (the west coast Improv Olympic franchise) about their writing classes. They've got two different level classes starting up this weekend in LA: ================ Last chance to register for the Writing Level 1 class beginning SATURDAY, JULY 8 8 WEEKS / SATURDAYS 12-3 $300 TAUGHT BY JOHN HINDMAN WRITING LEVEL 1 offers a great foundation for all types of comedy writing, sketch comedy, screenwriting, writing for television, etc. In this class you learn the basics of comic structure, premise, writing point-of-view, monologues, finding the joke, satire, parody, writing for ensembles, and establishing a writing routine. If you're starting your writing career or need a great refresher of the essentials, this class is for you! JOHN HINDMAN is the founder of the I.O.West Writing Program, now in its fourth year. John has written for TV & film, and as a story consultant has provided analysis & feedback for studios, producers, and his students. His latest screenplay "The Dream of the Romans" is currently in development at Endeavor. ================ SITCOM SPEC WRITING BEGINS 7/9 8 WEEKS / SUNDAYS 3-6PM $300 TAUGHT BY MICHAEL MCCARTHY SITCOM WRITING teaches you the ins & outs of writing your own sitcom spec script. From conception of the show idea to pitching the story to writing the drafts - all the way to the final draft and staged reading! This class yields a sitcom spec script suitable for submission to agencies, networks, and producers. MICHAEL MCCARTHY has written for 'Saturday Night Live' (for which he was nominated for an Emmy), 'Sesame Street', 'The Drew Carey Show', and numerous other Comedy Central and network shows. He is an alumnus of The Second City Chicago Mainstage and helped start their writing program. He currently teaches the Writing 2, Writing 3, and Sitcom Writing classes for I.O.West's Writing Program. ================ TO REGISTER: CALL THE TRAINING CENTER TO REGISTER WITH A VISA OR MASTERCARD. (323)962-7560 OR REGISTER ONLINE USING PAYPAL: http://www.iowest.com/classes

Ask a Ninja

2006-07-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting site where my worlds collide. Ask a Ninja is a site of very funny videos put together by a couple of LA improvisers. Each video is from 2 to 5 minutes long, and consists of the NINJA answering a submitted question. A new video comes out every couple of weeks. I've watched these for a while, but I recently heard the creators talk about their start at the LA Second City, and how much of their work is improvised. They're a pretty successful web content site and they report a viewership of about 350,000. Their stuff is very creative and funny, and they put it together on a shoestring. Check it out.

John Kinde, Humor Power

2006-07-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

John is a magician, improvisor, teacher, speaker, businessman, and all around damn nice guy. He's also a prolific writer and marketer. Part of his improv education happened with SBIW, but he's someone who went out and actively educated himself on improv, and then built an environment in which he could continue to learn and perform. The Santa Maria improv group that he ran had some of the biggest improv audiences I'd worked with up to that time, and the performances were great. He was always welcoming, and encouraged the Santa Barbara group to come up and participate. I was sorry to see him move to Las Vegas, but could count on him to put together a significant improv community. So I was pleased to be toodling around the Web and discover his web site, Humor Power. I just subscribed to his newsletter and read some of his articles. He does a good job of pulling together what he's learned into a very approachable style. Check out some of his articles. And, whenever you are in the Las Vegas area, check out his group's public shows.

San Francisco Improv Festival

2006-07-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

There are still a couple of weeks left for the San Francisco Improv Festival. This festival has been going from June 15 and has shows through July 29th, so if you are up in the bay area during that time, check out the ensemble performance schedule. There are still a couple of workshops, so check in on the workshop schedule if you are interested.

Comic Theory in the Sixteenth Century

2006-07-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

In future posts, I plan on discussing various improv related books that I have and am willing to lend out to anyone in the Workshop. However, as I was cleaning out a bookshelf today, I came across something I forgot that I own and just have to mention. Comic Theory in the Sixteenth Century by Marvin T. Herrick. This little gem was published in 1964 by the University of Illinois Press, Urbana and has a copyright notice of 1950! The preface is dated 1949. Let's face it, you wont find any tips for spicing up your characters, or providing better support to your fellow actors. But, if you're looking for a discussion of Julius Caesar's examination of Greek theories of the laughable and its influence on Quintilian's Renaissance theories of the ridiculus (I kid you not, pp 37-38 in a section titled The Risible) then I'd be happy to loan you this book. And, in keeping with the educational nature of this blog (from Dictionary.com): ris�i�ble (rz-bl) adj.

Relating to laughter or used in eliciting laughter.
Eliciting laughter; ludicrous.
Capable of laughing or inclined to laugh.

Improvability on Hiatus

2006-06-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

I got a call back from Marc Shaw at Improvability, and he says that the group is on break for the summer. So they won't be putting on a show until October. Rats. He's moved out of the area, so it may be a different cast of characters that picks it up again in the fall.

Stephen Colbert and Yes-And

2006-06-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

On June 3, 2006 Stephen Colbert gave the commencement address at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. You can find the complete transcript, at Alternet. Towards the end, he said the following:

So, say "yes." In fact, say "yes" as often as you can. When I was starting out in Chicago, doing improvisational theatre with Second City and other places, there was really only one rule I was taught about improv. That was, "yes-and." In this case, "yes-and" is a verb. To "yes-and." I yes-and, you yes-and, he, she or it yes-ands. And yes-anding means that when you go onstage to improvise a scene with no script, you have no idea what's going to happen, maybe with someone you've never met before. To build a scene, you have to accept. To build anything onstage, you have to accept what the other improviser initiates on stage. They say you're doctors -- you're doctors. And then, you add to that: We're doctors and we're trapped in an ice cave. That's the "-and." And then hopefully they "yes-and" you back. You have to keep your eyes open when you do this. You have to be aware of what the other performer is offering you, so that you can agree and add to it. And through these agreements, you can improvise a scene or a one-act play. And because, by following each other's lead, neither of you are really in control. It's more of a mutual discovery than a solo adventure. What happens in a scene is often as much a surprise to you as it is to the audience.
Well, you are about to start the greatest improvisation of all. With no script. No idea what's going to happen, often with people and places you have never seen before. And you are not in control. So say "yes." And if you're lucky, you'll find people who will say "yes" back.
Now will saying "yes" get you in trouble at times? Will saying "yes" lead you to doing some foolish things? Yes it will. But don't be afraid to be a fool. Remember, you cannot be both young and wise. Young people who pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don't learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying "yes" begins things. Saying "yes" is how things grow. Saying "yes" leads to knowledge. "Yes" is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say "yes."
And that's The Word.

Applied Improv Network

2006-06-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

I came across this group a couple of weeks ago, and they're doing interesting work with improv. They are the Applied Improv Network, and the're focused on applying improv skills in organizations. The key sentence from their mission statement is:

Our members are business professionals and academics who use improv tools, experience, and theory for human development and training in communities and organizations.

They've been around a few years and their blog has recent entries. They also have a conference coming up in San Francisco, scheduled for Novemeber.

LA Based Online Improv Magazine

2006-06-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

Playimprov.com is an online magazine that's focused on the LA improv scene. It has class and performance calendars from a variety of groups, some of which are outside of the LA area. There are quite a few articles and short videos, a forum, and an Amazon based bookstore. All in all this is a fairly diverse and interesting site.

Class June 28, 2006

2006-06-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

A fun class with three new people attending. I always like having beginners, because it forces us to go back to basics, and gives the more experienced folks the challenge of really supporting a fellow player who may be struggling. One of those improv basics - Save your fellow actor, don't worry about the piece. I planned on taking some pictures for the new website (still in process) and even brought my camera. After warning everyone that I'd be taking shots, I promptly forgot the whole thing and never even brought the camera out. Drat - next time. My favorite line of the night came during a 5 letter word scene. The suggested word was CRUDE and at one point Allegra used the line Unctuous Bastard! For everyones edification, I got the following defintion from Dictionary.com unc�tu�ous (ngkch-s) adj.

Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness: �the unctuous, complacent court composer who is consumed with envy and self-loathing� (Rhoda Koenig).
Having the quality or characteristics of oil or ointment; slippery.
Containing or composed of oil or fat.
Abundant in organic materials; soft and rich: unctuous soil.

We learn so much from our fellow improvisors.

The New Improv Page

2006-06-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

The New Improv Page website tries to keep current with improv groups, festivals, and workshops all over the world. Their games list is actually a set of links to other sites that maintain their own game lists. They've also got a pretty handy RSS feed to notify you of any additions or changes to their lists. Pretty cool reference site!

Improv Encyclopedia

2006-06-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

One of the more complete lists of improv games that I've found on the web is at http://www.humanpingpongball.com/. I use it as a resource for planning a class or a show. You can download a PDF of the games, but since they're still adding content, I browse and perform searches right on the site.

Improvability

2006-06-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

There is another performing group in the Santa Barbara area, out at UCSB: Improvability. They have two shows on Friday nights. The first show is at 8:00 pm, and the second show starts at 9:30 pm. I've not been to a show myself, but folks who have say that the show is great. Also, I've worked with one of the players (Tawnie) as a member of Caught in the Act and she's a wonderful improvisor, so go check out a show. I just revisited their website and they had a big 24 hour improvathon over the June 2-3 weekend, but the site hasn't been updated since then (other than some unfortunate spam on their forum). So, it's possible they are off for the summer since it's a student group.

VATS

2006-06-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

The Ventura Area Theatresports group has been around for a long time and is run by a very talented group of folks. They are part of the Theatresports� franchise (Keith Johnstone's group), and I highly recommend their performances and their workshops. The same folks also operate the Livery Theatre and so you can check in at http://www.liverytheatre.org/ for the latest info. Currently, their open workshops are on Saturday morning and Monday evening, and their shows are generally on Friday and Saturday evenings.

2006-06-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! Three years, one month, and 20 days later - a new post! Actually, the whole blog has gone through a revision. A lot has change in both blogging technology and blog culture over the last few years, so it's time to step up and see what can be made of this little stagnant pond. The Santa Barbara Improv Workshop has been active all this time, and is still meeting on Wednesday nights at 7:30 pm. We're now at Jefferson Hall, and you can visit our website for more information. Yes, yes...the website is still stuck with 2003's look and feel (and it wasn't so nice then, either) and I'll be updating that, next. Caught in the Act is still performing. The last show was Saturday, June 17th 2006, and although we haven't scheduled the next one, it should be within the next two months. More about that group in a later entry. In fact, this is enough of an entry to test the new look and feel, so I'll sign off for now.

2003-05-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been some time since I've gotten back to this, but it's not for a lack of class activity! We've continued to meet each week, and the turnout has been great. The last couple of weeks, we've been averaging 9 players. The big news is that Caught in the Act has a show scheduled for Thursday, May 15th. We'll be at the Loise Lowry Davis Center starting at 8:00 pm. That's at 1232 De La Vina, at the corner of Victoria. $5 at the door. Should be fun, and it sounds like it will be a big crowd.

2003-03-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

Well, although we were scheduled for Classroom B last Wednesday, we ended up in C (we traded with another group), and it was probably just as well. It keeps us further from the bookclub, and less likely to disturb them (they said both nights of our workshops were fine for them). And so, we have passed our probation and have reserved our place there at least through September! That's right, we have a semi-permanent home at the Unitarian Society for now. Although I took pictures Wednesday, there were only two which weren't blurry, and both were of Jim, Mark, and Dave (those photogenic guys), and both were from the same game. I decided not to post them yet, but will start collecting these one-off pictures for a collection page. Despite our lack of photographic documentation, it was still a pretty fun night. We even got through a couple of one-acts. Okay, they weren't the best of the genre, but it's been awhile since we've even attempted a one-act, and it was nice to try and get through the form. Much like the song, this is something everyone will get better at with some practice.

2003-03-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday's class was at our new location, the Unitarian Society. Although a bit small, and I don't know that we've got the layout quite right yet, it will be nice if this can evolve into a regular location for us. Before I talk more about the last class, this next one (March 19th) will be at the Unitarian Society, but we will be in Classroom B. It's closer to the main entrance area, and for those that came on Wednesday, you passed it just before going into the back. I'll post signs again, but it will take fewer, since you will probably see us from the sidewalk. The bookgroup in classroom A said we weren't a problem, but that was when we were in Classroom C. Classroom B is right next to them, and so we'll see what happens this time. I posted some pictures from the class at the web site, but the quality is much lower than the original set. I suspect the camera, so I'll go back to the original one, next time. We had a good mix of pieces, warming up with Character Intro's, then Pantomime Box, and One Word Story. We played 5 letter word, Standing-Sitting-Bending, Assigned Quirks, and 1st Line-Last Line. And the two Songs we did this week were great! We got a fair bit of long-form in also, with a 3 Line Drill, Montage, and even a bit of a One Act. A pretty good class, actually. And welcome to Susan, who was new to our workshop, but clearly experienced with doing improv. Some good work, and she was the first one up for just about every piece! Also, welcome back to Chuck who we haven't seen for about a year now. He's still got game. Rounding out the group was Andy, Chris, David, Jim, Mark, and Mike.

2003-03-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, some breaking news. We now have a site for this coming Wednesday (March 12), and perhaps a more permanent location. It's at the Unitarian Church (1535 Santa Barbara Street), in classroom C. Their manager and I decided that we'd try it this week first to see if it works out. It's a classroom for kids, and it's in the back, so it's not visible from the street and a little tricky to find. There's another classroom that I would have preferred (classroom B), but a book group meets next door, and our concern was the noise we generate, and whether that would disturb them. And so the "trial" week. Classroom C is reserved on the 19th, but is available after that, so we may be in another location for just next week. It may be that we are in a different classroom but on the same site. Again, we'll see how this works, and decide whether we want to keep looking. I'll be positing the address and directions to this classroom on the web site this weekend, but I wanted to post something here, as sson as I had it confirmed (I've got the key, gave them the check for this week, etc.). I'm sorry we had to cancel on the 5th, but I'm glad we've got something this week. And, even better, it will be nice if it turns into a permanent site.

2003-03-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

Two major points in this update. First, class last Wednesday was pretty good, despite an exercise that was tough. We warmed up with Character Intros, then Slap-Clap-Snap Association, and a One Word Story. We then did some good, basic exercises: Hitch-hiker, Mutant, and Gift Giving. The tough one was Scene in 2 locations. It's a mind twist, but it's an exercise that really challenges your ability to justify offers. We did a couple of Irish Drinking Songs. In the advanced part of the night, we got the chance to do some Long Form work, starting with a 3 line drill, then doing a Montage that was stopped after 3 lines to establish wants, and the scene continued until the end. That had some great work. There were 9 people in class class this week, but I didn't bring the camera, so no pictures this time. Okay, the big issue right now is our lack of a meeting location. The Louise Lowry Davis center is only available one week in March (the last week), and so far the Carrillo Rec Center and the Westside Community Center don't have space available on Wednesday nights. I'm still checking out other sites, so be sure to check in for the latest updates on locations. I'm starting an email list just to let people know the plans as they are made.

2003-02-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

The class last night class was fun with 7 folks besides myself attending. You can check out some pictures I've posted. Jim, Mike, Andy, Mark, Tawnie, Chris, Peter, and I warmed up with a Story Introduction and Big Bootie. Then a pretty good session of short form games, including Last Letter, Emotional Mirror, Movie Review, Evil Twin, and a Song (the Irish Drinking Song). After that we moved on to some long form work: a three line drill and then Mortgage in London (a montage form) with the laundromat as our location. A pretty good night.

2003-02-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today is the start of the Santa Barbara Improv Blog. The intent is to post summaries and photos from each workshop, announcements for upcoming shows, and any other announements of interest to the SB Improv community. Well, that's the intent, anyway. Alan