Our Friend Jeremiah

[Jeremiah77]

Hi. My name is Jeremiah. I fancy myself an improvisor but I haven't been doing much improvising lately. I think overall I consider myself a character actor. Although lately I feel the majority of my time has been spent on temporary administrative assistance. I thought I'd start this journal to share my experiences and any tips I learn as I get out of this day-job depression and pursue greater things.

A little backstory: I grew up in Massachusetts, New York City, Massachusetts (Cape Cod), Another Masshachusetts (Quincy). I went to college in Tennessee--a school commonly known as Sewanee, formally known as The University of the South. I flip flopped through a variety of majors and eventually graduated a Theatre Arts major. In between my junior and senior years I took a summer conservatory at Michael Howard Studios, here in the city. During that conservatory I took a variety of acting and technique classes and the most fun I had was in an improv class by David Matthew Prior (I think he just goes by two of these names now but I forget which ones). The bulk of the class was just two person scenes where the two people were given a situation. Not only was this class fun to perform in I enjoyed watching the work of my fellow students--unlike the scene study class where I would be interested but not engaged. So I finished the conservatory, all proud of all the new skills I picked up and went back to college.

Senior year was fun. Our school got all of Tennessee Williams money when a member of his estate passed away and had finished building the Tennessee Williams Performing Arts center. It was cool. I really liked doing theatre in college because, it was a small school and all different types of people would come see it. I feel in New York, the people who come check out your shows are people are fellow performers, people within your circle. In a small town in the middle of nowhere everybody came. I miss that.

I moved to NYC right after college, like the after graduation to start my new life. During my senior year I auditioned for Julliard and got a callback. I felt like that was a mandate to be an actor.

I feel like I've dug myself in a hole. I feel like I have to chronologically explain everything now. Screw that. That was in 1999, I don't feel like describing the last 4 years of my life. I just want to set up where I'm coming from.

So in New York, I studied with David Matthew Prior some more and thought that improv was A)the most fun and B)the classes themselves were some of the best theatre I had seen. I eventually saw a free show of ASSSCAT at the UCB. I thought it was awesome! I took UCB level 1 with Mullaney and had a blast and then sometime later took level 2 with Delaney. I tried to get into a level 3 once--a couple times I think--but the lines and scheduling and stuff. That was a while ago. I'd like to get more into improv.

I've done a variety of shows since I've been here. I'm a member of a vaudevillian comedy troupe, founded by popular Chicago Clown Joel Jeske, called the Golden Age. I've also written a couple scenes that we've done. It's fun. It's all physical comedy and very broad. Some people refer to me as a clown but I've never really had any clown training so I refer to myself as a character actor. In the Golden Age shows, I usually have the part--how do I describe this--my parts are like the outside characters in the Three Stooges movies. In one show I played this "New York" actor who would stop the show and demand to audition for them. In the previous show I played a stagehand who appeared in different scenes as different characters.

My boss is coming, gotta go!

 

[Jeremiah77]

CORRECTIONS: I got the name of one of the improv groups wrong, it was Late Night Ritalin. And cubicle song woman is named Sara Schaefer. It's a very funny song. And I don't even work in a cubicle, I work in an office. With old ladies. Who wear baggy clothing. One of them smokes. The other one whines.

 

[Jeremiah77]

I just saw that Movie "Rundown," with The Rock. It was awesome! I thought it was a real fun action flick. The Rock has real good presence on film. I think its true that people who get their start performing front of crowds (in his case wrestling--it's a form theatre) really transfer well to film. Its cool to see that, it gives me hope that my theatre experiences here in New York will pay off one day.

I shot some video footage this morning and I think I'm going to edit into something. I shoot a lot of solo videos of myself for my website, www.jeremiahmurphy.net I think I need to graduate to having two people scenes. I kind of like the little solo jobs too. It's like once I get an idea for a character sketch or short little story, I can shoot it, edit it, and put it up on my website all on my own. I kind of like that freedom. But I think I need other input. What I like about theatre and improv is the collaborative process. I like seeing other people's work and how it mixes with mine.

I got moved to another desk at my bogus temp job. I start there tomorrow. It took the guy ten minutes to explain to me everything I needed to do then he told me he basically spends the day on personal calls and web surfing. I hate temping, I really have to push forward and get out there and audition. This temp job just lulls me into a safe place. i need to shake things up and change stuff around. If anybody has any ideas I'd more than welcome them. In the next couple days I am going to put together a plan. Something to steer me.

I guess this is kind of a boring entry.

 

[Jeremiah77]

I'm Organizing A Prison Break Out

Today at my temp job I started at a new desk. I am now assiting the Philosophy Department as well as Pan African Studies. This is much better than the Office of the Provost that I was in before. As a matter of fact they hired a new temp to replace me in the Office of the Provost and bumped me up here. I don't know if they didn't like the job I was doing down there or if i would be better suited up here. Regardless, I'm glad I'm up here. There's hardly anything to do. I can get my mind set on making a plan to leave this temping world and get some solid acting work. I know, the stuff of dreams, but I have to break out of this temping routine. I don't think the answer is another temp job, I think the answer is another line of work. I was thinking about quitting to temp here but then I just figured I would get stuck in some other dopey temp job.

I feel kind of hypnotized from my day to day routine. One of the reasons I started this journal was to put myself under some sort of scrutiny and give myself somebody to report to about my progress with my acting career.

Today, I have browsed through the seminars on Actors Connection. A lot of people say its sleazy to pay casting professionals to meet them, but I think its about as valuable as doing a massmailing and it costs around the same to see somebody at actors connection that it would to do a mass mailing and you know you're going to meet someone. I haven't done it in a while.

I edited a video I made last night and I lsot a whole bunch of edits I made when iMovie unexpectedly quit. TIcked me off. I didn't lose the footgae just how I had cut some of it up. Annoying.

I plan to put some videos together and mail them off. I have little short video projects that I mkae and try to put under two minutes so I can mail the better ones off to casting people. I've only done this a couple times, with no response but I think if I keep at it, someone will notice me. My plan is to include a bag of microwavable popcorn in it. My friend who's pals with a personal manager said that the manager once got a headshot and resume with a $5 Starbucks card. And she called the person in. So that got me started on thinking that I need to devise some gimmicks. A couple of my short term goals are to get a commerical agent and to get a spot on Law and Order. I made up this Law and Order audition tape, which I think is funny, and put it on my website. Check it out if you want. I also made one for West Side Story which is just absurd. It's on my site, the link is in my signature at the top of the journal.

 

[Jeremiah77]

Dear Student,

Your sighs and rolling your eyes mean nothing to me. I could care less if your journey to find a new academic advisor has turned into quite the ordeal. Really. I'm a temp and the person you spoke to before is no longer at this position. Speaking to me in commands will only make your situation worse. If I don't know where a stupid piece of paper is, I don't know where it is. Why don't you try calling the professor yourself and asking where the form is. Please. I have emails to write. Get out of my office.

Sincerely,

Jeremiah

 

[Jeremiah77]

Other Correspondence

Dear Other Departmental Assistant,

Thank you for bringing me the envelope that wasn't supposed to be in your office. The faculty member to whom the interdepartmental envelope is addressed is not in this department. The envelope says Psychology and this is the Philosophy department. Yes, I know the person is not in your department. He or she is not in my department either. This is Philosophy. Psychology is upstairs. No, I don't care if you just send it back. That interdepartmental envelope will in no way influence anything on the business of this very small and often ignored department. Yes, I know he or she is not in your department. Yes, send it back. Send it back. Get out of my office.

Sincerely,

Jeremiah

 

[Jeremiah77]

I don't like the word troupe. As far as naming groups of people who do improv together on a regular basis, I guess team is the best word. But the term improv troupe suggests to me a bunch of people who perform at a state fair. I see a group of people marching in a line with someone bringing up the rear holding a big trunk of costumes, while they sing some Ren Fair type song. There's some guy with a drum and some woman with a big pageantry dress. That's a troupe. Improv group sounds bad. "Hi, this is my improv group." If someone said that to me I would think that they sit on the floor in a circle after every improv show and talk about how their life is progressing. Like group therapy or something. I guess team is the best word, but I always ask people in improv teams "did you win?"

I have to confess I refer to my vaudeville comedy company thing as a comedy troupe. But I should stop. Troupe sounds so folksy.

 

[Jeremiah77]

I just had a meeting with the Pan Africa Studies department, it's one of the departments I'm temporarily assisting. I almost fell asleep. It was a lunch, I didn't need to be there but the assistant who I'm replacing who has gone back to his original job really told me I had to go. So I sat at the table with nothing to say and laughed at the program director's jokes. That made me angry that I was being such a cheeseball. If I'm going to be a cheeseball to anybody, it should at least be to someone in casting. I am so tired after that lunch I just want to pass out in Riverside Park. But if I do that, I'll wake up stripped clean with nothing but questions and mysterious sensations.

I called Actors Connection yesterday to schedule some seminars. They told me I had to agree to their new policies. I did it over the internet but never called them back. I was lazy and it was late in the day. I'll probably call them this afternoon. I have to meet with the head of Pan African studies again at 2pm.

Here's my dilemma today. I went to lunch with Pan African studies at noon. That lasted until 1:15pm. I have to meet the director of Pan African studies at 2pm. When am I going to take my lunch?

I'm a little curious about these similar threads listed below. Does this mean these people have similar lives to me? I don't feel like finding out.

 

[Jeremiah77]

We had a read-through of a new Golden Age script last night. Have I explained the Golden Age yet? I think I have. It's a vaudeville-physical comedy group (team) that I'm a part of. We've done a few shows over the past year or so and if I may cast aside my modesty, we've gotten some good press. This new show kind of combines all of our shows together. I don't know when we will do it. But it should be a good one. I kind of like getting the idea for a show and then doing it three weeks later. But that's now how've operated in the past. I guess its good to plan things out. This type of show isn't really a fly-by-seat-of-your-pants type of deal to perform. There's props, physical routines, and all of the humor depends on rapid timing. I noticed in the script a lot of my lines are said to be improvised by me. I think that'll be fun. That's what we sort of did when I did this character before. I play this New York actor who volunteers when they ask for a volunteer participant. I'm supposed to bullshit how great I am and stuff, it's pretty fun. I like playing cocky jerks.

Today's dilemma at the office is that we have way to many five gallon drums of Poland Spring water and I think they are charging us for some that we don't have. The bill is due on October 10th. They assistant who I'm temping for because he went back to his old desk told me that he cancelled the service before this bill came. I'm a little confused. Hopefully we can straighten out the situation today.

Back to the read through I had last night. I had to read for another part because the writer wanted to listen to the script spoken and he is in the show. It was fun. I'm one of the lesser appearing characters which is fine with me. I like performing small funny strong parts that leave a mark in the show and leave people saying, "Who was that guy and why wasn't he in the show more?" I feel like I'm more suited for those type of roles and I feel like I can do a better job at them. I totally think I could carry a show or a film (to the Hollywood producers who are reading this), but if we're talking about what I'd prefer to do in a show, I prefer to be a shiny gem in a crown instead of the crown itself. Not that I like the spotlight only on me when I'm on stage. Why I pursue theatre instead of stand up comedy is I likeperforming with others. Most of the fun of theatre is reacting off others and seeing how others react off of you, whether the others be the audience or the performers. I think that's why I favor performing over writing. I love to write but its not as much fun as it is working with others to make something. Does that sound hokey? I think I have an insecurity about sounding sentimental. I like writing things to be performed (should I say I like writing drama?--THAT sounds hokey).

 

[Jeremiah77]

Subway Pass

The other night as I was riding home on the train from my buddy's house, some woman made a pass at me on the train. This is what happened, the train jerked forward. She slid in her seat and bumped into me. She said something like "I'm sorry." I mumbled something like "It's all right." And then she goes, "Can I get a little closer?" and slides closer to me. I ignored her and pretended it didn't happen. She had a shopping bag full of roses, mostly yellow. After a few seconds she pulled away. I wasn't really interested in her but was flattered. I felt like asking her about all the roses she had but didn't want to give her the wrong impression and for the rest of the trip feigned that I was dozing off to give her the impression that I was stoned and that's why I was unresponsive. You see, I am quite the gentleman.

If anyone wants to check out some improv tonight, check out "Crazy Bitches" at The PIT. That Stacy Mayer is a real character.

 

[Jeremiah77]

I just wrote a really long entry and lost it. It was about how I thought the New York Times was lousy for accusing Arnold Scwarzenegger of being a Nazi. It took me like a half hour. It was good. And now its gone. I'm going back to bed. I have a headache.

 

[Jeremiah77]

Rock And Roll, Baby!

The office had $450 in petty cash. I just deposited it into their account. Why didn't I go to Atlantic City? How fun of a Monday would that be? Doubling the xerox money. Somewhere a God is weeping over such a wasted opportunity. "So many bad things happen in the world, the God is saying, "and I want everyone to have some fun once in a while--but you blow it."

The bursar's office, the people who take money and establish the lines of credit here at the college didn't give me a receipt. They said they'd mail it in the mail when they process it. I hope so, I realized that I--the temp-- would totally be the fall guy if the money was missing. I'm not paying that stuff if it shows up missing.

I took a money management class taught by Alan Corey, at The PIT this weekend. It was cool. I never talk about my money, I always kind of treat it like a mystical force that gives and takes away. But it was really cool to like talk about my money and see what was going on with it.

I've never been to The PIT before. I liked it. I also signed up for a Level 3 Improv class there with Ed Herbsman, which I'm excited about. I'm also considering a sketch writing class. But don't want to over do it. I'll think about it more today.

I had this dream last night that I was with my friend. In the dream he was meeting this drug dealer to buy drugs. We had to wait on the park bench. The drug dealer came and there was some sort of disagreement between my friend and the drug dealer. And the drug dealer was all calm and angry at the same time. Very business. And he goes to me and my friend, "You and you are coming with me." And somehow I ended up owing the drug dealer money even though I wasn't part of the deal at all. It really scared me because I thought he was going to come to my house and rough me up. It was one of those dreams where I had to wake up and convince myself that the dream was just a dream. I had another one of those last week, but I forget what it was about.

On Saturday, I saw this cool band, Cecilia, play at the Knitting Factory. I had a blast. I haven't really been into the live band scene since Ronny Ray-Gun came to the Sigma Nu house at Sewanee. (FYI: I wasn't a Sigma Nu. I wasn't anything.) I really had fun at the band. There was this one guy who was really cheering them and it kind of got on my nerves but then I started cheering a little bit too and had fun. My favorite cheer I did was when the band came on for an encore and was like "we don't know what song to sing." And I was like, "ROCK AND ROLL, BABY!" And my friend totally said she heard the woman say, "it sounds like somebody wants some rock and roll." But I didn't hear it, but my friend heard it so it happened. I am officially cool. Holy shit.

I would like to be the guy in a rock band who sings all the high-pitched throw away lines. I saw School of Rock this weekend and am now all into Rock and Roll.

My promise to myself this week is to not buy lunch, but to make it every day. I didn't make my lunch today. The peanut butter, the jelly, and the wilted celery of my fridge told me to forget about promises. But I think I may meet my Mom for lunch today. If not, I'll just buy some groceries and finagle a lunch out of that. Rock and Roll, Baby!

 

[Jeremiah77]

The Untold Story of Friday Night

I have to warn you that before you read the following story that after reading it you will be incredibly jealous of me. If you can handle that, read on, my friends:

This Friday night while I was hanging out with a lady, I went to go use an ATM in a deli and a twenty dollar bill was sitting there in the machine. I took it and we had a lovely dinner at The Chili Company, located next to the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

Twenty bucks. For free. All mine.

I recommend the ginger chicken chili.

You know what I'm saying, people?

 

[Jeremiah77]

The chimes...The chimes!

Who are you? Seriously, who are you? And why do you hang windchimes outside of your apartment's window when you live in an apartment building with other people all around you.

ding-a-ling-a-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling, ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling

COME ON!!!

You live in an apartment building, everybody can hear the damn chimes! What are you thinking? That they just give you peace and serenity? It's bad enough we have the opera teacher with the successful business and the dude with his own private dog pound not to mention the depressed R and B fan who plays the same song on repeat and blasts it, but now we got some guy with wind chimes?!

ding-a-ling-a-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling, ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling

Who are you? Seriously, dude. Hang a dreamcatcher on your window or something. Those are peaceful and quiet. All you're doing is making me turn C-SPAN on a little louder, the opera teacher telling his students to be louder, the dogs to bark, and the who thinks life is cruel to blast that "I'm beautiful song" so the whole building can feel sorry for him.

Seriously, dude. Wind chimes? It's the Autumn, man. The damn thing's going to be chiming all the time. Be a bro.

 

[Jeremiah77]

Let the game of wits begin!

Someone with another journal just PM'd me and said that she just wrote an entry so she could have her journal listed before mine.

Well, then two can play that game.

I have resolved this week to actually stop pretneding that I'm not a starving artist and stop buying my lunches. My overall goal is to prepare the majority of meals on my won, but I'm going to focus on lunches this week, It'll save me around $50. So today, I brought in yogurt, oatmeal, bread, and mustard. And baby carrots. I didn't have any sliced emet at home so i thought i could go to the grocery store and pick up some sandwiche fuilling meet. You know?

So the oatmeal and the yogurt were supposed to be my breakfast, because if I have breakfast then I won't be the hunger starved demon I usally am at the noon hour.

So I put some hot water in the oatmeal and added some yogurt. It was very filling but I was incredibly nervous that someone was going to see me eating yogurt and oatmeal and go, "What the hell are you eating? you can't that in the office? You look like a baby? You want a booster seat, baby?"

And I'd like apologize for my yogurt and oatmeal. Can you imagine actually apologizing for what you are eating? Can you imagine? That would be the worst.

 

[Jeremiah77]

Projects and Excuses

I am currently in the process of putting together a dance piece to the tune of the Lowes Theatre jingle. Do you know it? It goes like this, "Thank you for coming to Lowes, enjoy the show!" I can't get this song out of my head and would like to choreograph me rocking out to it. I envision me spinning around in a circle with freem arm movement. it will be quick but furious, very intense. It will be performed in my apartment, by myself. Does anybody know where I can get a recording of this music?

I saw an episode of Conan O'Brien once where they had a dancer do a piece to the music of the NBC Evening news. It was really funny. The performer was entirely committed. I really like dance. I'm not that well versed in it and I do find it intimidating to perform, but it's pretty cool.

Here is a list of excuses you can use if you are late to work or any other engagement.

1. Somebody was moving in, two doors down from me.
2. It was raining and I forgot my umbrella so I had to go home.
3. I got half way here and remembered I forgot my keys.
4. I'm not late, you told me to be here at this time, remember?
5. What time is it? Oh, shit! I'm sorry. My watch stopped.
6. Would you believe my alarm clock didn't even go off?
7. My mom's in town and she just wouldn't let me leave.
8. I'll just take the time off my lunch break.
9. I had an errand to run beore work and I had NO IDEA it would take so long.
10. My father is a VERY influential DA, so watch it?
11. I was up late watching the emmies. My bad.

 

[Jeremiah77]

www.drawyourboss.com

Yesterday, I made this website entitled www.drawyourboss.com You should check it out. I want it to be a gallery where peole can put pictures of their bosses that they draw. I was thinking about in like school who funny it was when someone would draw a picture of their teacher, especially if it had a littlw word bubble of them saying something dumb. That stuff cracked me up. That's what inspired me to put the website together.

I just got out of a departmental assistant meeting ehre at the college. You really missed a good one. It was with the head of Office Services. We discussed copy machines, copy machines, and copy machines. Not different aspects of copy machines but the general message of the meeting was "If you have a problem with the copy machine please call us." That message was repeated in several stale, boring, and dull styles that filled a little over an hour and fifteen minutes. We were told that the college was being very aggressive with the copy machine company. The director of office services means business with these people and he was kind of recruiting us to be watchdogs. During the dribs and drabs of words issuing out of the lecture I scanned the table that I was sitting it and took in all the faces on the other departmental assistants, faces that looked full of oblivion, monotony, and disappointment. I felt like we were all in a collective trance. We all knew the meeting was pointless, we all wondered if our lives were too. If a copy machine has repeated problems, please put in a service call.

The only thing I really remember from the meeting was the departmental assistant manager saying, "I like things fast." At which point I had to look away from her and hold in a big belly laugh. The other thing I remember was the head of office services telling us if we recieve a lot of junk faxes to fax back to them sheets of paper with a lot of darkness on them, like a big black square to kill their toner. That's the kind of stuff I like to hear. Stick it to the man, bro.

*********​

My review of the food at the departmental assistant meeting:

Beverages:
The cranberry juice was excellent. I took an extra glass of it with me back to my desk. There was also orange juice--which I'm allergic too. I get a rash around my mouth. That last time it happened I was in France. The coffee looked like it was being enjoyed but the hot water dispenser kind of sputtered like an angry cat that gets awoken. Grade: B

Food:
There was an assortment of petite muffins and dimestore pastries. I had a poppyseed one which was adequate and a cornbread one which found it's way into the trash. Grade: C-

Overall:
Since it was a morning meeting some real breakfast food such as eggs and hashbrowns would have been preferred. WHile the cranberry juice was enjoyed, the finer parts of a breakfast were missed. Overall Performance and Quality: D

*********​

I went to the UCB Theatre last night and saw two really good one-woman shows. I saw "I Enjoy Being A Girl," written and performed by Amy Rhodes and directed by Jen Nails. It was very nicely done. Amy Rhodes went through a bunch of characters and did a good job of the whole solo-performer thing. You should check it out. Then after that there was Wendy Spero in "Who's Your Daddy?" who was hilarious. She was directed by Anthony King. It was a good contrast from the previous show. Wendy Spero for the most stayed as herself for the show with impressions of her mother and others such as a cameo by Hugh Grant. She also supplemented her narrative with home video footage. Go see that one too, it was awesome.

*********​

Dear Professor Who Talks to Me With a Mouth Full of Pizza,

What the hell are you doing? Close your mouth please. I think we all know that you have pizza. We all like pizza. We are all happy that you are eating pizza. I applaud you. Now, please, for my sanity, swallow before you speak. I'm here until 5pm. There's no hurry.

Sincerely,

Jeremiah

*********​

Also, I saw American Splendor a couple weeks back. I thought it was a good movie but couldn't figure if I liked it or not. I think I did. Unfortunately nobody I know has seen this film. I woudl appreciate it if others would go see this film and discuss it with me. You can PM me or whatever. Thanks. Much appreciated.

 

[Jeremiah77]

I'm Hungry

Last night was the first night of a sketch class I took with Ali Farahnakian. It looks like its going be a good class. Below is the sketch I wrote for the class. I'm going to work on it some more to show the process it goes through, so you can see inside the mind of a writer. If you steal the sketch and get a job with it, more power to you, just please get me a job as well.

The class was a good size. I haven't been in a class for a long time and was really nervous. Iwas nervous about everything, about looking like I didn't know what I was doing, about having people read my sketch, about fumbling through my own words as I read the stage directions. But everything went well. I got some good comments about my sketch from Ali and the other members of the class.

Ali was talking about how he got where he was and how life kind of happens in three to four year cycles. That got me a little down because I've been in New York for four years and I feel like I'm pretty much not that far from when I got here. Sure, I'm a little higher up: I'm a member of Actors Equity Association (because of a job I got being strolling character actor), I'm a member of a comedy group, I live in my own place (in Manhattan by the Park!), I have a website, stuff like that. But I certainly feel like I'm nowhere near where I wanted to be in four years when I first got here, off the Greyhound from my friend's house in Kentucky collapsing on the floor of my new apartment in Queens. But I feel like, I'm in my niche as a professional almost-an-actor, like my place in life is now in the sub-professional performer, a place which I'm obviously comfortable because I'm not itching to get out of it, I'm not changing my routine, but at the same time I am incredibly furious about where I am in life. At least in terms of my career.

A while ago, I was talking to my friend and he was kind of in the same boat as me. He told me you have to look where you want to be ten years down the line. That makes perfect sense, that was like in August. I guess I kind of lose track of the big picture where I want my life to go. I feel like I'm comfortable where I am. But I shouldn't be.

I was talking to my Dad last night he kept telling me what a great day job I had here temping at the college. I told him I wasn't really happy and he said that for the time being it's not too bad while the next big thing happens. I made some joke about how I'm waiting for ther good stuff to come to me to my dad because I was joke about that with him and then he makes some sarcastic remark about that and about how I'm very Episcopalian in my motivation. But last night I when I was joking about having things come to me, I don't think I was joking, I think that's sort of been my strategy. I think if I set up a website, do a couple good shows then the word will spread and everybody will want to work with me. That's such a bogus way to go about this. My grandmother (may she rest in peace, I'm sad to say I never knew her), told my Dad that, "The world doesn't meet you with open arms." And I think I need to start thinking that way. I'm not in some kindergarten class where if I act nice and listen nicely, nice things will happen to me. I guess part of being an adult is that you live in the parameters you set for yourself whether you do so consciously or unconsciously. The rules you live by are the rules you give yourself whether you give yourself society's rules or you make up your own or you come up with some kind of combo platter.

What really bothered me last night was at the sketch class when we are all shooting the shit before class began and someone asked me what I do and I didn't feel comfortable saying that I was an actor so I said I was just a temp. While I don't know if I believe that, I definitely feel feel like I'm at a cross roads where that could be true. There are so many people who come here to New York to do what I came here to do and after three or four years they give up, get a comfortable office job and push their dreams further away for convenience. Am I one of those people? It's been four years.

I start a Level three class tonight at the PIT with Ed Herbstman. I'm excited. I'm also a little nervous. I've taken Level 1 and Level 2 at UCB, but that was like a year or more ago and am a little scared that I won't know what the hell is going on. But I think it will be cool. I've heard all sorts of cool stuff about the teacher.

Here's the sketch I worte for class last night. I'll show the drafts as I go about writing them. I need to work on specifics and heightening it a little, I think. Look, I totally misspelled "commercial" when I listed what the assignment was. I was going to fix it, but thought I'd leave it in as a look into my own humility.

Jeremiah Murphy
Sketch Class
Commerical Parody

Our Friend The Handicap Toilet Stall


We see a row of toilet stalls. They are small and cramped. They offer no space. A man walks into the bathroom and frowns. Reluctantly he tries to make himself comfortable in an unforgiving bathroom stall.

VOICE OVER:
Are you like Gary here? Tired of small, cramped toilet stalls, unable to give yourself the necessary comfort that allows you to do your business?

Gary is on the toilet, miserable. He gives up and leaves the toilet.

VOICE OVER:
Well, friend, there is hope.

We see a bright bathing light enter the bathroom and blind the man.

VOICE OVER:
There’s a little known secret in today’s public restrooms.

A mysterious stall door opens and we see a wide, expansive stall, a paradise.

VOICE OVER:
Ladies and gentlemen, we present you with the handicap stall. With upwards of twenty square feet of living space, you can do anything you please and still have room for more.

Gary is amazed.

GARY
Wow! That’s bigger than my Manhattan studio. How much does this great handicap stall cost? I pay $1600 a month for my apartment.

VOICE OVER:
Handicap stalls are a free service. You don’t have to pay anything. The only thing we ask , is that you flush.

GARY
But I do that anyway.

We hear a loud flush.

VOICE OVER:
You’ll never want to leave.

CUT TO: Gary is throwing an elaborate party in the restroom. The stall is decorated like a quaint apartment. Many are standing around the stall eating hors d’oeuvres, mingling. A man is break dancing in the middle, because there is so much space.

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
Nice bathroom stall, Gary.

There’s a knock on the stall door. Gary opens the door and a handicap person is waiting to use the restroom. Gary turns to the party.

GARY:
Come on folks, clear out. This stall is first and foremost for people with handicaps and disabilities, as well as the elderly and infirm.

The party clears out.

We see a label on the toilet similar to the label on New York city subway “This seat reserved for people with disabilities” signs.

HANDICAP PERSON
It’s a nice space isn’t it?

The handicap person sits on the toilet and smiles at all the fun the party goers were having in the stall especially built for him.

VOICE OVER
Handicap stalls are here for you, especially if you need the extra space for special occasions.

CUT TO: Gary and beautiful woman sitting on the toilet together like it’s a loveseat.

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
Ask your restroom provider about installing a handicap stall today.

Beautiful Woman winks at us and pulls cord on a lamp to turn out the lights.

 

[Jeremiah77]

Peter Falk

Peter Falk is my new hero. I rented "Murder by Death" over the weekend--it's a great movie to watch if you want to see some classic character actors (Alec Guiness, Peter Sellers, and others) strut their stuff. I have to say Peter Falk is my new favorite character actor. I saw a little bit of his true colors in "The In-Laws" and in "Made" but I always kind of overlooked him. I always just kind of shrugged him off as "just Columbo." He's great. On the DVD they had a preview for another movie he did called, "The Cheap Detective." It looks hilarious. I'm totally renting it. If anybody knows of any other Peter Falk gems, let me know!

 

[Jeremiah77]

First Day of Level 3

I don't know why it has been over a year since I took level 2. I think I tried to get into a level 3 a couple times and got shut out. I forgot about that, but I love improv class. I love it! I had my first level 3 class yesterday with Ed Herbstman. I really enjoyed the class and think that Ed's going to be a practical, effective, and creative teacher. During a couple of the warm up exersizes I got a little discouraged because I forgot how uncoordinated I am. We did this one where you put our right hand facing down and your left hand up, like you're walking like an Egyptian and you're all in a circle and you clap with your neighbors, then you high five your neigbors then you clap in the middle. I remember doing this exersize in level 1 with Kevin Mullaney. It was hard then and it was hard last night. I look like a fool, high fiving when there was clapping, not matching my hands with neighbor, shame that I might have clapped my neighbor inappropriately. But there were periods when I got it right and felt all proud of myself then we had to do a name game and I couldn't get the names with the clapping. I think I need more RAM or something. So, I was bombing at the warm up and I was like, oh crap I'm going to be asked to leave. But I did all right at the other warm-ups and slowly got over the peaks and valleys my confidence hit in the warm up and was a little more levelled out. Like a mo-fo.

It was a good first class, we did a lot of scenes and everyone got to get up a lot. I realized some of my fundamental problems that hopefully this class will help me clear up.

1) I hesitate in the beginning of scenes, I wonder what the other person is doing for two long, I should just jump in and begin in the scene. I shouldn't run into the scene at a high speed and be a speed demon during the scene, but I shouldn't hesitate in joining the world that my partner creates if I don't initiate the scene.

2) I'm afraid to initiate a scene. I think this is because I think too much right before I go out. I think I have to establish so much if I initiate a scene. In the next class, I'm going to try to initiate more.

3) I tend to just stand and talk. I need to use the space more. Or just use more of what I have in terms or space, my own instrument (voice, body), and my partner.

4) I'm not used to miming props. I'm taking a workshop this Saturday at Above Kleptomania about "Environment" I actually mimed a gun using my finger. That's unforgivable.

Ed seems concerned with the organic process of creating a scene and letting it develop. I like this method because I think this is what I was origianlly trained with at Michael Howard Studios when I studied with David Matthew Prior (I think he just goes by David Prior now). We did a lot of what I call "theatrical improv" because, the goal wasn't to make people laugh but just to explore improvisation scenes to see where they go.

Ed made several good points, but one that stuck out was that--I'm paraphrasing--If we start out fast all we're going to able to do is go fast. That's true. I've seen some improvisors speed into things and before they know it they're in a big old boring scene. Boring in the fact that it's not fun to watch because they've thrown too much information too fast.

The other people in the class look seem like great classmates. In my level 1 with Mullaney, he recommended that wee all go to the IRC to the level one message board and say something nice about our classmates. I think this is a good idea. I will now do it for my new level 3 class.

Michael -- I thought you had a good presence in your scenes and accepted offers well. We were the first ones to class. I thought you handled the stutterer really well. I liked that scene.

Clay -- You seem good at making stong choices. When we went around to say what we lied to watch on TV, I thought you were the best articulated out of all of us, I liekd how you said you like early seinfeld better than later seinfeld.

Daryl -- You came off as a pro who knew what he was doing but didn't have an attitude about it, your worked well with others to create a scene--sorry you won't be in the rest of our classes.

Becky--you really worked well, especially in establishing scenes. you talked about how stand-up comedy might hinder you, but you seemd very capable of being real and letting exploring scenes as they happened.

Katy--you made me laugh a lot. I liked the choices you'd make. You seemed to use a lot of your options, like physical presence and establishing characters.

Andrew--You're not afraid to go out there and start a scene and initiate it. That takes a of balls. That's a good spirit to have in improv. I was impressed that you don't watch TV. I like dit when you talked about your job in the beverage industry. I also thought of developing a comedy group that's self-sufficient, like an ensemble was pretty righteous.

Jessica--I felt that you really accepted offers well in your scenes and would build on what was presented to you. You were also good at initiating scenes. I enjoyed the scene we had as waiters loading the trays. I didn't know what you were doing at first but it developed well.

Michael (from San Francisco)--I think you were the only perosn I didn't do a scene with. I think you have a good knack for what's funny about people and behavior. That's why I was so quick to buzz you out of the "serious scene" exersize.

Mikayla (I spelled that totally wrong)--I felt like you were on the ball and had your act together. Your scene work skills seem really good and I like how you adpated to making new choices. Congrats on lasting so long in the serious scene exersize.

Me--Congrats to me for not having a nervous breakdown during that clapping exersize and actually showing up to class. I thought it had been so long since I took a class that I would be hopeless and asked to go into a lower level, but I think this class will be good for me.

Ed--See paragraphs above, and good job on helping expose the fine qualities of the class members listed above.