Outrider

[Sammy]

I'm no longer that guy--the guy everyone asks to do tech for their show.

Thank God.

In fact, I don't think I've been that guy for a while...but it's nice to be able to say it and believe it. I think Scott Brady has taken over that role at IO. Good for him. I remember jokingly telling him a couple months back, "Better you than me" and "Get out as soon as you can!"

I only half meant those things.

I think.

My last two tech gigs, Arab/Israeli Comedy Hour and Le Commedie du Bicyclette, I did because Charna asked me too (and paid me well). I also did the occasional odd show here or there if somebody needed lights pulled and I was around and gonna watch the show anyways--but the main thing is that I'm not constantly getting asked to do tech, which is a great thing in my book. Then again, it's not like people are beating down the door asking me to do shows as a performer with them either. (The notable exception: I'm playing in the Lottery next Tuesday. More on that in a bit.)

I told Gator Girl a couple months back how things felt like to me: The IO vets tend to think of me more as someone who does tech; my peers know me as someone who performs, but still think of me first to do tech; the students and newer performers probably know and think of me more as a performer than anything else.

Now that I think about it, I think I've shifted over to being thought of more as a performer than a tech guy. I'd like to think that the long stretch of turning down tech jobs and performing as much as possible has paid off in that respect.

I just had this silly random thought:

INT. MULLEN'S BAR - NIGHT

Improvisors are gathered round a bar table slugging back pints of beer. Rock and Roll blasts on the jukebox.

IMPROVISOR: Man, I've got this hot, hot show project. Too bad Sammy's too busy performing to do tech for us...

* * *

I don't get too nervous before shows anymore. I was little antsy and nervous before the KOKO shows at Unhinged once or twice, but that was only real moments of pre-show jitters for me in a good, long while.

Until now.

Ryan Archibald asked me last week to participate in the Lottery this coming Tuesday. And believe you me, I'm a wee bit anxious about it.

[history]

The Lottery was created by Alex Fendrich and Andy St Clair about two years back. Each class session, a lottery is held to determine a cast of students that will perform for eight weeks with a rotating cast of improv vets. One student per level is randomly drawn (from levels 1 to 5, 5b is excluded), giving a basic cast of five and there are usually three or four invited vets invited each week. The basic idea is to show that it's all about support, trust and making each other look good. The cool thing is watching a level 1 student, who probably has had only one improv class in the session so far, get to play with improv superheroes like TJ, Kevin Dorff or Bob Dassie. It's also cool to watch the vets make everyone else look like geniuses on the stage.

The Lottery debuted in the unusual slot at IO: 10:30 PM on Tuesdays--a slot that didn't exist before because Tuesdays were a dark night at IO. It still always amazes me how full, and electric, the houses are that late on a weekday night; nothing but supportive crowds hoping to see a little improv magic between a student and a vet. In fact, being the opening team for the Lottery is now one of the most coveted slots on the Schedule.

It's a great idea that has spread to UCB and IO West (I think). I think I even heard once that a Toronto version was in the works.

[/history]

Anyways, The Lottery is now run by Ryan Archibald and Brian Jack (who I think a former Lottery player). And now I get to play. And now I'm a bit nervous.

Sure it's all about support. Sure it's all about making the other person look good. Sure it's all about all the things we've learned and rehearsed over and over and over... But now I'm one of the guys who's supposed to know what they're doing and I feel I have to meet certain expectations.

Whatever. This is just me worrying out loud. Y'know, being antsy and all. I can't wait to play.

* * *

Curse of the radio.

Evan Makela, his wife Sara, Mike Otto, Mike's fiance Liz and I were at Evan's having dinner and playing games on Labor Day. Liz started talking about that Justin Timberlake song, the where he sings both the guy and the girl parts of the song at the end. I laughed and told them I hear it a lot because I left my crappy radio on the rap station for the last couple of days.

I got so excited about it that during our game of hearts, I made Evan put on the Killer Bee 96.3 during the Top 9 at 9 countdown. We listened to the entire thing...and then some. I was soooooooooo confident it would be on there since they play that fuckin' song on the hour every hour nonstop.

And of course the song never came on.

And what happened when I got home and turned on the radio?

Now listen
I wanna try some right now
See they don't do this anymore
I'ma sing something
And I want the guys to sing with me
They go
"It feels like something's heating up, can I leave with you?"
And then the ladies go
"I don't know what I'm thinking bout, really leaving with you"

Guys sing
It feels like something's heating up, can I leave with you?
And ladies
I don't know what I'm thinking bout, really leaving with you
Feels good don't it, come on

It feels like something's heating up, can I leave with you?
Yea, ladies
I don't know what I'm thinking bout, really leaving with you
Show the good to me

Sing it one more time
It feels like something's heating up, can I leave with you?
Ladies
I don't know what I'm thinking bout, really leaving with you
Yea, yea..
It feels like something's heating up, can I leave with you?
Ladies
I don't know what I'm thinking bout, really leaving with you

Gentlemen, good night

Ladies, good morning

[laughs]

That's it

Fuck you, New Killer Bee.

 

[Sammy]

Thursday after work:

See Joey Bland on the Brown Line. Walk behind Brendan Dowling and Celeste Pechous on Southport. Chat with Dowling and Emily Wilson on the corner of Southport and Waveland. Walk into my apartment building (that Dowling lives directly across from) that Dave Gilley lives in and that Jeff Griggs and Katie Nahnsen are moving into.

Southport Avenue
"More improvisors than you can shake a stick at"

 

[Sammy]

Today's Goal: To hide from the Office (Micro) Manager.

...which may be trumped by...

Today's Ominous Sign: Putting on my boxers backwards and not realizing it till I got to work.

 

[Sammy]

The Lottery was a blast

I came straight from a kinda-cancelled-but-not-really-rehearsal-now-team-get-together at Heather's place down by Diversey and Clark to ImprovOlympic. (I was a little tipsy from some nasty Busch Lights, but waiting 20 minutes for the bus, then having to shell out cash for a cab to make the call time, sobered me right up.)

I strolled through IO, grabbed some water and headed out back to meet the student cast of The Lottery. Before I met the students, I found out from Arch that TJ would not be there (last night for Al Samuels at SC) and that Andy St. Clair would be sitting in. That tickled really my fancy since I hadn't played with Andy since Uncle Joe's run in the Cagematch a couple years back.

Arch introduced the students and then we chilled out and socialized for a bit. I did my best "TJ's relaxed social chat as warm up" imitation and chatted it up with Dan, Liz, J.R. (who's from Texas, no less) and Blaise. I felt pretty loose from both the two hours of hanging with the Home Run Kids and my standard workweek sleep deprivation. Then I remembered asking them how it went last week and they told me this was their first Lottery show.

What the!?

I totally thought this was their second show. In a few short seconds I went from being surprised, then a bit worried, then overly happy that I got to share the stage with them on their first night ever performing on the IO stage--with The Lottery no less! Honestly, I was more nervous than before, but it was a good, healthy nervous

The other vets hadn't arrived yet, so we did a pair of quick warm-ups and then chilled out and made more small talk. Holly Laurent and Pat O'Brien finally got there (coming straight over from SC Unhinged) and Holly met the cast while Pat had to run over and doing some coach stuff for his team, Rattlesnake High School. I realized that not only was I playing again with Andy, this would be the first time I had played with Holly since my second jaunt through the Training Center over a year ago and the first time I had played with Pat since Courtesy Sleeve back in March. That made things even more fun.

After Arch got things started and while Rattlesnake was playing, I wandered around a bit, working off nervous energy. I remember doing bits with Pat Gallen over by the corner of the bar and stepping outside to get some fresh air. When I walked by the students in the hallway, they seemed a bit agog over one of Rattlesnake's great group games, I did my best Uhlir and said in passing, "Yeah, we can do that. No problem."

While I was out back, our last vet of the evening, Susan Messing, showed up and The Lottery managed to sneak in a quick warm-up with her before we went up. (Pat O'Brien literally walked up to finally meet everyone and before anything could be said we had to head inside for the show!)

After the usual "Got your backs" and energetic intro by Arch we took to the stage and did that thing I love to do, a little bit of the make 'em ups.

It was a fun, fun show and everyone got a moment to shine. Props to Dan, the Level One student, who stepped out and did the first scene of the Harold with me. Susan and Pat had a great scene together as naked teacher and uncomfortable student, Andy had a killer bit as cotton candy obsessed reporter in the first group game, Holly Laurent furiously humped my back in one scene and fell face first into Liz's crotch in another, Dan got to be the college scientist who won the Nobel Peace Prize, and J.R., Liz and Blaise got to play uncomfortable parents and their gay son's boyfriend (a beautiful set up by Andy in the first beat that they ran with in the second beat) and we all got to make each other laugh during the show.

Like I said, we got to do a little of the make 'em ups...and it was fun

After the show, I gave Arch a big thanks for letting me play--it was truly an awesome experience I would have been sad to miss. I rode the high of that show well into the wee hours of the night when I was trying to sleep...and I'm still smiling thinking back to it right now.

Now I'll be honest, I still think there are a few things I could have done better (as I always do), but for once, I think I can let the work alone let this night be what it was: a total blast.

 

[Sammy]

Ambition sucks.

Not ambition as in, "I must succeed and be the best," but ambition as in, "I want to do good work with good people as often as possible." Not ambition as in, "I must walk onto the stage and rawk it out," but ambition as in, "I want this week's show to be a little bit better than last week's show...which was a little bit better than the week before...which was a little bit better than the week before that..." Not ambition as in, "This project will be the best thing that ever hit Chicago improv!" but ambition as in, "This is a cool idea and I should make it happen...and I should make it happen now!"

My previous "Ambitious Project" was trying to rent out space in a brand new black box theater (!) that no one knows about (!!) in Wrigleyville (!!!) on Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30 (and maybe midnight). I found out about the space by happenstance--I was temping at Columbia's grad school this summer and two of my co-workers happened to be a part of the ensemble that renovated the space. We bandied about possibilities and shot some e-mails back and forth, but nothing's happened yet (or for that matter, for some time). Initially, it was PPA license issues (Public Place of Amusement), but now that they're up and running (and gotten some good reviews on their productions), they may not want to rent out the space to unknown factor X (me).

So, let me share what my plans were (and still may be)...

To provide a space that my projects can play in.
To offer KOKO, The Bruise, Laika and other project I'm involved the weekly opportunity to perform for extended periods of time. Through stagetime, these groups could improve their play, define their voice and explore their art in a nurturing environment.

Invite quality ensembles to peform.
Annoyance Alum, Bassprov, Bevy, Georgia Pacific, Lutz-O'Brien, Malice, Plain Cake Donuts, Valhalla, etc. ...basically, invite ensembles that people want to see--whether it be a one-off reunion show or a longer run--I want to offer shows people are excited about attending.

Spotlight up-and-coming ensembles.
Support newer ensembles doing quality work (but received little recognition) by offering the opportunity to perform.

Pay performers.
Once rent is covered, remaining monies to be split among performing ensembles. It may not be much, if anything, but by offering pay it shows the commitment of my theater to the performers. It's time to walk the walk.

OK, so a little less "mission statement" speak and little more explanation:

Good shows cheap.

People are paying too much for mediocre improv in Chicago. Also, the people most likely to see improv (other performers) don't have that much spare cash to drop. So, by offering cheap tickets ($5/head) to shows people will want to see, I hope to bring in solid houses on a regular basis. And since I don't own the theater, I have minimal overhead and can offer ensembles the night's profits (giving ensembles a vested interest in advertising the show).

Now, I will admit, priority one is giving my ensembles a place to play. I make no apologies for that. If I get a space to play every week, I'm damn well gonna make sure my ensembles are getting on that stage...but I'm damn well also make sure we're putting forth 100% every week and not phoning it in.

I have a little black and white composition book (y'know, that elementary school looking thing) chock full of the nitty gritty details: possible scheduling scenarios, $/ticket and audience numbers versus rent and ensemble profits, ensembles to invite, logo ideas, etc.

I figured that it'd start on one night, Saturday, and there would be one guest ensemble headlining with one of my ensembles opening...like so:

SAT 10:30
KOKO
Guest Ensemble That Makes You Love Improv

and if things worked out financially and popularity-wise and the space were available...

FRI 10:30
The Bruise
Guest Ensemble That Makes You Pee Your Pants

SAT 10:30
KOKO
Guest Ensemble That Makes You Love Improv

and, of course, down the road, if things really took off...

FRI 10:30
The Bruise
Guest Ensemble That Makes You Pee Your Pants

FRIDAY MIDNIGHT
Guest Ensemble That Deserves Every Accolade

SAT 10:30
KOKO
Guest Ensemble That Makes You Love Improv

SAT MIDNIGHT
Guest Ensemble That Rocks Out So Hard Small Children Explode

ahhh, yes, borderline pipedreaming...but you gotta have a plan nonetheless.

Anyways, so why another improv theater in the improv-clogged North Side of Chicago?

Convenience is a major factor. The location I scoped was a short walk from IO, right by the Sheridan Red Line, close to couple of bars and in a nice neighborhood. Let's face it, Frankie J's may be in an up and coming neighborhood, but do you want to walk there? Do you want to hang out in the neighborhood before or after a show? Cornservatory--too inconvenient sans car. Second City: if you're going down there on the weekend, might as well see the main stage or e.t.c.

Price is another major factor. Cheap, cheap, cheap tix. Is all hypothesizing right now, but I think I can make $5 or $6 tickets work. The Playground and Frankie J's are $8 and IO is $12 for Harold Shows. If you put up good shows for $5, that's a bargain.

But quality is the main thing. Frankie J's and The Playground offer opportunities for newer ensembles to get stagetime. That is their thing and they are good at it. In fact, no one offers more opportunities than these two for new ensembles to get stage time. But shows at Frankie J's are hit and miss and The Playground (just like IO) has their strong nights and not so strong nights. I'm aiming for a consistency of quality in shows that the other theaters can't offer because of the nature of how they book/schedule shows. I hope that doesn't come off as a dis, because it's not meant to be one--it's just acknowledging the fact that I would strictly control who would get to play in order to keep the level of performance high.

(Note: Frankie J's is a theater. The current improv groups that book shows there are Sleauburn and Chemically Imbalanced Comedy. CIC is moving out of Frankie J's to the Cornservatory later this month by the way.)

Well, anyways, that's just one of the projects I've undertaken this year that didn't pan out. Who knows, maybe I can backburner this one and hope things work out later?

Of course, there's the "Piss Off Jonathan Pitts" project that I did some groundwork on recently...

 

[Sammy]

...well, it's not a project meant to actively piss off Mr. Pitts, but I could see him becoming a bit miffed.

I recently did some investigation into whether it was possible to rent a theater during CIF weekend and have my own little counter-festival (tip of the hat to Above Kleptomania). It'd be an alternative venue and an extra performance opportunity for some of the out of town acts everyone's hot to see in a more intimate setting. Also, it would allow off the cuff things like Dassaricski or other improv alums getting together for a one-off show. And, of course, I'd slip a little KOKO and Bruise action in there along with some other stand-out Chicago troupes that represent the range of work we do here...and that gets lost in the immensity of the borgified CIF ("Resistance is futile. You will be improvilated.")

And being the nerd that I am, I already did a preliminary Fest sched with extensive notes on possible workshops during the day and flyering schedules at the main CIF venues.

Of course, getting a theater to give up just a single weekend in the area I want is next to impossible--as I've discovered through several inquiries...but I'm keeping hope alive as I investigate other possibilities.

* * *

Other recent flights of fancy:

*Founding an organization that awards/recognizes improv shows during the past calender year--like the Jeffs, but for improv. I have a working skeleton of how shows would be categorized and judged but not much more at this point. The sheer scope of a project like this demands much pre-planning--I did an informal census of Chicago improv ensembles in June and it came out to something like 180 teams or so! So...this is definitely on the backburner until I wrap my head all the way around it. (This is something I will do. Probably do the legwork early next year.)

*IO Book: Basically a book that gives the good, the bad and the ugly truth in comedy about ImprovOlympic, the Training Center and performing onstage there (and also would be a primer on long-form for the muggles out there). The only problem with this one (besides any obvious ones) is that I would have to remove myself from the performing population at IO while doing interviews and whatnot. Boo. I'd like to pretend I'd like to start next year, but I don't think this'll happen for a couple of years. (But of course, I've already laid out a preliminary research schedule and questions I would ask in interviews. I'm such a fucking nerd sometimes!)

*Improv Game Server: More if a fanciful, "If I had the money, I would..." sort of thought. How cool would it be if I set up a game server for improvisors only? Nothing like a little on-line fragfest with your buddies to help with team bonding Of course, there'd be other games, but we'd definitely need some shoot 'em ups! (Not gonna happen unless I hit the lottery.)

* * *

To close out this post, I present to you the 2003 Chicago Improv Census (as of 7/7/03):

Alpha Squad (IO)

American Dream (PG)

Armando Diaz presents The Mosaic (IO)

Armed & Hammered (IO 5b)

Atticus Finch (PG)

Atlantis (IO)

AutoRock (IO)

Baby Wants Candy (IO)

Barbershop

Bare

Bassprov

Beat Box

Bevy

Black Sheep (PG)

Boomtown (PG)

Brain (IO)

Candyland Riot (IO)

Carl & the Passions (IO)

Chairs

Champaign Jam

Cheetarah McNutt

Chest Pie

Chicago Comedy Company

C.I.A.

Cinco de Bob (PG)

Cinema 2.0

ComedySportz (entire cast) (CSZ)

Cougars (IO)

Courtesy Sleeve (IO)

Crackerjack

CTRL+ALT+DEL (PG)

Dassaricski (IO)

Deep Schwa (IO)

Dewitt

Dirty Half-Dozen

Dr. Bakkebald

Dr. Schotts

Dual Exhaust

Dually Noted

Engine House 13 (PG)

Entertainment Focus Group

Epiphany Purple (CIC)

Feast of Pedro (PG)

52 Hiccup

Focus (IO 5b)

Food

Fox Force Five (IO)

4 More

FourSquare (IO)

Fried Chicken and Wonder Bread (CIC)

Gage Park Beef and Cheddars (IO IFL)

Garfield Park Odies (IO IFL)

George Gibson

Good Time Charlies

Happy Couple, Burning Baby

Her Majesty's Secret Thunderballs (CIC)

Home Run Kids (IO)

Homey Loves Chachi (PG)

Hot Karl (CSZ)

I Miss High School (CIC)

Inside Vladimir (PG)

International Stinger (PG)

Interplanet Janet

James Jackson (IO)

Jazz Hands Across America

Jimmy's Favourite Special

Johnny Pinto

Johnny Roast Beef (IO)

Jovial Hayes

Judo Intellectual (PG)

July Jamboree

Killer Johnnies (IO 5b)

KOKO

Knuckles (CIC)

Lakeview Menstrual Sharks (IO IFL)

Lesbos of Providence

Liquid (CIC)

Liquid X (CIC)

Los Shut Up

Lutz-O'Brien (IO)

Malice (PG)

McMahon's Church Hill (CIC)

Meep Womp

Mission: Improvable

Miss Hawaiian Tropic

Miss Texas (IO)

Mobius Trip (IO 5b)

Moo Stash

Mr. Fancypants (PG)

Mr. Sir (IO)

Mustang Repair (PG)

My Naked Friends

Neutrino Project

Nick-Niki-Niekamp

Ninja (PG)

North Center On The Terrace Ensemble Players Present (IO IFL)

Notions 11 (IO 5b)

Obsessed

Oh Ranger!

One Man Seen

Organic Clap (IO 5b)

Otis (IO)

Outrider (IO)

Over the Counter (PG)

Panaderia (IO)

Pass That Word (CIC)

Pastor of Muppets (PG)

People of Earth (IO)

Petard (IO 5b)

pH

Pirate McMonkey (IO)

Plain Cake Donuts (PG)

Prefontaine (IO)

Project 5

Quagmire

Ralphie's Rug (IO)

Rattlesanke High School (IO)

Regular Joe (IO)

Rogers Park Rumble (IO IFL)

Run Faster

Sam & Matt

Sandbox Democracy (IO)

SARS Chasm

SARS Wars

Schaumburg (IO IFL)

Second Floor Adriana

700lbs of Funny

Shuttlecock (IO 5b)

Sirens

Sleauburn

Space Mountain (IO)

Speakeasy Players

Specimen 13

Standing Pat (IO 5b)

STAT

Steely Tan (IO 5b)

Storytime John (PG)

Strawberry Quick

SuperDreamers (IO)

Super Karate Champion Jr. High

Swiss Family Robots (PG)

Sybilization (all)

Teenage Carthrobs

The Big Kids Comedy Hour

The Bruise

The Cut-Ups

The Fling

The Fully Tenders (PG)

The Joe Benigno Way

The Lottery 10 (IO)

The Lottery 11 (IO)

The Lottery 12 (IO)

The Mighty

The Mulligan (IO 5b)

The Pat Shay Dancers (IO)

The Reckoning (IO)

The Team

The Universe (IO)

The Warehouse (PG)

Theo and the Joint (PG)

TJ & Dave (IO)

Trainwreck

True Pilsner

Tuesday Night Special

2 Fast 2 Hilarious

Two Horsemen

Umlaut (PG)

Uncle Elaine

Weaseliscious

WeirDass

WE 3

Vatican City (IO)

Verbatim (PG)

Yourapeein'

Zero Minute Walk (PG)

Zumpf

 

[Sammy]

Sick as a dog.

Called off work.

Slept till 3.

Weird hybrid fever dreams of Alien xenos and Matrix multi-realities with Diablo II item hunting.

Fractured sleep.

Foggy head.

I'll be fine by rehearsal.

I think.

At Screenz on Clark south of Diversey. Paid too much for too little time. Ah, access peddling, that's where it's at folks.

Gator Girl made a great point that I shouldn't have divulged my plans in my journal. I told her if anyone stole my ideas, it'd still benefit the community--that I didn't need people to know it was my idea or I didn't need to be the person to actualize it.

I also told her I would ridicule them until the day they die for stealing an idea from me.

Been on a journal reading kick lately--but journals not on IRC. I find it so interesting, so intriguing to read of people's experiences in Chicago. To see how they mirror mine...or not. Maybe I'll do a superhuge linky-doo list one day. (After I'm done reading them.)

I wish Dawn Franklin still wrote her journal. She had a lot to say. But then again, maybe she figured out whatever she needed to and that was that. Wonder if I'll ever do that.

I need food.

I need Dayquil.

Mars needs women.

 

[Sammy]

Because we have VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE coming into the Small Chicago Law Firm to close a deal, we must have cookies.

In my mind, I picture Old Man Moneybags and Oh-So-Hip Attorney sitting in the conference room, poring over a fat contract. With a quick nod, the Oh-So-Hip Attorney indicates all is up to snuff to Old Man Moneybags. Old Man Moneybags pulls out his pure gold Mont Blanc pen that writes in platinum ink and leans in to sign when suddenly, he bolts upright and whispers...

"I demand a slightly stale Chocolate Chip Cookie or the deal is off. OFF I say!"

Oh-So-Hip Attorney bobs his head and grins in satisfaction.

The Small Chicago Law Firm Attorneys fall onto their knees, cowering in abject fear as the Copy Room Guy (that's me!) squeekily wheels in a humongous silver platter with three (THREE!) varieties of overpriced cookies from Corner Bakery.

Old Man Moneybags plucks a cookie from the platter and then daintily nibbles on it. The Copy Room Guy squeekily wheels out. The Small Chicago Law Firm Attorneys dare a glance at at Old Man Moneybags' face--is he happy with their offering? Even Oh-So-Hip Attorney's head bobbing slows, then stops...

"I find it...

...satisfactory!"

A world-wide cheer erupts from all as Old Man Moneybags signs the contract with a flourish. Babies smile. Birds sing. Simon kisses Garfunkel. Someone punches Michael Jackson. All is good and right with the world.

 

[Sammy]

So, I have all these possible projects on the horizon...but I forgot the projects that are actually in motion:

The Hundred Harold Project
I'm going to watch 100 Harolds and take copious notes on things like scene lengths, editing styles used, gender of editors and initiators, types of group games played, average number of scenes in a run, types of edits used, average number of performers in the various beats, etc., etc.

I know that many of our teachers and coaches speak directly from experience when they cite facts about Harolds (First beats are longer, more people should play in the second beat, men initiate more, etc.), but I am intensely curious to see how if anything is debunked (or bolstered) if one took very careful notations during shows. I've seen three shows so far--but only one group performed a Harold (The Pat Shay Dancers use a Jazz Freddy opening into a montage, Mr. Sir does a modified Close Quarters).

So, one Harold down...a shitload more to go...

Three Things I Can't Tell You About
Yeah, how shitty is that? I tell you I actually have three other projects (2 of which are mine, 1 I was invited to be a part of) on the go but I can't divulge anything more than that? Boo, Sammy, Boo! Well, I promise that in October I should have some cool things to post about.

Well, cool to me anyways

 

[Sammy]

I have an IFL show, two rehearsals, I'm hosting and changing the stage lights.

Even in my dreams, I'm absurdly busy.

 

[Sammy]

Ladies and gents, a fun little interview with a great zinger inside it...

Clickity Doodle

 

[Sammy]

4 days til D.C.

I haven't left the city limits of Chicago since last winter, when I stage managed an IO road show gig at Northwestern. The only other time besides that was Thanksgiving, when Dawn Franklin, Ally Stinchfield and I traveled out to Gurnee for some grub and a movie. So, in a year or so, I've only been out of Chicago twice. That's what happens when you don't have a car and really don't care about visiting the 'burbs--or leaving the state.

Now I get to go to Washington D.C. as a stage manager for The Arab-Israeli Comedy Hour.

Well, not D.C. exactly.

More like James Madison University.

In Virginia.

But it's close to D.C.

I think.

We leave Tuesday afternoon, do the show Wednesday and return Thursday afternoon. Although I probably won't get to do any real touristy stuff, or any real cool stuff, getting out of town for a couple of days will be real nice--a chance to recharge the mental batteries with some fresh experiences.

The interesting thing, this not-yet-taken trip has already stirred up a couple things in me.

A couple weeks ago, Second City posted a job opening for Stage Manager for one of their Touring Companies. Despite all my recent yapping about not being "that guy who does the tech," I was this close to throwing my hat into the ring for the job. Even though you work like a dog coordinating almost everything while touring and your ability to pay rent depends directly on how many gigs are booked in a given month, you get to travel to some cool and interesting (as well as some not-so-cool and not-so-interesting) places with the funniest people in Chicago. How great would that be?

The hard work part I wouldn't mind. That's part and parcel of being a stage manager. The two things that kept me from applying were: A) I don't have enough financial security to be a touring stage manager and letting gigs fall where they may--I need a constant income; B) I didn't want to become known at Second City as Sammy the Stage Manager and never really be taken seriously or considered as a performer.

Now to be fair on point B, I don't know enough SC history to know if there's ever been a TourCo stage manager who worked their way into understudying and then performing. Then again, I don't know enough SC history to know if there's NEVER been a TourCo stage manager who worked their way into understudying and then performing.

I guess that, to me, the A/I show in D.C. is a tiny taste of whether or not I'd dig on going on gigs but not performing in 'em.

harrumph. harrumph.

The other thing the A/I gig got me thinking about was whether my personal life has stagnated a bit.

Besides not leaving Chicago, I haven't really ventured to many in places IN Chicago either. For example, every Sunday I tell myself I'm going to go to the Green Mill and watch the Spoken Word shows, and on some weeks, I even tear out the New City listings of Spoken Word events around town that are going on. But something inevitably comes up--be it rehearsal, a show or just plain unavailabilitude. And there are other things in Chicago I'm interested in seeing but not motivated enough to go out and actually see.

ach. who's a whiny baby?

OK. So, here's where I was going with that. Every improv teacher you've had probably told you, "You need to experience life in order to bring it to the stage. Our art reflects the world around us. So go out and have a life. Do things. Live life." or something to that effect. Every improv coach you've had probably told you, "Everyone brings their own unique experiences to the group. Also, everyone in this group brings their own strengths--someone may have a high reference level, someone else may have great physicalities, someone else can be comfortable playing totally absurd on stage, someone else sees the whole picture of the show and so on. So don't worry about what you're weak on--we'll work on that. Understand that everyone has a personal forte that makes the ensemble stronger from them being in it." Every improvisor you've talked to over beers probably told you, "You've got to find a balance in your life between improv and the real world, otherwise they both suffer."

Now, here's what I've been thinking lately: what if there's more roles in an ensemble than the classic "Smart Guy, Physical Guy, Funny Girl" etc. roles we sometimes assign performers in our heads. What if there's the "lives, breathes, eats improv guy" and his strength is that he's seen and processed so much improv, he's comfortable doing any thing on any stage with any partner. Now, just like the Smart Guy's job is to jack up reference levels and push up the IQ of a show or the Physical Guy's role is to jack up the slapstick, what if the Improv Guy's role is to jack up the art of a show by seeing and further patterns and the like?

And just like Smart Guy and Physical Guy play off and balance one another, what if Improv Guy's partner in crime is Real Life Guy, someone who improvises but has a very real and very full life off-the-stage. Real Life Guy may not have the best "show sense" or improv chops but he brings good stuff to the stage--and that stuff, something as simple as a conversation they had with a friendly waiter, is the fuel for the Improv Guy's fire. Improv Guy may not have the breadth and depth of Real Life Guy's experiences, but Improv Guy emotionally reacts to and is artistically inspired by what Real Life Guy brings to the stage.

So, what if I'm an Improv Guy. Someone whose natural balance is 80% improv and 20% real world. Someone who sees an explosion of possibilities milliseconds after the suggestion is said. Someone who constantly searches for patterns and themes and things that go bump in the night in every scene. Someone who thinks about how the show is more than a show, but a statement. Someone who wishes they could explore every single possibility suggested by a turn of phrase, an unexpected move or an interesting discovery. Someone who doesn't do reality well. Someone who needs a Real Life Guy to give him a foundation for his flights of fancy.

What if?

So maybe I'm at 80.5% improv and need a .5% injection of leaving Chicago to get my balance back.

 

[Sammy]

At the last second, I ended doing Box Office for "Sexual Perversity in Chicago"--during which I got to make (interrupted) conversation with an early arriving Bill Saveley. The whole thing made me laugh because it seemed like a stereotype: an actor working box office for a Mamet play in a black box theater on the north side of Chicago. Hell, you could even hear the EL rumble by during the play.

Look mom, I'm an artist!

 

[Sammy]

A/I ON THE ROAD

The Wait

Bleary eyed and exhausted from another night of crappy sleep, I dragged myself and my bag over to Salt and Pepper for some breakfast. I ordered my usual breakfast--French toast and a side of biscuits & gravy. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Little did I know that would be the predominant theme of the trip.

The Arab-Israeli Comedy Hour crew trickled in slowly. Very slowly. In fact, I even called Griggs on his cell phone to make sure I hadn't been told the wrong time. Finally, Hassan (The Arab), Roni (The Israeli) and Alex (The Piano Player) showed up. Roni took the time to dish out our per diem--our sweet, sweet food money.

The Ride

Richard Witherow. Remember that name. Burn it into the deepest, most primal recesses of your brain. This name should trigger an instant and overwhelming escape response the instant you hear it.

Who is Richard Witherow? Our cabbie to Midway.

Richard had an explosive tuft of snow-white chest hair bursting over the top of his shirt. Under that hair, throbbed the chest of a NASCAR driver. I shit you not when I say Richard floored the gas at every light, zipped into spaces that almost didn't exist and averaged 15 - 20 MPH above the speed limit--and that was before we got on the highway! Since I was riding shotgun, I could only laugh out of fear...to be in the back seat and feel reckless driving is one thing, to see it up close and personal is another. The absolute worst part? Between sickening swerves and aggressive passing, I had to listen to Rush Limbaugh on the radio.

Worst. Cab. Ever.

How fast did Richard drive? When we got to Midway, it was the day before. (Seriously, we were much farther ahead of schedule than we thought we'd be.)

The Gun

One thing that worried us all, or at least me, was that A/I used a prop AK-47 for our show. Roni had stuffed it in her checked baggage and we wondered what would happen when security scanned it. Roni patiently explained to the disinterested security lady that we were actors and the that gun was a prop. Roni's bag and my bag were plopped onto the conveyer and we waited for alarms and running cops.

Nothing happened.

Roni's bag was tossed with the rest of the bags that passed the scanner.

But, of course, my bag was chosen for inspection. After digging through my clothes and examining my eyeglass case ("Is this for your eyeglasses?" "Uh, yeah. As you can see, they're in there..."), Security tagged my bag and tossed it through.

The Food

We zipped through the main security checkpoint pretty quickly--only Roni had to take off her shoes. And then, having an much time to kill, we got some grub.

While we went our separate ways to get food, we met back at our designated table. If I didn't know I was at Midway, I would have told you we were at suburban mall food court--albeit one with pretty good security. With all the standard food choices ("Greek Place," "Chinese Place," "Coffee Place," "Potbellys"), we all managed to find something to gnosh on while killing time.

I also found that grumpy middle-age road warriors don't like being stared at.

The Plane
We flew ATA.

The president of ATA deserves a good punch to the nuts.

Maybe two.

While boarding the plane I heard music. I remember thinking, "Geez, someone must be jamming their walkman like no-one's business!"

If only.

ATA has tiny videoscreens that flip down from the ceiling every 3 or 4 seats or so for passengers to watch during the flight. Apparently, during the boarding process, they play music videos.

Very crappy ones.

Specifically Bryan Adams' "Everything I do"

--then--

Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time"

Fortunately, they stopped after that one.

The 80's fly ATA, folks.

Poor Alex, who's a small guy, got stuffed between Hassan and I, who are not-so-small guys. I felt bad for about 5 minutes until the full joy of having the window seat sank in and I kept craning my head around to stare out the window. Takeoff was sweet. Even though I've flown before, I haven't flown in many years and I've never flown out of Chicago. When we raced down the runway I got to watch the Chicago Skyline accelerate and then tilt away. Quite the awesome view. I was then entranced by the Illinois/Indiana farmland that slowly replaced the Chicago's urban sprawl. Soon, the Indiana/Ohio farmland became not as awesome and the Ohio/whatever farmland just plained bored me.

Being the nerd I am, I dug into my Scientific American (Neuroscience!). Alex watched SpongeBob Squarepants on the videoscreens. Roni and Hassan chatted over the aisle. It was still hard to believe--we were on our way to D.C.

 

[Sammy]

A/I ON THE ROAD (cont.)

Seeing the Sears Tower and Hancock building on takeoff was awesome.

Seeing the Capital and the Washington Monument on landing was awesomer.

Not so awesome--the Potomac from up above. Muddy brown like raw sewage.

Shuffling off the plane, we headed down to baggage claim--walking though a tunnel that made Alex feel like we were in "Logan's Run." We met up with our driver, Roger, who held up a laminated sign with our last names. He led us over to the van through another hallway that made Alex feel like we were in "Blade Runner." I guess Alex has a penchant for dystopian sci-fi.

During the walk, someone mentioned it was a 2 1/2 hour drive to JMU.

I almost shit my pants. I thought JMU was a hop, skip and a jump away from Reagan National Airport. After being slammed around in a speeding cab and cooped up in the CTA of the airways, I didn't want ride for 2 1/2 hours in a van.

But ride I did.

And what a fucking silly ass bunch of people we were. Roni, Hassan and I, riding shotgun, did bits pretty much the entire trip to Harrisonburg. Silly, inane bits that made no sense but made everyone, even Roger, laugh. (Alex was sound asleep in the back.) Roger, a kindly older gentlemen chock full of Southern Hospitality(tm), shared his knowledge of the area as well as his personal history.

Roger was a former Navy man. He is in his second marriage. He has donated his kidney to his wife. His wife has a service dog named Acorn. He has a 17-lb cat named, "Mostly asshole, sometimes sonofabitch--just kidding!" He was in banking for most of his life, but now drives to stay busy and meet people. Hurricane Isabella killed five near Harrisonburg--3 dumbass JMU students who went canoeing during the storm and 2 Mennonites in a buggy who tried crossing the river a couple days after the storm. Roger's brother was also a Navy man, but is deceased and is buried at Arlington National Cemetary. Roger thinks JMU shouldn't become a Division IA football school, but at least JMU is going about it the right way.

The ride went by faster than expected thanks to the silliness, but it wasn't all hilarity and bits though.

Moment of seriousness #1 -- Not even a minute out of Reagan National, we passed the Pentagon. You didn't even realize it was the Pentagon because all you could see was just one of the sides. Roger had to point it out to us. We passed right by where the plane hit. You couldn't tell anything had happened...but you knew exactly what happened. Roger sounded very sad when he said, "That's where...it...happened."

Moment of seriousness #2 -- We had no idea who had hired us. It started out as a bit, be we seriously had no idea who had paid us to come out to Harrisonburg from Chicago, how they had seen the show or even they wanted it performed there.

Obviously, #1 outweighs #2, but #2 was kinda creepy.

As the sun set and we drove into the dark, rolling hills of the Appalachians (pronounced ap-pah-LACH-ins with a short A), it struck us all how we could have been on any two-lane highway in any state--if I didn't know any better, we could have been on I-80 in Pennsylvania or I-75 on the way to Mackinac in Michigan. Sitting shotgun, I realized how much I sometimes missed being a courier on those early morning Detroit to Grand Rapid runs.

When we reached Harrisonburg, Roger gave us a quick tour of the town and the campus (beautiful) and dropped us off at our hotel. When we checked in, I totally melted at the sound of the clerk's voice--I forgot how sexy southern drawls could be. (Is is a southern drawl in Virginia or a Virginian twang?) Roni and Hassan, the actors, each got their own room, Alex and I, the tech people had to share a room. We made sure Roni and Hassan knew the inequity of the situation. When got to our rooms, which were all right next to each other, Roni found a gift basket in hers--as did Hassan. Alex and I raced to our room...only to be disappointed.

"Looks like we tech people don't deserve gift baskets!"

Laughing, Roni and Hassan gave us their baskets and turned in for the night. Alex and I dropped off our stuff and went out for some grub at the Boston Beanery (recommended by Roger) and then did some browsing at a nearby Barnes and Noble (which was full of Mennonites!). OK, I don't what it is--maybe I have Little House on the Prairie issues-- but those Mennonite chicks were pretty hot looking with their little bonnet-thingies. Seriously, though--hot.

Alex was browsing Downbeat magazine, and in the featured college section, Columbia College listed his roommate as a "notable alumni." How weird, a thousand miles from home, in a store full of hot Mennonite ladies, on a gig for God knows whom and you find your roommate listed in a magazine you're browsing!

Alex and I walked back to the hotel and, after too many hours of Adult Swim, crashed for the night.

Even though we didn't know who we were working for, we did know we had a full day coming up...

 

[Sammy]

A/I ON THE ROAD (cont.)

Jerked awake by the wake-up call at 7 a.m., my long day had begun.

I took a shower, got dressed and headed to the lobby ahead of everyone else--it's either a "conscientious stage manager" thing or a "borderline OCD" thing, but for the rest of the trip I would always be where we needed to go first.

I can't remember the name of our hotel, but it was one of those "walk on the outside of the building to get to your room" type hotels, y'know, like a Fairfield Inn. They had a little breakfast laid out for guests in the lobby and I scarfed down a bagel and oh-so-delicious apple juice while scanning USA Today for news items to use in the "duelling newscasters" portion of the show (a FOX news anchor says one thing, an Al Jazeera news anchor says another). In the corner, a wall-mounted TV tuned to Headline News droned away.

I remember the Breakfast Girl intrigued me. Breakfast Girl was the one responsible for keeping the breakfast spread stocked and the lobby/dining area clean. As much as I tried, I couldn't keep my eyes off her. First off, she was probably in her early to mid 20's. Dark hair in a long braid. Glasses too big for her face. Quiet demeanor. Shy--you could tell by the way she talked to the desk staff and the manager. She seemed surprised and embarassed that I used her name when I asked her a question about the hotel. You wondered what she was like off the job. How she acted around her friends. Why she was working here. If she wanted to or she had to. If she was a student. If she was a townie.

That's a problem with being an improvisor with an overactive mind--you see someone interesting and you're already trying to figure out their hook, their deal, their bit. If I played her in a scene what would my character voice be? What would my physicality be? What kind of scene would I be in? Where would it go from there?

The rest of the cast slowly made their way down and grabbed something to snack on. Tyson, our well-dressed guide/keeper for the day arrived in a JMU van, itinerary in hand and eager to get us going.

For the third time in 2 days, I rode shotgun.

Tyson gave us a quick tour of the campus and answered all our questions, especially the $64,000 one, who the heck had actually hired us? Apparently the campus Hillel and diversity organization (CMISS--?) had teamed up to bring us out here. Ah. Burning mystery solved. (And tossed to the wayside was my "creepy old rich man in crumbling southern mansion hires us for a private show and we are never seen again" scenario.)

Tyson took us to breakfast at D-Hall, a large circular building that was one of the main food places on campus. Not only did it have a kick ass dining hall, around the "outer ring" it had a Sbarro's, a Chick-Fil-A and other food places students could get chow if they didn't want dining hall food.

But, seriously, I have no idea why they'd NOT want to eat at the dining hall.

Maybe it's my poor, slovenly eating habits that I've developed as a lazy bachelor improvisor in Chicago, but I seriously thought I was in heaven in the dining hall. I forgot what it's like to have unlimited access to a large variety food. And, after attending 4 different colleges in my wayward youth, I will go ahead and say not only was this the best looking dining hall I've ever seen, it was the best dining hall food I've ever had. These JMU punks ain't knowing how goods they gots it, I tells ya!

While we were eating, I told the group I thought it was weird that I didn't feel weird around so many college kids--I had been at college so long and then immersed in Chicago improv, I've grown used to hanging out around a younger crowd (I'm 30 and the average age of the people I hang out with is probably 25 or so).

After breakfast, we took an unscheduled visit to Wilson Hall to see the auditorium.

It was huuuuuuuggggge.

I asked Tyson how many people he thought would show up. "A couple of hundred," he replied. That'd be enough to fill the first third of the bottom seating area I thought.

The cast and I figured out issues (staging, sound, audience participation bits) that would have to be addressed in tech later that day and then, with nothing else to do, we went and chilled in the CMISS offices to check e-mails, write out the newscast for the show and kill time until the mid-day outdoor performance.

 

[Sammy]

A/I ON THE ROAD (conclusion)

At noon, A/I did a "preview" of the show. Initially, we were told they wanted a 30-minute set. Since A/I is only an hour long, we nixed that. We decided to do 3 quick scenes from the show that filled the following criteria: they didn't need tech, they didn't much (if any) staging and they cut to the chase.

We did the show in an open space next to D-Hall and near a bunch of tables that had been set-up for "International Day" or "Cultural Week" or whatever the fuck college campuses call these events that basically try to warn white kids that the world ain't so white. It went as well it could be expected, some students passed by with nary a glance, others picked up their stuff and left when the show began and others stopped for a little while, confused, before continuing on their way. New And Improv.'d did a quick set after us and did the best they could in an awkward space with disinterested crowds (Chicago people, remember Around the Coyote?).

We lunched at D-Hall--which basically consisted of 10 minutes of fighting to find a table, luckily getting two at once and giving the second one to the N&I troupe. Once again, the food was delicious and the portions generous.

After a quick afternoon hotel break (for everybody else) and net surfing/journal updating (for me) we met for tech, wrangled out our tech issues with the Wilson Hall stage crew and then took some time for ourselves afterwards.

The most trying part of tech, for me, was the fact that the lightbooth was miles away from the stage. Not only was I behind the upper balcony, we had to wire the stage with a mike just so I could hear the actors in the booth--and I had to talk back using the sound system of the theater. To give you a sense of how far away I was, it was like being in the DCT lightbooth and pulling cues for a show over at Taco Bell. I also was isolated from the audience. Even though I could see the balcony crowd, I could only see the first two or so rows of the downstairs house, so I wouldn't have any idea what was going on if something happened in the house. Also, I'd have a hard time telling if a bit killed or died in the booth. Gah.

Alex had his own issues as well, the piano he was on was just too good--it was a concert grand piano that would drown out the actors if he played it too loudly. Ironically, Alex had spent the last day or two improving his technique so he could pump out the score to the show and now he'd have to ditch it so the audience could hear the bits.

* * *

Cut to after the show:

It went well. Instead of a couple of hundred people, I was now told that the house was "pretty full"--the A/I Comedy Hour was designated a "passport event" which means something terribly important to students, but really holds no interest other than that they can get a "stamp" for attending the show.

Because I was so isolated from Roni and Hassan, I became best friends with the stage hands and my booth partner. Lauren, who ran sound, Steve, who did the grunt work downstairs, and I all were connected via headsets with microphones. During the show, we would trade bits, make jokes and add a running commentary on A/I to pass the time--we had all seen the show in tech and were just making time until we could go home.

Tech was embarrassingly simple. I broke the show into three "looks" and pre-programmed JMU's board for them and that was it on my end--Lauren was handling the sound cues and only needed my prompting to help her on that end. In fact, the only tech issue that arose during the show was that the cans didn't black out fast enough--instead of going straight to black, it was more of a superfast fade. Well, hey, nothing's perfect...

As soon as the show ended, the CMISS people announced a Q&A with Roni and Hassan and warned that people wouldn't get their passports stamped until the Q&A was over.

I left the booth, walked down from the second floor to the entrance and was stunned--crowds upon crowds of people were just standing around. I found out later that 1,300 people had filled the theater that night.

1,300!

I pushed my way through and made my way backstage while the Q&A was going on. I shook hands with Steve on a job well done and listened to the Q&A for about 5 minutes before I made an executive decision--knowing that only a handful of people wanted to talk to Roni and Hassan, I walked out on stage and whispered to Roni to announce the Q&A was over (so people who wanted their stamps could get 'em and get out) but that she and Hassan were available to talk to anyone who wanted to chat. The best of both worlds, people got to leave and people got to stay.

While Roni and Hassan chatted to the 2 dozen or so students who remained, Alex and I talked the New and Improv.'d cast for a while (N&I had also performed that night). We talked about their show and Chicago and generally got to know 'em. We found out that this was their first time with light tech and piano during a show and that this was the largest audience they had played. Way to go guys

Finally, I played bad guy and made Roni and Hassan wrap up their conversations so we could go Chili's and get our CMISS sponsored meal. During the ride (which I rode shotgun, again), Alex noted that even though I was Roni and Hassan's friend, I had to know when to "play the bad guy" to get things done during tech and after the show. I told Alex, "By playing the bad guy, I am being their friend"--that by doing my job as stage manager and making the tough (and sometimes unpopular) decisions, I was helping them be in a position to succeed as performers.

I probably then made a fart joke to balance out how queerballs serious I just was.

* * *

Rest of the Trip:

Chili's: I forgot how cheesy Americana-type restaurants are. But great grub.

5 am wake up call: If there is a god, at 5 am you want to kill him.

3 hour trip to the airport: For the first time I didn't ride shotgun and got a bench seat to myself. I spent most of the trip resting on the fuzzy border between sleep and awareness.

Reagan National: Federal workers are idiots.

ATA: Bryan Adams (again). Cyndi Lauper (again).

Midway: Almost home! Almost home!

Home: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

[Sammy]

I'm having trouble sleeping.

Ever since the A/I roadtrip, my sleep patterns are for shit. Even when I manage to get 7 or 8 hours in, I still feel like I need more. That's when I get 7 or 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep that is. For a week straight, I would jerk awake at 5 am and not be able fall back asleep till 6:30. Since my alarm goes off at 7, that pretty much killed me for the rest of the day. When I moved my sleeping arrangements to the walk-in closet last week (it's big enough, thankyouverymuch), I've been sleeping much sounder but still waking up exhausted. I called off work yesterday simply so I could get some sleep. Sad but true. Maybe after 3 1/2 years of horrible sleeping habits, my body has finally reached its "what the fuck!?" limits.

* * *

Next week is a busy one...

SAT:
10 am--Home Run Kids rehearsal
8 pm--Deuces Wild show (w/ Tony Seales) at The Playground

SUN
3 pm--WNEP's Let There Be Light industry show
6:30 pm--KOKO rehearsal
8 pm--Home Run Kids show

MON
6:30 pm--Annoyance Level 3 with Mark Sutton
10 pm--The Bruise Rehearsal

TUE
8 pm--Home Run Kids show

WED
10 pm--Tech for My Naked Friends

THURS / FRI: Try to have a life or, most likely, sleep.

SAT
10 am--Home Run Kids rehearsal
10 pm--The Bruise show

So, 4 shows, 4 rehearsals, a class and a tech. For those of you outside Chicago, the math works out to negative $55 for the week between the rehearsals and class (after you factor my tech pay in, it's negative $40). Shows, as usual, are done for free.

For the average improvisor in Chicago: the busier you are, the more it costs you.

* * *

I saw two plays this week, "The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus" and "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia".

I saw Dr. Faustus in a cramped 18-person black box studio by the Jarvis Redline Stop. I saw The Goat at the Goodman in the Owen Theater. Nothing like seeing the extremes of Chicago theater back-to-back

* * *

The unofficial parlor game of IO has started again: What teams do you think are getting cut?

Pull out a Schedule! Anyone can play!

 

[Sammy]

Deuces Wild has joined my list of improv milestones.

Saturday night, I showed up found Tony Seales and reminded him he was performing with me that night. Then, I surprised Todd Schanbacher outside the theater by asking him to play with us. He enthusiastically agreed and ran home to get his knee brace--Todd had surgery on his ACL and has to wear a brace when he does anything athletic. I was pretty stoked. I had never played with Tony Seales and I hadn't played with Todd since our IO 5b show "Jumping Miles" a little over two years ago.

Surprisingly, The Playground had a decent size audience that night despite the fact that the Cubs were playing the Marlins in Game 4. Deuces Wild took the stage first. Our first scene, three friends playing cards and conversing about anything and everything, became the only scene.

We did a single 25-minute scene!

Our conversational topics wandered from girlfriends, grandfathers, purity tests, masturbation, religion, hell, whether or not Samantha Fox was still alive and that my character was Chinese but looked Hispanic.

I think until this point, the longest scene I've done in a show or rehearsal was about 10 minutes. This was both an awesome performing experience and an enlightening learning experience. Looking back at the show, I figured a couple of things we could have hit harder or focused on--but given the fact we've never played together and pulled out a single 25-minute minute 3-person scene, I was beyond satisfied.

So, what are my other improv milestones? (Chronologically)

-Getting "drafted" by a Playground ensemble from an Incubator audition

-Getting put on a team at IO

-Becoming host of the Cagematch

-A series of three-person Homey Loves Chachi shows (with Pete Fitzsimmons and John Eiberger)

-Uncle Joe's 17-show win streak in the Cagematch

-Doing some two-person improv shows with Kathy Betts

-Putting together Courtesy Sleeve

-Koko's Unhinged run / getting paid to improvise

-Being asked to perform in The Lottery

I hope to keep booking Deuces Wild gigs across town. It's a tough sell (in my opinion) when you fill out an application and it basically says: "This is a show with me and two random guys. It works. Trust me."

I hope they do...because it's some funny shit.

* * *

After the show, Todd and I went to the Uncle Elaine Las Vegas party. It was a fund raiser for Uncle Elaine's trip to the Seattle Improv Festival. Fun times socially for me, bad times financially for me--Molly Hale cleaned my (and pretty much everyone else's) clock at poker. At the end of the night I yelled, "The REAL Uncle Elaine fundraiser is right here people!" every time Molly took yet another big pot.

So, much the poorer, I packed it in at 5 am. I walked home through Wrigleyville, detouring around the inert bodies of the homeless and avoiding suspect pools of fluids.

* * *

About two years ago, Mark Sutton was my level 2 Annoyance teacher. At the end-of-class evaluations, he told me that I needed get some stage time under my belt. Due to time and financial issues I stopped taking Annoyance classes.

Well, tonight, I'm finally continuing my Annoyance education and entering level 3...with Mark Sutton. Since my last class with him I've performed in a hundred or so shows.

I hope he gets a laugh out of that

 

[Sammy]

Flattering but embarrassing.

Twice last night, once when I entered my Annoyance class and once when I spoke to friends in another class, I was asked if I was there to teach. I smiled and quickly clarified that I was there as a student.

But it was nice of them to think that

It was a bit weird though because I've been thinking of asking the SC people what you have to do to become a teacher. I'm beyond curious to find out what the requirements are. If I qualify, I'd seriously consider putting my hat in the ring for it. I know I could teach the basics of improv to beginners. I also feel confident that I could direct an ensemble of intermediate-skill performers.

Maybe it's time to take that step.