Tell me about Chapel Hill

Conklin

Conklin

Member
#1
#1
My girlfriend has just today decided on UNC Chapel Hill for grad school and I will almost certainly be heading there with her. We'll be arriving sometime in August. We are very excited.

About me: I was a founding member of Haverford College's The Throng, helped introduce them to longform improvisation, and performed with them at the 2003 Del Close Marathon. I am a founding member of Philadelphia's Rare Bird Show, although I'm unfortunately on something of a hiatus at the moment (or is it more of a sabbatical? tough to tell). I've studied with Armando Diaz, and done workshops with many others from many different theatres. I also hate doing bios, so I'll stop there.

While I of course wanted to introduce myself, my main conern in posting this is to obtain pertinent information about my future situation. So please tell me anything that you believe I need to know about Chapel Hill -- as a place to live, about the university, and particularly about the improv.

Thanks!

-Christopher Conklin.
 
EthanK

EthanK

Prestige format
#2
#2
Hey Chris
I'm probably not the best authority on CH since I only visit there four times a week or so but live in Raleigh. But I can tell you what I know to the best of my ability.

The CH improv scene is crazy go nuts fun. Most of the improvisors on this board are involved with Dirty South Improv (remember when Corey, PT, Lisa and myself visited Philly? We weren't all of NC improv, just DSI) a mostly long-form company that will be starting a short form team in the near future. At this moment DSI Chapel Hill has three regularly performing (or soon to be regular) house Harold teams and a whole slew of independent teams (short form groups, audio groups, all-female groups, randomly selected audience member groups, etc.). Our performance opportunities at this time are limited to two shows a week on Friday and Saturday nights at the Inside Scoop Ice Cream store where a stage and chairs are set up for crowds averaging about 25-45 people. In the near future we hope to set up our own theater. Classes are also offered by DSI and a full list of classes and performances are available on the DSI website www.dirtysouthimprov.com. DSI isn't the only NC performance opportunity though, there are short form shows and classes at Comedyworx in Raleigh, Transactors in Carrboro, Villaige Idiots in Raleigh, UNC's CHiPs and Duke's DUI.

Housing...I dunno. I live in Raleigh, a half hour away on a low traffic day. I'll be moving to Durham in the summer, possibly with some other improvisors.

And I know nothing about UNC as a school except the campus is big. I walked around it last week for two hours. It's big.

DSI is just plain fun. We all get along and play nice and we're just constantly looking to expand. We're getting a new improvisor moving here from another improv town on an average of once a month now and they're attracted by our great teachers, our relaxed, non-competitive atmosphere and the chances to play on a big scale. Come on down to NC, NC is the place to be.

http://www.dirtysouthimprov.com

and check out the message board there ASAP. We're all on it.
 
Lord Hatsumi

Lord Hatsumi

New Member
#3
#3
Hey Conklin - Would be awesome to get you down here. Improv wise things are constantly getting better and bigger. The DSI training program is getting new students every time we start a new level 1, and the groups it is producing are getting better everyday. DSI was started by Zach Ward who moved to Chicago a few years back and studied at IO. He contacted folks in the area to help him get it started and since then many things have happened. We have been lucky enough to get 3 UCB grads down here (one who moved back to NYC recently), Zach is coming back with his IO experiences and many many others here who have studied at various places for between 1 year and 13 years. We have two yearly festivals. DSIF which is a festival geared towards teaching professionally trained improv to people who don't get the chance to go study at UCB/IO/Second City. Groups from all three places and more come here to teach and perform, and every year more groups come. 24 Live is a benefit show of Core performers who stay up all 24 hours performing for a charity. During breaks other groups in the area get on stage and play as well. For more info check out our website http://dirtysouthimprov.com

Check out our message board as well.

As far as Chapel Hill goes. I can't say there is a better place in the world to live. It is becoming very liberal artsy, and is very diverse. Not much crime at all, and it generally stays to one area of the town which most people don't traverse. Very laid back but knows how to throw down when need be. Living can be expensive depending on where exactly you want to live. But there are always affordable places around here that are easy to get into.

Good luck. Hope to get ya down here.

"Moooom...mooooooooom....mom...mooooooooom."
 
ilaughatme

ilaughatme

UN Filipino Delegate
#4
#4
Quick question for Corey: Who is the third from the UCB (I've got Jennings and Porter in mind)? Is it Brett?

Also, DSIF has a lot of college troupes in attendance.
 
EthanK

EthanK

Prestige format
#5
#5
Chris, let me just take this thread aside for a second and say that I loved you in the trunk of the car with the hitchhiker in the Rare Bird Show scenes we saw. It sticks with me as a great example of heightening.
 
Lisa P

Lisa P

Improviser in exile.
#6
#6
EthanK said:
Chris, let me just take this thread aside for a second and say that I loved you in the trunk of the car with the hitchhiker in the Rare Bird Show scenes we saw. It sticks with me as a great example of heightening.
Click to expand...
I second that. It was quiet and hilarious and I loved it.
 
Conklin

Conklin

Member
#8
#8
Thanks for the info, support, and (most unexpectedly) the compliments.

Keep it up, mesdames et messieurs! I need more info!

Here's a question: how easy is life without a car?
 
Lisa P

Lisa P

Improviser in exile.
#9
#9
Yay!

Life without a car. Well, that depends, I guess. If you plan to occupy the entire Triangle - Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, as many do, you can't manage without a car. It is essential.

I can't speak for the CH natives about the quality of their day to day lives without a car, but it appears that the folks who spend most of their time in Chapel Hill seem to do ok.

I am always available for rides between the Scoop and Ham's (of course, many have discovered that the back seat of a Mustang is not really meant for human occupation).
 
G

goldfish boy

Otium cum dignitate
#10
#10
I'm thinking about going to the Merge Records 15th anniversary weekend, in Chapel Hill/Carrboro in July.

Most of the shows are at a place called the Cat's Cradle. Can anyone tell me if this is around the downtown area? Would I need a car to get there? Are there any decent-to-good hotels in the area? What's there to do in the area during the day? Any good record stores or parks?
 
F

Frank Gondorchin

changes aren't permanent
#11
#11
Cat's Cradle is in downtown Carrboro, a stone's throw from the DSI Training Center. How long will you be in town? You'll want a car.

I can't speak to hotels, parks, record stores, or things of that nature. But make sure you schedule some cuddletime with me!
 
dkois

dkois

"El Destructo"
#13
#13
A very nice (if expensive) hotel right near campus is the Carolina Inn. I recommend this place not only because the rooms are great, but also because its location is fantastic and you won't need a car to get many places. (Although if you're going to the Lambchop show in Durham you will. And you might need one to get frmo the airport into town, unless Jennings will pick you up.)

It is perhaps a twenty-minute walk from the Inn to the Cat's Cradle. The Cradle is a great club, the place where I've seen the best shows I've ever seen.

As is the case in most college towns, Chapel Hill is full of fantastic record stores. I especially recommend Schoolkids Records and the Record Exchange on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill and Nice Price Books and Records just around the curve on Franklin Street in Carrboro.

The UNC main campus is basically like one big park, full of lovely old buildings, sun-dappled quads, and attractive male and female students, almost all of whom are wearing baseball caps.

That Merge weekend should be FANTASTIC. I am jealous.

xoxo
Dan
 
G

goldfish boy

Otium cum dignitate
#14
#14
Thanks for the replies! A few points to help shape the advice:

1. If side project gets into the UCB marathon, I won't be going to NC (at least not for the whole thing)--it's the same weekend. This way I have something cool to do that weekend either way. I'm super-excited about the Merge weekend, but I'd rather play with side project.

1.5. Consequently, I won't have the opportunity to hang with any of you because you'll all be in New York. And I'll have to find my own damn ride from the airport.

2. I probably will go to NC Thursday morning and leave Sunday morning. I don't plan to go to the big Durham finale with Lambchop. I recently saw Lambchop in NYC and liked them, and I like the Clientele too, but not enough to have to negotiate travel to Durham.

3. The last time I drove was April 1996. I won't be driving.

4. The UNC main campus sounds exquisite, but I'm 40 and probably shouldn't be surrounded by sun-dappled attractive female students, with or without baseball caps. I don't know if my heart could take it, in more ways than one.

5. The Carolina Inn looks good. Expensive is fine; it's only for three nights.

6. Thanks again. Keep it coming. Aside from chicken fried chicken, any other culinary specialties I should try?
 
revafisheye

revafisheye

Mine's on the 45
#15
#15
The McKellog Report was in Chapel Hill for DSIF in Feb and ate at a great place called Mama Dip's. I'll see if I can find TMR's review and post it. It may take a while - The McKellog Report's archives are vast and poorly organized.
 
dkois

dkois

"El Destructo"
#17
#17
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EthanK

EthanK

Prestige format
#18
#18
The DSI gang used to spend after shows at Ham's on Franklin St. The food is good but the service is only good if you get Jen. Anyone else is mean and will limit you to one Shirley Temple and won't give you silverware. At least that's what happened to me.
 
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