The long road to Chicago...

[drspam1]

To catch everyone up...

Who am I? I'm a near 31 year old who has spent all of his know life in Oregon...mostly in Tigard, now in Portland. What I've always lacked is drive.

Always the shy kid in school, I was different at home. I loved television and the cartoons it displayed. From the age of 9 I decided I would do cartoon voices for a living. Then I saw a show when I was 13 that made a small spark inside me...Saturday Night Live. "I will be on Saturday Night Live."

That is the hollow voice that floated in my head for many years. Hard to imagine that I would get there being the shy guy. The spark was still there, but very small. I occasionally broke out of my shell around close friends, but that was about it.

Then comes a chance meeting with a co-student named James Longfellow. But first...when I was in 6th grade all the 6th grade classes spent a week at "Outdoor School". A camp that lets kids have fun while learning about nature...I hated it. Didn't really learn anything other than "rain sucks." It was five years later, Junior year of high school, that James made his case:

"Dooood! We should go be Outdoor School Counselors!"

I was very resistant at first, then finally caved and agreed. He was pumped.

---next..."the counselor training"

 

[drspam1]

The Counselor Training

This is separate because it is a story in itself.

I had a friend named Aaron Holland. Neither of us had driver's licences, but he had a truck...a truck that needed to be push started...always.

I stayed the night at Aaron's the day before going to training. I told my mom and dad that I was staying the night at Gary's (who had a licence and car that my parents knew about), and that he would drive me to counselor training...not that I would borrow Aaron's truck while he was at work.

It was a cold morning. The truck wasn't warm and took a few pushes to get started.

Aaron worked just down the road at Elmers as a busser. I dropped him off. As I went to leave, the truck stalled. I couldn't get it restarted. Knowing Aaron could start it I went inside and got him. He started it, I got in, it stalled.

Being the good friend, Aaron said he would drive me there and just be a little late for work (an hour).

We got to Beaverton High School and all was well. Aaron leaves for work and I go into the training.

We sing some songs, and break up into groups to train. Here is where it becomes a separate story.

Out of the corner of my eye is a figure heading towards our group. I glance up and then away...when I look away, my brain registers that the figure is my dad.

He asks, "How did you get here?" To which I reply, "Gary drove me to..." "Gary's at home asleep." Insert pause in which I say nothing...having the common sense to know I'm caught. He ends with a "Don't go anywhere after this, I'm picking you up."

Did I mention he was a Drill Seargent?

So I go through this training because James Longfellow convinced me to. He wasn't at the training...which didn't occur to me at the time. And now I am in trouble and get to keep that in mind for the rest of the training.

As I leave, there is my dad's car. I get in...I don't really remember what all he said except for, "I'm tired of your SHIT, Rance." Now, this might not be a big deal for some people, but imagine for a moment that you are 15 and you've never heard your father swear before...and the first time he does, it is about you...and not in a good way.

Apparently the manager at Elmers called Aaron's house when he was late. Aaron's mom called my house to see if we were there. My dad said I spent the night at Gary's. Aaron's mom said we were at Aaron's house last night. My dad calls to find out Gary is still asleep. Busted.

---next: "Why Outdoor School was Important"

 

[drspam1]

Why Outdoor School was Important

The ordeal over, I head back to school with a story.

James and I plan which week we will go. A week before we were to leave, James says he isn't going because he is running for Treasurer and the election is the week we planned on. I tell him he should go to Outdoor School because:

A) He talked me into going.
B) He wasn't going to win as Treasurer.

He still didn't go. I did.

I was very shy on the first day...before the kids came. Then I loosened up a little.

Cut to campfire sign-up. The staff needed counselors to lead some songs at campfire. I didn't know any, but, after some pleading to all the counselors, I caved...again.

I led a song (Three Sharptooth Buzzards) and even forgot some of the words. I was nervous...VERY nervous going into it. After it was done, all of the kids exploded with applause. It was at that moment that a fistfull of gasoline soaked newspaper was thrown on the spark in my soul. An enormous step towards finding where I belonged.

I was a counselor twice more in High School and then worked as Staff for 5 years. Still, I wasn't sure why I was there. I thought it was because I liked teaching kids. It wasn't. I liked being on stage. Even though it was just songs and campfire skits.

I now feel I owe a lot to James Longfellow. I had the chance to thank him via email, but not in person...yet.

---next: "Community College"

 

[drspam1]

Community College

Outdoor School only happened in the Fall and Spring. Working at Outdoor School made me eligible for 14 hours of Practicum per session. During the Winter and sometimes Summer, I would take classes at Portland Community College. And usually useless classes.

As I was looking through the class list with a fellow ODS staff member, we came across a class called "Improvisational Theater." We determined from the description that it was probably "just like camp skits."

I took it. I loved it. It was pure improvisational theater. No games. No forms. Just free acting. It inspired me to take the Acting 101 class as well.

During this class, we were told about the American College Theatre Festival that was going to be happening in Idaho. It cost money, but I saved and went. That is where I came in contact with Theatersports. They had workshops and a mini tournament. Teams were put together from the people in the workshops. Our team won...which was a nice feeling. The workshops were led by Scott Parker.

There was a new theater being built on campus, and our teacher let us go inside to take a look. I got to stand on stage. I said to myself "I am going to play in the first show on this stage." I did...Frederick Fellowes in "Noises Off."

I was so excited about taking the Theatersports workshops at ACTF that I wanted to take improv again. The class number was the same, but the instructor had changed...to Scott Parker. That class was awesome.

I didn't do a whole lot more with improv after that. I got engaged. Got an office job. Got dumped 20 days after getting the office job...dumped hard...the kind that takes so long to get over that you can get a black belt in Tae Kwon Do while you're getting over it...at least I did.

---next: "Cure to Office Boredom"

 

[drspam1]

Cure to Office Boredom

Summer. 1997. I've had my office job for awhile. Thing were going well. I was taking Tae Kwon Do classes because I had nothing better to do. One day I was thinking about how fun improv was. I decided to see if there was any Theatersports going on.

I found a web site for ComedySportz. They had classes starting in September. I decided to check out a show. I remember thinking how funny and chalk full of wit I was yelling out suggestions like "jello" and "Mork." I took the level 1 class (with Stacey Hallal and Deanna Moffitt from All Jane No Dick...they were in the class, I didn't know them prior to that). A blast.

I took level 2. More fun and sometimes stressful...usually more stressful on the days that I learned something good.

I started playing for Portland ComedySportz just after the 1999 National CSz Tournament in Portland. I had found the spark and the flame again, and this time I had the perfect outlet.

Within my time at CSz I have met great people, played in good and bad shows, met and fallen in love with a beautiful and funny lady, and discovered long form.

There isn't a lot of long form in Portland. There wasn't any in CSz. There was an attempt early on that died quickly. Then another attempt by John Breen who had just returned from spending a year or so in New York. He led a workshop, and from that sprang "Your Other Left." We were all fresh and new. It took some work, but we finally got to the point where we were going to do a show. I felt something I hadn't in a while...nervous. But it was a good nervous. Made me want to try new forms of entertainment.

I talked with John at lunch one day about what I wanted to do in life. I said I wanted to try sketch...written sketch. He had just been contacted about joining "The Third Floor"...Portland's longest running sketch comedy. He offered to mention me to them, they said they were holding auditions.

I wasn't sure what I was going to audition with. The day before my audition, I had cable modem service installed by this Ukranian guy who said "sweet" a lot. That was the character I did. I just reinacted him installing the cable. I got in.

Right around this time, my fiancee was playing around with starting to do some longform. Her friend, Stacey, wanted to put an all girl group together. They decided on the name "All Jane No Dick" and started rehearsing. Deanna brought something home with her that Stacey lent to her. Something that would be the magnifying glass to my desire in life.

---next: "The Something"

 

[drspam1]

The Something

It was a video about Second City. I don't remember what the video was called. I don't remember the names of the people in it (except Tina Fey and Mick Napier (and Kevin Dorff?))...all I remember is watching it. Sitting there, not only in awe of getting to work in Second City, but with one thought in my head...well two: "I can do that!" and "I'm moving to Chicago."

I've been known to be a bit compulsive before, but this felt different. I determined that I would move in "one year"...that later changed to April 2003 (didn't want to move in January).

I had some debt to take care of, and I needed to have money saved up before I left because I didn't want to do much working if I could help it...maybe a part time job.

I got REALLY crazy with my cash. Barely spending anything on anything and just paying of huge chunks of debt. I now only have car payments and am working on saving cash.

In April I went to CIF. Met some great people. Got to see AJND perform in the showcase, followed by Bassprov. More importantly, saw a small part of Chicago...and loved it.

Ever since CIF, it has been painful. Sitting here. Day after day. I told myself that I would wait until April...that I will be there before CIF. I would be there right now if I had the cash. I told myself that I would cash out my 401k if I got fired before April...it has taken everything I have to not inspire getting fired.

---next: "Seattle"

 

[drspam1]

Seattle

Went up for the Seattle Sketch Fest last weekend. Saw great groups like Hoskins & Breen (Portland), Kasper Hauser (Sunnyville, CA?), The Class Project (L.A.), and The Midwesterners (NY).

Bassprov was also playing and doing workshops. I watched them on Friday...great show. Got to hang out with them a little afterwards and gave them a ride back to their hotel. That was an adventure right there since every road that led to the hotel ended up dead-ending or turning into a one way in the wrong direction.

Saturday was when I saw the sketch stuff.

Sunday was a workshop with Joe Bill and Mark Sutton. A four hour workshop that seemed to last about 1.5 hours...but no...it was four. It was a spectacular workshop that affirmed one thing for me. "I need to get the fuck outta Portland."

That Sunday Bassprov was supposed to perform "Three in the boat". But they didn't. They did a first-time "Four in the boat"...if that wasn't cool enough, one of the four was my chicky, Deanna. The other was my friend Stacey. Good stuff. Mark had a funny moment with Pringles...had to be there.

In an effort to get more longform stuff going on around Portland, I put together a show to play in a late slot at ComedySportz. It is called Bouillabaisse. Why? It takes people from different groups and throws them together on stage. I had never produced a show before and missed the first night because of my Seattle plans. Last Friday was Craig McCarty (ComedySportz, Skin n Bones) and Tony Marcellino (ComedySportz, Skin n Bones, Your Other Left), Nate Halloren and Brad Fortier (Brody Theatre, Hal Foreen), and Alan and Gretchen McNeely (ComedySportz, Your Other Left).

This coming Friday will be Jennette Zarko and Merrily Antony(ComedySportz, Your Other Left), Deanna Moffitt (ComedySportz, All Jane No Dick), Stacey Hallal (Big Belly, All Jane No Dick), John Breen (ComedySportz, Hal Foreen, Hoskins & Breen, other) and myself (ComedySportz, Your Other Left, The Third Floor).

It is fun to just get random people together to play.

---next: "Update"