// Unprotected Play//

Been spending my Saturday afternoons taking an improv class with Mick Napier and it’s really inspiring to experience this man teach. He is so quick and sharp and notices and remembers everything. He’s also infuses play in the way he teaches as well, crafting together exercises to bend and stretch our brains in ways he’s never experimented before.

Last week we did a bunch of scenes where we were told not to think and just speak. It went a little like this:

I minute. 2 person scenes. In chairs. One line a piece, talk as fast as you can. Interruptions. No space in between the lines. Don’t leave the seats. Talk Faster. Faster. Faster!

• Don’t think before you speak! Go with your gut and react. More importance you place on an improv scene, the less likely you are to play. Measured, safe, well construct voices will fuck you. 
• 1.5 minutes. Get on your feet and do it again, now infuse your personal notes from Mick. What are you going to work on? For me it was “Be Hyper Specific”
• Do it again in 45 seconds. Talk in normal speed this time* 

Takeaway from class: “This is a playground, play with reckless abandon, the kid who needs to play a certain way is annoying”.

*this is a misdirection. It’s just a scene. But psychologically, we are in attack and play mode which affects the way we play.

Mick talks about how we get on stage and we default to a sense of protected play. I find this exercise to be a great, simple way for us to get our brains stretched out and embrace the muscle of play before we hit the stage.

// The Extended Sojourn//

Exactly 3 months ago, I landed in O’Hare and was met by a dull, gray and bitchy Chicago chill. Recalling summers in Chicago to be magically hot and humid, I packed 10 tshirts, 3 pairs of shorts and a pair of flip flops. “An ominous sky”, I thought. My improv brother and mysteriously diffident ladies man Chris Blair picked me up; we smoked and pontificated on how inspiring ‘Summer of 2012’ was going to be. I had no idea what was about to happen.

ACT 1: The Immersion

In attempts to horribly bore you with my improv indulgences, below is the training I maniacally crafted for my adult summer camp:

• Second City: Sketch Writing 1, 2
• iO: Musical Improvisation
• iO: Writing 1
• Kevin Mullaney: 8-Week Performance Workshop
• iO: Summer Intensive (1,2,3,4,4B),
• Annoyance (2,3,4,5)
• 1 Day Workshops: Miles Stroth, Dina Fackliss, Greg Hess, Jet Eveleth, Lyndsay Hailey

At one point I was improvising 11 Hours a day (including rehearsals for a one-act play in which I was lucky to be cast).

Serendipitously, I was assigned to a iO Summer Intensive section full of hardcore improvisers who were more geeked out about this than I was. Under the guidance of Lyndsay Hailey, we took leaps of faith with each other emotionally off and on the stage. We couldn’t wait to play together so we started booking and performing in barprov gigs, on two Second City stages and at the Del Close theater.  I was spending 6-9 hours a day with 13 other people who agreed to be shockingly vulnerable and unnervingly inspiring. Instantly, we became Visibly Tight.

ACT II: The Revelation

Something interesting happened as I clearly overdosed on my favorite drug this summer: Over the course of 24 hours a week for 5 weeks at iO, I received the same exact note over and over again: “Stop taking care of everyone else in the scene and have fun! Play the scene you WANT to be in”. I could not understand what these teachers were talking about. I WAS having fun. This was Summer Camp for adults! I HAD TO BE HAVING FUN!! Right?

I noticed that I was having fun when I initiated scenes, because I was so used to starting strong from training at the Annoyance before taking classes at iO. But when coming off a Harold opening or when my partner initiated, I was too busy looking for the “RIGHT” choice to make, instead of making the choice I found fun. We all say, “let’s have fun up there!” But what the hell does that mean? I realized that I haven’t been having fun with improv for a while now. I was faking it.

The impetus for creating EndGames in San Francisco was a desperate need to be a part of a thriving improv scene; one of which reflected the scene I fell in love with while studying at the UCB in New York. While I was building the platform for myself and other like-minded comedians to share our voices, the mountains of administrative work and the pressure of producing and promoting shows and classes became psychologically insurmountable. Being the first born son of poor immigrants and a classic Sagittarius (I think), I’m prone to lead, structure and make sure others are cared for. I lost my joy in doing the goddamn thing. It became work.

ACT III: The Return

EndGames approaches its 2 Year Anniversary in San Francisco (9/4)! And in that short amount of time, we’ve been so lucky to have graced the pages of SF Weekly, SF Gate, SF Bay Guardian, Bay Stages and have been named #1 Nightlife Choice on Yelp. Helping to build out the scene in SF has been an incredible journey and blessing that not many folks get to experience. I’m so excited for the launch of EndGames 2.0! What?

It’s been our tradition to make a mess and catch up to it, and every single time it’s motivated talented, hard working individuals to double down and commit to the scene and  I truly believe that’s made all the difference for us. That’s why we are moving into the StageWerx Theater in the Mission on October 11, 2012. 6 shows a week, Thursday and Friday nights. I have 100% confidence and faith that the producers and teams will shock the once sleepy improv town into a city buzzing of smart, subversive improv comedy.

And with that confidence, I’ve decided to move to Chicago and extend by trip for another year.

As the haze of the iO Summer intensive hangover slowly lifts, it’s clear that there’s no better time than this. I need to continue honing my unique comedic voice and follow the single advice every single iO teacher has told me: “Stop taking care of everyone else in the scene and have fun! Play the scene you WANT to be in”. Chicago is where I want to be right now. San Francisco is my end game. 

// Summer Improv Quotes: Part 1//

Here are some quotes that rang true for me over the summer by different teachers at different schools here in Chicago. Some of them may not be original quotes but nonetheless had deep impact as they cascaded out of their mouths.

• “Dig deeper in the same ditch” - Lyndsay Hailey on heightening one idea until in transforms in group work and character work.
• “Shoot the grandma! See what happens” - Lyndsay Hailey on following the fear. It’s more interesting to do the thing you’re afraid of doing on stage and dealing with the consequence.
• “The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating”  Mark Sutton on making a clear choice and having fun playing all its permutations.
• “Emotion is King, Action is Queen and Words are the Jester” - Mark Sutton on building a grounded character.
• “You must be the driver of your Character Bus” - David Asher on creating fun characters you want to play.
• “Act out of inspiration, not obligation” - David Asher on making choices inspired by themes and scenes and not what you think your partner or the scene “needs”.
• “Be in the scene you WANT to be in” - Craig Uhiir on making choices that are genuinely fun for you to play instead creating a bummer/drag character that you obviously hate sustaining for 3 minutes.
• “Set the table for your partner’s character, but let her make the choice to eat” Kevin Mullaney on heightening your partner’s character deal to be more of herself without forcing the game move on them.
• “Give yourself the opportunity to fail in class” - Kevin Mullaney on letting go of expectations of the scene and making bold choices.
• “If you’re too hung up on improvising ‘correctly’, you will almost always fail.” Craig Cackowski on not trying to do improv right, but having fun and discovering.
• “Create a space TO connect, instead of using it to disconnect and think” Mark Sutton on letting the space and environment serve you, not the other way around. Make it mean something to your character.
• “An unfiltered choice is a wasted choice” Mark Sutton on listening actively and responding as more of your character in different ways.
• “Comedy is the Yin and Yang of meeting the audience’s expectations vs shattering them” Lilly Allison on why we laugh and creating patterns and games to fulfill expectations we set for them at the top of our scenes.

// The Ultimate Harold Breakdown//

Took my first class at The Annoyance tonight with Lilly Allison. Saying she was “no nonsense” would be an extreme understatement. I was inspired by the obvious way she loved and respected improvisation as an art form, enough to slam most Harolds performed in Chicago, likening them to Jazz bands staging a cacophony of unrelated notes.

Lilly’s been improvsing since she was 14 and has played everywhere from iO, Second City TourCo and The Annoyance, where she calls home, so she knows this city, the scene and most importantly her shit. She broke down a lot of improv today like I’ve never experienced it before. Everything from making choices, awareness, patterns and the historical roots of improvisation. But what blew my mind was the way she broke down The Harold, in its ideal form, as your “6th Grade Essay”:

1. SUGGESTION (Title): “Halloween”
2. OPENING: (Introduction) The opening is used to brainstorm and communicate with the ensemble. This is where the many ideas are presented as a team and ideas are identified to be used as AMMO for your Harold.
3. ACT 1: (Body Paragraph 1) State your ideas and explore
1. SCENE (Supporting Evidence 1): “Dress Up”
2. SCENE (Supporting Evidence 2): “Neighbors”
3. SCENE (Supporting Evidence 3): “Candy Corn”
4. GAME: Narrowing of THEME. What did these disparate scenes have in common? What were some themes reflected? (“Youth gone by”)
5. ACT 2: (Body Paragraph 2) Repeat/Heighten your ideas and explore
1. SCENE (Supporting Evidence 1): “Dress Up”
2. SCENE (Supporting Evidence 2): “Neighbors”
3. SCENE (Supporting Evidence 3): “Candy Corn”
6. GAME: Narrowing of THEME. What did these 2nd Beat scenes have in common? What were some themes reflected? (“Disillusionment”)
7. ACT 3: (Body Paragraph 3) What are the natural connections/collisions in these worlds?
1. SCENE: “Dress Corn”
2. SCENE: “Neighbor’s Candy”
3. SCENE: “Dressed up neighbors”
8. CLOSING: (Conclusion) A group closing, a monolog, a phrase, a song, whatever that can restate our Thesis.

This might be a super wordy way to look at it, but it makes a lot more sense as far the Harold or any long form piece as being an improvised comedic exploration of a word and its associated themes. Until today, I looked at the Harold as a structure to perform improvisation within, instead of it being improvisation itself. The Harold is a Choice, Awareness of that choice, the exploration and heightening of that choice and repeat.

// The Call Back//

I don’t enjoy talking on the phone.

I’m not a “phone person” - this has been a reoccurring issue in past relationships, both romantic and platonic. I’m always very anxious on the phone and usually my instinct is to find a way to hang up. If you call me, I’m usually picking up and letting you know that I have to go. I think it might be residual conditioning from growing up with a poor and angry father. “Get off the phone!” was his favorite phrase besides “This is all your fault”. Some times I’d wise up and retort “we don’t pay when THEY call us!” and yes, I’d pay for that.

I prefer to talk in person. In fact, I’m known to schedule 1:1 or platonic dates with people because I genuinely enjoy connecting, digging deep and losing sense of time. But a phone conversation still feels like they started countdown to a beat down.

But something happened today. Chris Blair, my teammate on The Recchia and long time “improv wife” , left last week to get a one month jump start in Chicago to train and geek out in all things improv, sketch and comedy. I’ve been calling him every day seeking a download of his first impressions of Mecca; and he finally called me back.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been trying to reach all week, but it was the longest phone conversation I’ve had since the release of the iPhone 1. And I believe it was only 20 minutes long. I got lost in his stories, our plans for the summer, the excitement of taking huge risks together that I didn’t even hear my dad shouting in my head. We were like two excited/nervous kids about to go away for the best Summer camp ever. It was nice.

Most days I’m terrified of where my life will be after my Summer in the Chicago. Where will I live now that I’m off the lease? What will I do for money? Will I return to a completely different scene? But today I let myself get lost in the excitement of what’s happening now and for once not dwell on the aftermath. It was a good lesson on being present and relishing in the Now not worrying about the Later.

4 weeks and counting… I’m gonna miss my SF peeps this summer. Please keep in touch, via Skype.