// Defining Your End Game//

It’s been 4 months since I moved to Chicago with great expectations of immersing in the scene via the big three comedy institutions. But as of late, I’ve been writing and performing more stand up and solo sketches than I ever imagined I would. My focus has completely shifted.

Chicago’s scene consists of a ton of young, talented performers whose paths of success have been paved by famous people’s tracks by getting on a Harold Team, then Second City Mainstage, then SNL. And then what? Maybe a movie. And then what? Maybe more money - and then WHAT??

After spending some time here , I realized that most people simply want some vague idea of fame: the Ultimate Validation. But it’s just not enough.

A lot of folks out here ask the same questions: “What classes are you taking? What level are you in? What team are you on?” As if simply going through the motions will magically transform you into Scott Adsit or Tina Fey. Sure Tim Robinson, my current comedy hero, went trough all the same steps but what we need to understand is that those steps were taken to develop his POV - which led him to produce his own work which led SNL to want him in this season’s cast.

Because most people don’t understand what they really want, it’s easy to fall into the traps of comparing yourself to others and feeling “ahead” or “behind” the curve. The truth of the matter is is that the curve is not real. The path laid out is an imaginary roadmap that we perceive in order to help build a context around the scariest unknown in life: The Future.

It’s important to clearly define your end game and put your head down and work. And just do YOU, not your version of somebody else. After diving in head first here, I realized that all of this nonsense comes down to me getting up every night and telling my story, which is constantly evolving. For me, life is too erratic and fucked up for me to experience it alone. I get on stage so I can feel connected to other human beings, to understand that I’m not alone. All the fame and possible fortune eventually leads back to this - the more people I can reach the better.

I’m reminded of the Robert Frost poem, but instead of choosing the road less traveled, I choose to pave a tertiary road, one no one’s walked yet. Be the first or be the best, leave the roads traveled for the rest. Below is an excerpt from Will Hines who talks about improv and its end game:

“I think a career in improv has seriously diminishing returns for stuff that translates into a paying job. At first, it can connect you to a network of like-minded people, and help you develop your voice and your confidence. And then after some amount of time, you’ve met the people you’re going to meet and your voice is as developed as it’s going to and you should get rid of all that time you’re spending in rehearsal and write your own stuff.” - Will Hines, UCBT NY

// Monolog Jokes 6/27-6/29//

So I figured that a social contract with the tumblr-verse would help me to stay on track and dissuade me from getting into the lazy zone. I hope 1 or 2 of these will make you giggle, as most of them will undoubtedly make you sound like my mom by saying “so this is what you’re doing in Chicago? Get back to work”.

• In hopes to curtail the surge in summer violence, Chicago PD is working with ex-felons to bust up fire hydrants and start a game of stickball.
• A study by the Wall Street Journal finds that Mac users spend significantly more on hotels and travel than their PC counterparts; making the Apple Store the preferred destination for gold diggers.
• JoJo, one of the world’s last lowland silverback gorillas was moved to The Brookfield Zoo to mate with 2 females who have only done this once before, in college.
• President Obama was BOO’d by the audience at The Boston Symphony Hall when he angered a crowd of Red Sox fans by using tri-syllabic words.
• Dwayne Wade’s ex-wife loses custody of her children helping the NBA star maintain his 2012 wining streak.
• Hot off the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, last week, the Pentagon celebrated LGBT Pride for the first time by playing a giant game of “Never Have I Ever”.
• California officials pass a law to make couches and sofas more flame retardant without applying toxic chemicals. An annoying hipster comments, “um you mean flame-challenged?”
• A new study reveals that post weight loss, carb calories pack on more pounds than protein or fat calories. Kirstie Alley, the former spokeswoman for Weight Watchers, disagrees.
• The City Council votes to decriminalize marijuana in Chicago. Medical officials ask, “Do we have any Cheetos?”
• Unlike the rest of the country, the trucking industry is finding it difficult to hire new employees due to weak benefits, harsh working conditions and kids constantly wanting you to pull the damn horn.
• The National Occupy Movement plans to meet at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on July 4th, transforming the iconic landmark into a giant port-a-potty.
• In a historic election, Mohammed Morsi becomes the first civilian leader of Egypt. His first official act in office is to acquire a hand gun.
• Leaders of France, Spain and Italy join forces to bully the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to compromise on the use of the EU bailout funds. Don’t worry Angela, “it gets better”.
• This Summer’s Olympic Games will be hosted in London for the second time. Much like the Octo-Mom, Londoners are against their tubes getting tied up.
• Magic Johnson launches his new cable network “Aspire”. Oprah Winfrey praises him for following in her footsteps by making more money.
• WikiLeaks announced the release of a musical compilation CD called “WOW: 2012 Hits and Assassinations.
• A Baltimore man was arrested for shooting marbles at a traffic camera with a sling shot. Sources say that he was bailed out by Good Ol’ Mr. Wilson.
• A lady in New Mexico was arrested for refusing to return Twilight books and DVDs to the local public library. In related news, New Mexico changes their state slogan to “Hey, Nothing Happens Here!”.
• RIM, the mobile company that makes Blackberries, announced that they are cutting 5,000 jobs, in an email from the CEO sent by his iPhone.
• Google announced that “Project Glass” will be available in stores in 2014. Pre-sales have gone through the roof globally, by amateur pornographers.

// Monolog Jokes 6/25//

So I figured that a social contract with the tumblr-verse would help me to stay on track and dissuade me from getting into the lazy zone. I hope 1 or 2 of these will make you giggle, as most of them will undoubtedly make you sound like my mom by saying “so this is what you’re doing in Chicago? Get back to work”.

Sunday 6/25:

• SF Giant and two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum is having a surprising year with a 6.19 ERA, making him the biggest fall from grace since Lucifer.
• Spacecraft Voyager 1 will be the first man-made object to leave the solar system and enter interstellar space - to which God responded, “Ok, that’s enough”
• Due to softening demand, gas is on track to drop to $3/gallon this fall, inciting hipsters to react by asking “what’s gas?” as they ride off on their fixie.
• “Women are significantly falling behind men in money management and knowledge of the financial markets” says a survey conducted by Adam Corolla.
• Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has agreed to pay $600MM for 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai - because in today’s economy, buying an entire island would be irresponsible.
• Twitter had its largest outrage yesterday causing ripples across the global community and forcing people to talk about their days at the dinner table.
• GM, America’s largest automaker, reports that 3 out of 4 Buicks sold last year were in China. The good news is that 4 Buicks were sold!
• Charlie Sheen stated that “Anger Management”, a new sit-com premiering on FX, will be his last TV show he does because the public is starting to recognize his transition into a full-blown tiger.
• Kelly Maconrad, the voice of Pixar’s first female lead, says she didn’t have to learn how to shoot arrows or ride a horse. Instead she learned how to be funny by listening to Adam Corolla’s podcast.
• The expansive AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed at the Smithsonian this summer with over 93,000 names on it. Among the first scheduled visitors are the Sisters of Perpetual Spring Break or “Tri-Delt”

// 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.