Improv Nonsense

ucb-conspiracies: Debunked! UCB’s “The Straight Men” is fake....

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:24:06 -0400

Debunked! UCB’s “The Straight Men” is fake. It was entirely pre-planned by Will Hines.

Watch this video to learn how Will Hines:

1) Knew the suggestion beforehand
2) Wasn’t authorized to be in this show
3) Manipulated the audience with his clothing
4) Communicated with an off-stage puppet master DURING THE SHOW.

Mr. Hines will not justify these baseless accusations with a response, and does not confirm or deny the presence of scripted material in this or every show he does.

Hey Will, thanks for creating this tumblr. It's a great resource and much appreciated. I have 2 topics. 1. How is it that in my past classes I've done well, and felt confident, and yet in my current class I stink? It seems as if I've gotten worse. I keep thinking "well I'm sure glad I got all that bad out last week, now I can really do some work," and then I seemingly go deeper down my rabbit hole of suck. 2. Tips on how to deal with embarrassment/shame of a particularly bad scene/awful move?

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:06:43 -0400

It’s tough. Everyone goes through it. What is your instinct on how to handle it? Don’t quit over something like this. I wrote a million words about it — in the margin of this blog is “how do i get out of my head” which touches on this far far far too much.

I'm an improv student with zero acting experience prior to taking 101. I've noticed most of my classmates have a lot of experience with acting, or act for a living. For some reason I never drew a connection between acting and improv, but I'm now wondering if my underdeveloped acting skills are inhibiting my improv. What is your opinion - are strong acting skills needed to be a strong improviser?

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:10:00 -0400

I think acting skills are necessary to be a strong improviser but lots and lots of people start studying improv without any acting experience and without strong acting skills. You’ll grow them; don’t fret. To a certain degree, it just happens. Do enough improv and you just gain more comfort on stage, and that translates to acting skills. Get in touch with your opinions and feelings about things and you will make fast decisive reactions on stage and THAT translates to acting skills. As for the people around you who have done more acting: 1) they’re aren’t as many as you might fear/think and 2) their skills will rub off on you without you even knowing it.

I do not believe that improv can make someone’s inherent sense of humor much better. But it can definitely make someone a better actor. I’d say that’s the number one most reliable skill improvement one gets from doing a lot of improv. Number two is writing chops. Number three is awareness of dumb specifics from current geek cultures.

Rave

Sun, 05 May 2013 01:42:00 -0400

I live in the most northern area of Brooklyn where there are a bunch of warehouses (all slowly being converted into dumbly expensive lofts and headquarters for things like Kickstarter and weird ventures like community garden social networks and probably a permanent studio for the show Girls) and every now and then there is a for-real old-school RAVE in these warehouses.

And tonight is one of them. It’s called “Into the Wormhole” which is hilariously rave-y and you can’t buy tickets, you must be personally invited and I don’t care because I am in my apartment hiding inside my Tumblr.

Anyway, my normally desolate street is jammed with cars and taxis filled with —- there is no more fair term to say than this —- young people — all filing into this warehouse on the East River. Here are some of the outfits I just saw on people as they walked in: Girl in an orchid-colored sparkly cocktail dress and heels, two guys in neon tank tops and shorts (matching), an impossibly thin dude carrying a skateboard, girl in welder mask and metal bikini, someone as a Mad Men-era stewardess (one can say stewardess when referring to that era) and a (i think) man dressed as Captain America holding a GLOW STICK.

And so I wanted to come to this improv blog and say that all the people going to his rave are very on-game.

That’s it. Haven’t typed anything here in a bit so here I am.

Audition Advice

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:39:14 -0400

iamachilles:

I

You

We

React

Repeat funny thing

Chill:

I have a show tonight. Can you give me some advice?

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:16:00 -0400

Yes, try these initiations.

“Why the bed?”
“You are wearing all of my pants.”
“I think I’m making a new face.”
“Why SHOULD I put on clothes?”
“I killed Freddie Mercury.”
(miming typing) “This tumblr post is hilarious.”

And these responses (not for the above initiations, but to be used arbitrarily)”

“Yes, that was me.”
“I know! It’s terrible.”
“Too late.”
“God damn it!”
“Cool if I leave now?”

Names for other characters:

Landon
Brill
Sentry
Johnnobbin
Henries
Shurtain
Benson
Jenly
Bevers
Georgous
Viv
Marion
DeVoe

Sometimes at the start of the scene, there will be some virtually impossible-to-resolve agreement problem between the 2 or more people who stepped out. Now, if I'm on the backline, and I can think of a clever line that helps create agreement, then I'll walk on and do that. But, my question is: if I'm on the backline, and I see no way to help create agreement, are there any other kind of support moves that can help the scene get back on track? Or are scenes like that just busted?

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:04:00 -0400

Sounds like you’re walking on too early to me. Let the first two out deal with it. If you’re thinking “but they’re not dealing with it,” be patient. Some scenes, especially first scenes, are like a car engine starting — sputtering a bit before it catches.

How much tongue should be used if you want to get a huge laugh by having two male improvisers make out in the last few seconds of a Cage Match show? Thanks in advance.

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:48:03 -0400

Why do you like putting limits on scenes and seeing how people play them? Is it because art without limitation is more difficult to achieve greatness? Is part of it because giving us a rule puts us in on an inside joke/rule/game and gives an immediate meta subgame to play?I love watching and doing these scenes, just curious what your intent is.

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:41:16 -0400

You’re talking about when I went into your class and made Alan Starzinski and Erik Tanouye come in and do a bunch of scenes with restrictions? I like seeing good people do hard things. And I was trying to pick things that I think improvisers find themselves wanting to do. “Start with a premise off a suggestion” — it’s hard to do, and not essential, but it IS something that good improvisers can generally do. It’s the equivalent of taking an NBA player and saying “make a three point shot with only 5 seconds left on the shot clock” — it’s not the most important thing but it’s fun to see a good athlete try. I’d like to make a battery of restrictions for people to try. Maybe like an improv obstacle course. “Think of 5 non-silly names for a family members. Now name 5 non-silly names that still sound Victorian.” I just made that up. Hello Dustin!

Thanks for answering my question about game vs. premise. I have to ask, would you have blown off that question in class because it's an inappropriate question to ask, or because you don't want beginners getting bogged down in semantics? Semantics seem to really matter at UCB. Inventing vs. discovering, game vs. premise, on game, off game, yes and vs if this then what. I get so many notes related to these terms I'd feel strange if I asked about it in class and the teacher dismissed the question.

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:36:00 -0400

Yes, that’s fair to say. I guess I think that NO semantics are perfect — they’re all approximations and it’s in the students best interest to try and get the intention of the semantics rather than try to find the cases where the semantics fail. So I get upset when a student tries to think of hypothetical cases where the semantic seems to be indicating bad behavior, because it’s a waste of time. And similiarly any prolonged discussion of semantics quickly becomes just academic and not practical for the stage, in my opinion.

It’s similar to a memory I have of Sunday School —- like third grade —- when a friend of mine would try to find cases where the ten commandments wouldn’t make sense. “Honor your mother and father” — “what if you’re adopted and your adopted father is abusive” —- my friend (who was hilarious) wasn’t trying to learn the lesson but just to see if there was a way to poke holes in the rule? And regardless of what your thoughts are of religion or sunday school — the phrase “honor your mother and father” — I mean, you get the point of it, right?

Game and premise are similar. They’re both trying to articulate that improv scenes will often revolve around a single comedic idea or behavior or THING that comes up, and it’s helpful to learn how to try and have that happen as early as possible sometimes. We make two different terms since one — premise — is something that a single person can bring up and the other —- game —- is something that is agreed upon by everyone in the scene, ideally.

But when someone says “initiate with a premise/game” I think what they’re saying is “let’s try the tricky thing of starting with an idea, which brings with a series of challenges as opposed to starting from just a suggestion which has a separate set of challenges.” And whether they mean premise or game is almost immaterial in that context. What I hear when someone says “start with a premise/game” is roughly “start with something funny” where ‘something funny’ vaguely means something interesting/unusual/funny/intriguing right at the top.

And so I guess it would FEEL to me like the person who asked the question was trying to make the semantics these airtight formulas when they are best seen as principles?

It would depend on tone, level and context for me to determine if it were a topic that needed discussion in the moment.

How do I stop trying to be clever? It's difficult to trust that things will work out into funny

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:18:00 -0400

I don’t know. Maybe the answer is to be MORE clever? Be smarter and funnier than everyone on stage and in the audience? It doesn’t sound artful but I can’t imagine how that wouldn’t work. I would be interested in watching someone who was without-a-doubt the smartest funniest person in the room. Of course “clever” is subjective. I don’t mean make the most clever “lines” since that’s not really how improv works. But the most clever theatrical choice that puts us RIGHT AT THE START in an ironical, relatable, high-stakes situation? That sounds pretty awesome. I don’t know how it is that words like “funny” and “smart” and “clever” get bad names to some people. I want the best, funniest, smartest people on the stages I’m watching. “Be undeniably better than everyone” is not a bad success strategy in any field, so I can’t see how being clever is bad? Gethard wrote a great thing on how it’s the TRYING that’s bad. Like TRYING to be clever is lame, but I think even in that piece he doesn’t say that the part where someone IS clever is bad? Go find that piece. Be clever enough to find Gethard’s piece on trying to be funny — it’s good. Take all this with a grain of salt. I honestly could be a fraud of a teacher who has “ascended” to his position at UCB through a weird combination of circumstance and luck and am actually a fountain of bad advice but no one has noticed. I mean I have this blog, but so what? The qualifications for starting this blog were 1) having an email address and 2) nothing else. Anyway, I can see what you’re getting at in that trying to make jokes and be funny is usually something that goes along with bad listening and bad commitment. Then again, I can’t think of a single good improviser that I wouldn’t also describe as clever. Also funny smart interesting unpredictable and cool. Stop trying but also don’t, like, undervalue being funny. Being funny is good! Being clever helps! I’m clever! I’m fucking super clever! Holy shit, you should see me! I’m all fast-thinking and shit and it’s a big help. I recommend it. Yes, your teammates will support you when you’re having off days or they should but then again it’s not, like, BAD on the days that you are NOT OFF. Improv forgives off days but it’s not like, EXCITED, that you’re off either? Whatever happened in improv and in the world at large to the idea that we should celebrate superiority? I like people who are better. They are better. Can improvartvice put this whole thing on a t-shirt? I’ll buy one for everyone in the City of New York.

Is it possible to "initiate with a game?" from an opening? Sometimes I hear teachers talk about doing that, and then other teachers say you can't have a game until someone reacts.

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:15:00 -0400

Technically you “initiate with a premise” and you wait for a reaction to see what your scene partner’s take is before you declare it a game. But I think this is besides the point. When someone says “initiate with a game” — even though that technically it’s better to say “initiate with a premise” — the point is to try initiating with a pretty full idea rather than start with a smaller choice. It’s not the only way to start a scene, it’s not even necessarily the best way, but starting with a premise is a way that a seasoned improviser should feel comfortable with doing.

[EDITED TO ADD: I just think this kind of semantic parsing is kinda pointless? I mean for an improv blog it’s okay, but if I said “initiate with a game” to a student and he/she was like “i don’t know what you mean! do you mean initiate with a premise?” i’d want to say “never mind. two more up.”]

All the U.S. Presidents as improvisers

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:10:37 -0400

iamachilles:

A follow up to a previous post. I spent way too much time on this.

Read More

iamachilles: If I were to make an improv team from U.S. Presidents:

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:36:47 -0400

iamachilles: If I were to make an improv team from U.S. Presidents::

iamachilles:

George Washington: Patient, supportive, grounded, and a true leader on stage. Knows the right time to be aggressive, knows the right time to step away from the scene.

Theodore Roosevelt: Charismatic. Can tend to go broad. Plays aggressively, but just short of steam-rolling so it works. Speaks…

"Good" Fighting?

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:48:00 -0400

This is my blog, right? So I can do something as shamelessly indulgent as just type out a scene I remember being in that made me laugh? This was in a Monkeydick (sorry yes, that was the team name) reunion show hosted by "The Lab" at Player's Theater in 2011 I think a week before DCM.

If it makes it any less indulgent, let me point out that I think it was my scene partner Matt DeCoster and John Gemberling on the backline who make this scene funny for me. It's also an example of "good" fighting, I think? At any rate, this made me laugh. If it's useless, you can all just summarily walk away, as that is the implied contracts you have with all blog entries.

Me: “Matt, could you proctor the SAT today? I’m supposed to do it but I accidentally made plans this weekend and can’t do it.”
Matt: “Sure, I’ll do it. Doing anything fun?”
Me: “Linda and I are going to a B&B for our anniversary.”
John Gemberling on backline makes a car honking noise.
Me: “Ah, there she is now.”
Matt: “How do you know that’s her?”
Me: “Excuse me?”
Matt: “How do you know that’s Linda?”
Me: “You know, I don’t know, I guess I just assumed.”
Matt: “That seems pretty self-centered of you. Just any horn is the horn for you?”
Gemberling makes a different very distinctive old-timey cartoon car honking noise
Me: “Ah yes, THAT’s her. I remember now, her car has that honking sound. Thanks for helping.”
Matt: “No problem. Get to work on your narcissism!”

Something like that. I'm probably cleaning it up a bit, but this is close. Actually I think this scene ended with DeCoster coming with me and we got into an elevator and rode it in silence for a full minute, then the scene was edited? Improv is fun. NO RULES.

You Will Never Figure This Out

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:52:00 -0400

I mean this as a consolation: you will never completely figure out improv. Not forever, anyhow. You have a grasp on it for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, and then it moves away from you. You stumble on a new exercise or a new mantra and can do no wrong. Decisive moves. Certain viewpoints. Audiences liking you right away. But then it just fades and you are lost again, searching for the next key.

Things that have given me the key to being good at this in the past:

“listen and react”
“find the game”
“match energy”
“accept every offer”
“live life onstage”
“justify”
“point of view”
“be brave and honest”
“chill out”

Each one of those was like a booster rocket for a while, and then weirdly stopped working! I had to switch up my game and try something else. It’s like improv is this invisible balloon that you cannot get your arms all the way around no matter what. You hold it, just barely, but it gives and starts to slip away you must adjust your arms, and find your grip again.

How Can I Get Out Of My Head?

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:31:00 -0500

I get asked that question, or versions of it, a lot. Version of it include “I’m in a rut. What can I do?” or “I’m a class and it’s not working” or “This practice group I’m in isn’t working.”

There is no answer. But that didn’t stop me from writing THREE THOUSAND words on it, God help me. God help me and everyone who reads this!

http://improvnonsense.tumblr.com/head

But, no, really, I put all the advice I have on this subject in there and I included Zach Woods’ brilliant email to Achilles right at the start.

kellyqehudson: joestanton: misstrionics: Amy Poehler re:...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:37:00 -0500

kellyqehudson:

joestanton:

misstrionics:

Amy Poehler re: Taylor Swift’s comment in Vanity Fair that there’s a special place in hell for women who make fun of other women …

I don’t think anyone’s doubting that Tina and Amy have moved women forward in pop culture almost as much as Taylor has moved us back.

#teamTAYLOR

How about #teamLADIES?

Separate point: Amy yes-ands the accusation.

What shows are you submitting to the 15th Annual Del Close Marathon this summer, June 28-30? Also, did you know that the deadline to submit is April 2nd? Could you please remind me of the link to the website where teams can submit and also remind me who created that nice website?

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:19:00 -0500

Sure, Nate Dern! Below is the link to submit your shows for the Del Close Marathon this year, happening at the UCB Theatre in NYC June 28-30. Deadline is April 2! I set up the website, though Dyna Moe made the graphic and anything else that looks nice.

http://www.delclosemarathon.com/

Shows I’m submitting: Dirty Telegram, X-Rated Hypnotist Improv, Feet Only, Sanskritprov, Look At All The High Fives!, and Will Hines Jerks Off For 90 Minutes.

Why come you never answer questions from Greg Rowan?

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:12:09 -0500