Christmas Lights and Improv
A couple of nights ago I set out to find Christmas Lights. I was ready to search throughout Sacramento and Roseville. Am I kidding? No. The hunt was on.
A couple night ago I set out to find Christmas Lights. I was ready to search throughout Sacramento and Roseville. Am I kidding? No. Hunting for houses lit up with Christmas lights is, hands down, my favorite part of the holidays. I'll drive from Auburn to Davis. Getting dressed up in some warm, comfy clothes, grabbing a hot drink and seeing houses decked out in sparkly Christmas lights? What’s not to love?
We loaded into the car, and set off. We discovered... a lot of solo houses. Surrounded by dark homes these 'solos' exploded with color, LED lights blinking, Santa's laughing, and reindeer...um....reindeer-ing. These houses were standouts, because if it was the only one on the block. It was cool. But, when we went down a street where everyone in the neighborhood participated, where every family was involved… it was more than cool… it was amazing! It transformed the area into a whole magical world.
This got me thinking about improv and the power of agreement. If an improviser makes a strong choice on stage, it can be fun and entertaining. But when the other players agree and build on that choice it’s amazing. When everyone participates we have the power to transport the audience to a whole magical world.
The One Thing You Should Eat
If you're sad there's no improv comedy show tonight, grab a waffle sandwich. It's a waffle.... and a sandwich! Reviews soon to come!
If you're sad there's no improv comedy show tonight, grab a waffle sandwich. It's a waffle.... and a sandwich! Reviews soon to come! (This drive thru is so slow (to be fair, any time is to long to wait when a waffle sandwich is involved)). Where can you find this diamond in the culinary rough? Jack in the Box! Only a handful of those in Sacramento and Roseville, so start scouring!
Let's get serious for a second. I've seen some terrible in my 31 years, but whatever you do, don't click on this link. Where does it send you? What nightmare awaits? It's the nutritional information about the Waffle Breakfast Sandwich. My god! The horror! The [delicious] horror!
The Secret? Watch More Improv!
If you have a teacher who feels they know everything and aren't still working on their abilities/skills/approach, I'd encourage you to study elsewhere.
As a teacher at Blacktop Comedy you field a lot of questions. The more frequent question?
"How do I get better?"
Look, I get it! A desire to improve, to become a more skillful performer is natural (sidenote: if you have a teacher who feels they know everything, and aren't still working on their abilities/skills/approach, I'd encourage you to study elsewhere.)
The path to improvement is a pretty simple equation, and works whether you're in improviser in Roseville, Sacramento, LA, Chicago or New York:
Practice + Performance + Watching = Improvement
That's it! Keep practiving, jump onstage to perform when chances arise, and, don't forget, go WATCH improv. Check out the groups in your area. All of them. Don't marry yourself to one theater. Go see what's happening everywhere, because you'll discover what you like, what you want to learn, and what you want to avoid.
Now, it's your lucky day! The San Francisco Improv Festival is in town. Honestly, it's in your own city right now....on the internet. Have you checked out the ustream channel for the San Francisco Improv Festival? Do it! You can watch some of the best improv in the world descend on San Francisco! Who can you see? Well, Razowsky & Hamilton, The Freeze, Kind Strangers, King Ten, WeirDass, BATS Improv, Dr. God, Comedysportz, Five Play Improv, Messing with a Friend, and more. I hope you take advantage of the ustream channel.