Improv Burnout and Teen Slasher

The cast of TEEN SLASHER 8: INSPACE!

Burnout happens. Nothing is immune! Even passions can feel like more work than joy.

I was there in Burnout City (not Burnout Paradise...which is a really fun game! Go download it on XBox...they just released a remastered version...and it sure is purty. I think it's exclusively on XBox. If it's on PS4, I apologize. I have no allegiance to XBox. Just go experience the game...but after reading the rest of this post of course. I think you'll enjoy it...the post...and the game….but let’s focus on the post right now. Onward!)

And, damn, the population always feels like one, right? When you feel burnout it feels like the world is moving at a different speed, and you wish you were there, but you don't know how to feel that again. All around me are people loving improv excited to perform, and here I am sitting there thinking, "I don't feel the spark." I wanted to be excited, I wanted to feel passionate, but you can't force it. At least, I discovered you can't force it. When you "attempt" to get passionate again, and it doesn't work, you just slide further down into burnout and disappointment.

And, then, a wonderful thing happened! I walked onto the Teen Slasher set! I felt so warm, and fuzzy, and excited. The team had transformed the theater into a giant tarp covered kill room. It felt like walking into an episode of Dexter. The theater stage was quarantined with tarps.

Jay, Kevin, Sydney, Dustin, Troy and Austin had worked hours on designing the space for a very special two night, blood-soaked spectacle called Teen Slasher 8! Kevin and Jay co-directed this years show, and together with the cast developed the vision. They worked together, and came up with something special.This year Teen Slasher takes the bloody good time to space. Like any good franchise, eventually, you put that series in deep space.. All the greats do it! Halloween. Leprechaun. Jason. Dracula Hollywood have even tossed some Killer Klowns into space!

When I entered the theater I was awestruck.

And...

...more then awe. I felt that spark, I felt that joy. I felt that, "wow. We can do anything in improv," feeling. You never know when it hits, but you never forget when it does. I’ve felt that way a few times. The first time was when I discovered long form improv. It was in San Francisco, and the team was Revolving Madness (they no longer perform...but damn they were fun). I remember walking away from that show saying, "you can do that?! That was amazing." That's how I felt walking onto the set of our Teen Slasher show, "this is beautiful, and amazing."

You can walk onto the set too, and feel all the feels. And, who doesn’t want to feel all the feels? But, your chance to feel the feels is fleeting!

Halloween, is your final chance.

You will laugh, you will be sprayed with blood*, and you will realize just some of the beautiful things you can do with improv. Will you be inspired? Maybe. Will you laugh? Definitely! Will you score some free candy at the box office on your way in? Of course! It's Halloween! Let's enjoy a sugar high together and watch improv comedy survival horror!

*We help you guard against that blood splatter by offering you the best in high-tech, space-age ponchos. Working closely with NASA**  and the CIA***, Blacktop has created a marvel in protective gear.

"But, Paul," you begin, "are these just garbage bags?"

"Garbage bags with 3 holes cut in them! That's top-shelf tech."

**NASA: Nurturing And Sassy Animals

***CIA: Collective of Interesting Apples

Stand Up in Drag

Join us at STAND UP IN DRAG tonight at 8pm!

A night of drag and all proceeds go to Stand Up Placer! They do great things, and help people in need. Want to learn more? You can!

It just so happens the incredible organizer of tonight’s Stand Up for Drag, Kyle Ketsdever, answered some questions.

Read, enjoy, and we’ll see you tonight!

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions Kyle. Can you let everyone know what Stand Up Placer offers the local community?

Stand Up Placer is a local non-profit agency that assists survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in Placer County. We offer free services to all survivors of DV/SA/HT regardless of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, age, class, religion, sexual or romantic orientation. Survivors of all backgrounds are able to access our services free of cost. Our services include a 24/7 Crisis Line (1.800.575.5352), a 90-day emergency shelter, transitional housing programs, financial coaching, legal services including assistance with restraining orders, and therapy services (both one-on-one and support groups).

How long have you been with Stand Up Placer?

I have been with Stand Up Placer since June of 2017 and I have loved every minute of it. I feel so lucky to be growing with an agency that assists so many people in our community. It is also incredible to be a part of such a supportive and accepting agency that is willing to put on an event like Stand Up in Drag.

What do you hope people learn tomorrow at Stand Up in Drag?

I hope that people leave realizing that there are survivors in the LGBTQ+ community and that there are specific forms of abuse that are used within and against this community. At the same time, I really hope people also just have a lot of fun and leave with a new love for drag as well. A lot of awareness events can be very heavy and emotional, so we wanted to do something more lighthearted and fun to culminate Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

 
A drag show to help raise awareness is such a fantastic idea! Where did you come up with it?

Drag has become a big part of my life, both as an observer and as a performer, so I think it's just naturally starting to follow me wherever I go. The benefit show for Sierra College is actually where I started drag for the first time, so for me drag has always been tied in with promoting a cause. I wish I could take credit for the idea, but two of my co-workers actually came up with it and thought it sounded like something I should put together. I took the idea and ran with it! And I'm so thankful that there are amazing venues like Blacktop Comedy who are so down to support the cause as well!

What makes a drag show fun?

They just are! It's so hard to describe. For me, I think it totally depends on the drag performers. Drag is fun! And if the performer is having a great time, that translates to the audience having a great time. Drag is so liberating, freeing from standards and expectations, that I think it it's hard not to enjoy it. 

What was the best Drag show you have ever seen?

I think the best would have to be when I saw Alaska 5000 perform at Badlands. It was the first show I got to see once I turned 21 and could get into clubs. It was also my first time seeing a RuPaul's Drag Race girl live. I did the meet and greet after the show and it was just such a fun time. So I think that one definitely holds a place in my heart. I love seeing local girls perform as well though! The local queens in the Sacramento area have such amazing talent and I love to go see them perform too!

What are you most excited about for tomorrow's drag show?
I'm very excited to be collaborating with some amazing local performers. I think that there is going to be a lot of heart in that room and a lot of people who genuinely care. Drag has its roots in liberation movements and drag queens were seen as community leaders and organizers. I think it's great to have performers that genuinely care about a cause and want to use their talents to spread light and shine awareness on an issue. To me, drag is social justice, and this really illuminates that. 

If someone wants to help, but can't make the show tomorrow, how can they get involved with Stand Up Placer?

There are tons of ways to get involved. They can follow our Facebook page to stay up to date with other events that we are doing. If they are interested in volunteering, they can e-mail volunteercoordinator@standupplacer.org. There are tons of ways to volunteer, whether directly with survivors or otherwise. Our thrift store is always in need of volunteers to help out with all of the amazing donations we receive. With the holidays coming up, we're starting to gear up for our holiday toy drive - so donating to that is another incredible way to get involved.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

I always wrack my brain on this question - there's so many great options. But for the sake of drag I would have to say the ability to change my appearance. It can take quite a while to get into full drag and a superpower to help out with that would be amazing! 

What's something you know now, that you wish you knew 10 years ago? 

I wish ten years ago I knew that I would grow up to be doing drag! I think it would have answered a lot of the questions that I had as a 14 year old and definitely helped me bust down some closet doors sooner.

Being in Love With Improv

Today's guest blogger is Meggan Johnson Hyde. Meggan is a Sacramento improviser and main-stage performer at Blacktop Comedy. You can see Meggan in Your F@#$%! Up Relationship, Squeaky Clean: Family Friendly Comedy, and the upcoming Teen Slasher

I remember the first time I met you, Improv. It truly was love at first sight. While I'm typically somewhat of a wallflower when I'm surrounded by unfamiliar faces, you were so warm and welcoming that I found myself jumping right into the conversation.
"Hi! My name is Meggan, and I like to do this!"

I flirted with you during some warm-up games, casually noticing how everyone around you was having such a great time. But then, you took to the stage and that's when I knew my life would never be the same. You had the cool factor of the jock with the accessibility of the student council president. I sat back and watched you in action for a while, completely in awe of how supportive and encouraging you were. Finally, though my heart was racing, I shot my shaky hand up in the air and asked to join you onstage. Suddenly, there we were. Together. Laughing and having the best time of our lives. It all came together so easily. I was in love, and I wanted to shout it from the mountain tops!
I found myself wanting to be with you all the time. I never missed an opportunity to be with you onstage. I took all the classes and workshops that I could, so as to get to know you better. I read books and listened to podcasts by people who had known you for decades. The more I learned about you, the more I found wonderful and new aspects about you to be discovered. Over the next few months I did everything I could to fill my brain with all the knowledge about you that would fit.

That's when it happened. Everything had seemed so easy in the beginning. Every time we were together we would laugh and play, and it had all seemed so effortless. But suddenly, things were . . . awkward. Now, any time we got together all I could think about was every single thing I was doing wrong. I could barely even talk to you anymore. Standing onstage together, I was completely frozen.

That was a defining moment for us. It would have been so easy for me to walk away, right then and there - to write you off as being too complicated and just call it quits. But I couldn't let you go. I confided in a good friend/mentor, one who had known you for a very long time. He told me that what I was going through was totally normal. In fact, it happens a lot. He called it a valley, and he encouraged me to keep trudging through it. Because eventually, I'd find myself at the top of another mountain with you. My friend also warned me that there would be other valleys. And he was right. Because every good relationship has mountains and valleys. And you, my Beloved Improv, are worth every one.