The Commute
Posted by dandy | Filed under The Brary, The Dandy, The Tuck, Videos
Before there was USS Rock N Roll The Tuck, The ‘brary and I used to form a sketch comedy team called the 25th Century Heroes. It has been a few years since we wrote together, but I was watching some of our old videos the other day and thought I might share one with you here. This is an episode of our improvised web-series “The Commute.” Enjoy and have yourself a dandy of a weekend!!
The Commute Season 2 Episode 1
25th Century Heroes | MySpace Music Videos
PS – Happy Birthday The Trapper!
Tags: 25th Century Heroes, Bryan Irzyk, Dave Taylor
Improv: How it should be…
Posted by dandy | Filed under Guest Blog, Shows
The following is a repost of a blog written by iO West teacher and performer Derek Miller. Derek is a gentleman, a scholar and a friend. Enjoy!!
I have never felt compelled to write about specific Improv shows. Perhaps because of it’s ephemeral nature or maybe because I feel like it’s an individual experience, as no two people will ever see it the same. My 17 years of witnessing stand-out shows will never translate to anyone but myself (believe me I’ve tried) and I try to teach with the same prejudice, what you think is funny or topical is REAL… to you– BUT through emotion, can be ciphered to even the most daft audience…
That said, I think the good fight was fought tonight in terms of creating improv from whence we came– perhaps without the improvisers cognizance… which is when this stuff get’s really unapproachable to other art.
Though the members of Trophy Wife (in confidence) shrugged off a “preamble” to DHT’s final show– they quite adeptly managed to put up a biting satire of America’s love affair with media. To open the show they graced the capacity crowd with promotional items from the soon to be released “Dinner With Schmucks.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Derek Miller, DHT, iO West, Trophy Wife
Improv In Real Life
Posted by Tuck | Filed under The Tuck
I love it when I find articles where improvisation is being used outside of theaters. I love it when people use improvisation to try and change a difficult situation.
I found this article about theater and improvisation being used to try and help bring peace to a region of the world that needs it.
Enjoy!
Fighters turn to theatre to advocate Middle East peace
In a list of unlikely places to look for peace in the Middle East, the Israeli Defence Force has to come top. But the field of amateur dramatics definitely comes a close second. Enter Combatants for Peace, a group of Israelis and Palestinians who have been trained to fight either in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) or as Palestine’s Fatah paramilitaries, but have now put down their guns and together taken to the stage. The group, formed in 2005, perform sketches based on their own experiences of war to promote a “non-violent” resolution to the conflict. Where these theatrical workshops take place is critical to the protest. Most recently, they improvised a scene about Israeli check-points to an audience of Palestinians, Israelis and international activists on a hill-top in the West Bank over-looking an Israeli settlement. They didn’t get far before IDF officers stopped the show.
Please Nominate Us(S Rock n’ Roll)
Posted by mouse | Filed under News, The Mouse
We here at USS Rock n’ Roll all claim we do improv for the love of the art, but when the Del Close Awards come up, our love focuses solely on winning trophies. Let’s face it: we don’t get a lot of money for this sort of thing, so trophies are awesome.
So if you like helping us win trophies, too — especially two years in a row — then you can nominate us for this year’s Best Harold Team at the Del Close Awards. You don’t have to worry about them selling your email address or sending you tons of solicitation messages. It’s just good, harmless nomination-box stuffing.
In exchange for your help, I offer the following dose of awesomeness:
…and a dose of supreme weirdness…
Tags: Best Harold Team, Del Close Awards, Dels, nominations, solicitation, Vote
The improvised sports report with Tony Lewellen AKA the HOT STOVE REPORT!
Posted by Trapper | Filed under The Trapper, Uncategorized
As a long time fan of not watching sports I present to you: The hottest and most in-depth sports news and analysis. Lets Do it! “Hey Tony, What’s hot on the stove top?”
First up: big news in the world of Football. Michael Vick dropped of all charges. Last night, while jumping for victory on the head of a dead cat he twisted his ankle. He could be out for the season.
Recent Survey 38% pro baseball players do not really like baseball. If given a choice would rather be”playing basketball”
In other football news the New England Patriots are in negotiations over contracts and could be out for the season.
That is the first of many Hot Stove Reports from an improvisor who knows nothing about sports, but is surrounded by people who talk about them a lot.
Until next time……. Talk Sports!
J.B. Smoove Interview
Posted by Brary | Filed under Interviews, The Brary
One of my new favorite comedians/improvisers/actors, J.B. Smoove, talks a little about Curb Your Enthusiasm and his comedy career. If you haven’t seen Curb Season 6, I really recommend it. The guy is just hilarious in it.
Tags: Curb Your Enthusiasm, J.B. Smoove
Gettin’ to Know Ryan Gowland
Posted by Brary | Filed under Interviews, The Brary
Ryan is a longtime improviser at iO here in LA and back in Chicago. That’s where I first saw him. I’ve been a fan ever since. Every Tuesday USS Rock N Roll has the pleasure of sharing the 9 o’clock hour with Local 132, Ryan’s smart and funny ensemble. I recently asked Ryan some questions about his background and his thoughts on improv. His answers are well worth a look.
How did you get started in improv?
I think my interest started probably like a lot of people – doing improv games in high school drama class. At that point, my experience with improv was pretty much limited to the British version of *Who’s Line is it Anyway?* Growing up in San Diego, there wasn’t much improv around, and if there was any I certainly didn’t know of it. I started a sketch group in high school, and I guess we basically improvised as we wrote.
Tags: Local 132, Ryan Gowland
Keene Observations on Sleep
Posted by dandy | Filed under Guest Blog, Uncategorized
A native Hoosier, Matt Keene is an actor with a day job in LA. He is a member of the Harold Team Gypsy Lou at iO West and the author of the ‘Keene Observations’ series.
Observation No. 11
I enjoy sleeping so much that sometimes, when I’m asleep, I’ll think to myself, ‘I can’t wait for tomorrow night, when I get to sleep again.
Tags: Gypsy Lou, iO West, Matt Keene
Personal Notes = Personal Nopes
Posted by dandy | Filed under Uncategorized
Hot on the heals of The Tuck’s piece yesterday ‘Find Your Weakness’ I am writing this follow-up. Please know that this is not coming from a place of criticism of our last rehearsal. Lloyd, aka The Reason, did a great job of coming up with personal challenges for each of us that will no doubt make each of us stronger. It should also be noted that I specifically requested more ‘personal notes’ from The Reason. But…
…asking for personal notes is a total load of BS.
If you are a coach or teacher you have no doubt been asked to “give more personal notes” by eager improv minds. Or maybe you are the eager young improv mind that posed the question. And I know that it comes from a good place, but it misses the point.
It is not that we don’t all need notes. But this desire to have somebody tell us what we need to do to get better is faulty. Sure a teacher or coach is there to offer perspective and help you grow. But my problem with it is this: you know what you Read the rest of this entry »
Find Your Weakness
Posted by Tuck | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv. Any questions you want discussed can be. Email us @ captain@ussrocknroll.com., The Tuck
This week at rehearsal our esteemed coach, Lloyd Alquist, gave us personal notes and had us perform scenes with one specific goal in mind.
The notes had to do with trying to do something that we don’t usually do. We all have strengths and weaknesses as improvisers, and Lloyd was trying to make us recognize our strengths, and play to our weaknesses.
