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
5 Questions With Nick Armstrong
Posted by Brary | Filed under Interviews, Talkin' Shop - We talk improv. Any questions you want discussed can be. Email us @ captain@ussrocknroll.com., The Brary
Every so often I like to conduct brief Q&As with my favorite improvisers. Nick definitely falls into that category. You can see this versatile and funny three-time Sexiest Player winner at iO West in Hollywood with Local 132 on Tuesdays at 9pm, with God Squad at 10pm, and with Friday Forty on Fridays at 10pm. I recently picked his brain about improv.
How did you get started in improv?
I started improv in High School, with no training whatsoever, just what I saw on TV…I was really bad and I really just acted like Phil Hartman and Chris Farley. Then in college, still without training, I started a short form and sketch group and read a book on how to do improv…Poor audience. It’s only when I went to iO West in 2003 and started taking classes that I really gained an appreciation for improv as an art form and really started learning. So, I said goodbye to short form forever and have never looked back.
Tags: God Squad, Kind Strangers, Local 132, Nick Armstrong, The Friday Forty
Why I HATE Local 132
Posted by Tuck | Filed under Improv Rap Feuds
I’ll say it. I hate Local 132. No, it’s not because they had a better show than we did on Tuesday night. It’s because they make me jealous. They make me want to be up there with them. I love USS Rock n Roll with all of my heart and I don’t ever want to perform without them. But every now and then, Local 132 makes me want to sneak away and get some of that. So I hate them for it. Hate, hate, hate. There aren’t any “rap feuds” in the improv world but I am going to start one. I am going to call out each and every member of the team and tell them why I hate them.
Screw you Nick Armstrong! You always find a way to make me laugh. Whether it is a big outgoing character or a quiet introverted version of yourself, you always make me curious about how that character is. You always seem to be playing at the height of your intelligence and talent, and for that I hate you. The next time you great me with a smile and a friendly pat on the back, I am going to scissor kick you.
Screw you Brandon Barrick! You always wear the same shirt. I always wear a very similar outfit on stage as well. We are a lot alike and that makes me hate you. You have energy on stage that gets the other players involved. You always go to relationship and emotion right away, just like a good improviser does. You are not afraid to be grounded in a scene and it makes me jealous. I am going to steal that shirt and wear it.
Screw you Jeff Clinard! You are so giving on stage. You endow your partner and the scene with so many gifts and interesting choices that it grabs my attention and makes me want to vomit. I get invested in your characters, you are not afraid to be quiet in a scene or play the “straight man”. That makes me jealous cause I don’t do that well. The next time you are “yes anding” right of the bat, watch out for a soup can from the audience coming right at you.
Screw you Erica Gowland! I love your characters so much that I want to smash something. Interesting choices, fun games, support, you do it all. You are very brave when I watch you. You act like everything that happens on stage is supposed to happen and you never seem like you are not invested in a scene partner. You focus on the other person in a scene so well, it’s almost like the audience is not there. And believe me, with how much you make me jealous, maybe I won’t be there any more. (I will)
Screw you Ryan Gowland! Hey pal, why don’t you have another scene where you let the other people talk first and then say something that not only supports their choice to the highest degree, but gives the scene so much clarity it seems like it is written for you. You always are in control, you work well with everyone, and you have a sense of play that is infectious. Fuck off!
Screw you Zach Huddleston! Well, if it isn’t the old one sentence assassin. Oh, I guess you are going to just pick a great point of view for your character and then funnel that point of view through the entire scene, heightening your partner’s choices and then say a sentence that makes me double over in laughter. You make me sick with your subtlety and you ability to bring emotion into your scenes. I am going to hunt you down.
Screw you Amanda Lund! Why don’t you just go away? You with your relationship based scenes that are so real. You seem like a real person up there, relating to your partner and building a great scene. Why don’t you ever do characters?……..what? Oh shit you do and they are fucking fun as hell when you do them, but they always still seem to be real people, which makes me hate you!
Screw you Erin McGathy! If I give you 30 seconds on stage, you come up with a character, a point of view, get to the heart of the scene and then have fun with your partner the rest of the time. Why can’t you just flounder along for a minute like I do, then find one funny thing to say and then wait for the edit? Because you are too good that’s why. You “get to it” right away and it seems effortless, it’s so good. I’m never speaking to you again.
There, I’ve said it. I’ve gotten it off my chest. I feel better. So good I will probably see Local 132’s show next week at 9pm at IO West. And I encourage you to do the same.
Tags: Hatred, Jealousy, Local 132
Hands Off Deck, Applaud Great Shows
Posted by mouse | Filed under Big Ups - Other improv teams that rule, The Mouse
For us, the Harold Competition came to an end last night as we were bested by our own regular night-mates, Local 132. After the show people asked us if we were disappointed to lose, which I flatly told them, “No. Not when we were beaten by a good show.”
And we were. Almost two weeks in a row. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Harold Competitions, iO West, Local 132, upstate
Harold Competitions – Round One Results
Posted by Touch | Filed under News, The Touch
Special thanks to all of you who came out last night to watch USSRockNRoll square off against Upstate. Both sides made valiant efforts and produced great comedy for what turned out to be a house packed to the gills. Luckily, USS came out victorious and will be advancing to the second round, but Upstate put up a solid fight.
Upstate represented themselves very well, showing a flare for creative and hilarious detail. They did a great job of describing their environment and relationships in a way that allowed the audience to join them with anticipation for what would come next. Their show ended with a decent resolution, but the real strength of the piece came from the characters and their interactions. We wish Upstate the best and hope they have a bright future ahead.
For USSRockNRoll, the suggestion was missile defense system. Specific enough. The strength of our show came from putting together a complere Harold with strong characters and relationships. To summarize, America declared war on itself creating three different “America” fractions with seperate values and idealogies. A score board was updated throughout the show to let the audience know which America was winning the fight, and the show ended as it started – in song.
All in all it was a great night for improv and a great night for the theater. Please join us next Tuesday as we take on the mighty Local 132 during our regular slot time of 9:00pm!!!!
Bringing Improv to the Masses
Posted by Plague | Filed under Guest Blog, Talkin' Shop - We talk improv. Any questions you want discussed can be. Email us @ captain@ussrocknroll.com., The Plague
I have a question, one that I do not know the answer to, and I think would be fun to discuss.
How do we bring improv out of the dark ages, and into the technicolored twittering light?
Everyone has seen posters, been blasted over email, visited website links, and read Twitter and Facebook invites galore. Yet, believe it or not devotees, there are people outside of the improv community, people just like you and me, that have never seen a single improv show. In fact, they have no clue what “The Harold” even is….gasp…choke…faint! Can you imagine such a life? Me neither. With all of the technology that is out there, there must be a way to take our form to the next level.
Tags: Erica Gowland, Local 132
PARTY AT IOWEST THIS TUESDAY AT 9PM!
Posted by Mouth | Filed under Shows, The Mouth
HEY GUYS! YES. IT’S ME. MOUTH. AND IT’S MY BDAY ON TUES SEPT 29TH AND WE HAVE A SHOW! AND YOU CAN’T HAVE A SHOW WITHOUT FUNNY AND YOU CAN’T HAVE A BDAY WITH OUT PARTY. SO IT’S A COMBO PACK FOR YOU SPECIAL!
THE WHOLE NIGHT WILL BE ONE FUN TIME.
Kicking the party off right will be the Hour of Champions with LOCAL 132 and USSRR AT IOWEST!! Starting promptly at 9pm. The show is $5 and free for students. Then stick around for some drinks, some laughs and some bday cheer.
there are shows all night
ending with Gypsy Lou & Kitty Porn tacklin’ late night funny at 11pm.
ALL THE WHILE WE WILL BE IN A PARTY ZONE!
IT’S MY BDAY AND I WISH ONLY TO LAUGH WITH YOU.
Hope to see you there!
Tags: Gypsy Lou, ioWest, kitty porn, Local 132, Mouth
Question and Answer
Posted by Mouth | Filed under Mail Bag, Talkin' Shop - We talk improv. Any questions you want discussed can be. Email us @ captain@ussrocknroll.com., The Mouth
In response to the blog QUALITY VS QUANTITY:
Great blog! I’m curious what you think I should do if the team that I’m not that jazzed about and notice a lack of commitment in is my iO-sanctioned Harold team. Is it a “do the best job I can” type of situation or a “get out while I can” situation? Thanks for any advice!
iO puts people together because they are hoping they will succeed. The people who make teams want nothing more than to hit a home run when they mush random players together. Thought goes into it but in the end it’s up to chance if the chemistry is there.
Tags: Harold Teams, ioWest, King Ten, Local 132, Powerhouse, Sweetness
LAist reviews Tuesday nights at iO
Posted by Plague | Filed under The Plague, USS Show Review
LAist.com reviewed some recent Tuesday night shows at iO West. I don’t want to say the reviewer is a genius… but he’s certainly no dummy. Read below or see the original article here.
What really makes these guys shine is their proficiency to play inside the Harold
Lately, at iO West on Tuesday nights, a strange thing has been happening: they’ve been stacking the deck. With Monday nights as their cream-of-the-crop Armando shows and Saturdays reserved for Beer Shark Mice or some other formidable team, it would be entirely possible for iO to experience a bit of the mid-week improv doldrums. But instead, with the last three Harold Competition champion teams running back-to-back-to-back, Tuesdays at iO are becoming a great go-to for improv in Los Angeles.
First up to bat at 9p is Local 132 and the USS Rock N Roll, two formidable teams with a strong improv mind and a love of all things Harold. Local won the 2007 iO West Harold Competition as a relatively unknown team, and have been bouncing around on the mainstage calendar ever since. Their fast-paced, youthful energy are a welcome addition to an iO landscape that can sometimes cater to a slightly older crowd.
Tags: Armando, Beer shark mice, Brian Gallivan, iO West, Jim Woods, LAist, Local 132, Powerhouse, Suzy Barrett, Sweetness
Local 132 joins Tuesday nights!!
Posted by Plague | Filed under Big Ups - Other improv teams that rule, News, Shows, The Plague
Join USS tonight as we welcome our **BRAND NEW** partners in crime, LOCAL 132!
We couldn’t be more excited to party with them and it happens
EVERY TUESDAY @ 9:00pm
$5 ~ free pizza ~ Cheap drinks!
iO West Theater
6366 Hollywood Blvd.
323.962.7560 for tickets
