Posts Tagged ‘long form’
The Big Switch-Up
Posted by mouse | Filed under News, Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
My only consistent template to follow for this blog is sports journalism, so that should explain my consistent use of baseball metaphors, my hyperbole and speculation. To some, this is irresponsible. To others, this is journalism. The big news out of iO West is that the show schedule has gotten a serious reworking. Ever since [...]
Workin’ Through It
Posted by mouse | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
I’m in an improv slump. It feels like everything I do is “Yes Period” at best and “No Stop” at worst. I initiate without purpose, listen sloppy and don’t heighten beyond jokes. I’m being hard on myself, but I’ve been playing like a hard on for a while, so maybe I deserve it (thank you?). [...]
This Week In Great Intro Songs: Salt N Pepa’s “Shoop”
Posted by mouse | Filed under Resources for improvisers, Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
I owe Levin an apology, even though I think I’ve apologized for this earlier. About 2 years ago, when USS was trying to come up with a uniformly-accepted song to play before our shows (aka “Our Song”), we couldn’t find a perfect fit. Levin proposed we all bring a different song every week, and we [...]
The Importance of a Good Title
Posted by mouse | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
People often complain that there are no seasons in Los Angeles, but that’s not true. There’s pilot season and new-TV season and slightly cooler summer. We’re smack-dab in the middle of new-TV season, and that means the streets are littered with advertisements for all sorts of so-so looking TV shows. Some may last past their [...]
Harry Potter and the Broken Patterns
Posted by mouse | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
(Much spoiling ahead. So if you’ve somehow managed to stay away from an incredibly popular book and movie series, and you’ve always meant to get into it without knowing how it all ends, don’t read on.) I’ve been an avid “Potter” fan since 2001, when I devoured the first four books and felt a kind [...]
Selling It!
Posted by mouse | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse, Videos
I’m going to state something controversial and potentially damaging to my personal image as a functioning human: “Friday” is not the worst song in the world. (I actually paused and paced the room a bit before writing that, and I’m sure I’ll hesitate before submitting this entry, too). Please do not misunderstand my statement. I’m [...]
Theme Stuff
Posted by mouse | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
…and theme and stuff. Our team thinks and talks a lot about the theme of a show. A LOT about it. Tons. Way more than any other team I’ve been a part of, and I’ve been a part of 4 or 5 teams*. But a while back we did a show that really gnawed at [...]
Responsibility
Posted by mouse | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
It’s a scary word, but I’ve recently come to realize its multiple meanings in the improv world. Before anything gets declared in a scene, an improv show might as well take place in a void. Since “anything is possible,” the audience — however consciously — sees nothing on stage until you, the performer, tell them [...]
My Toddler the Anomaly Cop
Posted by mouse | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
In our rehearsals lately, we’ve been focusing on two big things, both of which are seemingly basic, yet difficult to master. They are: 1.) Follow the first thing, and 2.) Take note of any anomalies. The first one is easy to understand: whatever is first initiated, that’s what you’re scene is about. Don’t start one [...]
Agree to Disagree
Posted by mouse | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv, The Mouse
TV’s own Annie “The Mouth” Hoff and I often disagree on the quality of our USS shows. It’s just something you can set your watch to: one of us will be up while the other is way down. Instead of using boring keypads to type about it, we used a less-boring camera to record about [...]
