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
UNO GIRLO: You Asked For It!
Posted by Mouth | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv. Any questions you want discussed can be. Email us @ captain@ussrocknroll.com., The Mouth
Currently I am the only girl performing on Ussrr as the Plague is gonna be doing a play in NYC. GO MOLLY! I have never been the solo girl and so this is new territory for me. There are all sorts of improv girl roles to fill; the cute one, the sexy one, the mom, the sister, the love interest, the one to be picked up, etc. And since I am the only lady to be present for awhile I thought I’d let you all know how that was going.
This weeks moment is: You Asked For It!
If you didn’t read last week’s post I ranted about how physical the team gets but how me old lady parts don’t ever get much action. I got some jabs at rehearsal for the post and all the guys joked about how they were gonna give it me then from now on. On Friday USS had a show at Mi’s Westside Comedy Theater. We were a little light and our coach, Lloyd Ahlquist and Trophy Wifer, Mike Betette played along with us. (Thanks guys!) The show was an hour long and it ended with a harold. The whole piece was formed around bad parents. In one beat Tony played a too busy at work Dad and I played his mother who was stuck with her violent and abusive grandchildren. Granted I SAID I was afraid of them… and that was all it took for the flood gates to come off and for the sharks to attack! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Lloyd Ahlquist, Mi's westside comedy theater, Mike Betette, Trophy Wife, Tuck
ABCs of the ADTs : Finding Chemistry
Posted by Mouth | Filed under Guest Blog, The Mouth
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Tags: ADT, chuch camp, gian molina, harold team, ioWest, sctv, sentimental lady, The State, Trophy Wife, ultimate improv, Uss Rock n Roll
Love Improv? Get a Life! by: Jill Alexander
Posted by Mouth | Filed under Coach's Corner, Guest Blog, The Mouth
Hi Guys! Mouth Here! This week we’ve got a special Guest Blog from coach, performer and all around awesome lady, Jill Alexander! You can find Jill performing every Wednesday at 9pm with the iOwestHarold Team, Trophy Wife. You can also visit there website here!
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A few weekends ago I was at a party full of improvisers. A lady-friend whom I perform with at IOWest and I were chatting about the new teams we would be coaching. She said ”I love improv.”
“I love improv, too,” I added.
“Me, too,” chimed in another gal, who doesn’t perform, but is a big fan of the shows at IO. She then actually started to cry as she went into detail about how incredible she finds the art form and how talented anyone is who performs it. My husband grabbed my hand and pulled me to the car. His message was gentle yet clear: Enough.
This happens. We stand around in a circle and talk about how much we love improv. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ComedySportz, ioWest, Jill Alexander, The Mouth, Theatersports, Trophy Wife
Swimming When Wet
Posted by Touch | Filed under Talkin' Shop - We talk improv. Any questions you want discussed can be. Email us @ captain@ussrocknroll.com., The Touch
Howdy folks! The Touch here – aka Filet Mignon– aka Pat Sayjak’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
This week I would like to address the concept of being in a slump. Webster’s defines a slump as “a period of decline or deterioration.” That certainly sums up the experience, doesn’t it? Whether it is a week, a month or a year, slumps can literally feel as if the part of your brain responsible for humor has deteriorated into a singular synapse that fires asshole instincts hard and often. The experience is then perpetuated by all the self-doubt, over-analyzation and insecurity that drove you to be an actor in the first place. So the question is, how can we cut down on the lag time between feeling good and having slumps in your bumps? There are many things you can do, but here are just a few of the tips I like to give myself:
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Trophy Wife, Zabeth Russell
