What Are The Best And Worst Things Happening In KC Improv?

Okay, so a bunch of Kansas City improvisers with blogs have been challenged with a little experiment.  The topic is the title:  "What are the best and worst things happening in KC improv?"  I wasn't going to participate because I am a true believer in "Who really cares what I have to say?"  But there is at least an hour before the KU/Davidson game tips-off so...

THE BEST:  Experimentation. 

Maybe four to five years ago there were only a handful of troupes here, all presenting pretty much the same thing:  A different interpretation on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"  Which is fine.  I see no problem in that.  It's one of the best ways of comparison to get people to come see you.  Everybody loves the "Whose Line" but what's the point if that's all that everyone is doing?  Some people like a little Kahlua in their coffee.

At some point, my guess would be the last KC improv festival, troupes started branching out and trying new things.  Some performers stepped away from familiar territory and are not only trying for forms, but even trying new venues. Eyes are opening to the limitless power that is improvisation.

THE WORST:  People are too nice. 

Even though the KC improv community is growing, it is still for the most part a small community.  The majority seems, SEEMS to be made of people with less than three years experience. That is a lot, but not enough time for some people to truly take honest criticism without the feeling of it being personal. The last thing anybody wants to do is be completely honest with some performers in fear that they'll crawl under a rock and never perform again.  So we tell those people "Great Job!"  I am not trying to pigeonhole anyone. Experience or lack there of is not the only factor.  There are some people that simply know whether or not a show was a good one or a bad one.  On the other hand, some people don't.  That knowledge isn't something that can be learned right away, but performing more over time does help.

In the end, there is nothing like drinking beers with improvisers after a show and discussing improv, whether or not it was good or bad.

We're all in this for the same reason, except for the ones that are in it for the money.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk Go KU!!!

Bubbleboy

We had to take Collin into Urgent Care at Children's Mercy South last night. What was the reason you ask?  How about the fact that he looked fives months pregnant.  Well, not really, but it was close. Lisa had noticed it after Collin had taken his shirt off on the couch.  Once we were admitted he was diagnosed with paralytic ileus which is common when just getting over a stomach virus, which Collin somewhat has shortly after Easter.  So he got a little fluid, some zantac and an observed overnight stay.  We came home this afternoon.  

Other than the placement of an i.v. in the left hand (known as the robot hand), the trip was quite pleasant for the boy.  He received some playing cards with trains on them, a new hot wheels car, a disposable camera to capture the memories from his point of view, a new teddy bear named "Kenny Hugyou", lots of Thomas the Train dvds (which stayed there), and all the Sprite a little boy could take.  Lisa and I were quite surprised that Collin didn't want to leave once he was discharged.  A wagon trip to the car was a good negotiation tactic though.

p.s.  I was going to include a picture of one of those poor, unfortunate, for-just-fifty-cents-a-day, Indonesian kids to give people the idea of what Collin sort of looked like, but then I thought twice about it.  

Now That's More Like It.

The Trip Fives had their first rehearsal in what seems like a long time.  Actually not since late February, but still, it seems like forever.  The best thing about tonight was that we got to do something that we haven't done since early 2007:  Rehearse Improv.

That's a long time to not actually focus on any aspects of improv whatsoever. Sure, we would warm up at the beginning and whatnot, but lately all of our focus have been on perfecting formats.  When Trish Berrong was directing us, we had a nice blend of warm-ups and exercises before focusing on whatever particular piece we would be presenting at the next show.  Once Trish moved on, we lost track of that direction.  Exercises became obsolete.  The Format!!! The FORMAT!!!  GOOD GOD, THE FORMAT!!! WE'VE GOT TO GET IT RIGHT!!!!  

Tonight however was different.  We've got around 6-7 different formats that we are comfortable with that could throw into the next show if we wanted. Plus we are splitting the stage with another group, Babel Fish.  So tonight, just the four of us, just Ed, Tim, Megan and myself, got to just play.  It was the most fun I have had at rehearsal in a long time.  AND we did something that I have always felt that we could do: Direct Ourselves.  We took turns on stage, two and a time, engaging in exercises that we have learned from past classes.  We shared what we knew and gave each other notes.  When one scene was over, we talked about it and then moved on.  

We all laughed.  We all learned, well, I'd like to think we all learned. And most importantly, we all had fun.  I missed that.

25.8

So, I'm taking this online health class. Chapter 10 is all about managing your weight and finding a healthy balance. I finished it last night and did all the requirements before the Wednesday deadline. Yay. One of the things I had to submit was my personal BMI (Body Mass Index). To find this, you are suppose to multiply your weight in pounds by the number 704.5 (where they get this number I have no idea). Then you divide the result by your height in inches, then divide that result by your height in inches again. The answer will be your own personal BMI.

According to the crazy math and the book...

• BMI of 25 defines the upper boundary of heathy weight
• BMI of higher than 25 to 30 defines overweight
• BMI of higher than 30 defines obese

So, I'm overweight by 0.8 of something.  The whole thing seems ridiculous. What is this 704.5 number?  What does it signify?  Why divide by your height 2 separate times?  And according to this book, there are more ways of assessing fat levels of your body, but THIS one is the most accurate.  It just doesn't seem logical.  I think I scratched my head more times during this chapter than any of the previous ones.

After I finished the test, I went to Taco Bell and go a nachos bell grande.  It hit the spot.

The Final Chapter of Dobby the House Cat

Back in September we adopted a kitten, Dobby. It was a struggle to keep him, and upon returning him to the place of adoption, we made it clear that we would like to be updated of his progress.

Farewell Friends

They didn't call me, nor did they get his name right.

Logo? Check.

Isn't it purdy?? Tim's friend Carlos put it together. I don't know Carlos' last name, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was Awesome.

Next up, a professional group photo shoot. After that, you may soon see a Trip Fives website out there somewhere. An actual website. One that doesn't involve the words "my" or "space" or even "face" and "book". A real website.

Thunderdome Round Three Review

Okay, it has been a couple of days and I can start thinking straight again. My car not starting after leaving the bar Saturday night weakened my excitement just a tad though. As it is being worked on this very moment, I can take this time to reflect on the best of the three shows so far.

My main thought on the whole night is that I would have loved to see that very same show with a completely neutral audience. I believe it would have been the tightest and toughest voting decision of everyone that saw it. Each team had a clear case for themselves. That being said, I think the winner deserved to win. But still, everyone did such a great job, I can't help but think of what a crowd of neutrals would have thought.

Okay, now the teams.

The three ladies of Spite (Trish Berrong, Nikki DuPont & Megan Mercer) started the night off with a bang. To be an all women team AND go first in this event is a tough challenge. I thought that, but I know the ladies didn't. Great scene work, great characters, great relationships, great sense of play, great everything. If there was anything critical I could say about it, it would be that their scene edits, which were simply starting the next scene with the last line of the previous scene, were often drowned out by laughter from the audience and therefore kinda hard to tell if a new scene had started or not. Also, one of the ladies seemed to do most of the editing. But those were so small that it didn't effect the performance at all. I just notice those things.

Then came the three men of TBA (Pete Calderone, Micheal Montague Jr & Josh Steinmetz) delivering the ballsiest set of the night, a rock/opera piece entitled "Soundtrack of your Life" complete with instruments. After what was a week of behind the scene drama dealing with the men of TBA and the ladies of Spite (Put the two together and you have the troupe Tantrum that performed at 7 before Thunderdome), that can only be described as an Andy Kaufman-esque all-team rehearsal that was orchestrated by TBA, I was worried about their performance. Come show time though, they delivered. First with a guitar, then with a keyboard, and finally with a violin??? Yep. Their all-male musical love triangle was awesome, and well executed. It ended with a nice all-instrument, all-singing, light-fading ending number. TBA was the only piece that had multiple applause after scenes. If there was anything critical I could say about it, it's tough to do an all-male show without there being a little gayness, it's tough. TBA fell down that trap, i believe. But nonetheless, out of all the sets, this one I would love to see again.

Finally Makeshift Militia (Magie Hogan, Ryan Meharry, Grant Prewitt & James Nelson) exploded on stage with a great song, a great chant, and just pure young college energy. Yes, they had brought the most audience. Yes, that audience probably knew who they were going to vote for before the show even started. But still, if Makeshift would have come out and presented something awful and still won, they would have not been respected by the improv community. It's a good thing that didn't happen. Their story line piece that revolved around a father and son, 2 government officials, and a robot was very entertaining. Their relationships were strong and emotional. This set probably involved the most realistic emotional choices of the whole night. If there was anything critical I could say about it, the piece itself was very similar and formulaic to a piece that a team presented the previous month. But after seeing what they did at rehearsal, I know this was clearly a coincidence.

In the end, after a night of three very solid performances that each had a clear shot at getting anybody's vote, the team that brought the most people won. But still, everyone did such a great job, I can't help but think of what a crowd of neutrals would have thought.

Improv Thunderdome Round 3

This show sold out a five days ago, ten days before the actual event. Un-heard-of. Ed and I and my son Collin went to the coffeehouse today to arrange seats and maximize our potential, well, Collin didn't help. He just jumped on and off the stage and pretended he was a chicken. He might have moved one chair.

Preparing for shows, my biggest problem has always been worrying what kind of audience we are going to have, or if we're going to have any audience at all. Even though I am not the one performing, it's nice not to have to worry about that. It's something I think I'd like to get used too.

Eastern Promises

Lisa and I purchased a movie On Demand the other night. We were both in the mood for something that neither of us knew much about. After scrolling through the screen for a while, we finally decided on Eastern Promises based on the Viggo Mortensen's Best Actor nomination clip they showed at the Oscars.


Viggo Mortensen

Before the Oscars, There Will Be Blood was the only nominated live-action movie either of us had seen this year (we saw Ratatouille in the theaters). After seeing that and only that, there was no doubt in my mind that Daniel Day-Lewis would win Best Actor. In fact, I think he is the sole reason that movie was nominated for Best Picture. Take out his performace, and that movie would have just been okay.


Daniel Day-Lewis

Back to Eastern Promises. Great movie. Viggo plays a Russian limo driver for the Russian mob somewhere in London. His performance was mesmerizing. I think I personally judge how well I like a character by how often I try to talk like him afterwards. Who knows how many times Lisa and I were walking around saying, "Give me the blood of the lord, Eli", after seeing TWBB. But Viggo's thick Russian accent definitely comes in a strong second. In fact, if there was a second place at the Oscars, my bet would have been on Viggo.

This wasn't suppose to be a movie review or anything like that, but if your looking for something to rent in the future, this would be my recommendation. And for the ladies, there's even a ten minute bloody turkish bath fight scene with Viggo's meat and potatoes flinging all over the place. You heard me.

Ford Expletive

I hate cars. Me and cars do not really go good together. I had two cars in high school. My first one, a blue Toyota Corolla, lasted 2 weeks and was destroyed in a rain induced accident. Not my fault and I was fine. My second car, a red Toyota Tercel named Shogun, somehow lasted through my senior year. Jump-starts were an every other day occurrence. Another car accident later, again not my fault, and it was put to rest. My third car was a Chevy Blazer. It was slowly murdered due my lack of care. (It needs an oil change how often?) It's engine exploded on the highway. Next came my Aunt's Ford Taurus. It became obsolete when I was just barely able to break as I entered a mechanic. The breaks were so bad that the guy wouldn't let me drive out of there. Throw in the fact that I kept dumping this junk into the radiator because it was suppose to plug a hole in one of the tubes. Ahhhhh cars.

I have gotten better. I take much better care of our car now. Regular oil changes every 3000 miles and tune ups whenever we've got an out of state drive. Too bad it took a half a dozen cars to get to this level of expertise. But still, I know that me and cars will never have a healthy relationship.

We recently received out federal return and had it no more than a day before we spent 75% of it on our Ford Explorer. Tires, brakes, belts, plugs, aligning, and all that jazz. I knew it was something that needed to be done so I was not that put off by it. The tires and alignment was the reason I went in. While I was there I said, "Give it a full inspection." The grease monkey responded with, "You want a 24 point inspection?" I asked if that meant that they would give the car a full once over. The guy said sure so I said okay.

An hour later I get a call telling me that new brakes were necessary. Knowing that our bank account was thriving due to the return, I didn't even let the guy finish. "Do it and call me when you're done." Two hours later I drove away with a fresh feeling car.

This was last week. Today my car won't start. It's in the driveway just sitting there. I called Sears and asked what all the 24 point inspection entails. They said everything but the battery, ignition and starter.

Fucking GREAT!!!!!!!

Digger Phelps is Retarded.

I should know, I have worked four years with the developmentally disabled.



Anyone who purposely wears a tie to match his highlighter needs to be under 24 hour supervision. If he were to stand up from behind the desk, you would see that his fanny pack matches as well.