On Career Goals and Making It

When you spend a huge chunk of your adult life performing comedy and then you move to Los Angeles, it makes sense that the two would go hand in hand.  So, it makes sense that people are always asking me "Are you doing any shows?" or "Where are you performing these days?" or "Where are your taking classes?"  But despite it making sense, I'm still getting more and more bothered by it.

My time performing did inspire my move to Los Angeles, but it's not the only reason.  And whenever my answers are: "Not really" or "Once at iO and this other show in a strip mall next to a Von's" or "I'm not taking classes" - I get looks of disappointment, or advice on what I should be doing or the dreaded "It'll get better once you start performing more!"

My love of performing and writing pushed me to move to Los Angeles.  I thought about moving a lot, but I wasn't really sure where I wanted to move.  There was Chicago to study improv at Second City, or New York for UCB and there was Los Angeles for Groundlings or UCB.  In the end, I decided on Los Angeles because I could train at whatever improv school I wanted to and I felt that there would be more writing opportunities in television which was the end goal I saw for myself.

In my mind, there was no other option.  It was comedy or bust!  When you spend so much of your life focusing on comedy and performing, there is nothing else.  There is really only one path to take and there are only a handful of jobs to go after.  It just so happens that basically everyone in the comedy world - thousands of people - are literally going for those same jobs.

Needless to say, this past year has been slightly overwhelming and eye-opening.

The first road block I hit was money. I don't have the funds to take improv classes.  They range from $400-600 for one course.  It seemed outrageous to me - and it still does.  I have so much to pay for and paying that much for a skill that I already had just seemed crazy.  It's not that I think I can't grow or get any better, I know that I can, but I can't justify spending the money on something I have already spent so much time and money on.

The next road block for me was the overwhelming scene.  I love improv and I think I'm pretty good at it.  It's something that I get and feel comfortable doing.  But there are hardly any jobs in improv.  Well, you can teach it.  And you can be on Whose Line Is It Anyway? but it's hard to make a career out of unless you're Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles.  There are ways to find a job, but they're rare and either don't pay that well or they're used as stepping stones to a bigger thing.  Like SNL for example, or acting or television writing or basically ANYTHING ELSE in the entertainment industry.  You make those connections and you break into that scene by taking classes and performing at well-known theaters.  And that's awesome.  The improv community is huge and it's great.  But it's the first part that I can't get past… it's HUGE.  Overwhelmingly huge.  A part of me wishes I moved out here when I was younger and had less improv experience because moving out here with a resume full of improv credits is equal parts awesome and completely worthless.  I just don't have the ambition or want to break into the scene again.  I think it's great and valuable for people who want to do it… but that's just it.

I don't feel like doing it anymore.  I don't feel like doing shows at 11:30pm on a Saturday night for an audience of ten random people.  I don't feel like that's making me a better performer and I don't think it's the most productive use of my time.  I don't feel like going to an improv class right now.  I have taken and taught so many classes and performed in and watched so many shows that I am NUMB.  Every cheap joke, dropped piece of object work, scene where two people are standing on stage just talking at each other, missed ending… ugh, I just can't get past them.   I don't feel like watching people improvise anymore.  I have fun performing, and I love getting me some laughs, but I'm just at a point in my career where I'm happy with the amount of performing I did and I'm ready to take a hiatus from doing it professionally.  I'm happy with random shows every now and then, but I don't pine for it so much that I'm going to spend money to pursue it as a career goal.

Once I decided that, I felt GREAT.  I don't need to do improv anymore!  But if I don't do improv, then who am I?  For ten years, improv comedy has been my livelihood.  It's been part of my identity.  Without it, what am I?  How do I define my career?  What do I say that I do?  Am I just a funny Talent Coordinator at an advertising agency now?

And without improv, how will I get where I want to be in life?  How will I become successful?

I don't know that answer, but I do know this: there is more than one path.  

There is more than one job.  

There is more than one way to define your career. 

A lot of Groundlings and Second City performers have been hired at SNL… but some people were cast in other ways.  Some television writers have improv backgrounds, some don't.  Some people take the highway and get there quicker, but MOST people have to take the back roads and make some wrong turns and make pit stops along the way.

I don't feel that my decision to not take classes (right now) means that I'm not doing anything worthwhile in Los Angeles, or that I'm not doing anything for my career.  Some people have literally said that to me and I just want to punch them in their face/balls.  I'm living my god damn life, that's what I'm doing!  Get off my D!  I don't feel that I'm not successful and I don't feel that I'm giving up on my career.  I have a thousand career goals and they don't all have to do with improv!  There are other ways for me to do comedy.

You can do whatever you want to do and there are a lot of paths you can take to achieve your goals. And one person's vision of success isn't the same / doesn't have to be the same as yours.  If someone views constant performing, writing movies or acting in commercials and TV shows "making it" - then that doesn't have to be what "making it" means for you.

Make it however you want to make it.  Be it microwave… or oven… or fast food window.

Awkward Compliment: Year 5

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I performed with an improv group called Awkward Compliment.  It started in 2008 and has now been around for six years, which is nuts.  Today is the five-year anniversary of our weekly show and I am blown away. 

The show still goes on (with two of the original members running it and a bunch of people joining them every week).  I got the chance to do it earlier this month when I went home to visit and even though I had to stop doing the weekly shows when I got on the mainstage at IA, it’s still one of my favorite shows to do.  Because it’s ours.  We run it.  We show up and the theater knows us and lets us in for free and gives us a free beer and lets us do whatever the F we want down in that small basement theater. 

Four of us live in Los Angeles now and three still live in Boston (the ones in the picture above!) but I’m glad that we’re all still pretty close friends.  We still talk in a group text that’s been going on for years.  We still make it a priority to see each other when we’re home.  It’s the one group of people where I actually believe we’ll always pick up where we left off.  We’re a family.  They're my brothers. 

Damn.  Five years.  Thursday nights used to be my absolute favorite nights.  I’d go to work and get excited all day that I had AC that night.  I’d go home, get ready and DiBello would pick me up (blasting the song “Ignition”) and then we’d drive over to Somerville.  We’d set up for the show, sell tickets, do our show and then hang out for hours at Mike’s across the street while drinking giant beers and eating jalapeno poppers.  When I went home in the beginning of May, it was really awesome to just go back and do that again!  Five years of the same great Thursday night.   

Five years of the greatest friends, the weirdest shows, the stupidest bits and a lot of alcohol.  In fact, Awkward Compliment is one of my favorite results of taking improv classes and pursuing comedy.  I performed professionally - for huge audiences and large corporations and universities - but some of those AC shows were the best shows of my life.  Even if we were performing for five people, we had the most fun.  There were some fights, resentment, anger, bitterness, weirdness, EVERYTHING. But that comes with the territory of performing with your friends.  That group of guys is still my favorite group to hang out with.  We've always had each other's backs and we still do.  

Now it's time to get all of their names tattooed on my lower back!   

Damn.  I love improv.  And I love these guys.  Long live AC! 

Rad Gal, Rad Gig!

I shared a little story about how my life as an improv comedian on Kaelah's blog, The Clueless Girl's Guide and it was published today as part of her "Rad Gal, Rad Gig" series.  If you'd like to check it out, please do!  And if you don't read her blog yet, I highly encourage it.  She's wonderful.

I've been reading her blog for a long time and as soon as I saw the first post in the series, I jumped at the chance to get involved.  Of course because I want to share my story - but also because I think it would be awesome for more women to get involved in comedy.  I also want people to realize it's more attainable than they think.  There are improv groups and theaters everywhere these days!  Anyways, I wrote it my first week in L.A. and it was just the perfect time.  I got to reflect on my past that I had just left behind while simultaneously pumping myself up for what's to come - whatever it may be.

To all the people who got here by viewing Kaelah's blog post, hello!  And thank you for coming by!  I promise you will sometimes be disappointed.

Now, how creepy do Cavan and I look with our faces joined together?  Real creepy!  You know what's funny?  Richie, the photographer who took the pictures, didn't have to do anything to our teeth.  They really look that similar.  A couple of tooth buddies.

The Big Finale!

Saturday was my last night doing mainstage shows!  (That's my whole cast up there.  Including Tony, Evan - who took the picture, Jeremy - the director and Jim - the musical director.) 

It's hard to sum the night up.  It's even harder to sum up my time at the theater!  I've worked there for nine years.  I've been performing there for five years.  And I've been on the mainstage for two and a half years.  I grew up there.  The major moments of my lifetime happened there.  Most of my best friends were made there.  ALL of my romantic relationships were formed there.  It's been a huge part of my adult life!  The BIGGEST part of my adult life!  I quit a full-time job for it.  I dedicated my life to it.  I put it FIRST before everything - a social life, family events, relationships... it has just been my identity for so long.  It's very hard to say goodbye.  

But I'm not.  It'll always be here and it'll always be home.  In fact, coming back to visit Boston means going back to IA.  I'll be visiting my family - and squeezing in a show or two at IA, I'm sure.  It'll always be a family to me!  

My last night was everything I could have dreamed it would be.  I honestly had few expectations for the night.  I knew that it'd be awesome and great and fun!  I put together a fun line-up for the show and knew the actual show would be something I was proud to leave on.  But, so many people showed up!  Even close friends from outside the theater (friends from home and from my old job) showed up to show support.  A bunch of my students showed up, and one group of them even wore fake glasses!  It was a truly touching event.  

There's no feeling like it and there never will be.  Ending a show hugging your entire cast to standing ovations and then telling a theater full of people how much you love them (and hearing how much they love you - which is sometimes real nice to know) was just an amazing experience.  I can't think of any other job that would give me that experience.  Leaving AMP was sad, but it wasn't my livelihood.  I loved the people but I wasn't leaving behind such a big, important part of my life and all the people that go with it.  

At the end of the night, I lied in my bed and cried my eyes out.  If you've ever seen the end of the movie Kill Bill 2, then you'll know the scene where Uma Thurman was crying on the bathroom floor because she was so happy.  That's how I felt.  I was crying so hard because I couldn't believe how lucky I was.  I couldn't believe that I had accomplished everything I wanted to and managed to leave behind a legacy and that the people I cared about, and the job I cared about, cared just as much about me.  It was overwhelmingly sad and happy at the same time!  

And now... now I'm ready to move on!  All last week I was sad about leaving and regretting my decision.  But now I don't.  Now I know that it's time to go and that it's the perfect time to go.  I've got more goals to accomplish and cry over leaving behind!  But I'm bringing my Muppet with me!  That's for damn sure.  

Taran Killam + Us = Fun!

 So, last Friday... us dumb idiots at IA had an awesome audience member from a little show called "Saturday Night Live" named Taran Killam.  Right before we went on, I saw him get seated and I had a little mixture of nerves and excitement going on.  It's always fun to have people in the comedy world come see us perform!  And by that I mean, I've never experienced it. 

Our show started and our opener had SO many technical difficulties.  But, we picked ourselves up and went on and had a really great show.  Taran seemed to think so too. When we met him afterwards, he was very sweet and said that we looked like fun people to sing karaoke with. And... so we did that.  After our 10pm show, we all went to Chinatown and ended up singing karaoke (with lyrics on a background of really terrible stock videos.)

Saturday night, he came down and performed the midnight show with us and again, it was a great show.  This is going to sound crazy... but I like when comedians are actually like, good performers.  He was great at improv.  Obviously... since he's a Groundling.  But, sometimes, I watch certain specials and I'm like, "Oh... okay.  Sure.  That was... good."

Of course it was awesome to hang out with Taran.  But what I really loved was the sense of comedy community.  Being in Boston, I feel sort of removed from the comedy centers of the universe.  We're not Chicago, New York or L.A.  There are a lot of comedians originally from Boston, of course, but IA itself isn't known as being one of the major players.  So, to have someone from SNL come down, hang out with us and feel comfortable being around us was cool. 

At the end of the day, we're all kind of the same.  We all pursued dreams of being comedians/performers and did it in our own way.  Taran has just gone like A LOT further than we have.  And by "A LOT" I mean like ALL THE WAY.  But, we were all doing bits and making jokes and wearing plaid and denim. It didn't feel like we were hanging out with a celebrity, it just felt like we were hanging out with another comedy friend.  Who just happens to be far more successful than we are... and maybe will ever be. 

Comedy!

WNBA.

Every Saturday morning, I direct a lovely group of improvisers... who happen to be all ladies. And they're very talented improvisers... who happen to be all ladies.  I know, women aren't funny... but we can still get together and have fun and pretend that we are, right? 

They had a show last Thursday at Awkward Compliment and it was SO great!  A little bubble of happiness grows inside me when I see people excel at something they love doing.  Some people get into improv to just have a good time, but lately I've been noticing a lot of people getting bit that bug.  They're suddenly realizing that it's not just a fun hobby, it's actually something they'd like to do for a long, long while.  I got bit by that bug!  It stung!  And now I'm seeing that spark in other people and it's really awesome to watch.

The group is called WNBA.  But they are not affiliated with the WNBA, just in case you were wondering.  They are probably not very good at basketball for obvious reasons (they're women.)  Alternate (joke) names were:  Estrogents, Hi, Men! and Once a Month.  Did I mention they're improvisers... who happen to be ladies? 

Last Saturday's rehearsal was so much fun!  So I took pictures.  The lighting was perfect and they all looked super cute for 11am on a Saturday morning.  Make sure to see one of their shows!  

Cute.

Yesterday morning, my friend Mike gchatted me and reminded me of our old Live Journals we kept during our first year of college. I was immediately embarrassed, because I was just the worst. I mean, I'm not even kidding. I was the worst. But luckily, we both were terrible.

 I mean it... just terrible.

But, while going through it, I found a random one I wrote after finishing my first level of improv classes. Here's what it said:

I thought I loved improv before, but I did not know. I did not know anything about improv.. except that it was funny and I'd love to be able to do it. Now.. I love improv even more then I ever thought I would. Before, I wanted to make a career out of it.. just because it could possibly lead me to SNL.. and it'd be fun. Now, I absolutely love it. When I'm at improv.. I'm happy. Whether I'm fucking up.. or doing AWESOME.. I just feel so in my place. I don't think about outside shit. I just think about what's going on that moment. I used to think that it was what I wanted to do with my life for no apparent reason then it was funny and looked fun. Now I want to make a career out of it because I am GENUINELY happy doing it. Whether I just work at the Asylum.. or in some other improv troupe.. and not ever make it to SNL (which yes, I obviously still want) but as long as I'm doing something like this for the rest of my life, I'll be happy.

 Oh... cute. How cute. The best part was... this was seven years ago. And somehow, I'm doing that. Working at the Asylum and with another group. I know I worked really hard, but it seemingly feels like no work at all. Probably because I enjoyed my time along the way. So, I might be the laziest person I know, career-wise. But at least I accomplish my little dreams while doing it!

I can't wait until he gchats me in another seven years and says, "I just found our blogs" and I read this entry and say, "Oh god! We were the worst!" Except his blog at least has a focus on hockey, while mine has a focus on me.

Talented Friends!

My friends Matt and Richie shot a webseries last week called “ETC: Employment Through Craigslist." They started a Kickstarter campaign for it in October and met their goal (and then some!) I was super excited that they asked me to be a part of it… because I think they’re incredibly talented, handsome, funny and all-around terrible guys.

I had a fun day shooting with them – it was their final day of shooting and they were still upbeat and energetic (even though they had been shooting non-stop all week.) I had a wonderful time. Especially when we all went on a field trip to eat lunch from Chicken Now in the food court of the Cambridgeside Galleria Mall.

They'll be posting the episodes on this website, etcwebseries.com, in the New Year. So make sure to take a look! The episode I shot was hilarious (honestly, I very rarely read a script and laugh out loud, but I did with this one. Several times.) So, I have no doubt the other episodes are just as hilarious.

Y'All ready for Rich?

this honky grandma be busy.

Gosh darn, I've been so busy! I just want to reflect on some pretty awesome things.

A few weeks ago, I did the Awkward Compliment show and I really can't explain what it was. But the show was just the best. The whole time we were knocking it out of the park. We had a packed house. People were really on our side, we had each other's backs and afterwards we kind of all had this moment of, "Did we just do that?" We all felt like we had the best show ever. And I've done several hundred shows at this point and it was certainly in my top 5.

Then, we had our Halloween show on Monday night. And god damnit, I can't explain that either! It was just awesome. We over-sold and then had to turn some people away. And from top to bottom, the show was just great. Again, we had each other's backs, the crowd was awesome, we got along, we were positive, we were excited... and it was probably the best show I've ever been a part of!

Plus, Leather Gang is doing a new structure that has been THE MOST FUN. It has put some fire back into that little almost three-year-old group.

All of this, in just a month. It's nice to be reminded of why you just love what you do so much. And all the business and hard work is absolutely worth it. And when it gets to be too much, you take a day off and stay in bed all day and watch "Airplane." Or go visit your friends in Los Angeles :) (even though it was supposed to be a surprise but I'm bad at that.)

Look at that picture above! It's for the haunted house we (and by we I mean Matt and Vic Yambao) created for after the show. That was the most terrifying part of it. We even had a (fake) dead body hanging outside in the back stairwell! Such a fun time.

Do What You Love

buy that on etsy.

I perform many times a week in different shows or venues. I perform with different casts, even though some casts have the same people, and it really keeps things interesting. I’m an improv polygamist, basically.

But, at the end of the week, when I’m in my room watching some comedian from the 1960’s doing 50-year-old bits I don’t understand, I think “What a fun week of comedy I’ve had!” And whenever I have a bad show, there’s always a good show right after it – or at least a couple of days away. There are shows that are SUPER stressful and some that I just show up, walk on stage, walk off and hang out.

But, because of that, I have more ways to remind myself why I do what I do, and why I love doing it. I can walk away from a House Teams show feeling weird about it, then go to Awkward Compliment on Thursday and be like, “Man! That was fucking awesome!" and have a great mainstage show one week and a really weird one the next week. But, ultimately, I’m constantly on my toes and reminded what keeps me hooked...

Because it’s fun. Because I work with good people. Because it’s challenging some days, but rewarding most days. Because it sucks when I fail, but the awesome feeling I get from doing well far outweighs that. Because it’s a catalyst for tons of different career opportunities. Because people think it's cool when you tell them. {kidding.} Because I learn something new after every performance. And, most importantly, BECAUSE I LOVE DOING IT.

And when I don’t, I will stop and move on. Or complain until someone kicks me out. But until then, I’m really loving it, you guys. You should love it, too!

Making People Laugh

"Comedy is very controlling - you are making people laugh. It is there in the phrase 'making people laugh.' You feel completely in control when you hear a wave of laughter coming back at you that you have caused." - Gilda Radner

One day, I realized I was kind've funny and that when people laughed at my jokes, I felt like a million bucks. Unlike most of the people in my hometown, I didn't do bad things. I never got high, never got low, never got drunk and never got pregnant. {Well, I never did these things in high school.} I chose to stay home and watch movies with my friends and sometimes, SOMETIMES, take Harry Potter quizzes online. Sure, I was a nerd {still am and proud}, but I wouldn't trade any of those days for the world because I had great friends and I loved making them laugh. They made me laugh, too! But, who cares. More importantly, I made them laugh.

And plus, eventually I fell in with a group who taught me how to make bad, terrible and awful decisions, smoke pot a few times {I'm really bad at it... like technically, I can't get it down} and drink enough alcohol to remove my ability to walk. So... I've caught up.

I've stuck to this whole improv and comedy thing because at the end of the day, I like to entertain people. I love making people happy and  making jokes and not taking life seriously and giving people a way out of their reality. Well, let me tell you a {not-so} secret... most people who choose this profession are MISERABLE. They hate themselves, they're insecure and they're just tough to be around.

I refuse to do that. If I'm going to entertain people, I'm going to be happy. Because nothing gives me a rush more than laughter, and as soon as it turns me into a monster... it's not worth it anymore. So... cheer up, everyone.

P.s. Happy Birthday to Alison Royer. She's labeled me an alcoholic and a gossip and has made me trek through the unfamiliar, cold streets of Chicago to get her several coffees while she worked. But, she has helped me through some super tough times. She's the beahhhsssttt!

Women in the Writing Room

I'm in a shitty mood. But I like this. I totally agree. I've heard women sit around and complain about this {even improvisers} and I'm like, "What the F are you talking about?" There are less women on House Teams at IA and I'm typically the only girl on teams because WHO ELSE IS THERE? Nobody else is going out for it! At an audition there might be 60 people, 7 of which are women.

Comedy is a ballsy and gutsy place to be. And typically, guys are more willing to be ballsy {they have balls!}. But there are girls there! Girls are doing it! Just less of them. Dan Harmon is great. "Community" is awesome.

"They’re harder to find. It’s definitely not because women ain’t funny, because I’m finding the opposite. It’s because there’s fewer of them. The statistical probability of picking up a shitty script, it’s compounded for women. There’s the same percentage of genius happening in both genders, but there’s less women writing scripts and out there looking for the job. So you dig a little extra-hard, and you end up with a staff that took a few extra meetings and a few extra shitty scripts to read. Now you have a staff that is just as good as the staff you would have had, but happens to be half women... And the male writers across the board, from top to bottom, in their most private moments drinking with me, when they’re fully licensed to be as misogynist, reactive, old-boy-network as they want, all they can say is, 'This turned out to be a great thing.' The energy is different [in the room]. It doesn’t keep anybody polite. We’re not doffing our caps or standing up when they enter the room. They do more dick jokes than anybody, because they’ve had to survive, they have to prove, coming in the door, that they’re not dainty. That’s not fair, but women writers, they acquire the muscle of going blue fast because they have to counter the stigma... I think women are different, and I think having them in the room is crucial to a family comedy, ensemble comedy, television comedy, where half the eyeballs on your show are women. As it turns out, I think Megan’s the only female writer who’s staying this year, so now, even though Bromstad’s gone, now I’m carrying this legacy, going, 'Eh, guys, we really need a half-female writing staff.' I would teach it. I think we have to stop thinking of it as a quota thing and think of it as a common-sense thing."

Things to Love on a Monday

1. this is everything I want.

2. instant comfort pocket box. so cute.
You Are My Fave.

3. amelia earhart stamps! 8 cents!
Kate Spade.

4. this reminds me of hampton beach and where's waldo.
again, Kate Spade.

5. i love bananas.

6. this is the perfect chair.
Katie Maennle has a lot of great designs.

7. brings a whole new meaning to banana boat.

8. how cool.
that's my next tattoo. ;)

9. colorful bible.
found on Black Eiffel.

10. hat collection from Rifle Paper Co.

happy monday!
i have the day off from work so life is awesome.
i had a pretty drunk and awesome weekend.

i celebrated my birthday on friday night at howl at the moon. it was such a fun night! so many people came out and we drank big blue buckets of alcohol and danced on stage.

then i fell on the way home and scraped my knees so bad that i look like a whore. i mean, they're real bad. like probably infected.

then it was my friend brian's last night at IA. i think he reminded all of us just how lucky we are. we complain so much in that theater about things we can't control. it was so nice to be on the same side for once. {even if for just one tiny second} we were just having fun with our friends.

that was the longest "things to love" post ever! but sometimes i need to remind myself of all the little great things i have in my life. 

barrett out!

NO PATTY.

 

Now that I'm doing mainstage shows,  I've been missing some Awkward Compliment shows on Thursdays. This saddens me, but at least I'm not missing them all the time! I'm glad I still get to be part of the group. Not that they'd kick me out without a fight. A chicken fight.

To let them know when I'm scheduled to NOT be there, I added "NO PATTY" to our shared calendar. That's what it looks like when the reminder pops up on Casey's phone. I like to give them a nice, loud and angry reminder of what CRUCIAL CAST MEMBER they're missing! 

Also, Casey likes oranges. Dot com.

 

Accents.

Accents come in handy a lot during improv scenes. Of course, most of us can't do this many. And more times than not, they all end up sounding English {lower class} or Australian {except really bad and requires a reference to "Fosters" or "Outback Steakhouse" to drive the point home} in the end.

This video is really cool. And helpful. And she's pretty. Looks are important to me.

Art Friday.

I didn't mean for this to be a recurring thing on my blog, but hey, I like art and today I just have the perfect opportunity for it. Last night, our Awkward Compliment show sold out completely and then some. We were at least 10 people over capacity. It was awesome! We also had a great line-up. I love nights like that... where you feel confident that nobody is going to give your show a bad name. Is that horrible to say? Yes.

Our very good friend, Wack, did his first stand-up set ever and it was AMAZING. I'm not just saying that because he's my friend or because he told me he reads my blog (Hi Wack!). I don't think all of my friends are funny. I also don't think all my friends who are improvisers who do stand-up sets/alternative shows are always successful. But Wack has got it!

I thought it'd be a good idea if we warmed up before the show. We've been having some weird shows lately and we needed to get on the same page. Our warm-up consisted of a silent 8-count shake out and then running around the Museum of Bad Art finding paintings that looked like us and taking pictures with them. It was hilarious. So... here you go. These are my best friends forever.

 

 

"How To Be An Actor"

Yesterday I read an online journal written by Mick Napier {comedy legend} while he directed The Second City show "Paradigm Lost". Which just so happens to star Tina Fey! (And Rachel Dratch! And Scott Adsit!) And, it just so happens that, thanks to my wonderful roommate who works for The Second City, I have a DVD of it. It was a really great show.

The whole journal is beneficial for any improviser to read. For one, it gives you a sense of what the F is going through a director's mind. There have been so many times where you are thrown in this process and you have no idea what is going on and you feel lost and wonder if by opening night you'll even have a show. But that's when you realize you need to trust your director. And so far, my director has never lead us wrong. We've always opened on opening night with a full show (sometimes too full).

For two (that's not a thing), it's nice to read as an actor. He has some really great advice on how to be a good actor/improviser and get the job done to make the process smoother. Here's an excerpt of something that really hit home with me. I'm guilty of some of the following things or have been in the past. Nice little reminder.

The Perfect Actor


Since this is list day, I thought I might go on a little tangent and describe what I believe to be the perfect kind of person in a process like this. I'll do this in the way of some humble advice. Although it's just my opinion, I hope every improviser in every city reads this. It will make them a better performer.

From a director's point of view....

How to be the perfect actor in a show:

1. Shut the fuck up

In rehearsals or notes, if you don't really really really have to say anything..........then don't. Some people talk for the sake of talking. This comes from a space of rightness or need for affirmation or need to be percieved as vital and intelligent. If you don't have to talk......don't. Look at what you are about to say and ask yourself: "Is this REALLY supportive to what is going on right now?"...... and if it's not, say nothing. It's so easy to whittle away a rehearsal talking bullshit. Everyone knows that 95% of what is being said will not come to fruition, yet they do it and feel a false sense of productivity when they leave the rehearsal. I've been sucked into that waste of time abyss more times than I'm willing to admit.

2. Know what you're talking about

If you have to talk, know what is being discussed right now, and have what you have to say be relevant to that and that only. I've wasted so much time as a director wrangling tangents and bringing them back to the point at hand. I'm pretty good at bringing it back to what's up, but I don't enjoy it and it usually pisses me off.

3. Make Strong Choices

Fuck your fear. We want to see your power, not your fear. Nobody has time for your fear. When I direct, I assume competance.....not inability. That's all a director wants from an improviser in this process. To take the powerful choices he/she creates, and utilize them in the show. If I, as director, must constantly spoon feed and suggest and coddle the actor in regard to their ideas, lines, and characters, then there's a 90% chance that the person is coming from a huge space of insecurity in the first place. That's the problem right there, not the idea or character or anything. The more you approach a director or other actors in this needy manner, the more you will alienate yourself from the director's power and your own. When I teach, I expect insecurity....when I direct, I expect the opposite. If you find yourself in a show and you are afraid......then fake it. Do the first three things on this list and discover that the more you are percieved as powerful, the more powerful you actually become. When I teach I have room for insecure choices, when I direct I do not. Once you are proficient in this behavior, then will you have the welcome right to discuss your scene with me or another actor. The best thing you could say to me in notes is, "I'll make another choice and we'll see if it works".

4. Show up and be on time.

If something comes up, call. Really.

5. Don't be tired

It's actually o.k. to be tired, most of us are when we work so hard on a show. It's even o.k. to say you're tired. Just don't act tired. Be someone who isn't tired. I've seen too many people say they're tired at the beginning of a rehearsal and then spend the next three hours proving it to everyone around them. Oftentimes, tired is an excuse for lazy/scared. If you find yourself saying "I'm really tired today"......know that everyone is tired and that's a given and who cares and then get up on stage and be vital and engaging. Don't let tired be an excuse, nobody cares.

6. Don't read in rehearsal

Don't read in rehearsal

7. Don't talk about the show in bars

If I don't believe that talking in rehearsal is very productive........then think about it.

8. Try anything

Be someone who will try anything. If you have a consideration about something a director asks you to do, speak that consideration and do it anyway. Be someone who says, "Sure, I'll try it." Sooooo many good ideas have gone to hell because an actor (or director, for that matter) judges an idea, talks it to death, and has it never be tried even once. It's so easy to be negative.......you think you're being smart and insightful at the time, only to learn later that you're merely an asshole.

9. Eliminate these words from your vocabulary

Can't

Oh yeah, I'll bet we can. A process is about what we can do.....it's so easy and limiting to state that we can't. A powerful person finds possibility with an idea, not it's limitations. (See number 8 above).

Should and ought to

Use the word could instead. 'Should' forces your suggestion on me, 'could' offers me the gift of choice and opportunity.

10. Don't interrupt anyone at any time......if you do, apologize

If you interrupt another, you are instantly telling them a couple of things.

A. What that person is saying has so little value that you didn't bother to listen.

B. You sought that as an opportunity to think about what you were going to say,

which you think is right and more important.

Now what that person is thinking about after being interuppted is just that....(he/she interrupted me), so they don't hear the thing you interrupted them with. Pretty effective communication, ay? As a director, I will promise to keep my eye on interrupting you if you keep your eye on interrupting me and others.

All of this comes from years of me screwing up the above,both as an actor and as a director.

The Lady Raking in the Chips

 

I've had a whirlwind of a week. I just got back from a business trip to New York City where I spent a few days doing a ton of work and making my brain explode. But... I also ate duck and frog legs. So, could it really be that bad? No way.

Buuuut, I have good news! I've been asked to be an understudy to the mainstage at IA!
I mean, I'd be lying if I said I didn't start doing improv because of a show I saw there. It was 2001 and instead of going to our 10th grade semi-formal, my friends and I went to see an improv show. It pretty much changed my life. Obviously. And now, a whopping ten years later, I'm the one on the stage. It's just crazy to me. Like hey... you can do it. Put your back into it.

Also, I got $15 heels from Payless... and they're awesome.  So, basically, a decent week.

Lessons from Late Night

Photo

Tina Fey has another article in the New Yorker this week, "Lessons from Late Night". It's very enjoyable. I'd link to it, but, it's the New Yorker and unless you have an account, then you can't read it in full. I'd find it somewhere on the internet for you - or type it out for you - but, there's a piece of glass in my foot.

She talks about her time on "SNL" and what she learned from Lorne Michaels. And then she talked about women in comedy and the differences between women and men and I was glad to see we have the same view! (Because some people's views vary and a lot of people are idiots.) Of course, I changed my view once I read what hers was.

Kidding?

Here were my favorite parts (out of many):

"You can't be the kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute. (And I'm from a generation in which a lot of people died on waterslides, so this was a very important lesson for me to learn.)" - on not overthinking what you're doing, just do it. Because the show went on at 11:30 whether anyone was ready or not.

"There is an actual difference between male and female comedy writers, and I'm going to reveal it now. The men urinate in cups. And sometimes jars... Not all men at "SNL" whizzed in cups. But four or five out of twenty did, so the men have to own that one. Anytime there's a bad female standup somewhere, some idiot Interblogger will deduce that 'women aren't funny'. Using the same math, I can deduce that male comedy writers piss in cups. Also, they like to pretend rape each other. It's... don't worry about it. It's harmless, actually."

"I realized there was no 'institutionalized sexism' at this place - sometimes guys just literally didn't know what we were talking about."

Update: I scanned and uploaded it to Google Docs. You can read the essay here.

Comedy Writing

I'm pretty much at the point in my life where I sorta-kinda know what I want to do with the rest of my life. And it definitely involves comedy and it definitely involves writing. I love performing so much, but if I were to label myself as anything, it'd probably be "writer". I think I'm a decent improviser, but I think I do better and smarter stuff when I write it out.

 Since I'm turning 25 and all, I've been thinking of the "next step". I have people coming at me from every angle telling me what to do and where to go. But I don't want to do what other people think, or what the "logical next move" is. I want to do what's right for me.

Then I read this interview on Splitsider with Conan writer, Brian Stack. It reminded me to continue to do what I love, have fun doing it and be a fun and nice person to be around!

What would your advice be to young comedy writers?

I would say, first of all, whatever background you’re coming from, whether it's improv or standup or writing exclusively, I would follow what's fun to you and not necessarily what you think you are supposed to do. I think when you love what you do, as you’re coming up, it shows in your work, and people want to be around you, and work with you because you are clearly having fun. And there's an infectious energy to that. Whether you are on stage doing standup, or doing improv with a group of people, or whether you're just writing, I think doing what you think is fun and funny is the best road to take.

Also, if they don't go for what you find funny, you might not have been happy in that particular place anyway. I remember Andy Richter had a writing job in Chicago once, and they hated all the ideas that would have been loved at Late Night. The same sense of humor that he brought to Late Night later on was completely rejected by this show. And it's not that Andy's ideas weren't funny, it's that they weren't funny to those people. Also, I think it's good to meet people who are on a similar wavelength to you, whether it's in improv or standup. I remember someone asked Amy Poehler, in an interview "What would your advice be for improvisors who want to be successful in comedy?" and she said, "Don't plan on making any money or owning anything for ten years, and if you stick with it, and are talented, one of your friends will give you a job."

And that's exactly what's happened for many people I know. When someone gets in the door, they remember the people they loved working with back in Chicago, or wherever. And when something comes up, they recommend them. That’s what happened to me. You can make a lot of things happen on your own too, but it's so often your relationships you have with other comedians. They’re the ones who tell people who don't know about you what you’re like and what you can bring to the table. In the improv community in Chicago, Kelly Leonard at Second City, would say "Who's good out there? Who have you been noticing? Who have you been watching?" and I am sure that's how they still do it. And if you are around people you relate to, your work is going to be more fun, you're going to have more fun, and you're going to get better faster.