Lost your improv mojo? One simple word can help you find it again.
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Ricky Gervais On Keepin’ It Real
Part of the fun of doing improv is being able to do anything. Like Neo in The Matrix, you can fly, stop bullets, or even hook up with The Woman in the Red Dress; things mere mortals can only dream of.
Sometimes we add crazy elements to a scene, thinking we’re making it funnier. But what often happens when characters go to Mars is so does believability.
The audience needs a reason to believe.
I once saw Jason DeRosse, Rob Norman, and Adam Cawley ask for a location that would fit on the stage. Someone yelled out “Shoe!”
The guys paused and looked at each other, then played 25 minutes as three roommates trapped in a stiletto.
The setting was absurd, but their reactions and their relationship to each other were grounded in truthfulness. And nothing is funnier than truth in comedy.
In this Fast Company video, Ricky Gervais explains how he used to make up crazy shit until he discovered the power of keeping it real. Click here to watch.
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Holly Laurent On What Makes Great Improv
1. Be good actors.
2. Slow down and listen.
3. Play.
Photo © Sandy Sager
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The Rob Ford “Rant” Video, Explained
To view the Rob Ford rant video, click here.
(Thanks to S&P’s Isaac Kessler for helping us laugh through Toronto’s pain.)
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Are You Ready To Laugh?
Image © Comedy On Tape
If you live in Toronto, you may think you’re all laughed out from Mayor Rob Ford’s latest hijinks.
But if there’s one thing we Canucks excel at (and believe it or not, there are things besides smoking crack), it’s comedy.
That’s why improviser/KD heartthrob/friend of the blog, Devon Hyland, has launched a new thing called Comedy On Tape. It’s a live and online showcase of Toronto’s top-of-the-pops improv, sketch and stand-up.
Carefully curated by Hyland, the show features CCA winners, CBC writers, JFL veterans, and other super-funny folks not associated with acronyms.
The next show is Wednesday, November 13 at The Tranzac, 292 Brunswick Avenue, and the line-up includes improv superstars RN & Cawls, Falcon Powder, Chad Mallett, and many others.
Doors open at 7 pm, and admission is $10.
Image © Comedy On Tape
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Improv, Meet Anthem
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Nerd Alert: A New Season Of Improv Nerd Is Here
If you haven’t yet heard Improv Nerd with Jimmy Carrane, put down that Hot Pocket and get thee to a pair of headphones, toute de suite.
The show’s unique combination of interview-plus-live improv makes it a stand-out in a sea of podcasts, and host Jimmy’s deep knowledge and love of improv has helped it build a large and loyal following.
Past guests include such luminaries as Andy Richter, David Koechner, Rachel Dratch, Tim Meadows, Key and Peele, TJ Jagodowski, David Pasquesi, and Scott Adsit.
Now the podcast has launched a new season, featuring SNL alum Nora Dunn, chef Rick Bayless, and writers from Conan and The Colbert Report, among others.
Showtime is Sundays at 5 p.m. at Stage 773 in Chicago. Tickets are $10; $8 for improv students.
Image © Improv Nerd
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Jimmy Carrane On Acting And Improv
“If you say that you don’t want to learn how to act, it’s like saying you don’t want to learn how to do object work or learn how to do yes… and.
How many more father and son scenes can we see where the improvisers aren’t really emotionally invested in the relationship? Naming someone ‘Dad’ in a scene does not mean you have created a relationship that the audience cares about.
We’re doing theater, here, people. If we’re not acting, we’re just doing a parlor game, and a hacky one at that.” – Jimmy Carrane
Read the full post on Jimmy’s blog by clicking here.
Photo © Improv Nerd
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Be Here Now
Cameron was a guest on SiriusXM’s Canada Talks Speak Easy with Carla Collins yesterday.
While he was waiting to be interviewed, he noticed another man sitting alone. Cameron introduced himself and asked the man, whose name was Scott, what he was there to talk about.
“Oh, I’m with Commander Hadfield,” Scott replied, indicating the studio.
Cameron’s eyes widened.
“You mean I’ve gotta follow him?”
They laughed, and Scott asked what Cameron did. He explained that he was there to talk about improv, and how it helped him overcome his anxiety.
They chatted for several minutes, and Cameron forgot all about any nerves he might have had. When the studio door opened, Scott told Cameron, “You’ve got to meet Chris!”
As Cameron told me this story, he said, “The ‘old me’ would have sat by myself, concentrating on not being nervous. Instead I was focused on what was happening now. Laughing with Scott was so much better than focusing inward.”
(Improv analogy, anyone?)
If you’d like to learn more about improv for anxiety (and being here now), check out Cameron’s new website at playwithfireimprov.com.
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The Committee: A Secret History Of American Comedy
Someone said improv is like a cult. It’s true.
Once you learn improv, nothing is ever quite the same. Whether you’re an actor, comedian, artist, filmmaker, doctor, lawyer, call centre operator, grocery bagger, or a writer like me, improv informs everything you do.
And yet, for such a massively influential force, there’s very little evidence of its history on film.
Now two filmmakers are trying to change that.
The Committee: A Secret History of American Comedy is a documentary about the legendary improv theatre company that took America by storm in the ’60s. Members included Del Close, Howard Hesseman, and Rob Reiner, and the group’s output changed comedy culture forever.
Jamie Wright and Sam Shaw, the brains behind the project, have launched a Kickstarter. But with only six days left, they still have a way to go to reach their goal.
After all that improv has given us, we couldn’t say no to this worthy cause. If you’d like to contribute in the spirit of “yes, and,” every bit helps.
You can read more about the project, watch the trailer, and donate here:
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