Year in Review - October 2001

by Jeff Catanese and William McEvoy

In our first year of existence, we've seen a LOT of improv, good, bad and otherwise. We know what we liked, we know what we loved, and we know what we didn't care for. We thought we'd share this with you. And despite our reputation, we'll lead with the positive. . .

Things We Like

Knowledge

There is no substitute for knowing your stuff. Whether it be that obscure Star Trek reference or the treasurer under McKinley, a well-thought-out show will add solidity to every scene played and always wow the crowd. Think of it this way: you hate to see a movie in which the screenwriter hasn’t done adequate research, right?

Message over Medium

Formats help propel an improv. When a troupe pays more attention to developing their acting and storytelling as opposed to a new combination of on-stage conventions it shows. Good groups have good formats. Great groups know when to drop their format when the story or evening calls for it.

Agreement

No doubt, the one element that moves a show along and makes it great scene-to-scene is absolute agreement by
every actor, of every offer. Mostly seen in freeform shows, many shortform or narrative troupes fail to fully realize the importance of this basic tenet of improvisation. When it is used well (as in many shows of the "organic" improv
genre) it creates the kind of magic onstage that we tell our friends is the reason we perform. Learn it, know it, live it.

Three-dimensional Characters

It's easy to do a funny voice or create a character with a unique point of view. But when an improvisor can take such a character and turn them into a real, believable person, someone we might see at the Dunkin' Donuts, or (god forbid) in our family, that's magic.

Theatrical Detail

What is it they are trying to do up there? The most efficient way to answer that question is to slap on a few costumes, throw together a quick set and don’t worry about having to do the talking. It doesn’t take much to have some archetypical items of clothing backstage at the ready. Or to have a slew of versatile blocks onstage to build any locale needed. True mastery of theatrical forms is shown when improvisors create their uniforms from the barest essentials, or at the very least, have competent light and sound technicians working for them up in the booth.

Exploration

Del Close created the Harold as a tool with which to explore themes. The Harold, of course, is not the only way to do that, but, when executed properly, a well-explored theme is the height of what theater (and especially improv) is all about. Taking the risk of showing many of the infinite facets of love, hate, shoes or even the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center can make for some interesting, thought-provoking and even some very funny improvisation.

Good Hosting in Shortform

The best hosts connect with their audience, act as ringmaster for the show and create a seamless link between games. They (unlike improvisors) know exactly what is coming next, and are prepared vocally and physically. They don't pepper their speech with countless "umms" and "errs", they plant themselves on stage, and they speak coherently.

Things We Dislike

Fundamentalism

"My (troupe/theater/teacher/format/method) is the best (troupe/theater/teacher/format/method) in improv, and your (troupe/theater/teacher/format/method) is clearly inferior". In improv as in religion, when we hear these words we tend to run in the other direction, since the result most often is someone doing more preaching than practicing.

Winning Conflicts

Although man-to-man conflict is not necessary to every scene (despite what our Junior High English teachers taught us), conflict is a large part of the basis for most dramatic productions. However, there is nothing that brings a scene to a screeching stop faster than an actor who tries to win every conflict. Be it a husband/wife argument in a long scene, or two "Olympians" battling for the title of best dishwasher in a game of Everyday Olympics, the actor unwilling to "lose", loses the reason he's up there in the first place.

Lack of Business Savvy

We've seen websites which will advertise a show, but not the time, or price, or location, etc; read press releases without contact information, receive postcards on the day of the show. We've seen groups that do great work charge too little and split up for money problems. These groups shoot themselves in the foot before they step on stage. And don't try to tell us you're an artist, not a producer. It's called show business for a reason.

Failure Acceptance

Why, oh, why, oh, why do a group of marginally trained improvisors insist on hopping on a stage, charging their five bucks and/or their drink minimum only to start their show with an excuse for a show we are about to see? "This is improv so anything can happen, and it might suck," they say amiably. But why? Do they like sucking? Would they accept a scripted actor starting off the show with, "I’m forgetful sometimes, so I might forget my lines and trip over the furniture." Of course not. If your troupe’s failure is acceptable to you, then call yourself an amateur, perform in your Mom’s basement and charge accordingly.

Casualness of Manner

Dirty jeans. Wrinkled shirts. Pit stains. Do you want to pay money to see that? Late starting shows, bumbling hosts, casts who aren't really sure what's happening next. Do you want to sit through that? Makes you want to throw a chair.

Ego

The scene is sharp. The scene is good. Two on stage exchange banter that is both witty and pertinent. The audience is roaring. All of a sudden someone unjustifiably enters from backstage as the delivery boy. The scene is ruined. Ask yourself: might the best thing I can do for this scene be to sit down and shut up? Answer honestly. Remember: the audience wants to see a great show. And if your friends ask why you weren’t onstage that much, ask them if the show was good or not.

Throwing Furniture

It seems to be a constant. Perhaps for some troupes it acts as a rite of passage. To the audience it is a noisy and dangerous display of an improvisor with nothing to say. Chairs, tables, acting blocks (but mostly chairs) get unnecessarily hurled across stages across the country. Perhaps this falls under the heading of "Lack of Justification." A chair thrown with a reason could be an effective dramatic tool, but until we can count on that we’d prefer that theater owners just bolt them down.

Things We’d Like to See

Interdisciplinary Improv

Improvisors are not dancing. Dancers are not improvising. Jazz musicians are basically keeping to themselves. Mimes are miming, clowns are clowning, etc., etc. When improv meets any other theatrical discipline, improvisors are usually the first to "ooh" and "ahh." Yet rarely does it occur, and rarer still are people from different disciplines getting together and collaborating. We're hearing actors say they are afraid to improvise, and improvisors afraid of acting. Huh? Let’s get it together people. We all have something to learn from each other.

More Social & Political Satire

Social and political satire was the original impetus of much of the Compass' work in the Fifties, but it has never held a majority of the content in improv and now, we'd be surprised if five percent of all improv. We need more, especially now in these politically charged times.

Longform on TV

Dammit, it’s time. Last year’s threat of a writers strike had the television scouts out in droves seeking an alternative to scripted sitcoms. When they came across improv they went right for the games. Safe, easy, small. "Curb Your Enthusiasm," The Upright Citizen’s Brigade," and a few others have successfully used longform improvisation to create their shows. I figure a network willing to gamble a bit could look just briefly beyond the bottom line and throw us some great narratives created on the spot, or even some freeform sketches. Take heed Comedy Central, HBO and Showtime.

Less Derivative Works

If there's an art or media form with any popular following, an improv group has aped it in some way. Musicals, reality shows, all of theater, comic books, game shows all have their derivative improv equivalent. Many of these are excellent, in fact, they're among the best improv work out there, and ironically, that's the sad part. That uniquely improvised forms don't seem to match the popularity of these derivative forms keeps the art held back from taking its deserved place.

The Best We’ve Seen

Postmortem

Forget that this show deals with touchy subjects. Forget that it plucks the heartstrings without being overtly sentimental. Even forget that it t has a lot to say about how our society moves, changes and influences every individual. Postmortem is still as fine a piece of improvisational theater as you are likely to see in Chicago or anywhere else. WNEP Theater in Chi-town paid great attention to detail to make this character study (based on an obituary from the show date’s newspaper) a sharp and witty show that could easily stand alongside any scripted pieces off-Broadway right now.

Mass Media Recognizes Improv

Thanks Drew Carey. Thanks Inside the Actor’s Studio. Thanks Larry David. Thanks UCB. Heck, thanks Trey Parker for making such glorious fun of improv on That’s My Bush. Love it or hate it, the word improv is getting out there. Whether it’s erroneously used to describe ad libbing on a film set, or just referred to in passing on Entertainment Tonight people are starting to become aware of what improv is. Next year: where to find it!

Centralia, et al.

When Burn Manhattan broke up there was a large chunk missing from the New York improv scene. With the advent of Centralia (made up of some past members of Burn and some UCBT stalwarts), that chunk was filled again. Their "organic improv" is a marvel to watch, and we have the good news that Burn alum Todd Stashwick is making his mark directing out in LA, groups oona, and the Doubtful Guests.

Internet Community (global, festivals, etc.)

To community outsiders (and most self-aware insiders) the improv community might seem like a catty, cliquey and
exclusive sort of club. But that is being changed thanks to the efforts of those who are working on a more than local scale. Web sites like Asaf Ronen’s YESand.com and Manuel Wolff’s Improvland.com allow improvisors from all
over the world to chime in on bulletin boards and Internet chats. Add to that the recent proliferation of great improv festivals and ideas that once might not have even been shared across barrooms are transcending borders.

Yellow Man Group’s Opening

Like many other youthful improv troupe’s the members of Yellow Man Group burst onto the stage in a hail of techno music. But instead of just dancing around in a display of naïve exuberance, YMG launches into a wise and very funny routine that pokes fun at themselves as epitomes of Japanese stereotypes. This bit is so well choreographed as to make first-time viewers believe that they might be seeing some off-beat comedy dance or mime troupe, and the all-yellow costumes (replete with backpacks and other accessories) well prepare their audience for more laughs to come.

The Apple Scene by LATS

William still raves about it.. "The best moment in theater I have yet witnessed" he says. At the New York Improvisation Festival in October 2000, Los Angeles Theatresports presented their "Shakespeare Unscripted", in the climactic scene for the "lower class" characters, Tracy Burns' character requites the love of Floyd Van Buskirk by handing him an apple that a crone had given her for the "apple of her eye". The mastery was not only in the scene itself, but in the subtle foreshadowing many scenes prior. Worthy of the Bard.

Exit 16 at CIF

Exit 16 was a group of high school improvisors that performed at the Chicago Improv Festival's "Improv 'til Dawn" set. They were smart, supportive, and funny, leaving us with hope for the future of improv.