This is not only me shamefully showing off my graphic design work but it is also me shamefully advertising the comedy improv show I will be appearing in towards the end of the month. Everyone is welcome to come along and shout out their suggestions.
The spinning top, UFO and globe are royalty free images. Google maps was used for the map. More examples of flyers I have made can be found in the gallery.
There is something very nerve-racking about performing improv live on stage but it is the very same thing that makes it so exciting and fun at the same time. There is something that is very addictive about stepping out on stage with no idea of what is about to happen. All of the audience’s attention is focused on you and your scene partners. There is a small moment of panic as you try to think of what to do with the suggestion a member of the audience just called out. Then suddenly before you realize it you are performing a scene. Between yourself and your scene partners you build up on ideas that form during the scene and it takes on a life of its own. That is the part I enjoy the most; observing from with in a scene how it evolves. I got a lot of opportunities to do just this last Friday night with the rest of my class members during our improv student graduation show.
– From the suggested opening line of, “ET phone home,” I played a sales man trying to sell ET a better phone and internet package. My scene partner Jeroen had the best reaction to my sales attempts when he replied, “ET send internet video chat message home?”
– From the suggested location of a fertility clinic we played a game where we were required to burst into song when ever requested. My scene partners Jen and Qauthar played a couple trying to unsuccessfully have a baby using the ‘place egg and sperm in jar and shake’ method. I played the fertility doctor/vet trying to steal Qauthar’s wife away from him by bragging about my higher sperm count (six which was more then his five) in the form of song. He also tried to win her back with song.
– From the rather open suggested location of ‘The Galaxy’ cast member Luke played a lost inter-galactic cab driver who was not willing to drive to the planet of the apes so late at night.
– Later, Luke played an Irish priest who decided the best way to raise money for his parish was to pimp his Nun played by Chinta. This was probably in direct competition with the mother and daughter pimping team played by Clare and Adrena who had to use the last lines from the previous scene to start their own and visa versa.
– Fellow class members Rik and Sunny played a hang-woman and condemned man who had to use pre-written lines of dialog provided by the audience (with out knowing what the lines were until they read them out). After several attempts at trying to trick the hang-woman into letting him go Rik’s character finally confessed his feelings for his would-be killer after picking up the suggested line, “I love you.”
– From the suggested relationship of ex-gay lovers (sometimes the audience tries to make you as uncomfortable as possible) I played a gay man who was coming to terms with the fact that he might be straight and confessed to his boyfriend (played by scene partner Steve) that sometimes he went out drinking and woke up the next morning next to a woman. Later, after a failed relationship with a woman my character was finally able to admit he was gay again but it was too late as Steve’s character (who I referred to several times as Huggle Bunny) had discovered he was straight and was getting engaged. Easy come, easy go I guess.
It was a great night and we all had a lot of fun and got a lot of laughs.
For the last few weeks I have been deeply immerse in the study of an ancient and secret art. I have read the most secret texts, I have listened to the most wise of teachers and I have watched in wonder as those who have mastered the skills I seek as they work their magic.
Now the time is at hand for me and the rest of my fellow students to demonstrate what we have learned during our training. It is time for us to take the trial of fire and be judged by a live audience consisting of real people. It’s time to perform improv again.
On Friday the 14th of December at 10:30pm in the Crea Muziekzaal we will be performing our student graduation show. We have been on the Easylaughs advanced improv course for the past eight weeks.
We will be taking the audience’s suggestions on the night and using them to create completely improvised and original scenes of comedy and mirth. It is guarantied to be a night of fun.
The show is open to anyone who wishes to attend and tickets only cost 5 euros. However, for the bargain price of 10 euros you can see both our student show and the Easylaughs Friday show which starts before us at 8:30pm.
For more info check the Easy Laughs web site (Link)
The entertainment industry is already buzzing with news of the show and critics are calling it an instant classic.
I can now officially call myself a professional improvisation performer. That’s right. Last Friday night I was paid to perform improv in front of a real live breathing audience. One of the actors from Easy Laughs asked another student and myself to perform with her at a Fair Trade Food awareness dinner evening.
When we arrived we were warned that we were performing in front of a very intellectual crowd. This might have been a warning to not do anything two extreme during the improvised scenes but I still ended up spending two minutes on stage swearing like a sailor with a bad case of Tourette’s syndrome after one of the ‘intellectuals’ suggested that we acted out a scene about soup in the style of a Quentin Tarantino movie.
By the end of the night we had them laughing more then a pack of hyenas that had found a canister of laughing gas. It was a very fun evening and enjoyable. However, fame changed me.
As I left the stage I refused to sign any autographs for my fans. This worked out well since none of the audience actually approached me and requested one. I think we had an understanding.
Then, only a short while after leaving the ‘venue’ (as we call it in the business) I started to make ridicules requests. I demanded a bowl of 43 M&Ms with all the green one’s taken out (because they clashed with what I was wearing), more bling-bling then Mr-T and my own trailer. I was actually allowed to have the trailer but since we were an improv group it was an imaginary trailer. It was very spacious though so I can’t complain.
A short while later I hit rock bottom. The pressure of fame started to wear me down and it was not long until I developed an unhealthy addiction to powdered coffee and other improv enhancing drugs. I was falling to peaces. I started to pre-plan scenes and read from scripts. During one particularly bad incident I even started to recite Shakespeare on stage. I was no longer performing improv… I was just performing. I am not proud of it but I did it.
Then there was an improvised intervention. I was checked into an imaginary rehab clinic where imaginary councillors helped me get my life back on imaginary track. It has been a busy weekend.
I will performing again with the rest of my class in our Student show on the 14th of December at Crea Muziekzaal (More details later).
During the days leading up to the improv show (that I had spent the last few weeks preparing) for I did not feel nervous at all. I was comfortable with the idea of performing in front of a live audience. When the day of the show finally arrived I did not feel anxious or worried either. Even when only an hour remained before I would be walking on to the stage I felt relaxed and unafraid. I was displaying the kind of calm that a monk or Jedi knight can only hope to achieve. I felt confident and excited.
Five minutes before the show however I was desperately trying to find an escape route with my fellow class members so we could flee the terror of the impending performance as well as the deadly smell of pre-show nerves that had suddenly manifested themselves as strong flatulence. We all had good reason to be nervous. The show was sold out. There was not even enough room for everyone in the audience to sit and they were all between us and the only exit. I tried to recall if I had ever done anything else as scary as what I was about to do that had not involved some kind of threat of bodily harm.
Before I could think of such a situation we were called on to the stage, “Please welcome The No Refund Group.”
It seemed like the name might come in handy if things turned ugly.
We had two options. We could either go out on to the stage, face what seemed like possible humiliation and embarrassment before a live audience or stay hidden back stage with the smell of pre-show flatulence. We chose the lesser of the two evils and walked out onto the stage for fresh air.
When we got on to the stage we were instantly greeted with applause and cheers. All my feelings of fear started to fade away as the performance began and it was not long before I was simply having fun. Best of all; the audience was having fun too. They were laughing and applauding at our jokes and the scenes we created between us. It was a great feeling.
When I first started taking improv lessons the thought of going up on stage with out any idea of what I was going to say or do seemed like insanity. However, as the weeks went on it started to become a fun and addictive process. It was great to see what a scene could evolve into from a simple suggestion given by the audience. Improv scenes have a way of taking on a life of their own and that became fascinating for me as well as extremely fun.
From the simple suggestion of a golf course we created a story of murder, betrayal and incompetence that might have been avoided if the characters involved had taken up a less dangerous sport like tennis or chess instead.
A doctor and patient relationship became a guessing game of which medical instruments had been accidentally left in the patient during surgery, some of which had already come out the ‘other end’ of the patient.
The innocent suggestion of a Disney Cartoon became a bitter divorce argument between Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
We performed a lot of scenes and improv games in the show. Below is just a small sample.
If the embedded video clip does not appear click here.
As soon as the show was over I wanted to do it again. I plan to take more improv courses in the future because this one w so much fun.
I won’t let this small taste of fame go to my head. Incidentally, if you would like an autograph you will have to talk to my agent.
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