You are your own school of improv ~Jill Bernard

I met up with Jill Bernard at Black Box Improv Festival here in Atlanta this past weekend and had the pleasure to swap stories and theories with both her and Robert Lowe.  After a brief exchange on the limitations of judgement I mentioned to her that I had a copy of her book that was given to me by my friend Sacha Dzuba just a few hours before.  I assumed since I agreed with her in conversational theory of life and art in Improv that I would feel the same way about her book.  It is entitled "Jill Bernard's Small Cute Book of Improv" and from the cover you would not expect too much serious hard core improv insight.  On Sunday while I was recovering from Saturday night's late hour and strange brews I cracked the cover of this pamphlet sized writ. 

Let me just say I was FLOORED.  In 17 pages she really covers quite a lot of ground... The first 3 pages discuss her philosophy of "Yay!" the last 6 are short essays covering a large range of improv topics and the middle 8 pages lay out for the reader an awesome character creation technique called "VAPAPO."

This book passed my test in the search for truth in improv and life... this was not only encouraging, supportive and fun but it also snuck in several slap in the face moments to those that are abusing this great craft.  Jill's focus seems to be mostly getting people to believe in themselves, drop judgment by the wayside and play!

Excited and want a copy? Click Here.

I will definitely use this book as a tool in future work and will be placing this one quote from the book in large print on our theatre wall:

Know that you are right.

Know that you are good.

Know that you knew how to do this when you were six years old, other stuff just got in the way.

Play.

~Jill Bernard

BBIF 2008 MixTape by Chris Pierce

I was really excited about this MixTape for two reasons... It was created by my good friend Chris Pierce who was the other half of my two man show JaCKPie and also because this was being done at a festival for other improvisers and I wanted to see how it would read to this type of crowd.

Here is the tracklist...

1. Sweep the Leg Johnny by No More Kings
2. Steve McQueen by Sheryl Crow
3. My God Called Me This Morning by The Fairfield Four
4. Smooth Criminal performed by Alien Antfarm
5. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants
6. God's Hotel by Nick Cave
7. There'll Be Some Changes Made by Dave Brubeck
8. Holiday by Green Day
9. Devil in Disguise by Elvis Presley
10. Break On Through by The Doors



1. Sweep the Leg Johnny by No More Kings

I was a super hero
king of 1985
I showed no mercy
I was always Cobra Kai
but I caught a crane kick to the face (uh huh)
I guess he sealed my fate when he said:
Sweep the leg (Johnny)

This one was a great song to start with (and I think Chris new that) because we've talked about this song before. Chris Pierce met William "Billy" Zabka (the actor who plays Johnny in the Karate Kid movie) at a party in LA. He found out about the video for "Sweep the Leg" that was being written, directed and starring Billy Zabka. So needless to say the first second I heard the music all other mental images were washed away and I was left with a showdown between two highschoolers. In my mind I named them after the characters in Karate Kid but they didn't really have any of their characteristics.

Daniel: 15 year old high school Freshman who is a track star. Timid and awkward but high profile at school and cute.
Johnny: 17 year old miserable bully whose only real outlet for his rage and hatred is finding smaller kids and picking fights.

Johnny and Daniel are on the path between the school and the main road which is a straight stretch of a mile to Daniel's house. Daniel has no interest in fighting but Johnny has been picking fights with him for the entire first semester and now he has surprised him and has a buddy behind a bush ready to grab him if he runs. We learn that Daniel is a track star even though he is just a freshman in high school (he is FAST!) After trying to plead with Johnny, Daniel eventually tries to lie to him and indicate that he is a great fighter... when this doesn't work he gets ready to run...

2. Steve McQueen by Sheryl Crow

Well I went to bed in Memphis
And I woke up in Hollywood
I got a quarter in my pocket
And I'd call you if I could
But I don't know why
I gotta fly
I wanna rock and roll this party
I still wanna have some fun
Iwanna leave you feeling breathless
Show you how the west was won
But I gotta fly
I gotta fly

Like Steve McQueen
All I need's a fast machine
And I'm gonna make it all right
Like Steve McQueen
Underneath your radar screen
You'll never catch me tonite

This one was a real contradiction in my mind. After the first couple of lyrics I had a girl character forming in my head who would be the love interest of Daniel but a little further on in the song I realize that she is a female Steve McQueen... Which is hilarious to me because she would be beautiful, really bold, direct and would get what she wanted.

Sally McQueen: Beautiful, bold, direct and gets what she wants.

Sally has found Daniel at a party. She tells him that she was going to just leave because there is no alcohol at the party but she saw him and just had to have him (indicating "own" him.) Daniel is really timid and confused at this directness but eventually figures out that he really can't lose and so he moves closer to her and tries to needlessly impress her by saying that he got in a fight today.

3. My God Called Me This Morning by The Fairfield Four

Well my God called me this morning
Just a little while before the day

Pastor Williams: Father of Daniel and very wrapped up in the church, his own image... has little interest or time for his son.

Pastor Williams is telling Daniel that this is the last time he ever wants to hear about him fighting at school. He is worried that this type of behavior will ruin his reputation with the church and expects Daniel to be perfect in the Church's eyes. Daniel replies by questioning his father and discovers that not only does his father not know anything about his interests he isn't even sure if his father knows his name...

4. Smooth Criminal performed by Alien Antfarm

As he came into the window
Was a sound of a crescendo
He came into her apartment
He left the bloodstains on the carpet
She was sitting at the table
He could see she was unable
So she ran into the bedroom
She was struck down
It was her doom

Annie, are you ok
Are you ok
Are you ok, annie

Annie: Young, cute girl with coke bottle glasses. She is brainy and sweet.

Daniel finds Annie lying on the ground after being hit by someone (her mouth is bleeding) and Daniel makes sure she is ok, raises her to her feet, becomes melodramatic about chasing her assailant down and plants a big kiss on her as the lights fade to black... the start of the melodrama indicates the part of the scene that is happening in Daniel's wishful version of how he had left things. As he dips her for a kiss, the lights fade to black.

5. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Daniel and Sally McQueen are studying. Daniel is going on and on about how they shouldn't rename countries once they are already named. He claims that Math doesn't contantly change names of things, it just gets clearer... We learn that Sally had no interest at all in really "studying" she had wanted something else and wasn't getting it... she doesn't understand why he isn't all over her and suspects that there may be someone else.

6. God's Hotel by Nick Cave

Everybody got a room
Everybody got a room
Everybody got a room
In God's Hotel.
Everybody got a room.
Well you'll never see a sign hanging on the door
Sayin 'No vacancies anymore'.

Johnny is alone in his room... he is screaming at his mother filled with rage but then crying and showing his tender and confused true self by playing with his toy dinosaurs on a shelf. We see that he really is a sympathetic character and as he cries we begin to hope that somehow he will eventually find himself and stop his bullying.

7. There'll Be Some Changes Made by Dave Brubeck

For there's a change in the weather
There's a change in the sea
So from now on there'll be a change in me
My walk will be diff'rent my talk and my name
Nothin' about me is goin' to be the same,

Dave Gillespie: Divorcee and father of Annie. He is a singer at a jazz club for his living.

Dave Gillespie is talking with his daughter Annie and is obviously trying to win her love over her mother... He raises her coke bottle glasses and while undermining her mother he tells her how beautiful she really is... He obviously really loves her and is just not very good at keeping balance as a father.

8. Holiday by Green Day

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives
On holiday

Hear the drum pounding out of time
Another protester has crossed the line (Hey!)
To find, the money's on the other side

Daniel is dreaming of running after Annie's attacker from the previous scene... It is silent except for breathing as the assailant and Daniel both run... it is clear that Daniels is at least twice as fast as the assailant without even trying... as Daniel reaches out and grabs the mugger's shirt to try to stop him, he wakes up and realizes the dream. He is considering going back to sleep when he realizes that outside his window is Annie... he has no idea how she has gotten up there but invites her in as the lights fade to black...

9. Devil in Disguise by Elvis Presley

You look like an angel
Walk like an angel
Talk like an angel
But I got wise
You're the devil in disguise
Oh yes you are
The devil in disguise

We learn just how horrible Sally McQueen really is... before we thought she was just shallow but as she shows down against Annie and tells her that she knows about her kiss with Daniel she threatens her... to hurt her or destroy her life. The scene ends as Annie becomes bold enough to say "Boys make their own decisions... and if he decides to be with me then..." and the lights fade to black...

Technically this should have been the end to the show but due to the tech of this theatre it was impossible for them to bring it to a full blackout... and so it seemed no different than any of the other scenes. I started right in on the next song as Houston realized that he was going to have to change tactics to end the show. The audience was in no way aware of any of this...

10. Break On Through by The Doors

You know the day destroys the night,
Night divides the day
Tried to run, tried to hide,
Break on through to the other side,
Break on through to the other side,
Break on through to the other side, yeah.

Both Daniel's and Annie's fathers (Pastor Williams and Dave Gillespie) have met together with the children to talk about what has happened between the two of them... They have found out about their night together in Daniel's room (following the running dream) and the Pastor wants their relationship to stop. The two fathers fight and realize that they do not agree at all on how to raise children. While they are distracted and insulting each other, Daniel and Annie escape... At this point the lights went down again... I wasn't sure if it was the end of the show or not and then realzied it was Break on Through playing again... however... unfortunately... I paused to long to do a confident bow... I apporoached the audience and realized that it would not play to bow at that point... so I did one more quick monologue...

The final monologue was a sermon by Pastor Williams telling parents to be overprotective of their children and never let them out of their sights... ever... even go to school with them... and sit with them... and watch them always... it is the only way to protect them.

Lights to black and show is over...

Plotting a course for this blog... My Obsession

The slide above is from the blog by Merlin Mann who is the creator of 43folders.com. This one slide has helped me more than any other piece of blogging information available. It caused me to ask myself "What is my obsession?" Once asked I was able to answer "Well that's easy! I love the connections between things... the truths that cross over from one artform to another or better yet from art into life."  I call these connections "Equal Signs" and I use this term quite frequently when I am teaching.  I tell students that often I don't even need to teach them certain things, I just have to get them to make a connection between what I am teaching and something that they already know. This... equals... that... Ah!!!

Now that I have my obsession identified I know what I want to blog about... truths... equal signs... connections... Artform to Artform... Artform to Life...

So... what is an example of an equal sign?  My favorite is found within human desire... the "want." In every character/person there is something that drives them to action... their want.  If I am still and silent with no movement save my breath and  I want something to drink then I will rise and spring into action to get myself a cool glass of water. The action is caused by the want.  This motivation is true in anything relating to real live human beings and it is true consequently to all well written characters from books to film to live theatre and improvisation. The want tells us the "why" behind bank robberies, affairs, nobel prizes, marriages, murder and any other action. 

So here we are... a clear mission in front of us...

Locate a truth in life or in art.

See how far reaching it is.

Apply it to make my art and my life better.

OR...

Locate something someone else feels is a truth.

Evaluate it and test its reach and span.

If it is not a truth in my opinion then define why and show my view of its limitations.

If it is a truth then apply it to make my art and my life better.

Thanks for reading! See you again soon!

BarProv

So last night I did my one man improv show at a bar in Little 5 points (Atlanta GA) to support a friend of mine who was hit by a car and does not have insurance. Before I go into what happened during the show, let me say that Jillian Fratkin did amazing job organizing this fundraiser and it did bring in $800 in one night! I think people enjoyed themselves and the evening itself should be seen as a success!

It was more or less what I expected as far as floor layout goes... a bar with a stage at the other end of the room and a bunch of tables and chairs set up throughout. I was pretty determined to make talking into a microphone work for the show (there was no way possible my voice would carry enough to make it work without one)... What I didn't count on was 3 small but vital details...

1. The show MixTape revolves solely around me using music as a scene partner. When I got on stage for the show itself I realized they had cut all of the monitors and speakers that were directed toward me. So there I stood on the stage... and I couldn't hear my scene partner. I made out a word or two here or there but the actual song was coming to me as if through 10 inches of whale blubber. For those of you trained in spontaneous theatre I was now without a scene partner and without a source of information to inform the scenes.

2. As I stood up on the stage to introduce the night I realized that the entire crowd was talking with the exception of maybe 10 people who were listening intently. My brain said "What? Aren't they here for a show?" to which I answered myself "No dummy, they are here to support a fundraiser for their friend Michael McReynolds. Some of them just walked through the door 2 minutes ago and what they WANT is to be left along to drink and talk to each other."

3. The lights were brought up right before the show started and unlike the pictures I saw on the bar's website, all of the lights were red. Not gelled red, but actual RED BULBS. If you don't know, red is perceived as evil, pain or blood when placed on top of theatre. Nuff said there.

As the show started, saw the 4'X4' area I would be performing, saw the microphone I would be leashed to, saw the crowd talking, felt the moisture from my mouth completely drain away, realized I don't have a bottle of water, realized the red lights remove any evidence of physicality, realized I can't hear my music and think... ok man... you gotta do this show... No backing out now. So I did... I justifed that all of the characters I was playing were all literally speaking into microphones (with the exception of trying to do a police officer pulling someone over.) My brain went crazy and since I couldn't hear the music I used the transition time to try to figure out how to make the situation better... trying to see how I could improve the show... I tried changing the mics, sitting at 2 different mics, holding both mics at once, standing closer to the audience and talking TO the audience. None of these really changed much about the situation and so I went ahead and bowed out after what I think was probably 7 songs.

When it was all over I headed over with Houston to the bar... He wanted to buy me a beer but I desperately needed about 30 glasses of water instead. I reeled as people came up to me and said "I'm so glad I FINALLY got to see your show MixTape." My brain screamed "That wasn't it! Don't judge me by that show please!!!" but I nodded politely and tried not to be down about the show. When things feel off for me and I have no concept of my show I lose the ability to decide if people are being polite or if they really liked something. So all in all, not the worst experience ever, but I certainly won't put myself back in a Bar atmosphere again to do improv (especially long-form... and especially a one man long-form.)

It did the job so I am happy... we raised $800 for Michael and will continue to take donations for him throughout the year. I'm glad that my performance helped. Now I want to create a scripted show that is done on microphone that is designed to be done in a bar for just this kind of occasion.

Supporting Michael McReynolds...

So I'm trying to get my brain together for this show I'm doing tonight to help Michael McReynolds recover from his mugging and hopefully replace some of the items that were stolen. The interesting thing about the performance is that it is at a bar... I have played many different types of theatres, gymnasiums, community rooms and outside stages but I have never ever ever performed in a bar. Part of my mental prep is to figure out what happens if the accoustics are terrible and I am forced to hold a microphone. If you've ever seen my one man show MixTape it is heavy on the physicality and character and I am worried about how that will translate to a bar crowd. Now the nice thing is that a majority of the people there will be there specifically to help McReynolds and so it will not be a hostile crowd, but that may not matter if they cannot hear or see my performance. I think I may try to justify the mic into the show if I have to hold one so that I am not fighting it but instead have it make some sort of "sense" that every character is holding/using one.

I am also pretty emotional about how everything has happened with Michael... He is the second friend I have had who has been mugged and this time it resulted in thousands and thousands of dollars in hospital bills. I hate seeing my friends hurt and I really hope that this fundraiser does enough to actually make a dent in the damage.

If you are reading this and want to come out tonight... please do it... the cover is only $5 even if you can't afford to donate additional. Check out http://jackpie.com/theblog/?p=44 for more info.

How to blog...

So why am I reading about "How to Blog" on the net? Simple... because I am a good solid writer but a TERRIBLE blogger. Unfortunately I have this need to make everything perfect and I seem to want my blog to be book quality (or have someone approve that it is interesting and readable) before I will post it. I have no issue being prolific on paper nor do I have trouble doing micro-blogging on twitter or on plurk. For some reason the issue occurs when it comes time to put a long paragraph entry out there... It is obviously because I am a people person... I am visual... I want to know that my point is getting across or that someone has read and approved (i.e. an editor) before it goes out. So... I'm ready now to get sloppy. I have changed the name of this blog to "Do Not Read This Blog" and I am now going to share my opinions, likes, dislikes and experiences WITHOUT RESERVATION. This might get messy folks! I might offend you! I might say something that you disagree with! It might not be book quality! I might use waaaaay too many explamation points!!! So here goes. A blog without worry or fear. Take that inter-web-net!