Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with improv

Can I get a location?

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:36:36 -0800

Improvisers: I'm an actor with some professional improv background. I'd like to brush up on my improv skills and get back in the game. Where should I go to train? I spent time as a second string improviser for a well known improv theater. Did touring, corporate shows, understudying, and stuff like that. I'm also a well trained actor with some screenwriting experience.

I used to be a reasonably good improviser, but I had a depressive phase that coincided with joining an established group that was out of my league. Early on I had a bad night, and my usual resilience was lowered, so it became a spiral down. I always felt like everyone was waiting for me to do poorly. This was not entirely in my head as they were known to be tough on newcomers. I consistently underperformed, just kind of froze up and got boring and safe. I was not proud of my work. Since then improv has made me tense. Now I want to get back in the game.

I guess I'd be high intermediate level at this point. I want tough teachers and detailed professional level feedback in an environment where I'd be onstage a lot so I have no time to psych myself out or dwell on bad scenes. Ideally it would be an intensive program with improv all day long, for many days in a row. Anywhere in the States or Canada would be fine.

I was considering Upright Citizens Brigade or Groundlings, but to be honest I'd rather get really good somewhere else and then go audition for them and maybe make a good impression as a polished newcomer, rather than have them meet me as the broken old horse I am right now.

Anyone know of any really good intensive programs where a guy can get back on the improv bus?
Thx.

Spontaneous ravioli help

kaseijin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:14:39 -0800

Ravioli help! I need a creative, fast, tasty sauce idea... I was left with extra pasta sheets after running out of filling while making ravioli. Not wanting to waste my, I made a few extras with scrounged ingredients. The result: Brie and asiago ravioli with dried cherries. They're great. The problem is what to sauce them with. I only have enough for one serving, so it's gonna be my quick dinner tonight.

Help me, o cooks of MeFi, I beseech thee!

Bitten by the New York comedy bug, but out West

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:14:00 -0800

Bitten by the New York comedy bug, but I'm out West. After hanging out with brilliant, neurotic comedians back East who wrote and put on their own local productions that were smart as hell, I was seized by the crazy urge to try to get involved in comedy, or comedy writing, back in my non-L.A. California metropolis.

So I signed up for a well-regarded improv class here. It was fun, and I have a lot of respect for the form, but I didn't feel at home the same way, or that it was the same genre or kind of folks. There were Silicon Valley executives who wanted to learn improv as a skill for team-building...and yes, the theater games were useful for loosing up...

But I'm more into National Lampoon than Whose Line Is It Anyway? I would love to write and maybe perform some pre-written, non-improv material and hang out with other writers. I wonder if there is another path. Not talking about breaking into TV here, just having as much fun as the people in Brooklyn seem to be when they get together for all these weird little shows exhibiting their humor writing. Totally envious.

How does someone dip casually into this stuff? Open mics? I've thought about overcoming my introverted inhibitions and trying a local stand-up class, but concerned (maybe without basis) that would put me in more of a Dane Cook type setting than I am comfortable with.

I'm basically really ignorant about this, even after reading prior Ask Metafilter threads...thanks for your patience.

UK Fringe Resources Wanted

divabat — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:33:21 -0800

What are some great resources, preferably online, of fringe arts (burlesque, cabaret, circus, improv, street theatre, etc) in the United Kingdom? I only know of Ministry of Burlesque and that's it. I'm looking for listings of events, schools, workshops, venues, performers, anything to do with the more oddball non-conventional performing arts. I'll likely be concentrating on England, but Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland-related links are good too.

Which theaters offer quality improv classes in the Bay Area?

ebness86 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:20:35 -0800

Which theaters offer quality improv classes in the Bay Area? I'm planning on moving to the Bay Area and am an improv junkie - taking classes concurrently at UCB, iO, Second City, The Groundlings and The WE in Los Angeles. So far I've only had BATS recommended to me... any others?

Where can I advertise an improv comedy show?

fermion — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:16:48 -0800

My improv troupe is looking for ways to publicize our shows, beyond the word-of-mouth and email lists we've been working with so far. As part of this effort, I'm looking for websites with listings and schedules for comedy shows--particularly improv comedy--in the Los Angeles area. Specifically, of course, I'm looking for sites that allow you to post your own listing, or submit it for posting. Any suggestions?

Improvisation in Singapore: Where?

WalterMitty — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:52:52 -0800

What's the Improv scene in Singapore like? Help me get a more optimistic picture than the one Google provides. I first got interested in improv theatre & comedy while attending university in the UK. I'm going to Singapore for the duration of this summer vacation and would like to keep in practice, but Google is failing me here when I try looking for "improv comedy in Singapore" (and its variants).

I've found one group (the "Madhatters Comedy Company"), but they seemingly have no upcoming shows - they had one show in May, but no sign of any more.

An offshoot of Improv Everywhere has recently appeared - "Mission: Singapore" - but I'm looking for an actual performing group (at the very minimum, one which has regular performances or, even better, workshops) rather than one that seems focused on flash-mobbing.

There's apparently a workshop in late June, but that also looks like a one-off. Plus I'm not really looking for Improv 101, but rather something more regular.

Help! Is the improv scene in Singapore really as dead as Google would have me believe? Say it ain't so.

Making a career in theater, sans stage

ictow — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:48:24 -0800

I think I'd like to make a career in the management side of (preferably non-profit) theater. How should I go about doing that? I'm moving to Chicago in the fall, a town baptized in the birthing fluids of improv. It seems like every improviser who moves there is trying to grab some of the spotlight. But I'd rather be in the office making sure we can afford the spotlight, and maybe figuring out new ways people can use the spotlight. I see that Columbia College has 2 programs that highlight exactly what I'm interested in (Arts in Youth and Community Development or Performing Arts Management), but I'm dubious as to how useful those would be in pursuing a career. I've currently got a B.A. in English with plenty of debt, so I'm only interested in more school insofar as it will equal steady income to slowly (oh god how slowly) pay my loans back. I'm thinking maybe I should try instead to get an MBA and just make arts/ non-profit management my focus, or if that's putting too much faith in the "education = career felicity" equation.

My gut tells me to take a "start from the bottom" approach, but luck plays such an enormous role in that it makes me nervous.

So. Enough exposition. Is it better (read: faster and less costly) to try to get a bottom-rung job and rise up the ranks, or would it behoove me to go to school? If I need to go to school, any recommendations as to programs in Chicago? Heck, I'll even take recommendations outside of Chicago. I'm young-- toss me to the wind.

Where's free rehearsal space in Minneapolis?

ictow — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:34:37 -0800

Minneapolisfilter: anyone from Minneapolis know of free spaces that an improv group could rehearse in? I'm juggling a few groups in the M'nap area, and as always the difficulty becomes scheduling and location. I've discovered the hidden gems of the Walker Library meeting room and the Loring Park community center, but they have awkward hours and full schedules, respectively. Any ideas for other places? Just need an empty-ish room that can hold 5-8 people for 2 hours. Low-rental-fee spaces are an accepted alternative.

Play it again, Sam! Uh... Sam? Where'd Sam go?

Shecky — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:59:45 -0800

Where would I look/advertise to find a improvisational keyboard player for an improv group in the Los Angeles area? I'm in the Los Angeles area. I run a musical improv comedy performance group. We need to find an piano/keyboard accompanist for our shows and rehearsals. We've posted notices before on craigslist and similar services, but the responses we got were not up to snuff. What website(s) would I want to look at to find/advertise for people who fit this qualification? I know where to find actors, but none of the services I use for that purpose seem to be suited to finding musicians. Thanks!

i'm going to jail (for 2 hours).

twistofrhyme — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:04:27 -0800

what fun, performance-related activities would you teach in a high-security prison? i have a background teaching & working with under-served youth, mostly in the field of drama / performance. next week, i am leading 2 guest workshops in a high-security british prison. the content can be whatever i want- communication, improv, acting, group dynamics, whatever. it should have some performance component, and it should be fun and playful.

i'm allowed to use audiovisuals (although i'm not sure what i'd use, nor how compatible my DVDs would be) and handouts (although at least 50% of the inmates can't read).

i will have 2 groups of 20 inmates for 2 hours each.
group 1 are "vulnerable inmates" facing threats from the mainstream prison population. apparently they like this kind of guest speaker session a lot and tend to be engaged & participatory.
group 2 are the mainstream population, who tend to also be pretty open to this kind of stuff but are a bit more rowdy and disruptive.

i thought i'd like to do stuff involving improv, acting, self-expression, comedy, or performance.

i want the inmates to have fun, feel that i like & respect them, and feel safe with each other in the workshop. i want them to all feel talented & successful at the end, and maybe get to practice some kind of communication skill that they can apply to their daily life or get some sort of self-esteem boost from (like "hey, i didn't know people thought i was funny!" kind of feelings). and i want them to be able to laugh good-naturedly at each other in a way that won't exacerbate any tensions that may exist within the group. i worry that i'm overthinking things a bit, but that's how i feel. frankly, i'm a little nervous- i'm a young, innocent-looking canadian woman, i speak in a kind of nerdy overenthusiastic cadence which usually makes "tough" people tease me (good-naturedly, and it doesn't hurt my feelings, but i don't want to come off as some nice, clueless suburban girl who thinks she can teach MEANINGFUL LIFE SKILLS or whatever- even if that's kind of what i am), and i'm not particularly street smart, especially compared to prison inmates.

i like the idea of them doing performance stuff, typical improv games like clap-focus, freeze/switch, hotseat, and those games where 2 people tell a story simeltaneously or one-word-at-a-time. simple open scenes, maybe, make-a-story, genre opera, etc. but i don't wanna limit my options to just improv, i feel like there may be other activities that will work well in this context.

in short, my questions are:
1. what kind of performance, expressive, or group dynamics stuff would you teach in this situation?
2. is there any meta-advice you can give me, about what to expect, or how to think about my position in this situation, that will help me relate well to the group?

any advice would be so helpful- thanks in advance!

Second City Improv Class

jules1651 — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:00:22 -0800

I am new to Chicago and just signed up for Second City's beginner improv class. Do any of you have any experience with this? What can I expect?

So an improv wannabe walks into a bar....

moooshy — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:23:26 -0800

Improv Comedy Filter: I just moved to Chicago and everyone tells me "To meet people like you, you gotta join an improv troup!" The problem is: there's like 30 of them, and they're all different. So Chicago (or improv) fans: What's the deal with these improv classes, which do you recommend, and what's the best way for a newbie to the city to get situated in the scene?

grapevine in the big apple

twistofrhyme — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:01:57 -0800

NYC Film & Theater Makers' filter: please suggest online resources for finding out what's going on in NYC! I'm looking for secret resources for all the good stuff happening in NYC in the film, indie film, tv production, theatre, and improv/comedy circuit.

Seeking resources that are applicable to any of the following sub-groups: actors, comedians, writers, directors, and producers, all genders and all ethnic groups.

I already know about the Shooting People NY mailing list- I'm looking for more stuff like that. Newsletters, open casting bulletins, calls for submissions, mailing lists, audition calls, classes, networking events, etc. etc.

Thanks in advance!

Good books/sites on acting/public speaking?

papakwanz — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 16:04:24 -0800

Are there any pro or amateur actors out there who can recommend some good books (or sites) on acting or public speaking? I'm a college instructor getting my PhD in literature, and I'm just looking for some books or advice on improving my ability to speak in public (prepared speeches and improvising), both in front of classes and at professional meetings and conferences. I have fairly bad posture and a tendency to start doing repetitive physical movements because of nervous energy, so any help on that would be great.

Also, since one of my main foci is Renaissance drama (Shakespeare et al), I'm interested in learning a bit more about the interior workings of acting and the stage and how to bring that to life in the classroom. Anything from the performance standpoint (rather than an academic standpoint) would be helpful. Books on acting methods, on stagecraft, on how to make the transition from text to speech & motion, uses of physical space in the theater, etc. etc. Anything on how to improve ability to memorize large pieces of text would be excellent as well; I'm always awed by my mentors who can belt out soliloquies in the midst of any conversation. Are there any acting "bibles" out there that address these issues in a definitive way?

.org-Filter: What's a good free financial management platform for a non-profit startup?

wmeredith — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 11:33:55 -0800

Seeking open-source (free) financial management software for a not-for-profit start up. Has anyone used something they were pleased with? The company is promoting Improvisational Comedy in the Kansas City area, if that matters at all. We are also officially a 501(c)3 status company so we actually are not-for-profit, meaning we can accept tax write-off-able donations and such.

Thanks for looking.

The organizations website can be found at City3.org.

Thinking/Speaking on My Feet

goalyeehah — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 09:17:46 -0800

Good improv classes/courses/teachers in Los Angeles? I looking to take an improv class to improve social and speaking skills. In the land of acting coaches and classes, does anyone have good recommendations/experiences. I know of the Groundlings, etc. but I am looking for a class that is a little less comedy oriented, if there is such a thing.

Philosophy of Transience

trinarian — Fri, 12 May 2006 10:04:11 -0800

What can be said of a philosophy of transience? I’ve recently been intrigued with the philosophy of “embracing impermanence,” as a friend once worded it. I’ve been romanticizing train-hoppers, squatters, and those who choose to live their life constantly improvising and on the move. It fits well into my own life where I find relationships and interests stagnate quickly without movement and constant flux.

Who is the greatest thinker on this subject? Is there any documented anthropological evidence supporting humans being wired more for being nomadic life than a sedentary existence? What are some great quotes? What are some criticisms? What are your thoughts and experiences?

Help me find a Video -- Opera + College Classroom

hatsix — Sat, 06 May 2006 16:47:02 -0800

I'm 99% sure I found it on metafilter, but my google-fu fails me. I'm looking for the video of several Improv/Pranksters singing to their professor in a vaguely opera style.

games

stray — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 17:30:24 -0800

Hey Theatre Geeks! What are your favorite warm-up/improv theatre games? Bonus points if they work well for kids!