The · Journey · of · Make · 'em · Ups

I thought I would try to list off the shows I have seen and give a little description of what I thought.

The Armando Diaz Experience - Premier players doing a form that is a lot of fun to watch. Never seen one of these turn out bad, but rarely am I blown away by the performances. 4 out of 5

Bassprov - You all know the format and the players. Very fun every time, just stagnates without guests every-time. 4 out of 5

Cupid Has a Heart On (sketch) - A musical sketch show. They ran ads on the CTA trains. Those aren't cheap. Saw it at Sketchfest Chicago, still using some of the same sketches. Meh. 2 out of 5

Felt - Improvised puppet show. They have a table set up with curtains the improvisers put the puppets underneath. Very solid set-up and lots of fun with the puppet banter. They know they are stuck on that table, so its very dialog heavy, and there isn't too much puppeteering. However the little they do with movement is very good. 3 out of 5

The Harold - Depending on the team this ranks from 1-4. Opening Game, 1a 2a 3a, game, 1b 2b 3b, game 1c 2c 3c, Run that ties loose ends. If you want a run down of the Harold, let me know and I'll mail you my book "Truth in Comedy" I have seen over 15 different teams perform the Harold.

I Live Next Door to Horses (sketch) - Haven't seen it, but I want to make out with the two girls doing the show.

Improvised Shakespeare - Solid Shakespeare and they dress in period clothing. Still like Lost Folio better. Maybe its because I don't like Shakespeare themes. 3 out of 5

Let Them Ho's Fight - This show is mostly a montage of scenes that tie in, similar to the Harold without the actual form of: game 1a 2a 3a game, 1b 2b 3b game 1c 2c 3c Run. They are four guys that look very hipster in IO. There show was fun, but nothing that shook me. 3 out of 5

Listen, Kid... (sketch) - A musical sketch show written by an IO alum. I'm sure it would be better if they got some girls in it that could sing. 2 out of 5

The Lottery - One person from each level at the IO training center is selected to play for 8 weeks in a Harold with veteran players. If you are in it 5 out of 5. If you're watching it 2 of 5.

MetaFive - Some veterans and few improvisers at the peak of their fame. The one I saw had my improv crush Megan Hovde from KoKo, but she is married or engaged or something that involves another guy and a giant diamond ring. Oh well. The show as alright, but I would bank that it is great and will see it again. Show I saw 3 out of 5, but should be 4 out of 5

Nogoodnicks - Two person Improv. Both players are young and have complimenting styles. Still shouldn't run over 35 minutes. My only gripe would be they play too much tongue in cheek, but not enough to make the whole show feel that way. Play it straight or fuck off. In the words of Ben Lidgus, "Never half-assed, always full-assed." 3 out of 5

Practice Scaring A Bear - Two person improv. More playful, but has a too cool for school feel from both people on stage. I suppose improv is one of the few art forms where your experience is directly related to your off stage interactions with the people on stage. 2 out of 5

The Reckoning - I'm sure the show they do has a name for the format. I don't ever notice the format because every show this group does is like watching best friends trying to mess with each other while doing a show. Maybe because they do stupid shit like try and make each other take articles of clothing off on stage or establish a world where the common greeting is tapping a guy in the nuts and a girl on the chest. Reminds me of fucking off with JCI. 5 out of 5

Shotgun! - A show that was based almost entirely in a car. Three to four people are on a road trip and shooting the shit. It fell into some ruts with going down the same paths and revelations but for the most part is a lot of fun to watch. Also works well with guests, and when they change modes of transportation away from their car. 4 of 5

Stubs - Two person improv. The guy in the group (also in the Reckoning) just went main-stage at Second City. The lady is extremely good. Very talented. I can't watch her for very long before I get bored. Something about playing all the characters with the same stature and voice and intelligence. 3 out of 5

TJ & Dave - Two person improv. TJ is Chicago's golden boy, Dave is considered one of the greats. Very solid show. I don't watch this show very often. Its like trying to learn auto shop by watching cars race. 5 of 5

Whirled News Tonight - Format is based around audience members cutting out news articles and hanging them on the bulletin board on stage. They read a paragraph or so as the set up for a scene. I really like that way of getting inspiration. I don't like the gimmick of wearing suits and ties, cause the only thing that could be construed as "news persona" is when they read the article. The second half is just a show based on mini monologues. Not sure why they bailed on the format, or didn't try to tie something else in with it. 3 out of 5

Chicagoland - Five person improv. Take TJ and Dave and add some more All-stars. 5 out of 5

Messing With A Friend - Two person improv. Susan Messing and a friend. A sweet little improviser that will make anyone blush. She has some very talented friends that like to play with her. Very fun. 5 out of 5

Bad Touch - Three person improv. Think of a JCI midnight show but done with dead serious commitment and never cracking once. Now make it more edgy. This gives power to groans are just as good as laughs. The thing is, you only groan once, because they don't acknowledge it as a bad thing, and push it further faster so your only reaction left to have is laughter. I laughed much hard. 4 out of 5

There are more shows I have seen, but these are the ones that have space at major theaters. I hope to see some new shows in this coming week and update on them.

In case you are wondering I do shows as well and don't just watch them. I do a show every Sunday at a dive bar called the Mutiny at 10:00. I also am in a group that is called "Insult to Injury" and will be doing a show on Monday night at 11:00 at "The Spot". I just got an invitation to perform with another improv group on Thursday nights when they have openings, and then another group is forming and asked me to be in it. I went from just classes and tearing my hair out to two classes and four groups in a month. I might need to take inventory and figure out what directions I want to take with these groups.

Fuck. I can't seem to get tickets to TJ and Dave. Ever. Either I have to work early the next morning or they sell out. Fuck Fuck Fuck. This hype, be it other people telling me or my own failed attempts at seeing them, is getting out of control. At this rate I will either orgasm upon seeing the show or be so let down I will will have to swallow batteries and suffer a painful death. Fuck. I hope they rock.

Class tonight, and no work tomorrow means drinks with classmates.

Start my Annoyance class Monday. Big, fucking, boner.

Monday I went and watched the Armando Diaz at IO. I was not really impressed with the work, compared to previous performances, but I still had a good time. Afterward I hung around and drank at the bar with all the peoples. Got some advice on how to attack a class that seems remedial. "Address whatever skill is trying to be taught with extreme focus. Fuck whatever you know about anything else and focus on that one skill."

So I did in my class and it was really fucking cool. I think the ice has finally been broken and we all started chatting after class and making plans to do things outside of class. Also people are reatarded when it comes to pseudo-celebrity. Joe Bill and I talked for 20 seconds after my class on my way out the door. The people in my class with me waited and when I caught up were in awe that I "knew" Joe. I told them to walk up to him and say hi, he's not unapproachable. Although the first time I met him I was so drunk and didn't know who he was that it was really easy to ask him "what the capitol of Thailand was?"

Saw a great show on Thursday. Weirdass was the name of the group and they were good. Really tight and both performers were solid. They are married, so that might have something to do with the connection. Just say'n. Also saw the groups Maude, Uncle Pecos, and The Reckoning. Good stuff. At any rate I am headed out to see my roommate's group "Mess Hall" tonight. Should be good.

This is how little these people fuck around with their improv.

Patriotic? Come to class.

Classes will be held AS THEY ARE REGULARLY SCHEDULED THIS WEEKEND AND JULY 4th.
There are no cancellations due to the holidays.

Let's do a scene about it...

Rachael Mason
Director of the Training Center
i.O. Chicago Theater

Today's class was really good. We got to meet our teacher who was out the first class and she is really cool. So we went over some quick structure points and some conventions then we played. We played for 2 1/2 hours. After our first group went our teacher said that she was really impressed with our class and didn't really have many notes to give. There are some improv Haas's in my class that are really fun to play with. Most everybody there has a pretty solid background in improv. I am really wanting some notes on things that could be stronger, but it is only the second class of level one. Tonight for three hours I was in a happy place.

Tonight after work I saw:
AIRBOURNE! & Reverend Meeker & Rumspringa. They were good Harold shows if you like chaos.
The second show was Frosh, but I know one guy in the group so I was watching him. It was a good show but I was taking mental notes the whole time. Second was The Lottery which has people from all skill levels working together. The host group is people from Boom Chicago working with IO students. It was good to watch and fun to chat with all the performers.
Talked to one of the Hogwash cast members and got a full explanation on why I wasn't cast.
I am not a woman or minority. Good to know.

I caught a three team show at the playground last night and then tried to get into the TJ and Dave show at IO. They sold out and me wanting to get in cheap couldn't do it. So I saw a couple of shows in the Del Close space. They were good.

Last night I got to do improv with a group in Chicago. I was going to see my roommate and his team "The Senate" but they had 3 out of 8 people there. So he asked me if I wanted to play. I was very hesitant at first but then just said OK. A fourth guy showed up and we played with five. It was a fucking blast. Then we got drunk afterward at our apartment. It was good.

Tonight at the Playground I saw:
Mustang Repair
DSI (Dirty South Improv)
Cowlick

Good shows, and I liked DSI the best as they seemed to have a lot of fun with each other on stage. It wasn't the Beat Box but another type of long form that involved the four people sitting around in a circle while one attempted to tell a story as the lead in.

Then I was off to IO to see Bullet Lounge and Cougar. They were fun and I was planning on staying for the late show but lost my energy. Its good to soak up as many different shows as possible and see the different tools everybody has. I'm debating on what to see tomorrow. I could see the Hot Karl late night or head over to IO for the Jam. Decisions decisions decisions.

But for now to bed then to buy food at Jewel in the morning.

I thought the same thing today, so I will let you know why the first training center I will head to is I.O.

I got into my apartment and met my two roomates. They both are improvisers in the area and one is interning at I.O. He told me that was a great place to start out at as there are a ton of people that always hang around, and most of the notable improvisers are on teams there. Having been urged and agreeing that the Annoyance Theater would be my first stop I jumped on the internets to find out pricing and locations.

As I looked through Annoyance, then Comedy Sportz, and again at the Playground, I noticed I had missed their deadlines for classes by two weeks. I will not be able to sign up with these fine people until August. This was irritating but then stumbled on I.O.'s site and noticed their registration was going on that day the next. Not wanting to over extend my self right off the bat I was debating if I wanted to sign up just yet.

So I mentioned it to my roomate Allan that I was thinking of waiting on it and just focusing on getting a job. He said "Dude, when I came here I had money saved up like you probably do. Sign up for classes NOW because job or not that money is going to run out and you are not going to be able to afford many classes in the future. Sure you can intern with them and get your class for free later, but if you have the chance, get into them NOW."
Allan is moving back to Austin after almost one year in Chicago. He said he blew alot of his savings right away, has had a long distance relationship going the whole time, and stated plainly that his heart wasn't really into it. But I did heed his advice.

I then talked to Chris my other roomate who said "Best way to meet people man is to get into classes. Also, you get into every show free at I.O. when you are signed up." This last part wasn't totally true, but turned out to be even better than that.

I head down to register and walk upstairs to a two cube office where registration is being held. I knock and say "Hi, I want to sign up for a class."
They say "Ok what level?"
I say "Level one I assume, I just got into town yesterday."
So they get all my info and I write a check to them for the class and start to leave. Rachel who is the ladie in the office says "Hey, here is a student pass, seeing as you just got into town you might want to come see some shows. We aren't supposed to give you these until you start classes but doesn't sound like you are going to have much else to do. And here is my card, give me a call if you need any pointers on the city, and don't worry, I'm married so I'm not hitting on you."

I leave IO and meet up with my roomate at the pad and we go to the Playground for "Don't Spit The Water" and "The Demon That Never Appeared". Good shows, would love to join the Playground but they don't have auditions for another two months as well. Oh and it was $12 for the show. I forgot I was going to have to pay for shows, so that made me kinda cringe at my plan of catching at least one show a day. However, thanks to this IO card I can do just that for the scathing price of $0. I am going to get my money's worth out of this class fee, just you wait.

Sunday night I went and saw...

Frosh – The Signatures – Deep Schwa
Followed by:
American Dream – Super Fun Time

I liked the shows very much. It is a real treat to see about 30 different people perform in one night.

Monday night I saw…

The Armando Diaz Experience

This was incredibly cool. All the people performing were on the fucking ball. The narrator was a guy who looks younger than me that is working for Boom Chicago. He is really quick and has great instincts.

I also heard from some folks to hold off on taking Comedy Sportz Classes until I have finished at I.O. just so I can skip 101 and 202. They said it would be like taking a beginning improv class with high-school kids and stock brokers. This doesn’t bother me, but paying for it might be the deciding factor. So I need to contact them and see if I qualify to skip a class or two.

Might take today off of shows and focus on beefing the resume. At any rate I’ll update with a recap of These Guys who have been highly recommended by everyone.

I didn't go to the first viewing of the "Black Scorpion" last night. I instead went and saw the "Arsitocrats". I liked it, won't say more as I don't want to be the ass-master that ruins it for everyone else. I had planned on going to the first viewing, but I really wanted to see a good movie last night. Plus first viewings for me usually involve a 40oz of Pabst and two slices of Ragazzi pizza. Met up with Ty-borg and Pooh Bear for the event which was a nice touch since we were watching a movie with that much....you'll see. ***Remember to send availibility for flick***
I'm totally stoked for this weekends shows. I get to rock with Eli-Guy for his last show for nine months ( he is taking time off while he is pregnant) and then on Saturday I get to rock with peoples I don't get to rock it with very often. Last night I drank at the Big Time and ate at Burger Hut. Those places used to be staples of post show diet back in the day, but have since moved. Kinda makes me remember how little responsibility JCI used to be when were at the ECT. Two shows a week and a rehersal. That was all I put in for like a year. Things have definately changed to insane busy awsome six shows a week and sometimes seven when people show up speed. Oh hells yes. Oh, and I am taking Jill's workshops this weekend? Gotta check the dates. Alright, fist it.

I also created a group for the unattched or improv sluts/johns/whores that just go do what shows they want, with whom ever they want. end_scenesters

I want to organize a weekly jam with improvisers around the area. It would be open to whatever they wanted to do and if they had any cool ideas they could bring them. I would need to find a neutral location as the HUT and Market Theater are considered "home turfs". Before I get ahead of myself who how would I go about getting that many people interested in Jamming out for two hours a week? I think beer is a good idea, but may lead to some trouble. Food is an idea, but I don't want to pony cash or clean up the mess food would make. Is there a way to have a monthly jam and show for the hard-core crews out there? So once that is established, where would this monumental rec-center style session? I know jams always turn into cluster fucks but this could be different, right? At any rate, I want to stir up the ranks and intermingle the players of Sea-town. Who's with me?