New Beginnings

It was a strange winter break.  I had a good time visiting my parents, siblings, and Nate.  I performed twice in a town I barely know.  It was the second time in the last 11 years that I didn’t return to Milwaukee, WI for the holidays.  That kind of took me off-center, but it was weird enough when I passed through in September that I figured a reduction is probably good at this point.

I had a fun romantic fling with someone in Rochester.  That was cool.  Who knows what that will be if anything, but it’s nice for now.  My parents got a new puppy while I was there that was too friggin cute.  Tess is a pug-chihuahua mix. I’m split between calling her a pughuahua or a chug.  Chug seems to fit her movement style better.


 She had a crush on me, and she has the most stereotypically cute puppy whimper language.  She’s also smarter than their 2 year old poodle mix, Cody.  I watched her piss on one of his rawhide chews after he had hassled and tortured her for a half hour.

Nate is hitting the desperately missing Portland phase of being in Rochester.  He’s starting to question a lot of his motives.  I just reassured him that he’s loved and missed, and that Portland is still  here.  I really miss that guy.

I made contact with two of the three improv groups out there.  I performed with one of them, the GEVA improv group.  Nate is working with Shipping Dock Unleashed.  He and I did a great show when I got there.  I need to make contact with Nuts and Bolts improv.  I think Rochester is going to make a good site to do my ethnographic work on improv because it’s a smaller market with a diversity of different situations, styles, and ensembles.

Jesus, I’ve got a lot to get done before I take off for Amsterdam.  It’s tricky balancing my scholarship with my performing life, but I’ll have extra time with the Brody on semi-hiatus while in between spaces.  We’ll be doing shows at the IFCC, though.  So I’m not going to get all of my time back.

The last six/seven months have really had me feeling out of sorts, confused and doubtful, and I finally feel like I’m back to myself.  That’s the best thing about this New Year.  I feel like I’m starting fresh and I know who I am again.  Fuck yeah.

Rochester, NY. 3 weeks, 2 shows.

I sat in on a rehearsal for the Geva Improv Theatre tonight.  They’ve got a sweet space for a developing ensemble.  They’re the big cash act here in Rochester.  Nice folks.  I had a great time with them.  My prefessional opinion is that they need some workshop time with more experienced people.

They asked me for feedback, and I gave them some.  I wanted to give them a full on workshop, though.  They’re just delving into longform, and they’re relying on short form sensibilities to force the funny into their longform. 

They invited me to jump onstage with them next week Friday and Saturday.  I’ll do Saturday.  I’m partying with my family and Nate next Friday.  I’m a bit hesitant to get too involved here for reasons of my impending study.  On the one hand, connecting with the performers will be good for reasons of ethnography.  On the other, it may get me in too deep with the performance side of things before I have adequate time spent watching improv and getting to know the audience.  It’s so damn hard to stay off stage.  I’m a silly fucking narcissist sometimes.  Ah, hell.

Rochester

Everyone I’ve asked as to what there is to do in Rochester has answered “not much”.  OMFG, and I’m thinking about spending 4 months here doing my fieldwork.  Although, that part has proved interesting.  There’s a dynamic here that is an echo of the friction between CSz and the Brody in the early days.  It’s an interesting conflict that centers on smaller fledgling theaters sniping at the improv giant in town. 

Why can’t they all just accept that ‘resistance is futile’ and ‘their perfection will be added to a greater whole’?  Oops, did I just reference the borg?  So sorry, my implant is a little buggy these days.

Rockin Rochester

I had to laugh a bit.  Nate and I are doing our show here Saturday, and we’re a “choice” attraction in the local arts weekly  the City (like a WW pick).  No one has even seen us here.  Thank god we’ve got a couple rehearsals before we go up.  Our first one went great, if not a little dark and dramatic.  That’s us, though.

World War Z: an Oral History of the Zombie War

Tom Johnson bought me a book by the author of the Zombie Survival Guide, which I gifted him with a couple of years ago.  Max Brooks is the author’s name.

Here’s a quote that I love.

“Secrecy is a vacuum and nothing fills a vacuum like paranoid speculation.”

It’s from the second chapter ‘Blame’.

Endless Task

So I’m currently engaged in writing a paper on “What is Improvisational Theatre?”. It’s at 27 pages and counting. I’m approaching it from a socio-cultural standpoint, an anthropological standpoint, and I’m realizing that I could probably write another 30 pages to do it justice.

Unfortunately, I have to hand something in to my advisor tomorrow. I hate the fact that I find all of my best theoretical resources at the end of this reading and conference. Thankfully, I’ve built in time to keep developing this next term because I keep doing things like posting to livejournal instead of writing.

On top of everything, I’ve got Strep throat. I just found out today. Antibiotics, do your stuff.

The Rewards of Teaching

Yesterday was the recital/performance of the Portland State Improv class that I’ve been co-teaching. It went pretty well, I’d say.

After it was over, a lot of the students were happy and milling about. Some of them came up to me to network and talk future improv stuff, but the really cool part for me was when our international student from Japan talked to me.

He told me in his best english that I was the reason he decided to stay and not drop the class when his other Japanese compatriot dropped. He said I made him feel welcome and listened to. This guy, Misa, has that ability to just turn on the magic and shine and charm the audience. I spent a lot of time encouraging him to stick it out because of this potential. I hate to see people daunted by the loud-mouth, jokester element that is often inherent in beginning improv settings (I won’t get into the incredibly sexist shit I put a cap on earlier in the course). If it wasn’t for my international experiences and doing “Translation” shows, I think I’d be less able to recognize abilities beyond the language barrier. I’m the luckiest man in the world some days.

That’s the greatest reward. I love when I get to see that I’ve made a difference to someone. Hey Amanda, how can I get him in touch with Yellow Man Group? Because he’s got a lot of talent, and I said I’d see if I could get him in touch with them.

Brody Theater getting evicted.

Hello Viewers,

As of 1/1/07, the space the Brody operates in under the Bullring Restaurant will be vacated. The bank that is controlling the property is requiring both the Bullring and the Brody to vacate by 1/1.

Ten years of history goes ‘bye-bye’. The new year is going to bring some interesting changes. Time to look for new space.