Feeling unhappy with the quality of my work with Activity Book, and having an almost tangible sensation of being blocked mentally, I decided to sign up for Asaf Ronen's workshop, "Getting Yourself Out of Your Own Way."
Turns out to have been the best improv-related move I've made in a while. Ronen addressed exactly the issues that have been plaguing me since I started working with Activity Book.
My big problem (in improv and in life) is that I feel an incredible amount of pressure to be "nice." In improv, this is compounded by those lessons we are all taught when starting out:
"Always accept your scene partner's offers."
"Be there for your scene partner."
Granted, these are important lessons to be learned. However, when we spend too much time worrying about our partners, we ultimately end up failing them because we don't make strong choices and offers, and ultimately, we force them to do all the work in a scene.
For example, this is my thought process in a scene:
My partner and I walk out on stage and he begins to mime the act of shoveling. This is a perfectly good physical choice and offer. However, in my mind, I'm thinking:
"Okay, he's shoveling, but what is he shoveling? Is he shoveling snow? Dirt? Or, maybe he's digging! But what is he digging? A hole in which to bury treasure? A grave? Whose grave? His? Mine? But am I sure he's using a shovel? Maybe he's a farmer using a pitchfork on some hay!"
I get so caught up in worrying about getting it "right" that I am unable to add anything to the scene. In trying to be an "unselfish" scene partner and honor my partners' choices, I end up failing them.
The focus of Ronen's workshop was teaching us how to be "selfish" and focus more on ourselves and our choices and less on trying to anticipate and figure out the full extent of a scene partner's offer. Through a series of exercises we learned that if both partners enter with strong choices, even if those choices don't appear to be related, those choices can come together to form a good scene.
The exercise that had the strongest impact on me involved a series of trajectories that Asaf drew on the floor, using painter's tape. The trajectories varied in length and direction (straight, angled, up the wall) and ended with an X. Calling us out in pairs, Asaf instructed us to choose a trajectory, follow it to the X, and develop an attitude, character, or need along the way. Then, we were to begin a scene without checking in visually with our partner.
Naturally, we all found it difficult to resist the instinct to look at our scene partners, because we've all been taught that improv is all about taking care of your partner. But by focusing on ourselves, we were able to avoid second-guessing ourselves and bring strong choices to our scenes. The truly amazing part of this exercise, however, was seeing two people with seemingly incompatible choices coming together to create a good scene without directly relating to each other. Coaching us to "widen the circle," Asaf taught us that we can embrace our partners' choices without letting go of our own choices. If one person decides that he is a stuffy English butler and the other decides that she is an astronaut exploring Mars, a stronger scene will result from both partners accepting the presence of a butler on a Mars expedition rather than from either partner dropping his or her character.
Another way to think of it is as a Venn Diagram, with each person in the scene represented by a circle, and the scene represented by the area of overlap. The best scenes happen when the scene partners work together to find the overlap.
Of course, many people have tried to teach me this lesson, but years of conditioning are not easily undone. What made the difference for me was seeing this concept isolated and explored in a fashion not unlike a laboratory experiment.
At the end of the three hours, I felt that I had a better understanding of improv, and of my own strengths and weaknesses. I'm still working on bringing these lessons to my work with Activity Book, but I do feel that I'm not quite as "in my head" as I have been. Asaf Ronen's workshop more than lived up to its name.
Showing posts with label activity book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label activity book. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Dr. Cold and Miserable or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Have My Picture Taken
Last Saturday, which was one of the coldest days in recent memory, the members of Activity Book descended upon a warehouse north of Center City for our first-ever house team photo shoot.
Now, two things I always try to avoid are going outside on the coldest days in recent memory and having my picture taken, so I was not exactly bubbling over with enthusiasm as I headed out of my apartment (running a bit late, of course) and loaded up my car with an assortment of wardrobe changes and props. However, my mood started to change as my commute turned out to be stress-free and I managed to arrive ten minutes before the call time of 2 PM. Even better, I found a parking spot right in front of the warehouse. Movie star parking! My mood continued to elevate when I spotted Michael Schwartz getting out of his car with his assorted wardrobe changes and props. Within moments of exchanging hellos, Jason Stockdale pulled up and I felt even more at ease. There really is safety in numbers.
Entering the warehouse turned out to be a surreal experience. There appeared to be large double doors on the front of the building, but the entrance was actually a small door cut into one of the alleged large doors. (Visions of Jason's trompe l'oeil whistle danced in my head...) Even stranger, the door appeared to be too small to fit through, but as I approached, either it got bigger, or I got smaller. Curiouser and curiouser!
The warehouse turned out to be just as cold as the street, as the sole source of heat was a small propane heater, but that didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of photographer Tom Lovelund and his crew, who were in constant motion, setting up lights, bounce cards, reflectors, and tripods. Just as enthusiastic were Executive Director Greg Maughan and Artistic Director Alexis Simpson, who had successfully supervised the Everything Must Go photo shoot earlier that day. I chatted with fellow ABers Alan Williams, Kim Breslin, and Rick Horner as the rest of the group arrived.
But the arrival that created the biggest sensation was that of the pizza delivery guy. Watching steam waft out the pizza boxes added a surreal touch -- a mouth-watering fog effect! Not one to be shy around food, I pounced on the pizza like a beach urchin on Sebastian Venable. Soon, we were all gathered around our "craft services" table, where Greg and Alexis led us in a discussion of the PHIT Resident Group (grant proposal-speak for "house team") Manual. They discussed their plans for the house teams and for PHIT -- a great pep talk!
Around this time, Tom signaled that he was ready to take our individual head shots. Naturally, I ducked behind everyone else and watched as my teammates handled their camera time with ease. Eventually, it was my turn, and I'm sad to say that nothing short of a morphine drip would have gotten me to loosen up. Standing in front of the camera, scowling and tense, I found myself thinking that I was fast becoming the neurotic, pain in the ass member of Activity Book, just a bottle of vodka and a handful of Seconals away from turning into the Neely O'Hara of PHIT. I think poor Tom knew he wasn't getting anywhere with me, so he snapped a few pictures and sent me back to the safety of my teammates.
As Tom and his crew prepared to shoot our group photos -- they set up one of those huge roll-out backdrops just like in the movies! -- the rest of us chatted, ate more pizza, and played with the props we brought for the shoot. Alexis captured these behind-the-scenes happenings with her camera, and the results can be seen on PHIT's Facebook page. (There's a picture of me with Mr. Peanut and I don't look half bad!)
To get us warmed up (figuratively and literally) for the conceptual group shots, Tom took a series of photos of all seven of us interacting with each other. (Hats were involved.) Immediately, being with my teammates, I started to feel more at ease. Then, for the first set of group photos, we were told that we would be photographed in groups of two or three, and then those photos would be composited into a full group photo. First up were Kim and Jana, who invoked The Wizard of Oz and seemed enviably at home in front of the camera. Next came Kelly Jo, Michael, three very large crayons, a crocheted Big Bird, and some very interesting antics. Finally, Jason, Alan, and I were called into service. Having Jason and Alan to lean on (as well as a Nintendo machine and a stuffed Fievel to play with), I was finally able to relax fully and get into the spirit of things.
Then came the time to shoot our "Find the Differences" photos. The idea was to recreate one of those games in which the player must spot the differences between two seemingly identical drawings. Much time was spent on finding just the right pose for us. Then, as we held the pose, Greg and Alexis added and subtracted props, and made other changes. More photos were snapped, and before we knew it, we were finished.
However, there was still a bit of unfinished business to attend to, as Tom announced that two people had to have their head shots retaken. One person had to have his/her photos retaken due to "shine" issues, and -- surprise! surprise! -- I had to have mine retaken because I looked "cold and miserable." "But I'm always cold and miserable!" I protested, to no avail. "That's just who I am!" Ever the diplomat, Greg calmly and patiently explained that PHIT simply could not use photos of one of their performers looking uncomfortable. So, before long, I found myself back in front of the camera. Sensing my discomfort, everyone stepped up to cheer me on and distract me from the task at hand, and Tom managed to get the necessary shots.
And, on that note, the first-ever Activity Book photo shoot came to an end. I have to admit that, when it was all over, I actually felt a bit sad. Although I was not exactly the easiest or most cooperative subject, I did manage eventually to get into the right frame of mind. Plus, it's hard to stay in your shell when you're surrounded by supportive people whose company you genuinely enjoy and who make you feel at ease. So, I want to take a moment to thank Greg and Alexis for making all of this possible, Tom and his crew for all their hard work and patience, and Rick Horner and my fellow ABers for putting up with me and my moodiness.
(Now, if I can just convince Greg to use the Mr. Peanut photo as my official headshot...)
Now, two things I always try to avoid are going outside on the coldest days in recent memory and having my picture taken, so I was not exactly bubbling over with enthusiasm as I headed out of my apartment (running a bit late, of course) and loaded up my car with an assortment of wardrobe changes and props. However, my mood started to change as my commute turned out to be stress-free and I managed to arrive ten minutes before the call time of 2 PM. Even better, I found a parking spot right in front of the warehouse. Movie star parking! My mood continued to elevate when I spotted Michael Schwartz getting out of his car with his assorted wardrobe changes and props. Within moments of exchanging hellos, Jason Stockdale pulled up and I felt even more at ease. There really is safety in numbers.
Entering the warehouse turned out to be a surreal experience. There appeared to be large double doors on the front of the building, but the entrance was actually a small door cut into one of the alleged large doors. (Visions of Jason's trompe l'oeil whistle danced in my head...) Even stranger, the door appeared to be too small to fit through, but as I approached, either it got bigger, or I got smaller. Curiouser and curiouser!
The warehouse turned out to be just as cold as the street, as the sole source of heat was a small propane heater, but that didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of photographer Tom Lovelund and his crew, who were in constant motion, setting up lights, bounce cards, reflectors, and tripods. Just as enthusiastic were Executive Director Greg Maughan and Artistic Director Alexis Simpson, who had successfully supervised the Everything Must Go photo shoot earlier that day. I chatted with fellow ABers Alan Williams, Kim Breslin, and Rick Horner as the rest of the group arrived.
But the arrival that created the biggest sensation was that of the pizza delivery guy. Watching steam waft out the pizza boxes added a surreal touch -- a mouth-watering fog effect! Not one to be shy around food, I pounced on the pizza like a beach urchin on Sebastian Venable. Soon, we were all gathered around our "craft services" table, where Greg and Alexis led us in a discussion of the PHIT Resident Group (grant proposal-speak for "house team") Manual. They discussed their plans for the house teams and for PHIT -- a great pep talk!
Around this time, Tom signaled that he was ready to take our individual head shots. Naturally, I ducked behind everyone else and watched as my teammates handled their camera time with ease. Eventually, it was my turn, and I'm sad to say that nothing short of a morphine drip would have gotten me to loosen up. Standing in front of the camera, scowling and tense, I found myself thinking that I was fast becoming the neurotic, pain in the ass member of Activity Book, just a bottle of vodka and a handful of Seconals away from turning into the Neely O'Hara of PHIT. I think poor Tom knew he wasn't getting anywhere with me, so he snapped a few pictures and sent me back to the safety of my teammates.
As Tom and his crew prepared to shoot our group photos -- they set up one of those huge roll-out backdrops just like in the movies! -- the rest of us chatted, ate more pizza, and played with the props we brought for the shoot. Alexis captured these behind-the-scenes happenings with her camera, and the results can be seen on PHIT's Facebook page. (There's a picture of me with Mr. Peanut and I don't look half bad!)
To get us warmed up (figuratively and literally) for the conceptual group shots, Tom took a series of photos of all seven of us interacting with each other. (Hats were involved.) Immediately, being with my teammates, I started to feel more at ease. Then, for the first set of group photos, we were told that we would be photographed in groups of two or three, and then those photos would be composited into a full group photo. First up were Kim and Jana, who invoked The Wizard of Oz and seemed enviably at home in front of the camera. Next came Kelly Jo, Michael, three very large crayons, a crocheted Big Bird, and some very interesting antics. Finally, Jason, Alan, and I were called into service. Having Jason and Alan to lean on (as well as a Nintendo machine and a stuffed Fievel to play with), I was finally able to relax fully and get into the spirit of things.
Then came the time to shoot our "Find the Differences" photos. The idea was to recreate one of those games in which the player must spot the differences between two seemingly identical drawings. Much time was spent on finding just the right pose for us. Then, as we held the pose, Greg and Alexis added and subtracted props, and made other changes. More photos were snapped, and before we knew it, we were finished.
However, there was still a bit of unfinished business to attend to, as Tom announced that two people had to have their head shots retaken. One person had to have his/her photos retaken due to "shine" issues, and -- surprise! surprise! -- I had to have mine retaken because I looked "cold and miserable." "But I'm always cold and miserable!" I protested, to no avail. "That's just who I am!" Ever the diplomat, Greg calmly and patiently explained that PHIT simply could not use photos of one of their performers looking uncomfortable. So, before long, I found myself back in front of the camera. Sensing my discomfort, everyone stepped up to cheer me on and distract me from the task at hand, and Tom managed to get the necessary shots.
And, on that note, the first-ever Activity Book photo shoot came to an end. I have to admit that, when it was all over, I actually felt a bit sad. Although I was not exactly the easiest or most cooperative subject, I did manage eventually to get into the right frame of mind. Plus, it's hard to stay in your shell when you're surrounded by supportive people whose company you genuinely enjoy and who make you feel at ease. So, I want to take a moment to thank Greg and Alexis for making all of this possible, Tom and his crew for all their hard work and patience, and Rick Horner and my fellow ABers for putting up with me and my moodiness.
(Now, if I can just convince Greg to use the Mr. Peanut photo as my official headshot...)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Activity Book Report
World Series fever ran high this week in the world of Activity Book. However, we managed to resist the siren call of Game 1 just long enough to meet for a pre-game rehearsal.
Joining us this week was that prodigal Activity Book member, Kelly Jo Little, who recently returned from an extended vacation in Colorado. Kelly Jo was in the Centennial State ostensibly to attend a wedding and her 25th high school reunion. However, you can bet that she was also conducting discreet field observations in search of inspiration for characters to portray in future Activity Book shows. Are there bitter bridesmaids and faded pom-pom girls in AB's future? Only Kelly Jo knows for sure!
With Kelly Jo back on board, our work featured fresh moods and colors. Strong physical offers dominated the proceedings, not only in our scene work, but also in our group games and warm-ups. In addition, we learned that a silent offer can be every bit as effective as a verbal offer -- and sometimes even more effective. (This is a lesson I definitely needed to learn!) And, to top it all off, the Phillies enjoyed a Game 1 victory.
From the Department of Shameless Plugs: Activity Book will be performing at the Shubin Theater on Friday, November 7 at 8:00 PM and on Saturday, November 8 at 10:00 PM. On Friday, we will be joined by Bethany Asplundh and the Moops, and on Saturday, we will be sharing the bill with The Gentlemen's Rotary Auxiliary. Tickets for both shows are only $10. (Swing on over to http://phillyimprovtheater.com/shows.html for more information.)
Joining us this week was that prodigal Activity Book member, Kelly Jo Little, who recently returned from an extended vacation in Colorado. Kelly Jo was in the Centennial State ostensibly to attend a wedding and her 25th high school reunion. However, you can bet that she was also conducting discreet field observations in search of inspiration for characters to portray in future Activity Book shows. Are there bitter bridesmaids and faded pom-pom girls in AB's future? Only Kelly Jo knows for sure!
With Kelly Jo back on board, our work featured fresh moods and colors. Strong physical offers dominated the proceedings, not only in our scene work, but also in our group games and warm-ups. In addition, we learned that a silent offer can be every bit as effective as a verbal offer -- and sometimes even more effective. (This is a lesson I definitely needed to learn!) And, to top it all off, the Phillies enjoyed a Game 1 victory.
From the Department of Shameless Plugs: Activity Book will be performing at the Shubin Theater on Friday, November 7 at 8:00 PM and on Saturday, November 8 at 10:00 PM. On Friday, we will be joined by Bethany Asplundh and the Moops, and on Saturday, we will be sharing the bill with The Gentlemen's Rotary Auxiliary. Tickets for both shows are only $10. (Swing on over to http://phillyimprovtheater.com/shows.html for more information.)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
A Page from the Activity Book
Well, hello!
This is John, reporting on the latest happenings in the world of Activity Book, the PHIT house team directed by Rick Horner.
As many of you know, Activity Book (along with fellow house teams Fletcher and The Scramble) made our official debut on October 10 and 11 at the Shubin Theater. They were exciting nights for us, filled with the kinds of emotional highs and lows that could send even the strongest improvisers straight into the Valley of the Dolls. But, fear not! All of us emerged happy, healthy, and positively glowing with the knowledge that we were part of an exciting moment in the development of the Philadelphia improv scene. Endless thanks to Greg Maughan and Alexis Simpson for working so hard to make PHIT an important presence and for making these house teams a reality.
We in Activity Book are not the kind to rest on our laurels, so this past Wednesday we resumed our regular rehearsal schedule. Guided by our ace director, we discussed our performances and spent considerable time working on our edits. In the interest of full disclosure, I feel that I must confess an almost pathological inability to edit a scene. Blame it on my parents, who taught me (far too well, apparently) never to interrupt someone when he or she is speaking, and on my teammates, whose scene work is so strong that I get completely wrapped up in it and forget that I'm on the stage and not in the audience.
Of course, no Activity Book rehearsal would be complete without an exciting, free-flowing exchange of ideas and information. Among the topics discussed were possible methods of promoting and merchandising for our team, Philly sports fans vs. Detroit sports fans, and the latest breakthroughs in feminine hygiene technology.
As you can see, the world of Activity Book is a world of wonder, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to share it with you, not only through our performances, but also through this blog (thanks, Milkshake!).
This is John, reporting on the latest happenings in the world of Activity Book, the PHIT house team directed by Rick Horner.
As many of you know, Activity Book (along with fellow house teams Fletcher and The Scramble) made our official debut on October 10 and 11 at the Shubin Theater. They were exciting nights for us, filled with the kinds of emotional highs and lows that could send even the strongest improvisers straight into the Valley of the Dolls. But, fear not! All of us emerged happy, healthy, and positively glowing with the knowledge that we were part of an exciting moment in the development of the Philadelphia improv scene. Endless thanks to Greg Maughan and Alexis Simpson for working so hard to make PHIT an important presence and for making these house teams a reality.
We in Activity Book are not the kind to rest on our laurels, so this past Wednesday we resumed our regular rehearsal schedule. Guided by our ace director, we discussed our performances and spent considerable time working on our edits. In the interest of full disclosure, I feel that I must confess an almost pathological inability to edit a scene. Blame it on my parents, who taught me (far too well, apparently) never to interrupt someone when he or she is speaking, and on my teammates, whose scene work is so strong that I get completely wrapped up in it and forget that I'm on the stage and not in the audience.
Of course, no Activity Book rehearsal would be complete without an exciting, free-flowing exchange of ideas and information. Among the topics discussed were possible methods of promoting and merchandising for our team, Philly sports fans vs. Detroit sports fans, and the latest breakthroughs in feminine hygiene technology.
As you can see, the world of Activity Book is a world of wonder, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to share it with you, not only through our performances, but also through this blog (thanks, Milkshake!).
Saturday, October 11, 2008
of house teams and kings*
I'm going to start trying to post on this every to let people know what PHIT is up to in the more "official" sense (we have the staff meeting every Thursday night so that timing makes sense), but I figured it's never too early to start something - so here goes...
House Teams premiered yesterday evening which filled me with a kind of joy that is hard to describe. I've been working on PHIT nearly every day since Oct. 13, 2005 - exceptions: 4 days around the death of my grandmother, Amie's birthday, 2 days while I was on Grand Teton in 2006, 8 days while I was on Kilimanjaro this year... and that's it - and seeing part of the mission/vision/goal accomplished last night was freakin' awesome.
Let's get the names over with right now: Fletcher, Activity Book, The Scramble (last name pending change/settling on a real name)
So our 8pm show had a small audience, which was sad for Fletcher - who banged out a great set with no support from the crowd (you gotta have enough people for this stuff to work, laughter can't be contagious when people aren't sitting next to each other) - and somewhat less sad for The Scramble who benefitted from both the audience being warmed up and a strange and wonderful form - never before seen in Philadelphia - that drew folks in. It was very quiet during the set but there was hearty applause at the end.
10pm show was amazing. Activity Book totally held their own against the kids of Ragnarock from the UCB in New York City. Those folks had better warn the Big Apple we're coming. The later show definitely had the advantage of not competing with the Phillies game and drew a big crowd. All in all, I gotta say that Activity Book had the best premiere of our new children (so hopefully we've got some healthy competition coming from the others now). Sure, they had a lot of advantages: good crowd, later time, the anticipation of something bigger coming down the tracks - but they also clicked along nicely. This is going to be a horse-race I'm sure, there's no way they'll hold the top banana spot for long with the kind of crazy talent coming out of the other groups. Hell, they could be toppled from their perch this evening.
Alright, so there's a breakdown of premiere madness. Now I'll hop off to run stuff, and try to get back on Friday to KEEP MY PROMISE.
Wheeeeeeee! Go Improv.
*bonus points to whoever can comment and tell what what my title is referencing.
House Teams premiered yesterday evening which filled me with a kind of joy that is hard to describe. I've been working on PHIT nearly every day since Oct. 13, 2005 - exceptions: 4 days around the death of my grandmother, Amie's birthday, 2 days while I was on Grand Teton in 2006, 8 days while I was on Kilimanjaro this year... and that's it - and seeing part of the mission/vision/goal accomplished last night was freakin' awesome.
Let's get the names over with right now: Fletcher, Activity Book, The Scramble (last name pending change/settling on a real name)
So our 8pm show had a small audience, which was sad for Fletcher - who banged out a great set with no support from the crowd (you gotta have enough people for this stuff to work, laughter can't be contagious when people aren't sitting next to each other) - and somewhat less sad for The Scramble who benefitted from both the audience being warmed up and a strange and wonderful form - never before seen in Philadelphia - that drew folks in. It was very quiet during the set but there was hearty applause at the end.
10pm show was amazing. Activity Book totally held their own against the kids of Ragnarock from the UCB in New York City. Those folks had better warn the Big Apple we're coming. The later show definitely had the advantage of not competing with the Phillies game and drew a big crowd. All in all, I gotta say that Activity Book had the best premiere of our new children (so hopefully we've got some healthy competition coming from the others now). Sure, they had a lot of advantages: good crowd, later time, the anticipation of something bigger coming down the tracks - but they also clicked along nicely. This is going to be a horse-race I'm sure, there's no way they'll hold the top banana spot for long with the kind of crazy talent coming out of the other groups. Hell, they could be toppled from their perch this evening.
Alright, so there's a breakdown of premiere madness. Now I'll hop off to run stuff, and try to get back on Friday to KEEP MY PROMISE.
Wheeeeeeee! Go Improv.
*bonus points to whoever can comment and tell what what my title is referencing.
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