New question
OK. Mainly I'm bored. But I would also like to see who is checking this board. Who caught the homophone there?
So, here's my question. First, do you have any theater/acting/performance experience before improv came along in your life? Second, how did you discover and fall in love with improv?
PS. Happy Easter, my yes-anding brothers. And bless.
Personally, I have a crap ton. From age 11 to 20, I was all over the stage in my schools productions and some local theater. Luckily, I lived in Long Island, NY so some of my local theaters were quite impressive. I burned out of it after my first year of musical theater study at Ithaca College. I found acting great, but most actors annoyed the crap out of me with their primadonna attitude. So I dropped of the radar for 8 years. I actually had no interest to getting back into performing. I signed myself and my wife up for intro improv class to help her with public speaking which she had to do a lot more for her job. It did help her a great deal, but the stage bug also bit me again as well. I LOVE the teamwork that improv commands so it fits for me right now.
Re: New question
I have no prior experience before taking classes at the second city. I got into it because i found out thats how SNL gets their cast from and i always wanted to be on SNL
Re: New question
I never had done any stage work and I was actually quite a glossophobic (fear of speaking in public). Even doing book reports in class I could feel my heart beating faster and I would start sweating. So finally I deicded to tackle that fear and saw that SC was offering classes on acting... that would have taken care of that fear. I still get that nervous energy everytime I step on to a stage, but being the adrenaline junkie I am, I learned to love that feeling and even crave it. I once wanted to be on SNL too, and I'm not saying that I wouldn't take the opportunity if it came my way, but I have become more aware of how hard being a professional actor really is. Kudos to those who have taken this as their profession because it takes a lot of balls to go out there and take a job where you can be replaced by thousands of other people who are gunning for your position at any moment.
I probably made this post more depressing than it has to be, but it's more like a "good job" rather than a reflection on life. If that makes sense... I know what will make it better...
Uh, no
I, like Enrico, was a pretty terrified public speaker. All through elementary, middle and high schools. Then in college I got better. I took an acting class at the community college, and somehow managed a B. I was terrible.
I now actually enjoy giving presentations and stuff.
Improv is still challenging, partly because I don't have the acting background but mainly because it's just freakin' challenging. I have a hard enough time expressing actual, felt emotions, let alone fake ones. I try.
I would have never imagined to have gotten as far as I have in my being-in-front-of-a-crowd experience. Just being comfortable up there is cool.
I always liked acting. I took a little theater in high school and college, did a little community theater here and there, scene study classes, stuff like that. Some friends and I have written and performed stuff too.
I saw longform improv in 2001 when the then-mainstagers did free shows at a coffee shop, and I was immediately fascinated. I joined a group in 2001 (it was terrible, but I did meet Brandon) and took my first Second City class in early 2002. My first class was actually Musical Improv, which they don't offer anymore.
I think I'm better at sketch comedy, but I just love trying to do long form. It's so challenging.
BV (Before Vegas)
I did my first commercial when I was a Sophomore in HS. A local crappy clothing store gig that only paid in store discountsl. I got a cool pair of white slacks, bright red oxford and a white pencil thin tie. (I looked smokin for the Valentine's dance that year).
Needless to say, It was almost 10 years later that I did anything else; save for some accapela singing in Denver.
I hooked up with the improv scene in Pittsburgh and then I started doing theater and the like. Still, improv is my first love. Unfortunately, the market sucks.
Currently, I'm doing a little gig at the college. My role is a system specialist/technician with deep seeded personal issues. It's an interesting part, but I am having troubles finding my character's motivation. nevertheless, it pays well enough, so for the time being, I keep acting like I give a shit.
Re: New question
I first got involved with acting my Junior year of high school. I was a member of the Performing Arts Club. We competed in Forensics Competitions. No, not like CSI forensics, but like performing scenes from plays and stuff like that. Speech and debate shenanigans if you will. I had actually heard of the PAC during my Freshman orientation but I was lazy and didn't want to go find the room for the first two years. Truth is, I'm kind of shy at first. My girlfriend keeps on telling me that I'm not shy... but I am. When I don't really no anyone I am kind of standoffish and I keep to myself. But once I come out of my shell, watch out. So I did the PAC thing for my last two years of high school and I even won a couple of trophies and competed at Nationals in my Senior year. I didn't place at Nationals... but that's ok, at least I was there. Now, Forensics competitions were not like traditional theatre because we had to wear dress shirts and ties and the performances mostly took place in classrooms. The final rounds were usually held in auditoriums as all of the other losers liked to be able to watch the final people battle it out. It was always a rush making it to the final round and performing in front of all those people. Now, it wasn't really acting, so I can't say that the acting bug bit me then... but I had a tiny taste of the performance drug... and I wanted more.
My first two years of community college were mostly spent in the theatre. I did several short plays there and I was a Transylvanian/Usher in our mainstage production of "The Rocky Horror Show". It turned out to be my first and last mainstage play. I did some opted out of doing a couple other mainstage plays to do performances at the University instead. Anytime there was a play I wanted to be involved in it in some way shape or form. I wasn't just bitten by the acting bug, it swallowed me whole. It was great. I didn't do that great in school, but I had some awesome experiences there. Whilst I was in my first or second semester at LCC I just so happened to be in the black box when these two guys named Garrick and Matt came in saying that they were going to be holding an improv workshop. Garrick was a part of a local troupe called "Loose Screws" and he wanted to share what he had learned with us college kids. I'm not quite sure where Matt came into play and I believe he moved away shortly after. Up to that point, my only taste of improv was what I saw on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and I had never heard of Second City, Improv Olympics, or the Groundlings. I sure liked what Garrick was showing us, though. I showed up to every lesson. A handful of us really took to improv like ducks to water. A month later, "On The Spot" was formed. We landed a gig at Borders in Waipahu doing a very "Whose Line?" format and we even did a couple shows at the community college. Good times. I moved to Vegas before they started getting into more difficult stuff, like long form.
Once I got here I heard about Second City and I was very interested. Once again, though, I was too lazy and shy to find out where the Las Vegas Little Theatre was to take classes. Two years later I decide to answer this add that I happened upon online about an improv troupe looking for a few new members. I auditioned and actually got in. All of the other members of the "Sandbox Association" had taken classes from the SCTC so I finally got into it this year. It's awesome. I hope to be able to join another troupe sometime soon.
Quote:Munkey wrote:
All of the other members of the "Sandbox Association" had taken classes from the SCTC so I finally got into it this year. It's awesome. I hope to be able to join another troupe sometime soon.
I didn't know you'd been a Sandbox playuh. Where have I been?
Re: New question
Theater was my life from age 11 to about 30. I lived and breathed it. I can't remember a time when I wasn't in a play, writing a play, or directing a play. It's definitely a muscle that needs to be exercised. Funny that Bridget wrote something about my needing to take voice classes on her evaluation at her workshop this weekend. My tool is rusty. Sigh.
I also feel strange and out of my depth when I'm onstage now. An odd feeling given those years of theatrical training and performances.
Being the theater guy was who I was for so long, once I stopped, I wasn't sure who I was. And that feeling lingers even to this day.
Edited by: 
Email This To a Friend
Topic Commands
Click to receive email notification of replies 
Click to stop receiving email notification of replies