To literally no ones surprise* and to a few people's enjoyment I do improv comedy. To me, improv is one of the most fascinating and viscerally satisfying types of performance. On the surface it engages the immediacy and importance of emotional behavior and if you dig further into improv theory (HELLO IMPROV TUMBLRS!) it really speaks to productive communication and honest/shared experiences of humanity.**
But I think one of the most important parts of doing improv/identifying as an improvisor is that you MUST understand that a huge part of the population has zero to negative interest in what you find so fulfilling. In fact, they will often just ask if you've heard of Improv Everywhere of if Drew Carey is your idol (yes, both, duh.) If they don 't ask those questions they will try and immediately change the subject or look at their sneakers or wonder aloud if you are financially stable (no, duh, whatever.)
So in this installment of my blogspot (which TexEdit** will autocorrect to say 'bloodspot', cool…) in an attempt to please more people and come across as hopefully a little less not cool, I will call my improv habit "band practice" and refer to my teams as "this band that I've started" because for god knows what reason the public isn't pissing themselves to download my hilarious improvised one womyn podcast but are getting themselves into legal binds torrenting entire albums. What gives?!?!
The following are trials in which the first occurrence exists in a reality that I have musical talent/am in a band and the latter is my reality.
Trial 1:
Can't make it to your birthday dinner, I have practice. We're gearing up for a show that could really launch us.
Can't make it to your birthday dinner, I have practice. We're gearing up for a show that might allow me to perform somewhere that would give me a free beer afterwards.
Trial 2:
~just like hardcore jammin with disco lights swirling above me and I'm wearing a leather mini skirt and I make eye contact with the cutie I invited to my performance and wink/bite lip/be overall super sexy~
~just like hardcore playing a sad dentist who can't finish a routine exam because his wife just left him and I'm wearing a Hey Arnold get-up because it is conducive to sweaty theater, doesn't make eye contact with cutie I invited to my performance because that would be breaking the fourth wall/I am nervous~
Trial 3
Hey mom, come see my band play this weekend. I've been practicing a ton so I know this show will probably go great. Yeah, I'm a little low on cash, but picking up some dollars performing on the subway. Luckily people appreciate my art.
Hey mom, I'm a little low on cash. I've spent obscene amounts of money on sitting in bar basements pretending to be a firefighter reliving his dream to be Prom King and the coaches that are helping me do this are sort of expensive. Any way you could lend me some money? Will I be able to pay you back? Actually, funny story. The theater that I've formed a cult like following towards has just announced, to my delight, that they will absolutely continue to not pay people for performing there. No, no, this is actually a good thing and something I fully support.
Trial 4
Hey, I'm in a band
Hey, I'm in an improv comedy troupe.
*aaannnnd SCENE!*
*except my mom's friend who when she learned I dabbled in comedy, said, "Kady? But she is so somber."
** yeah, fuck you, whatever.
** yeah, fuck you, whatever.
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