My journey to becoming ruthlessly myself...

This blog is to help me along my journey into becoming a better improviser and a better person. I don't expect anyone to follow this because it will surely be scatterbrained. However, if you do follow me: hello, friend.

[shoemakerdr]

Long Overdue Update or “Get Better, Write About Improv”

Oct 22nd at 11:04am was the last time I posted on here. Over two years ago. A lot has happened with me improv-wise since then. Here’s an ultra-quick rundown of some milestones I hit in the past couple years (I’ll talk about each with more depth in later posts):

At the beginning of 2015, I got way deep into classes. At took classes at four different theatres (iO, the Annoyance, the Chicago Improv Den, and CIC). There was a two week span where I was in all 4 classes at one time.

I took classes with Farrell Walsh, Jorin Garguilo, Mick Napier, Jared Jeffries, Dina Facklis, and Noah Gregoropoulis. Not all were great. Some were INCREDIBLE.

I got my first ever callback! It was for ImprovAcadia. Screwed the callback up though because I am not good at musical improv. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

After 5 unsuccessful auditons, I finally made a Playground team. 6th times a charm.

I quit my Playground team. After four months. It was not a great experience.

I made a Harold team! I’d been wanting to be on a Harold team for 7 years. Had to get rejected by iO 3 other times to get it.

TJ Jagodowski coaches my Harold team. When I saw that on our team email, I flipped the fuck out. He has a reputation as being “the best improviser that ever lived.” As good as he is as an improviser, he’s just as good as a coach/mentor. He’s been a huge influence on me in the past year, so obviously, I’ll write an annoying amount about him.

I made a CIC House team! This was one of my biggest goals when I moved back.

All that happened in 2015. It was a big year. It was a tough year but net good.

I’ve grown tremendously as a person and improviser in the last two years. I went from being a full-on true student of improv to being an established improviser in the scene. 

I’ve been mulling where I’m at in my improv life. Still a long, long way to go. Kind of a lifetime thing, I guess, but I’ve still got goals. 

That led me to this blog. 

I remember when I started this blog. I did it to record my journey as an improviser, so I could look back on it see how far I’ve come. I’ve been doing that, but I still have work to do. So I’m resurrecting the blog. 

Look out for more in-depth posts about the past couple years-- where I’ve grown, where I’ve struggled, where I’ve changed, where I’ve stayed-- and also posts about various thoughts/ideas I have about the art of improvisational comedy.

Excited to get moving again.

- Derek

[shoemakerdr]

Positivity and Growth

So about 5 months ago, I decided to jump back into iO. I started in level 4 with Craig, who I had in my first round of classes 6 years ago.

Back then, I was TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE. I had never improvised before starting classes (unlike most people at iO), and at 20 years old, I was the youngest in my levels-- neither of these things worked in my favor. I had Craig several times throughout the program, and although he was kind and encouraging in the beginning, he became harsh and dismissive as time went on.

He treated the good improvisers differently from the bad improvisers in the worst way.

I was definitely one of the bad ones.

So when I left Chicago in 2009, I vowed to return a better improviser and to prove that to him.

Five years later, I took his level 4. I am DEFINITELY better than I was. After working at it for this long, I've become a very competent improviser. Craig, on the other hand, had not changed at all. If anything, he was more embittered. He was so goddamn negative about practically everything, and that hurt the morale of the class in a big way. I realized that I didn't need to prove anything to this guy-- to no one really but certainly not this guy.

After a bad experience in level 4, I just wanted to enjoy myself. A few good friends of mine were going into level 3 the next session, so I decided to jump in with them. Luckily, one of the best teachers I've ever had, Jorin, was teaching.

And this level 3 was the best class I'd ever taken ever. Jorin was SO positive. But it was constructive positivity-- as in, "let's build this up from what it is" rather than "'let's dismantle this for what it isn't." It was awesome.

And our class was SO united. It was a big gross love-fest. We all loved watching and playing with each other, and we fed off of Jorin.

Through all that, I soaked in that improv chestnut of being positive. Sometimes, "be positive" feels like some dumb platitude that they teach in beginning improv classes-- unrealistic and stiff. But in Jorin's class, I learned that it can really be the motor for more human moments in scene work. He said the work is about being more empathic and more human.

The stuff he taught really hit me hard. It's been a long time since a class or teacher totally blew me away, and his class accomplished that on several occasions. It made me feel like a new improviser again.

When I started out, I sought out the really tough teachers-- the ones who would "give me the hard notes" and "call me out on my bullshit." And I've observed that a lot of beginning improvisers are like this. We're all looking for the "truth-sayers" (Jorin's words), and it's very easy to mistake harsh people with strong opinions as the truth-sayers-- especially when you're a new improviser looking for strong guidance.

I can't say that this is good or bad-- nor should I, really-- but for me, negativity and a lot of overly critical feedback don't work.

- Derek

[shoemakerdr]

Workhorse of Comedy, Student of Improv

(This is a long, rambling mess. Be warned.)

So I had an awakening a few months ago...

I realized that if I want to get a career in comedy-- if I wanna work for... dare I even say it... Saturday Night Live-- I need to start hustling.

There's a thing of looking at the people who have what you want, then doing what they do to get it. You find your own path along the way, but that's a good place to start.

That person for me is Mike O'Brien-- formerly Michael Patrick O'Brien, formerly-formerly Pat O'Brien. I knew him a bit for a little while when he lived in Chicago, and I watched him a lot. He had this show towards the end of his time here called "The POB Show." Basically, he did a bunch of solo sketch/readings/characters/etc, had a musical guest, and also a performer guest with whom he would do sketches and comedic pieces. This show was fantastic. Very inspiring.

POB (that's how I know him, so that's what I'll call him) was a machine. There's some "lore" surrounding that guy that he wouldn't go to many/any parties, so he could just write. He was a comedy creation machine. Not only did he write a lot, he performed a lot. He was on the Second City Touring Company for a long time, then did a revue on the SC Mainstage-- all that in addition to all the solo, sketch, and improv shows he did through out the week. He is my biggest influence in comedy. The stuff I got to see him do in the POB Show and other places really spoke to me. They've stayed with me hard.

So he worked very hard, and he hustled for 9 years straight. He auditioned for SNL twice: once in 2005 and then in 2009, which is the audition that got him the writing job on the show.

I ran lights for his bits at the iO showcase that got him the second SNL audition (not the only thing because he was on Mainstage at the time, I think). But I remember watching and being totally blown away. He was SO funny. I looked down in the crowd, and I saw Lorne Michaels and Seth Meyers laughing really hard. It was surreal to say the least.

I left Chicago shortly after this. I moved back to Florida. I knew I would move back one day (which ended being 3 years later practically to the day). My whole goal while I was gone was JUST to become a better improviser. I wanted the comedy career, but it was such an abstract idea to me, that I didn't know if I could make it a reality. But when I found out POB got SNL, it felt just the TINIEST bit closer. I saw Lorne Michaels and Seth Meyers in the flesh, and then I knew it was real. In the 3 years I was in Florida, I came to terms to the fact that I did want a career in comedy, and that I could get it.

So when I was about to move back to Chicago, I decided I was going to pursue it. I made a list of goals, and I set a year for me to leave Chicago. 2020-- I'll be 32. Same age as POB when he got hired.

I knew that I had to write a bunch and perform a bunch if I wanted to get good. But I fell into doing improv exclusively. And I called myself a "writer." I wrote a TINY bit here or there for the first year and a half, but not enough to warrant calling myself a writer by any stretch.

Then I fell into a huge depression in 2013. Lasted 9 months. I didn't break it til March, but in January, after listening to an obscene amount of podcasts about writing and comedy, I decided to really get my act together and pursue this thing.

For a long time, I thought I didn't write because I was lazy. That's what everyone says. They don't write because they're lazy. I was told that in school too. But I learned that it wasn't laziness, it was fear. I was afraid of being terrible. Once I made that realization, I slowly made steps in the direction to becoming a writer.

First, I bought the cheapest marble composition book, bent it, stepped on it, and generally fucked it up, so it wouldn't intimidate me from writing. I worked on outlines for plays/sketches/tv specs/pilots/etc. None of those panned out, but at least I was doing SOMETHING. Then my friend needed help writing sketches for her show. I offered to help and ended up writing like five or six sketches. Then I decided to try a thing where I write a new piece every three days. Then I started a zine to post bits three days a week. In order to do that, I had to dedicate myself to writing practically everyday. In addition to that, I started writing a sketch a week as well.

Right now, I'm working hard. The next step for me is to start getting out to perform all this stuff that I write and to perform a lot.

And in pursuit of a career in comedy, I must let improv take a backseat. It was starting to stress me out SO goddamn much. I equated doing well in improv to being a successful comedian, and those two pursuits are NOT THE SAME. They have some overlap, but they are not the same. After I realized that, I decided to do improv for enjoyment and to become a better actor. And it has become much easier since I'm not putting that pressure on myself. I've been doing fewer improv shows, and I'm taking classes again, so I've put myself in a place right now to be a total student of improv.

Wow, lotta ramblin. Yeesh.

When I think back to where I was a year ago-- depressed, unmotivated, afraid, self-conscious, full of self-hate-- I realize that I am in a much better place. Right now, I'm exactly where I want to be. Working hard. Creating an huge volume of work. I'm definitely not very good right now. But I know if I keep creating and creating and creating and pile up tons and tons of volume, I'll get there.

Because I want it.

I want it bad.

And I don't think I'll ever be in the top 10-20% of funny people in this city, but I OUTRIGHT REFUSE to be outworked by anyone.

- Derek

[bwbs]

[shoemakerdr]

Started Level 4 at iO Yesterday

After a 5 year break, I decided I was finally ready to go back and do the training center again. The Harold team aspect had me nervous for a long time, but I recently decided I was relaxed and confident enough in my improv that the team thing doesn't matter.

The first class was great. We just worked on openings. My whole mindset was to just go in with an open mind, have fun, and support like crazy. I did and it felt awesome. I'm just ready to enjoy the training center this time around. Very excited.

- Derek

[improvnonsense]

Kitchen Rules

This past summer, Michael Delaney sent me an email decrying the state of improv. That in itself was not unusual (Hello, Delaney!). But in this particular email he outlined what I think is a brilliant way to measure whether someone has become an advanced improviser:

1) A good improviser habitually accepts the offers made to him. 2) A good improviser habitually makes active choices rather than passive ones. 3) A good improviser justifies.

He said these were based directly on “Del Close’s Kitchen Rules.” I had never heard of this, though according to The Funniest One In The Room, it’s actually Elaine May and Ted Flicker who made them during a run of improv shows in St. Louis in 1957. Del became the rules’ most ardent preacher. Elaine and Ted seemed to have called them the Westminster Place Kitchen Rules which sounds funny.

Read More

[shoemakerdr]

I feel like if you could only have one rule for improv it would be this:

RELAX!

But it feels like the HARDEST thing to do sometimes.

- Derek

[gracefulbabe]

Words of wisdom from Amy Poehler

[falsepatternrecognition-deactiv]

Take scene at controlled, considered pace Proceed with DUE REGARD You can be above as well as within scene Not only the facts but the why’s and wherefores will present themselves if you let them Focus as equally on the IF as the THEN Don’t need to race ahead, enjoy the waiting line “I don’t feel things.” [I don’t remember the context for this, probably a scene] Imbuing truths about yourself lends authenticity to the character. Avoid inventing falsities for character. Not just talking - realizing. Listen to yourself. Awareness of what comes out of your mouth - nothing is meaningless, it all has meaning to your”self” Be in the mental place where you’re most aware. Nervousness, talking too fast, trying to be funny all take you out, take away from the reality you and your partner are building Trust in yourself to create a meaningful, authentic reality Playing dumb keeps you from playing fun — can offend verisimilitude — you can address every interesting thing as it comes up. — why are you rushing? THERE’S NOTHING ELSE TO GET TO Improvisers with no panic — don’t care if it’s funny — deal with what’s in front of them here and now Scene: “I love it when you stop cooking my eggs.” Don’t be so much in the moment that you lose the wake of the boat. Intentional Listening We lack sets and costumes, so top of scenes is best to establish reality and authenticity — establish the who by being authentic as the character — make the audience see the character, reality by BEING as the character

[falsepatternrecognition-deactiv]

TJ Jagodowski workshop 4/6/14

TJ Jagodowski is simply the best. I hope I’ve learned even a sliver of what’s in his head.

—

Remain impressionable Play like an antenna - receive If it’s strong enough, let it move you Your initial note still resonates, it may join with others, change tempo, lower or higher in pitch Have a reason Love person, different love [here brevity was the death of wit. I don’t know what I meant] If you interact truthfully, all the other rules can go away Forget you’re doing a scene, just exist Object work adds to actuality, helps convince us this is real Sometimes “I don’t know” is okay - sometimes we don’t As long as you’re stuck in the sandbox, make it one you like “This is really small stuff but this three hours may be all the time we have together - in this life!” [TJ said this to me after stopping a scene I was in 5 times because I wasn’t swallowing when miming taking a drink. It was an intimate moment, dare I say sensual] We want to fill this time like it’s radio - life has little pauses Experience it together “We do this all the time - ‘I killed your dad with a shovel.’ ‘A shovel?’ - That’s not where the stuff is! Go where the stuff is!” Find the heat You gotta play it real, otherwise the two of you will be [last word illegible] I reserve the right to change my mind You guys are walking out on this show… Half of it is good. Building around POV is applicable to the entire world Premise can lead you to war for reality or loss of having anything Active choices With a play you have to generate conflict - I guess that’s where they say drama comes from - Improv has conflict inherent We have to love each other before we can fight. We’re bringing our own POV to bear for a reason - this person is not a chore. We desire from them. POV of world has to also imply something of the nature of our relationship.

[shoemakerdr]

Haven't Been Around For A While

Still doing lots of improv, but I haven't posted in a while because I have been in a huge depression/improv rut. It lasted like 8 straight months. It was brutal.

I'm finally coming out of it now though. The Annoyance Theatre has opened up again, so I'm finally able to intern and take classes there again. Also, I'm going to be signing up for iO in the next month.

I think I'm gonna take some time to be a true student. I'll do shows when I can, but I really want to take time to be in class and throw myself into the work. I'm still working on rebuilding myself as an improviser. Right now my big focus is to become a better listener, a better actor, and to be more believable onstage--- or to believe in what I'm doing onstage. I'm also working on being ok with failing onstage. Sometimes (most times if you're me) it's hard to not go for the joke or for the laugh. Slowly, I'm chipping away at that. Remembering to play thing sincerely and as if everything we're totally real has definitely helped. All this while still trying to figure out what it means to ruthlessly be myself onstage.

Also, I started a project with a couple friends where we're individually writing a new sketch/comedic piece every 3 days. It's really tough sometimes because writing first drafts can be the most soul-crushing endeavor you can go through. But it's definitely getting easier. And it's really helpful. I've been thinking a lot about what I want out of my life, and after years of wanting to pursue a career in comedy and thinking that I'm pursuing a career in comedy, I realized that I wasn't really DOING THE WORK to pursue a career in comedy. That requires lots and lots of writing. And this writing project is a great tool to produce a lot of writing. I calculated that by the end of a year, I'll have written over 100 pieces of comedy. By the end of five years, I'll have written over 500 pieces of comedy. That's some super heavy volume. And I think that's a pretty good amount to have for when I eventually move to NYC or LA. Right now, I just wanna get good and produce volume.

Also, another thing is that I'm learning that improv and comedy are different pursuits. They have overlapping skill sets, but overall, they are totally different. Realizing this has taken a lot of pressure off both. Just because I have a bad improv set or don't land an audition, doesn't mean I'm not funny. And likewise, just because I do some terrible sketch, doesn't mean I'm a bad improviser. 

I've also taken a bunch of workshops in the time I've been away, so I'll have to post some notes from those when I get the chance.

- Derek

[ferniecommaalex]

Here is another digest version of some of these improv questions I’ve been getting… These 3 questions came from 3 presumably different people and were all pretty specific, so I combined them into this one post.

In your most recent answer, you said “when you’re still figuring out what kind...

[ferniecommaalex]

I'm afraid to do a bad scene. People make moves in shows that seem like the wrong move and are probably off game, but nevertheless they still make the move, while I sit on the backline overthinking things. I may be too delicate, or maybe i'm just lazy.

Technically, this isn’t a question. But I think I get what you’re asking.

I would always rather watch a scene that was truly terrible because someone took a big chance and struck out than a scene that is middling because everyone on stage was unwilling to take a chance. At least the former is interesting.

I can say a lot of the normal improv voodoo stuff like trust your instincts, follow the fun etc, etc, but I don’t find those phrases to be particularly actionable as notes. So my advice would just be to make A move. My guess would be that you freeze up because you’re desperately trying to figure out what “THE move” to make is… the one move that’s the “right move.” And the 1st step towards getting rid of that fear is just making A move, any move. There is no such thing as the “right move.” Just moves that work and moves that don’t.

I hate the phrase “There are no mistakes in improv” because we all know that’s not true. If it was, there wouldn’t be bad improv. But what you CAN take from that idea is that you shouldn’t be afraid of mistakes… especially if you’re at a point where you’re still learning and figuring out what kind of improviser you’ll be. If you make decisions in your scene, you’ll be fine. DECIDE what you think the game is, DECIDE how you’re going to play it and DECIDE to make a move to achieve that. That’s really all there is to it. The worst case scenario is that you’re on a different page than the rest of your group, but if you’re really listening, the chances of that are slim. In your next show, have the goal of making decisions at every possible opportunity and then acting on them, and see if that gets you off that backline and into more scenes, good or bad.

Or, maybe you’re just super lazy!

[ferniecommaalex]

How do you play the game of the scene when you are in a peas in a pod type scene? The pattern always seems to heighten the game until you reach absurdity and then you run out of steam and the scene gets swept. This delves into the bigger issue of how do you get your character POV out when you aren't asked for it by a straight-man without hamfisting it in there unnaturally?

For me, the key is to remember that there is ALWAYS a straight man in some form. In a peas in a pod type scene, the straight man is represented by the rest of the world. For example, Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin’s Wild And Crazy Guys are two obvious peas in a pod characters, but they work best when bouncing off of other, more normal characters.

Although, you don’t need actual, different characters to enter the scene to pull this off, all you need is for the peas in a pod characters to know that they are different/that there are people out there that might call them out. This can trigger the character’s point of view/philosophy. Think of real life conspiracy theorist types. When they get together, they talk conspiracy theories… which is basically their real life version of explaining their philosophies or points of view. But it’s always verbalized in a “THEY don’t want you to know this…” type deal… that’s setting the rest of the world up as their straight man, which can trigger the point of view, even if there isn’t a clear cut straight man character in the scene. It’s the two characters philosophies against the world, rather than one character’s philosophy against another character’s philosophy. A movie like The Other Guys is a good example of this.

Lastly, if the characters are too weird to be able to do anything normal, then the scene probably wont work, whether it is peas in a pod or not. If you play the characters too broad or too ridiculous, with no clear justification/grounding, then yeah, you’re going to burn through the game really quickly and run out of scene. This is the most common mistake I see in peas in a pod scenes… remember that just like any other scene, you still need to be able to rest the game. If it’s non-stop game moves then, yeah, you’re going to heighten too quickly. A lot of students mistake “peas in a pod” for “Go from 0 to 60 instantly since no one is calling you out!” which can lead to some really bad scenes. Slow it down, ground it, and rest the game, and you’ll be able to play the scene without running out of steam.

[ferniecommaalex]

Are there names for second beats that just replace the noun? What are the sources of those types of second beats (lack of game and more of a pattern?), and are they necessarily bad? Also, please compare and contrast the character games of Kramer and George. Thanks!

Not entirely sure I fully understand the first question… I just call those types of scenes Mad Libs scenes. A fun thing about talking about improv is you get to make up terms for stuff!

I think the source of those second beats is purely that they’re easy to come up with. Your game involves a guy who’s in love with a cat?  Well NOW he’s in love with a gerbil!!!!! They’re easy to do, and safe. And I mean, that, generally. Obviously, go watch a few good harolds and you can see those scenes done stunningly well. Because sometimes, they’re great! And they’re exactly what the harold needed! But other times, they’re just predictable and easy. I’d say, normally, that if you saw a harold where all three 2nd beat scenes were that type of second beat, that harold would run out of steam before the 2nd group game. Audiences are smart, and they can get ahead of you. But think of truly great harold teams and truly great harolds that you’ve watched… I’d bet money that most of them featured second beats that went beyond just lifting up the game and plopping it down into a new location.

And this last question… I guess at their core, their games are kinda opposites? Kramer is a directionless and easy-going weirdo with no self-awareness that constantly stumbles into success. George is an overly self-aware, neurotic egoist that constantly fails at what he sets out to do? Maybe something along those lines? I don’t know… been a while since I’ve watched Seinfeld. Also, are you the same anonymous person who asked me about Jerry’s game like a year ago?

[ferniecommaalex]

Hi Alex! I often struggle in second beats, specifically when coming up with another place for the game and then not doing the same thing we did in the first beat over again. To be more clear I'll do the thing of 'here's the first beat, but we're playing the game on a train now!' Thank you so much for all the advice so far it's incredibly helpful.

Yeah, that’s a common thing. I think, what you’re describing, is kinda the “Mad-Libs”-ing of second beats… where you basically do the same thing, but just swap out a couple of nouns. That can often lead to diminishing returns in a harold, making it less satisfying.

The way I approached it and the way I normally try to teach it is to get people away from thinking “WHERE is the game going to be in the second beat” and instead thinking “HOW will the game be played in the second beat?” If you focus too much on that idea of “oh, we have to put the game somewhere new” in the second beats, that will lead to a lot of scenes that don’t feel new or heightened.

So, for example, if, after your first beat, try to think of another way to play the game that’d be heightened and, for lack of a better term, funnier. Yes, sometimes, just putting it on a train will be enough. But other times it’ll be to play the game in an entirely new way… perhaps as a group scene. Or if it was a straight man/crazy man scene, you put the second beat into a peas in the pod scene. Or you do something presentational. Or you do the exact opposite of whatever the first beat was, playing the other side of the idea. Or you do a scene with a fundamentally different emotional core, and see what happens when a game that was played with anger is now played with excitement/happiness. Really, just force yourself to go beyond what the obvious 2nd beat move is. It might go a bit against a lot of improv slogans, but when thinking of second beats, I’m a big proponent of throwing out the first idea you have. Just ignore it. And think for a moment about what that 2nd beat would be best served as. Because if it’s the first idea you have, there’s a good chance the audience is already ahead of you. Do something more interesting where you don’t quite know what it’ll be. We love watching improv where the player just starts with an idea and has no idea where it’ll lead.

A lot of times, approaching it that way will open it up and allow you to explore more. The lack of exploration is pretty much what you’re describing in your message, I think.

Lastly, a good way to break out of that habit of just doing the first beat over and over again with different details is to drill time dash second beats. Force yourself to remain in the same world and still find ways to heighten and explore the 2nd beats. Analogous 2nd beats can sometimes be used as a crutch. But if you work on time dash specifically, you’ll be forced to come up with new, creative ways to heighten the game for a second beat that isn’t just “Now we’re on the moon!”

[ferniecommaalex]

I’m going combine some of these questions into one post! You know, like a Best Of Dear Abbey column! All of these were sent in by various Anonymous Tumblr people, who roam the digital landscape, faces and identities hidden, watching, always watching…

What does it mean to make your scene...