#harold team

[improvturd]

MOTHER

[improvobsession]

Titan (an iO West Harold Team) Practice Wrap Up 4/26/15

Titan, a new iO West Harold team that performs Saturdays at 11 PM in the DCT, is coached by James Mastraieni. I’m starting a new series of wrap-up notes and thought for performing with that team, practices, and whatever else.

Practice started with a speed Harold. It was rough.

James talked about the importance of starting simple and grounded in those first beats. "We want our first beats to be able to happen in this world."

James also said you shouldn't start where you want to end up. The meaning I took was if you start your scene with a really big example of the game it's one hard to build bigger from that, and two not as funny because it feels unearned.

We did a more regular Harold from there. Titan did better. Horray.

Then we spent some time on group games.

James had us come out, one at a time, and do something we'd never done on stage before. For Tweedy it was spinning around on stage with his arms out. Then someone would come out and do something to add on to it, sending it in a direction. A third person would come out and confirm that direction. Then we look to label and keep adding to that idea. James said Group Games should be pure love. This also very much reminded me of thank you statues* in a way.

It’s actually similar in spirit to a two word heightening game James has us play. Quick example. Big baby. Fat baby. Chunky baby. Someone starts an unknown thing, someone else takes that in a direction, someone else confirms that direction. 

As a group we talked about our anxieties for the warm up. Feeling theatrical, hearing ideas, having stories to tell, etc. James reiterated the importance of doing these with urgency so they're not just flat casual things. He also said no one gives a shit about the opening.

Titan will be performing a Harold Wednesday night at 7 PM on the mainstage at iO West. Though the website for the show is totally confusing and makes no sense, I promise the information I wrote was accurate.

*From Craig Cackowski Thank you statues-One of my favorite warmups.  Get in the habit of being unafraid to label, owning your impulses, and assuming that whatever title you give the image is the perfect title.  It will only ever get the one title, so you have to assume it’s perfect.  Remember, effort is more important than execution when you’re improvising.  Energy, confidence, decisiveness are 90% of the battle.

[timmymayse]

Deep Schwa

http://ioimprov.com/chicago/io/teams/deep-schwa

[markdavidchristenson]

Tonight I @mistertowncity is playing at I Scream Sundays 9pm Ruby Theatre at the Complex

[improvinomaha-blog]

Taking Warren's Advice:

When I first moved back to Omaha, I saw a great quote by Warren Buffet that said basically not run a business like everyone else has, but rather to run it however you think it should be done. I've taken this to heart at The Backline, and when it comes to how we do Harold teams, it's no exception. Our two Harold teams aren't organic, but rather templates using the Harold structure. The Documentary and The Sitcom are both very clear as to their style, and each show is a documentary, or a sitcom. Using the structure of the Harold, however, you get to see commercial breaks where group games would go, and things like that.

[the11thhourshow-blog]

This week's line-up:

DAD MARTINEZ - Chrystine Garner, Crystal Hubbard, Truman Alfaro, Chris Pececcino, Andreu Neri and Stephen Angulo

UCB NY Maude Team ONASSIS - Lauren Adams, Emily Altman, Paul Briganti, Jocelyn DeBoer, Frank Hejl, Rob Michael Hugel, Dawn Luebbe, Kassia Miller, Josh Ruben, Jason Saenz and Mike Scollins and special guests NEW UCB Harold Team... MISTER TOWN CITY - Jace Armstrong, Ally Beardsley, Daniel Berson, Mark David Christenson, Jessica Jardine, Jess Lane, Jessica Mckenna and Jonny Svarzbein

Hosted by Imaginary Friends

FREE ADMISSION FREE BEER & WATER

The Clubhouse 1107-A El Centro   Los Angeles, CA 11pm

Poster design by Thomas Ochoa

[improvobsession]

You asked for it, you got it, Zach Reino is coming on the show from Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre - Los Angeles Harold team Kid Grift. If you have a question, post it here or call (225) Obsess9 to leave a message for Zach?

[the11thhourshow-blog]

Poster design by Danny Cohen