The Level III class ends with a performance for family and friends. But first…there some preparations to be done. We went over the logistics of the show…how we would be announced, how we would enter, where we would sit…all of the little details that keep a show going. I can’t speak for the rest of the class, but I thought it was fun to set up the practical parts of the show as well.

As the audience began to come in, we went to the dressing room and did about 25 minutes of warm-ups. The room was full of nerves, excitement and support. One of my favorite parts of the night happened just a minute before the show. Ed brought us all into a huddle and went over some fundamentals from our classes…and ended with “have fun.” It was nice to have one more encouraging group moment before we went on stage.

For the past seven weeks, we had only been performing for each other. It was nice because it was a supportive group that was all there for the same goal of getting better. But…there is something about a large, live crowd that just forces you to bring more energy as a performer.

One nice touch was that ComedySportz did everything it could to turn this into a truly professional show. We had someone running sound, they were serving food and Ed served as host. It really gave it the feel of one of the weekend performances which, again, was good for our energy level.

I can’t realistically give you a play-by-play of the show, but I can tell you it was a ton of fun and very gratifying. It was everything we had been working toward for two months. I don’t really feel that it’s my place to try to tell you how I personally did, but I can tell you that the others were incredible. They were on their game, very funny…and I would not be surprised at all to see any or all of them as regular weekend performers in the future. I can also tell you with confidence that I feel the show we put on would have satisfied a paying ComedySportz audience…and as a performance-level class, that is the goal. 

Looking back on the class, I’m very proud of what I personally, and what we as a group accomplished. It’s a challenging workshop, but it’s a lot of fun and absolutely worth it. It took me out of my performing comfort zone, which is healthy, and it built my confidence, which will be important whether I move forward in ComedySportz or not. I would also like to thank my classmates and my instructor Ed Trout…I am a better and more confident performer because of all of you.

On a personal note…I hope you enjoyed reading about this class and I hope it shed some light on what you could expect if you decide to take it yourself. I don’t know what the next step for me will be as a performer, but I can tell you that you will certainly see me around the theater over the weekends, so please feel free to say hello. I’m always happy to answer any questions about the class as well.

The class I took is one of several that ComedySportz offers, and the troop is looking for more people to write about their experiences. If you are interested in taking any of the workshops and blogging about it, you can contact Troy Hanna at thanna@indycomedysportz.com.

The Level III class ends with a performance, and this week we planned out the show. We started with each of us writing out the top eight games we would like to play. It was kind of like a political election, except we were familiar with all of the candidates and the results might actually make some kind of difference.

Once we knew which games we were playing, we started assigning performers and putting them in order. This was a pretty interesting process. We wanted to make sure to spread out the types of games we are playing. For example, we didn’t want two musical games going one after another. We also got the chance to volunteer for the specific games we wanted to play. It was a unique learning experience to see how a show like this comes together.

I don’t want to get into the specific games we went over…I’d like to leave that as a surprise for the show. But I did notice something during practice worth mentioning. I have mentioned in these blogs that we all are making noticeable improvement…but I’ve noticed over the last two weeks that we are improving as a group. Like any team…it is starting to emerge that different members have different strengths. More importantly…we’re learning to play off of those strengths and put each other in a position to succeed. My sense of humor tends to be more dry and subtle…some in the class tend to be more outspoken and direct. Instead of those styles clashing…they’re starting to come together.

One other point I want to make…even though I’m the one who has been blogging…the class is filled with very talented, very funny people with all sorts of different interests, professions and styles. They are all worth seeing and supporting and I hope you will do so next week.

So…if you’d like to come see our final week performance…it’s Tuesday, November 1. Doors open at 7:30 and the show begins at 8:00. Admission is free, and I tend to believe we will be worth every penny.

I was admittedly a bit uneasy heading into week six of class, which was set to focus on long-form improv. I had never done long-form, and it’s never been my favorite to see performed. However…Ed told us last week if we didn’t find something funny, try to find out why other people do and focus on that. So…that was my goal as I headed into class.

The game we played was called “Harold”. The story behind the name is epic and unforgettable, but unfortunately I do not have time to get into it here. The game is a little tough to explain in a couple of sentences, but here is my attempt. The concept of the game is that you take one suggestion, and base around 45 minutes worth of scenes around it. It starts with people telling stories about the suggestion (in our case, “Kentucky” for the first game, “The White House for the second). The performers then take parts of those stories and use them to form several scenes. Throughout the game, you call back to different subjects from the previous scenes, tell more stories, and create more scenes.

There are two important memories I will take away from this class. The first is that this was some of the most fun I’ve ever had doing improv. Because of some absences, Claire Wilcher, who was filling in for Ed, played with us. Because there were only four of us involved, we were all involved in almost all of the scenes. It was non-stop fun…everybody working together to tell several funny stories one right after another. I was very proud of what we put together…I said then, and I believe now…both games we played would have been perfectly presentable before a ComedySportz audience, and that’s what this class is all about.

The second memory is slightly more painful. As part of one of the scenes, one of the performers fell backward toward me. The idea was that I would catch him. That would have been fine, except he didn’t realize I was on the very edge of the stage. His fall took us both backward off the stage. I crashed through the three stools on the side and landed flat on the ground. His fall was, fortunately for him, cushioned by landing on me.

Everyone is ok. I’m very sore and still limping, but these are the sacrifices we make for our art. If nothing else, expect me to be the founding member of the Hardcore Division of ComedySportz Indy.

This week turned out to be my favorite so far. We worked on gimmick games, which are those that have some kind of significant twist or gimmick. These tend to be very popular games during matches, and it was a lot of fun to get to play them during class.

We spent some time discussing the games before we played them, which really helped. With each game, we talked about what makes it funny. It sounds simple, but that’s not something a lot of people really stop and think about…we see a game as funny, and just accept it. Knowing what it is the audience tends to react to gives you something to specifically target during the game. I’ve written about my challenge of overthinking games in the past…these gimmick games almost prohibit me from overthinking because I’m focusing on the gimmick itself.

In some of the games we played, the gimmick was physical…such as “Moving Bodies,” where you play out a scene with someone else controlling all of your movements, and “Arms Expert,” where someone plays an expert answering questions on a certain topic, but you don’t use your own arms…someone else provides them from behind. In other games, the gimmick was verbal…including the very funny “Pick a Play,” where three people act out a scene, but two of them can only read lines of dialogue from the scripts of completely unrelated plays.

I loved this week, and actually feel that these are my strongest games. So, if you happen to have me in your improv fantasy league, use me in these games.

One other note…while it will be seen as some kind of improv blasphemy, I haven’t been a huge fan of the warm-up games we’ve done so far (legions of Bippity Bippity Bop fans will have my head for that). But…this week’s warm-ups were a lot of fun. We did a pattern game that was a great focus exercise, and we did a simple word association game that really helped. Sometimes I have trouble thinking of ideas on how to incorporate a suggestion into a scene…doing a simple word association where you just think of the next word that comes to mind helps.

Give it a try…start with any noun, then think of the next word that comes to mind…then repeat. This morning, I went from paper towels to Ferris wheel in ten steps. I mean…I worked all morning. That’s what I did.

This week we focused on performance games using the music and genre work we’ve spent time on over the last few weeks. I think we were all happy to get to the performance games. If I had any athletic ability at all, I would tell you it was like going from doing drills at practice to playing scrimmages. But…I don’t, so I won’t say that.

During the music games, we worked with musical tracks for the first time, rather than singing only a cappella. That, as we learned, is a mixed bag. It’s nice to have some musical support, and I tend to think you sing a little better with music behind you…but, you no longer have the freedom to just sing however you want.

I particularly enjoyed the genre games we did. We started by telling a story with each of the five of us using a different genre/style. I was assigned the style of an investigative reporter, which, being in the media, was especially satisfying (do you know meerkats are killing YOUR children?!?) We also did a game called “Replay,” where we did the same short scene in three different genres, and one called “Split Stage,” where the genre you use depends on what side of the stage you are on.

Ed also provided us with a list of movies and books that are good examples of many of the genres we’ll use. I’ve already watched Gypsy, which showed me that everything Bugs Bunny cartoons taught me about vaudeville is absolutely accurate.

I think this was most fun session we’ve had. Everybody is really coming together well. The energy is higher and higher, and we’re working together better and better. I say this every week, but it’s a lot of fun to see the progress. It makes you realize the time and resources you’re putting into the class are worth it.

To close, I’ll share with you the most challenging bit of advice I got. Ed told me my eyes were going to him too much while I was on stage…he told me to stop looking at him. Anyone who has seen Ed’s glamour shot on the ComedySportz web site knows this is a tough assignment…but I will press through.

One of the things I’ve noticed about the improv workshop I’m taking, at ComedySportz, is that after each class, I find myself wishing we had another session the next day so I could take what we worked on and immediately put it to use. With that said, I certainly did not want to wait two weeks between classes. Before I signed up for the workshop, I had booked and paid for a week at Disney World, which is a trip I take each year. But…wanting to stay sharp, I asked instructor Ed Trout for some solo exercises I could do at the happiest place on earth.

One area that I wanted to concentrate on was pantomiming. In the middle of a scene, it’s easy to forget little details. For example…if you’re getting out of an invisible car, you need to remember to take out your invisible keys and shut the invisible door. One of the exercises Ed sent me was to take note of something you’re doing, then remove all the actual objects and pantomime it. At first, this proved challenging. You spend a whole lot of your time at Disney World waiting in line, and pantomiming that isn’t much different than actually doing it. However, as the week went on, there were plenty of opportunities…getting off and on buses, interacting with characters, taking pictures and even the movements of the rides themselves. Admittedly, I didn’t do the pantomime right after the original action…I waited until I was back in the room. Even in a land of talking mice and evil octopi, that comes off as a little weird.

Another suggested activity was to give yourself a character and play it as you interract with someone else who doesn’t know you’re doing it. Now…it has to be believable. My week one character of a southern physicist bodybuilder might have been tough to pull off, even the land of mouse-talking and villianous octopi. But…just adding an accent or something simple like that is certainly doable. It’s a good exercise in keeping to your character…you can’t accidentally drop your accent or else you’ll have a bit of an awkward explanation to give.

The week was good at Disney World…it always is. But…I’m looking forward to getting back to the actual class as well. Improv, like Disney, is a world where talking animals and almost anything else you can think of has a place.

Check back to read this week’s class blog on Thursday 10/6/2011

Week 2: The Music Man

A lot of the initial nerves that were in place for week one of improv class were not there for week two. I knew my classmates, and it was easy to see that everybody was starting with a higher level of comfort. It was a good thing too…this week’s exercises were all musical.

A lot of people have trouble with public speaking…even more have trouble with public singing. On top of that…the exercises were all a cappella, and for the most part we were singing without backup. Instructor Ed Trout made a point to put us all at ease from the beginning. He said musical improv, above all else, is a lot of fun. I found that to absolutely be the case.

Nobody expected Grammy-nominated performances, but Ed started us off with some basic tips on how to make our voices sound a little better. The exercises began with us all working together on a musical “jam session” and whittled down to us all doing improvised solos. Just like last week the games were challenging. But, as promised, they were also a lot of fun. We all found things we need to work on. For me…it’s trying not to over think what I’m singing about. Said the wise Ed Trout: “The fact that you are singing doo-wop about muskrats is funny on its own.”

To me, the progress we all showed was very encouraging. During the first week, it took us all a while to get out of our shells. For the second week, we all started off with a higher level of energy and confidence, and we were able to build off of that. I wrote last week that it’s not worth taking a class unless it can make you better, and in just one week I think we’re all showing noticeable success. It’s fun to see.

And, as a side note…if the market ever calls for a rock opera about muskrats, bar mitzvahs, Jar Jar Binks, and Alexander the Great’s hair weave (often neglected by history), we’re ready.

I came in truly having no idea what to expect. The class consists of five of us, and we got straight to warming up and improv exercises.

Our instructor is ComedySportz Indianapolis Artistic Director Ed Trout. Having spent just two hours with him, it’s easy to see why he has had so much success in the area. He is incredibly observant and has an astute vision of what should be happening on stage. Perhaps most important of all, he is a terrific communicator and is very specific, constructive and supportive while giving feedback. For someone like me with comedic experience but plenty of room to grow, he is a valuable person to be around.

The focus of this week was scene-building. The truth is…a lot of people are funny, but it takes a lot more skill to translate humor into a specific character and into a specific scene. The exercises focused heavily on certain elements of building a scene, such as establishing and staying with your character or defining and maintaining the environment you’re in.

My first observation was this…the stage is 1000 degrees. Most stages I have been on in my life have been hot, and this one is no exception. It’s like an improv microwave. An improwave.

My second observation…this is truly challenging. I did not go in thinking it would be easy, but the exercises push you out of your comfort zone and force you to face your weaknesses and improve on them. For example, something I’ve learned I need to work on is making quicker decisions about who my character is going to be and what his relationship with the other participants is. During many scenes we started off slowly, but once we got our feet under us and really established who we were and what we were doing, things took off.

Overall, I left week one feeling challenged and encouraged. There is a lot to work on, but a class isn’t worth taking unless it can make you better. This is a class with good students, a great instructor, and a supportive atmosphere. My initial review from Ed: “So far, so good.” I can’t ask for much more than that.

And if nothing else…I spent my Tuesday night as a bitter agent driving through the Bermuda Triangle, an Italian thermal underwear manufacturer, the Jersey Shore producer, and a confused southern professional bodybuilder-physicist. What did you do?

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Bio

My name is Andy Ober. I am Senior Writer/Reporter at Inside INdiana Business. I have worked in the media for more than ten years and have performed comedy in some form or another for just as long. I fell in love with ComedySportz after seeing a few weekend shows and have made it my goal to become part of the group.