Writing about game is trickier than I thought.

2 months and counting on just one article about game. The depressing part about the article is, I realized half way through, that an article about game is pretty useless. I’m still writing it, and you will all see what I’m saying, but at the end of the day game is only a small (yet important) part of scenework.

So, that’s just an update of things over here in improvoker land. I’m still very much alive and kicking. I feel better about improvisation than I ever have and I’ll be sure to write things that don’t require months of editing more often.

Much like this. Thanks for continued support.
-Ben

Anyone who attended This weeks Harold Night at UCBNY got an added bonus to their entry when Chris Gethard, longtime Nights of Our Lives contributor, performed one of his hilarious written pieces after UCB house team 1985. The reason for this impromptu performance was for the story to be recorded for the NPR Radio program This American Life. The story itself was about the Stupidest thing Gethard ever did.

We still are unaware what is to become of this recording, or if and when it will air, but we can only hope the best for Gethard. We’ll let you know if we find out anything more.

• UCBComedy.com, the long awaited streaming video component of the Upright CItizens Brigade website, launches with sketches from UCB’s biggest and brightest.
• Word on the street is UCB New York has tightened up their approval system for getting into upper level classes. The majority of comments in the community is positive, aside from people who didn’t get into said higher level classes.
• UCBNY Harold Night’s 2008 season debuts with some strong performances and enough references to masturbation to appease any high school student.
• The independent scene has been strengthened by teams creating repeating showcases of newer groups at independent venues. This is giving rise to improvisers who are getting very good at performing earlier in their improv training.
• Improv Anywhere looses it’s pants for 2008 across the country.
• MySpace starts looking for Improv Groups

Alright, anything I’m forgetting?

• Raynard, the all new rookie Harold team, debuted at UCB to a solid start. The group shows a strong line up of all new faces, and the return of Amber Petty formerly of Beatrice and T.R.U.C.K.S. They are made up of new performers to the theater, some of which have only just completed 501. I am expecting great things from Raynard, especially as they grow as performers. Students should be especially aware of this group.
• Twelve Thousand Dollars, the all new more seasoned Harold team, debuts the week after. Made up of experienced indie improv performers, belonging to groups from Sherpa and Machine Wash Tuxedo, the team shows amazing poise on it’s first night. Each performer is incredibly strong and has incredible stage presence.
• Sadly, one of my improv groups, Joe Loves Hobos, is disbanded after enough members decide that never having a bad show is reason enough to never have another one. RIP JLH.
• Under St. Marks cooks with weekend indie team performances of Rogue Elephant, Sherpa, Moonshine, Shark Tank, and the debut of Bad Data. I am reminded how much I love USM as a performance space.
• UCB Harold Night features the one year anniversary of fwänd, the team created with the remaining members of Mailer Daemon, who performed a death Harold.

Not a particularly interesting post by any stretch, but a post none the less. Perhaps I will expand further, perhaps not. Now that I have a blank slate to write more… expect more silence.

We have also received quite a few comments with suggestions on where to stick them. Thanks guys. Thanks a lot.

Mitchell Adenuga esq.
Principal Attorney
Alpha Juries Chambers
12 John sole street Amuwo
Lagos Nigeria

Dear Whitehouse,

Compliments. I am writing to inform you, that you happen to be the next of kin to my late client Mr. Morris Whitehouse an oil contractor who died along with his immediate family in the ill-fated plane crash involving a Boeing 727 UTA chartered flight that took off from Cotonou, Republic of Benin and crashed into the Atlantic ocean on Thursday, 25 December 2003. About 111 passengers were killed. For details of the plane crash, please visit:

www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash

The money for his last contract with Mobil Oil Producing Limited was paid into his account before his death and only his kin that bears the same surname can come for the claim and for the past 3 years nobody has come, I am contacting you to come forward for the claim of the funds so the money can be paid to you after which you would pay me 20% of the total amount as payment for my legal fees and holding fees for the past 3 years.

The policy of the Bank however stipulates a limited time period for such inheritance to be made or the fund will be written off going by the record of the incident, the time limit for the claim is closing up. In this consideration, I am contacting you to make haste for your right, remember the total sum of money is US$9.1M (Nine million, one hundred thousand U.S dollars only).
Contact me back for further instructions on how to proceed to claim these funds, providing me your private telephone numbers for easy communication.

Yours truly,

Mr. Mitchell Adenuga Esq.
Principal Attorney
Alpha Juries Chambers

Next round of drinks on me.

Long have I held the belief that a packed audience for any show, including a graduation show, is the key to a great performance. Today the New York times in an article What’s So Funny? Well, Maybe Nothing cites a study which further proves that having familiar people (in your social circle) in the audience, will lead to easy laughs for you.

Laughter can be used cruelly to reinforce a group’s solidarity and pride by mocking deviants and insulting outsiders, but mainly it’s a subtle social lubricant. It’s a way to make friends and also make clear who belongs where in the status hierarchy.

The study showed that people put in a situation where they needed support, or felt at a disadvantage, were far more likely to laugh at even the lamest of jokes. This might also be an explanation why some improvisers find themselves laughing on the first day of classes out of nervousness of not being accepted.

Primal laughter evolved as a signaling device to highlight readiness for friendly interaction, sophisticated social animals such as mammals need an emotionally positive mechanism to help create social brains and to weave organisms effectively into the social fabric.

While there still is no magical formula for creating the perfect joke and getting an easy laugh, this is interesting news for performers seeking laughter.  Although my favorite joke still remains this one.

I really have to hand it to the inventors of the OhMiBod. It’s an iPod compatible vibrator. An ViBrator if you will. Even though it’s a little naughty, I am totally loving the concept of a sexual aid that is iPod compatible.

I had to post a picture of it, only because I couldn’t believe it until I saw it.

Now to bring it back to improv… um… this is a clear example of designers playing a game to the fullest.

Sorry, that was incredibly weak segue.

Welcome to the future. I hope you brought your flashlight.

Okay, I think I’ve figured it out - As such, I’de like to introduce you to our new site design. I’d been meaning to fix a few problems that didn’t play well with IE, but hopefully they are all fixed… If you’re having any troubles, please feel free to drop me a line… or look at it in Firefox. I’ve still got a lot of work to do, so please be careful of sharp corners.

Talk about embarrassing.

I won’t get into the specifics right now, but we had a teacher change more than half way through the class to Neil Casey, who blew our minds. It not only changed my perception of scene-work, but also changed my perception of game playing.

I’ve also signed up for my first sketch writing class, with the illustrious Chicago improvisor Armando Diaz, at Magnet Theater which starts Wednesday. I’ve never taken any sketch before, but after acting in a sketch, at UCB’s Liquid Courage for a friend, I was inspired to start writing. I, of course, hit a few road blocks and decided that perhaps some tutelage would be useful.

All right, I’ll be back in the saddle shortly. Thanks again for the concern. I am not dead.

(sigh)

Good news, ASSSSCAT was incredible. So that’s good… sorry… no where else to go with this post.

1. I will not, under any circumstances buy a bagel from somebody who doesn’t understand what just a schmear means. A schmear of course meaning way too much cream-cheese and having to scrape some off with the paper wrapper clumsily on the train.
2. I will use the word hamantashen more in conversation, and will forcibly find ways to insert it if necessary.
3. I will honor my mother’s wishes to find a nice jewish girl and settle down with already. What are you trying to do, break your mother’s heart? And why don’t you come to the Upper West Side to visit your mother more regularly? You look thin, you want some something to eat?
4. I will stop riding the train to bensonhurst to hang out with the orthadox community, no matter how much I want to wear a big fuzzy hat.
5. I will not under any circumstances watch this video.

Happy 5767. Since I was born in 1977, That makes me 3790 years old. I have to say I look pretty good for my age.

Sorry for not getting this out earlier, but I didn’t see the announcement on the UCB:NY website until Sunday afternoon, and just managed to get tickets myself. Hopefully this will reach folks before the show, if not, I’ll be sure to have a review of the show for those of yall who missed it. Sorry about that.

And today I check my weather thing and guess what? More rain. This forecast has been the same for the last week, one more day and then it’s going to be sunny, but the sun never comes, only the rain.

The Bastion

Many advanced people would come to I.O. from Second City and think that agreement meant they had to say YES to everything. They didn’t understand that agreement was between the actors - not the characters. Whenever I would explain away the confusion, they were always amazed and relieved because they were continually sacrificing their integrity on stage. I thought it would be a good idea to expound on some of these ideas and help to strengthen the concepts we built long ago regarding team work.

I wonder how Charna got her name?