LIFE IS JUST IMPROV, AFTER ALL!

And sometimes, Improv lands you in the ER.

During my first ten years performing in live theatre, I’d experienced several times when improvisation was critical to saving a scene.

On opening night of an Arts Off Broadway production of “Hairspray” in 2011, a few young actors had missed a line or two, but it was doubtful anyone in the audience would have known.   However, missing a line is nothing compared to missing a scene.

From my Journal, March 25, 2011:

            Missing his cue wasn’t the only problem for our Corny Collins (Trevor Sanderson).  I was onstage as Spritzer with Velma von Tussle (Cheryl Cameron) when Corny was supposed to come on and join in our dialogue, but as it turned out, Trevor was downstairs in the dressing room unaware that our scene was going on at all!  As Velma and I vamped for a while and it became apparent Trevor would not be joining us, I simply adlibbed, “well, if Corny were here I’m sure he’d tell us…” and delivered his line.  Thirty seconds later, after hearing me say his line on the dressing room speakers, he bounded on stage to continue.

Not every need for an adlib comes as drastically as that.  As I wrote about previously on Substack, Paul Rodgriguez in Teatro Mascara Magica’s production of “The Odd Couple” worked a few adlibs into the early performances and stuck with them because they always elicited laughter (that was, after all, a Latino spin on the play, and no one was quicker than Paul for an appropriate quip).

In a STAR Repertory Theatre production of the musical “Matilda” years later, another opportunity for an improvised moment arose in response to a “gift” from the audience.

From my Journal, December 8, 2019:

            My best performance as Mr. Wormwood.  The funniest thing happened as an adlib in the scene where because Matilda had put glue in my hat, I couldn’t get it off, and after contorting myself in the oddest way, did a somersault onstage and ended up sitting, butt on the floor.  My tumble got little reaction from the audience, but suddenly, in the completely silent theatre, a little kid in the balcony could be heard saying “I can do that.”  I looked up, gave it a beat, and shot back, “yeah, well just try it at my age!”  The audience howled.  Best moment of the run.

I always admired those moments at a speech or concert or performance where the clever, unscripted response or retort can bring down the house.  I’d seen and enjoyed the wonderful John Kelly and his PseudoRandomNoise group’s improv shows in Temecula, but as was the case before I “discovered” I could perform in live theatre, I had no idea there were opportunities out there for everyday guys like me to perform improv onstage.

That was, until in late 2018, when I went to a performance at National Comedy Theatre in San Diego, which presented improv comedy with different casts four nights a week.  I discovered that they offered classes at different levels and thought it would be a wonderful experience which my girlfriend Cynthia and I could share on a weekly basis.  We signed up!

From my Journal, January 11, 2019:

            Saturday.  Cynthia and I went to National Comedy Theatre at 3:30 for our first improv class; I signed us up for their introductory six-week course.  It was a lot of fun: I think we did very well.  An interesting mix of 15 students; some wannabe stand-up comics, some everyday men and women who just want to improve their people skills (and were funnier than the would-be comedians).  Two hours went by very quickly.

In the early classes there was an emphasis on pantomime and space work (creating the environment on stage), and I would frequently mention how seemingly fast the two hours would speed by.  In fact, the full six weeks sped by, and our introductory course wrapped up, leaving us hungry for more.  As well, we forged a great comradery with our fellow students, who became quick friends.

February 17. 2019:

            Went to the sixth and final Improv class at National Comedy Theatre this afternoon.  The intro course has been a lot of fun.  Steve Hohman was a great teacher…we all went out after class for a beer down the street.  We’ll sign up for the second level class as soon as there’s an opening in our schedule.

As they sometimes say, “life gets in the way.”  We did get around to the next round of classes, though, after a few months with many other things on our calendar.

April 23, 2019:

            Cynthia & I had our first class in Level 2 Improv with National Comedy Theatre in their Point Loma space tonight.  It was a much smaller class than Level 1, which meant more time on stage, which was great.  I didn’t feel totally loose up there tonight, though.  Perhaps I was overthinking everything, or just tired from the long workday.  It felt good to get back into it, though.

One of the great things about doing improv, or theatre of any type, is that it takes you away from all thoughts of work, or issues in the outside world.  I frequently remarked that for two hours, I hadn’t thought once about troublesome issues that had been on my mind the rest of the day.

I also was learning a lot.

May 7, 2019:

            Felt like I kept hitting roadblocks in class.  Gary Kramer was full of good advice.  I need to have patience on stage and not rush the story; and not to go for the cheap joke (I had the class laughing with a few, but Gary called them “low-hanging fruit”).

May 21, 2019:

            A very uplifting night at NCT improv class.  Cynthia and I were both clicking, and the biggest critique I got from Gary was to be more realistic and try to amplify the situations, as building realistic scenes can amplify the comedy.

Level Two led into Level Three, and I was seeing distinct improvement not only in myself, but the others who had been in earlier classes as well.  We were enjoying our third teacher, Casey Gardner, and working our way toward a live improv performance in front of an audience of invited friends and family.  That led to a few nervous moments.

June 25, 2019:

            Enjoyed Improv class with Casey tonight: we both performed well (as did everyone) and it felt so good.  In another three weeks we’ll be on stage in front of an audience.  Don’t yet know how I’ll feel about THAT evening!  I’m just enjoying doing improv with our little group of performers right here in the class.

July 16, 2019:

            Tonight Cynthia & I attended our sixth and final Level 3 Improv class at National Comedy Theatre.  We spent the session prepping for Wednesday night’s Showcase in front of a live audience.  It was good fun tonight – I’m going to miss Improv class, but perhaps we can continue with one or two of their “elective” classes later in the year.

At last, the big night…our first time performing improv in front of a live, paying audience.  The culmination of months of classes led to this moment; though I’d appeared on stage in plays for ten years, this was nothing like that.  A recurring nightmare I (and many other actors) have is that we’re about to go onstage in a show but have completely forgotten all our lines. The curtain is about to rise, and what the heck do you do? What do you say that first moment when there’s no script in your head?

July 18, 2019:

            At 7pm Cynthia & I met the rest of our “classmates” at NCT to warm up for the 7:30 show, a 90-minute performance with eleven games we’d been working toward through 18 weeks of classes.  Everyone wore our NCT shirts and (after Casey warmed up the audience) ran onto the stage, had our introductions, and went right into the first game, “What are you Doing?”  At one point, near the end, I had to come up with an activity starting with the letters T and C.  When Ruddy turned to me already laughing at our previous line, and said “what are WE doing?” I answered “Terrible Comedy.”  The audience roared.

            I enjoyed playing Crime Story and Chain Murder; Cynthia did great with Blind Lines and we all scored with Freeze Tag.  It was all great fun, and I would have loved to continue for another 90 minutes or more!

            A lot of coworkers, friends and family had come to watch us, and after the show everyone from the class got together at Shakespeare’s Pub next door.  As we all said goodbye, I felt nothing but great after this best evening enjoyed on stage since playing Fagin in “Oliver!” a year and a half ago.

NCT Level 3 performers, July 2019 (above)

Cynthia and I continued our experience with National Comedy Theatre by taking a series of elective classes, each series of six weeks focusing on a different style of improv.  In November and December 2018, it was Long Form Improv, where we delved deeper into story development.  Elements of our lessons made it seem more like an acting class than a comedy class, but demonstrably improved our scene work.

In January 2019, we started what Cynthia and I agree was our favorite of the elective courses, Musical Improv.

January 8, 2019:

            Our first Musical Improv class at NCT Liberty Station.  There were 15 in the class, and everyone was talented…if not vocally, then humorously.  We had a good time tonight, and I was amazed by how many different elements of singing improv we’re going to be focusing on over the six weeks.  John-Michael Maury is a ball of fire as the teacher.  I’m enjoying this!

Indeed, there were many different elements of music on which we focused.  Week two was spent on musical rhyming games, high on my list of favorites.  We came to love John-Michael Maury, who was full of energy, very complimentary and enthusiastic toward everyone.  You could tell he loves musical improv.

There was a second Musical Improv class held later, but before that, NCT held an audition for their “House Teams,” sort of like the minor leagues of baseball, where prospective talent works out and plays before rising to the big leagues (in NCT’s case, their “Sunday Company” would be Triple A, and “Mainstage” is their Major League team).

On February 24, 2019, Cynthia and I went to NCT to audition, where over 60 minutes, 23 performers had a few minutes each on stage to show their skills, from which perhaps a half dozen would advance.  I judged my own performance as only so-so, remarking that it would be nice to get an invitation to join the House Teams, but didn’t see it coming from that day’s performance.

We continued taking elective courses including Advanced Scene Work, Duos (where I had the chance to team up with Ruddy, a great improv talent, for six weeks of exercises and rehearsal leading to another Showcase), and Musical Improv 2 (once again, our favorite).

July 16, 2019:

            Tonight was our Musical Improv Showcase at National Comedy Theatre, where 13 of us from our six-week Level 2 course got to perform in front of a full house!  And it was fantastic.  Everyone did a great job – Cynthia was amazing doing Madrigal, Emotional Chorus and Fairy Tale Theatre “Jack & the Beanstalk” as Jack’s girlfriend being held by the giant.  I enjoyed getting to do Fairy Tale Theatre as well, playing Little Miss Muffett of all things, and really loved singing an opera aria in the “Greatest Hits” rendition “Songs of the Janitor.”

If all this sounds bizarre, it is, but you must see it to enjoy it!

            Everyone had a chance tonight to shine in three games, plus the “fun-raiser” finale.  It was all very satisfying, and exactly why I wanted to take these classes to begin with.  I just love that feeling when there’s a magical moment that everything clicks, and you somehow say something very clever followed by great laughter from the audience.

When NCT started an “Extension Class,” an on-going weekly opportunity for advanced lessons led on a monthly rotating basis by their Mainstage performers, Cynthia and I signed up.  Each of our instructors brought something new to the class.  Corey Husted gave us great respect as performers which upped our game.  Casey Gardner gave me one great tip when I asked how you get over not knowing a person or event that’s suggested for a scene (“never be embarrassed if you don’t know who the person or what the event suggestion is…the first time you hear it.  If you don’t know it the second time it’s suggested, that’s on you”).  Alison Milardovich, Jessica Burtness, Matt McDonald and Jen & Marc Crespo also brought great insight into the process as teachers over the ensuing months.

Then came Covid.

Classes stopped abruptly along with the rest of in-person activities and entertainment in mid-March 2020.

By September NCT had resurrected the Extension class online via Zoom, and it was fun playing the games that we were able to play in the absence of physical proximity.  It did take a while to get into the groove, but once we did, it was fun. Great instructors including Elysa Jeter, Alan Ng and others including some mentioned previously were making the best of a challenging situation.  One particularly inspiring moment for me came after an online class just a few months before NCT was ready to re-open in person.

From my Journal, April 29, 2021

            Stayed on the call with Alan Ng a while after everyone had left, and he asked me if I was on a house team…a great compliment which I’ve received from other instructors as well.  Alas, though I’ve auditioned twice, I haven’t been asked.  I think I’d find it particularly challenging, primarily because I lack a solid knowledge of pop culture these days.  Suggestions in games frequently end up being some boy band or video game I’ve never heard of.  Whether it’s more classes or house teams, I just want to play more often.  It’s energizing and I love it.

Extension class did reopen in December 2021, and it was great to get back onto a stage again.  Among the Mainstage performers who oversaw our classes were Sharon Skare. Gordie Fitzgerald, Ernie Goyette, Richie Ploesch and Patrick Jeter.

By spring of 2022 I had doubts I’d ever receive an invitation to join an NCT House Team. So it was a pleasant surprise when I got a call in early June that I had been hoping for all along.

June 6, 2022:

            Picked up Cynthia at the Old Town train station at 8 and was enjoying dinner at Guadalajara when I got a call from Gary Kramer, who asked me if I’d like to join one of the National Comedy Theatre house teams.  Of course I said yes…I’ve wanted to for a long time.  This will give me the chance to have more time on stage, in front of an audience, and really drill down on how to improve my performance with the best of the best.

The next week I was at my first rehearsal with the house teams (six teams of six or seven, three of which perform in front of an audience on one night alternating on the first and second Thursdays of each month).  Jonah Weinberg, a tremendous player in the Mainstage cast, oversees the House Team rehearsals and emcees the shows.

At my first rehearsal I met my team, “Inside Joke,” and members Mitch Simon, Kirstin Halvin, and Michelle Laaper.  Courtney Chapman was also on the team, but after one performance with her on a show night, she was promoted to the Sunday Company.  Other performers would join the team, and we’d meet, usually in my home, once or twice a month to rehearse in addition to the all-House Team rehearsals in the theatre twice a month.

June 23, 2022:

            My first performance on the NCT stage as a member of House Team Inside Joke, and we did pretty well (okay, not so well with “Beastie Rap”), and got a good number of laughs.  No home runs, but I’ll take the consistent doubles.  My favorite line was in “World’s Worst,” coming up with the world’s worst slogan for the state of Maryland: “Don’t take a long look, ‘jes’ a peek’” (Chesapeake).  Jonah and a few people in the audience got it…not many, but that was okay.

            It felt great to be performing on the improv stage again.  The level of talent is tremendous, and the notes we all received after the show were very valuable, quick and to the point. 

With my “House Team” members Courtney Chapman, Kristin Halvin, Mitch Simon and Michelle Laaper in September 2022 (above). “Good Advice, Bad Advice” with Mitch Simon (below)

Since that night I’ve been rehearsing and performing regularly, enjoying being part of not only my House Team, but also the entire National Comedy Theatre family.  At annual summer picnics and Christmas parties, joined by Sunday Company and Mainstage performers, I feel respected as an equal, and that’s very gratifying. 

In addition to actual critiques and tips from Jonah and others, I’ve frequently attended the others’ shows and picked up tidbits by watching those at the top and keeping a journal of things I should remember.  One of the things I’ve felt (and continue to feel) I need to do is to put more physicality into my performance (the house teamers I watched advance to Sunday Company level all had good physicality on stage).  That led to one night at rehearsal where I…well…frankly, overdid it.

From my Journal, November 30, 2023:

            At House Team rehearsal tonight I got up to be in a scene where the audience suggestion was “circus.”  I started the scene offstage while my fellow performers established the who, what, where of it, and I’d come on about a minute or so later.  Well, they set up the scene as jugglers, and I decided I would walk on as an acrobat.  And what could be more entertaining for the audience than an acrobat who enters doing a somersault!  So that’s what I did, thinking I was only 25 years old, but very quickly realizing I am decades older!

            I got up from the somersault, too dizzy to keep my balance, and lunged forward into a corner of the wall near the back of the stage, hitting it smack with my shoulder.  Bounced right from there into my fellow actor John Weisbarth’s arms.  As painful as that was, my actor’s sense kicked in and I brushed it off with a joke as we moved on with the scene.

After the scene Corinne Yarbrough, my fellow performer who is also a physician, took a look and suggested I go to the ER to have it checked out.  I took that advice, and after five hours at UCSD, took a Lyft home and started my recouperation (no dislocation, no broken bones…just a lot of swelling and pain which was mitigated by medication…it also helped that Cynthia is a registered nurse).

I was back on stage performing one week later, dedicated to continuing my growth as an improv artist but drawing the line at somersaults, cartwheels, and flips.  Most of all, continuing to enjoy myself, and having fun with a great group of people at National Comedy Theatre

For those reading this who may be looking for a fun activity to do as a single or a couple, joining an improv class wherever you live is a great way to build confidence and creative skills, release stress, improve listening and social interaction, as well as have a great time and a few laughs.  In San Diego, I recommend signing up at www.nationalcomedy.com.