Free Popcorn | 9 years of Phoenix Comedy

It is interesting that I am actually writing this on the official 9 year anniversary of Jester’Z Improv Comedy. It is hard to believe that we burst onto the Phoenix comedy scene 9 years ago. And although this is our official anniversary date we are officially celebrating this weekend (March 19th & 20th). And we are celebrating by giving free popcorn to every one that comes to Jester’Z Improv Comedy this weekend! Not only have we given free entrance into Jester’Z Improv for all March birthdays, but we are now giving free popcorn this weekend!

BUT I have to warn everyone because we want to be fair… you have to make reservations early! Gone are the days of making reservations the day of. Most of our 8pm shows are sold out the day before or the morning of the show. Particularly this month when we have given free admission to all the March birthdays in Phoenix! So make your reservations ASAP! | 480-423-0120

SEE YOU THERE!

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Emotion #2 | Phoenix Comedy Classes

I have said this before but it is once again important to talk again and again about characters emotions. If the exposition of a scene is the foundation, then the emotion is the meat.

In our beginning class we work a lot on emotion because it is a hard principle to apply to scene work, particularly when you start improvising. When initially studying improv we are told to have characters, so we either create characters that are shallow, with vague point of views and undefined emotion or we input ourselves into scenes and situation that we have no point of view about and/or no connection with. The problem with both of these scenarios is that with out a point of view or emotional substance there is no way scene partners can find the relationship within the scene. Instead we rely on our own wit or “the joke”, instead of relying on relationship, emotion and connection.
Here are a couple of ideas that can help you focus on emotion:

1. Have a Point of View – If you have a point of view you can have an emotional response to scenarios with in scenes.
2. Respond Emotionally – So often players are given gifts in scenes that are listened to but denied because we do not respond emotionally.
3. Silence – I think Alanis Morissette said it best, “Why are you so petrified of silence?” Silence can be an improvisers most precious tool… Silence can such the audience into your scene like nothing else can.
3.5. Shut Up – This is a .5 to silence because when someone is trying to build silence it is just as important that his/her scene partner to puts a period on their statement.
4. Be Real – Give real honest responses to situations! In a scene it is so easy to deny a player emotionally by not responding honestly. True responses are what make improv funny.

One of the best scenes I have ever seen came this last week in our beginning class. It was a break up scene, the women in the scene didn’t feel understood. The guy was shocked because he loved her but realizing that what he was doing in the relationship wasn’t enough and asked what he could do. The women said it was too late… And the emotion in that scene was so real that the guy couldn’t even respond and a lingering silence grew until the entire class was laughing hysterically. What made it funny was the realization that we had all been in that situation before and had felt that same way… Nothing in this scene wad funny, but everyone still laughed because of the truth of the scene.

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Don’t Panic | Jester’Z Improv

Douglas Adam’s said that the one of the reasons why the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was such a huge hit was because it had, Don’t Panic, writing in friendly letters on the front cover. He was of course referring to his fictional guide to space exploration. However, we can take a great deal from those two words, Don’t Panic.

Particularly when you are first starting out in improv but also after you have been performing for years, we sometimes have a tendency to panic on stage… this happens even more when you are in front of an audience. This, panic, is cause by several things… unconnected scene work, lackluster audience response, denial on stage. Whatever the cause may be it is important that you not panic.

Here a couple of things to do when you feel a panic come along in an improv scene:

1. remember to listen – one of the most fundemental principles in improv and often the first to go out the door when you start to panic.
2. relationships – probably the reason you are starting to panic is because you scene have no relationship. nothing to connect with the audience.
3. forget the audience – okay, so don’t for get the audience all together, but start playing for yourself, put the fun back in improv.
4. be patient – the opposite of panic is patient. Trust the scene and the players you are working with. Trust the art of improv and remember the fundamentals.

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