Worst. Day. Ever! (Updated 08/30/2003)

Yesterday was the Worst. Day. Ever! I had taken the day off so me and Megan could have a nice long holiday weekend together. However, at 10am, I got a call from work, and while I won't go into the nature of the problem, it took up the better part of my morning until about 1pm. Needless to say, it was a problem that was a) serious enough not to be able to be tabled until Tuesday; and b) one that could cost me a pretty penny.

So I'm juggling that problem around, when I noticed that my bank account was several thousand dollars short. Seems the deposit I had made Wednesday with my bonus from work had just up and disappeared. I called the bank... was there a problem with the deposit? "What deposit?" they asked. They couldn't even SEE the deposit I'd made Wednesday.

Luckily, I'm a little paranoid. You may say, "Mark, paranoia is a bad thing," to which I'd reply, "yes, except I'm proven right far, far too often." So, BECAUSE I'm paranoid, I'd kept my deposit receipt. That was troubling to the bank, because now I had proof I'd made a rather sizeable deposit, despite the bitchy supervisor's (one of the two I happened to run across yesterday) word that no deposit had ever been made. See, tangible evidence is problematic for the bitchy and the wrong.

So now I'm juggling this shit with work (which had the potential to cost me a fair amount of money), and the loss of my entire deposit (which was potentially the loss of an even LARGER amount of money). Team Henderson was looking and an economic shortfall of devastating proportions. Needless to say, day one of "Mark 'n' Megan's Luxurious Holiday Weekend" was turning out to be a complete fucking nightmare.

Around 1pm, my area manager gave me a call at home, and we were able to work out the problem I was having "on the job," at least for the time being. So that part of my shitty day was put to bed, as much as it could be before next week. The problem with the bank? Not going away. Why? Because Jacqueline (also known as Jackie) and Nea, the two supervisors at the TCF Bank branch in the Jewel/Osco store on Broadway at Addison were a) not being helpful; and b) getting surly with me because I apparently had a problem with, and this is out of there mouths "trusting us to get this taken care of in the next FEW DAYS." (I put the last two words in bold to highlight them).

Yep, it seems they didn't want to have to spend extra time looking for my lost deposit, because it was EATING INTO THE BEGINNING OF THEIR NICE, LONG WEEKEND! And by 5pm, they'd only mananged to put a call into their supervisor; they hadn't checked the problem AT ALL from their end. They knew there was a check (because it was sizeable enough that they had to xerox it; anything over $1000 gets xeroxed), and they had my copy of the receipt, but they didn't look any further. How do I know? Because, in addition to being paranoid, I'm a complete fucking prick when I think I'm being screwed over. That being the case, I made phone call after phone call up the chain to the supervisor's office who was in charge of the entire state. And with each phone call, I mentioned that, if the problem wasn't cleared up that day, I would be documenting the details, and my next phone calls would be to the Sun-Times, the Tribune, the State Attorney's office, and the Chicago branch of the Fed (because the deposit was big enough that if it disappeared, the Fed would actually have to investigate).

Funny when you mention talkin to folks outside the organization in question how quickly things get resolved. Despite the two bitchy supervisors' claims that everything had been handled correctly from their branch, and that the problem had to be elsewhere, a young woman named Monica, who worked for the guy at the top, managed to find AND CORRECT the problem in 15 minutes. How? She actually LOOKED at the deposit. You remember me saying that I had the receipt? And that the branch supervisors had gone over that receipt? Well, apparently their are numbers that, when actually looked at, would tell you where my money was. And apparently the teller who had deposited my money didn't really deposit my money (at least into my account). It went "somewhere else... other than your account." And was easily found and put back where it belonged... all because Monica bothered to do the work.

So... no more actually talking to the ignorant, surly, bitchy people at the branch location of TCF at Jewel/Osco on Broadway at Addison. No, from now on, it goes into the ATM, which, as I found out, NEVER makes the error the teller did. It can't.

Black Sheep update (Updated 08/30/2003)

Okay, so I promised you and update about the Sheep's upcoming show... here it is. Beginning October 19 and running through November 23 on Sundays at 8pm at WNEP Theater (on Halsted at Belmont), the Black Sheep will be presenting "Black Sheep: The Shearing," a one-hour long-form improvisation. We're still fine-tuning the form, so I won't say any more about it. Tickets will be $10, and beginning September 14, you can make reservations for tickets at 773-576-6275.

Also, Andrea Swanson ends here summer sabbatical and returns to begin rehearsing with us again September 14, bringing us once again back to that magic number of six. I really like working with Andrea, and I think she's really going to like working with this group. So I'm excited about that!

My shit smells really funny today (Updated 08/30/2003)

Megan and I went to Monsoon, a new Indian restaurant on Broadway. We went there for Vietnamese food because an acquaintance of Megan's told her, "Monsoon's a really great place to get Vietnamese food!" Oh, well... India and Vietnam are at least on the same continent.

So, for an appetizer, we get the cold beef and noodle salad, which is comprised of cold beef, noodles, and a really spicy sauce of garlic and crushed red pepper. For dinner, I had the rack of lamb, which was lamb dry-rubbed with Indian herbs and spices, served with a wild mushroom ragout (which was excellent... I don't even LIKE mushrooms and I liked this), and Bombay-style potatoes. What does that mean? Apparently you boil some potatoes, and cover them in a bright green sauce made of garlic and mint. LOTS of mint.

The upshot? My poop smells garlicky, spicy and minty all at once. Thank God Megan left the house for a couple of hours. The cats are hiding on the sun-porch, giving me disapproving looks.

Why does my body hate me so? (Updated 08/10/2003)

Okay, so after years of abuse and neglect, I decided it was time to shape up or ship out. That meant getting in shape and quitting smoking. Two things brought me to this decision. The first was my turning 38 this last May. I decided I wanted to be in better shape at 40 than I was at 30. This *ought* to be an easy task. When I turned 30, I was already in the last year of my marriage (although I didn't know it then). I was living in Schaumburg with a woman who I barely saw, I had no friends (outside of "our" friends) who lived in the 'burbs, I wasn't writing, and I wasn't doing any form of theater. I was smoking and eating to pass the time. As a result, I was smoking a pack and a half a day, and I weighed over 300 lbs. I was living that joke about husbands dying before their wives... you know, "why do husbands die before their wives? Because they WANT to."

So, with the big 4-0 a scant two years away, I wanted to get myself down to a weight I hadn't seen since college... 200 lbs. Now, according to the BMI (which I believe is horse-shit), my PERFECT weight is 185. However, what that doesn't take into context is my extremely Scottish physique. I have an extremely LONG torso, with relatively short legs. It's true, take a look at me. If you see me sitting next to someone who is proportioned correctly, I would be the same height as someone who's about 6' 2". But then we both stand up, and the person with the correct proportions is three inches taller than me. I don't get upset by that, though. I'M perfectly proportioned to run through the Highlands. Long legs trip you up in mountainous territory. Go, Scotland! No, I'm happy with my body type... but torso weight and leg weight... two entirely different things. Long story short, I'm in excellent shape at 200 lbs for my body type.

The second thing was when we went camping three weeks ago. I smoked a LOT sitting by the campfire, drinking Beam and ginger ale. A LOT. Like two packs a day. So much so that when Megan and I went for a hike through the woods, I was getting winded. So, as I finished my last pack Saturday night by the campfire, I decided that I smoke too much, and that I was quitting immediately. Cold turkey. And I did.

So, the smoking was done, now to get in shape. We got back from our camping trip, and I went and met with a representative of the Metroplex down the street from us. Seriously, just a half block away... too close to say it was difficult to get to. I went in, signed a contract, and paid for six months up-front. Why? Because I'm Scottish... haven't you been listening? I figured if I paid up-front, I'd go, at least for six months... because I'm too cheap to let that money go down the drain. I also paid for four sessions with a personal trainer so I could get my work-out sessions set up in a way that would work best for me.

So here I am, not smoking and beginning to work out for the first time in something like 15 years, eating healthy and all, and what's the upshot? I feel like SHIT! My body is revolting against me for causing all this turmoil. I hurt my back, I'm irritable, my gut's all funky.

Feh.

Leaving the "Comfort Zone" (Updated 08/10/2003)

While I've decided to throw my body into disarray and take it out of it's comfort zone for it's own damn good, the Black Sheep's resident director and guru, Todd Edwards, decided to do the same for the Sheep. A couple of weeks ago, Todd walked into rehearsal and told us that he had and announcement for us... which, of course, gave us a scare, because we obviously thought that he was going to tell us he could no longer continue directing us. Instead, he told us that we would be doing a six to eight week run of hour-long solo shows at a venue outside of the Playground sometime before the end of the year. He thought we needed to stretch and grow as a group; that this line-up of the Sheep had the ability and strengths to do a long-form show, and that we needed to do it someplace that didn't feel like home. We needed to make a name for ourselves, not just as one of the (if not the) best groups at the Playground, but as one of the best groups in the city of Chicago.

We've decided to take up the gauntlet. First things first... I called around to see if anyone even had space AVAILABLE before the end of the year... and that whittled the names down rather quickly. We were left with only two theaters on this side of town that had what we wanted when we wanted, and then we decided to go with the one that was more in our price-range... we booked a run of six weeks on Sunday nights at 8pm at WNEP Theater on Halsted at Belmont, beginning the end of October.

Next, I approached John Eiberger to do our poster design and Stephanie Hoerner to be our technical director. With those two on board, the other, final outside piece of the puzzle was marketing, and we hired Don Hall and his company Pitbull PR to handle that. Now, the rest was up to us.

Today, we'll be meeting for brunch to figure out the title of our show and set up a time for group photos. With those two things, Don can get the marketing machine rolling. The Sheep and Todd will then have to find a form we want to do and work it for the next two months.

I find this specific type of pressure exhilirating!

Congratulations, Jen and Don! (Updated 07/14/2003)

This last weekend, Megan and I attended the wedding of Don Hall and Jennifer Ellison, the good folks who run WNEP Theater. I have to tell you, it was one of the most fun, wonderful, amazing weddings I've ever been to. Jen and Don, I wish you nothing but love and luck. I don't believe there have ever been two people more perfectly suited for each other, or more in love.

Season of Change (Updated 07/14/2003)

Well, 2003 is certainly looking to be a year that, initially at least, is marked by change. Not to get off on to much of a rant, but when did the daily grind become so MUCH of a grind? Almost everyone I know talks about how bad their job sucks right now... if they're even lucky enough to HAVE a job. I mean, I know the economy is in the shitter, but does that mean that all of us will have to keep going into a shitty atmosphere at work until things turn around? You know, the more I think about it, the more I want to line up every stupid fuck who voted for Ralph Nader and kick them in the balls. The reason I heard for most people voting for Nader was because they wanted a change, and there was no real difference between Gore and Bush. Really? You think so? You think it's even POSSIBLE that anyone could have screwed the national pooch as hard as George W.? Well, you got what you wanted. We got a BIG fucking change. We got a ultra-conservative, ultra-hawk, ultra-paranoid government in place (including the ever popular Nazi-esque Secretary for Homeland Defense, Uber Alles). We got an economy that has gone into a power dive. Yep, you got your change. Of course, to get that change, the majority of voters had to be fucked over so YOU COULD MAKE YOUR FUCKING POINT. Ugh. I'm serious... if you voted for Ralph Nader, you ought to go out and knock on doors and apologize to every person that answers for fucking things up so very, very badly. Stupid ultra-liberal twit.

Another big area of change... Atticus Finch. I had a conversation with them a while ago, and I think it will point them in a very positive direction. I told them that I had taken them about as far as they were going to go with me directing them. We've been working together for nearly two years, and I had brought them from a fledgling Incubator team to Pilot Member team to full Playground Member group. That was my initial goal for them. I felt (and still feel) that my job with them was over. And frankly, they could seriously benefit from a new voice to listen to. If I had never worked with them before, and came in today, sure... I think we could work together positively for a good long while. But the truth is that after nearly two years, our relationship has grown to such a point that I don't think I can motivate them as well as I did when the group was a-borning. So we had that conversation, and I'll admit it was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a long time, because I really do love each and every member of that group. Directing them has been one of the greatest priveleges of my life. Walking away from that is very, very hard. But I honestly believe it's the right thing to do. They're a strong enough ensemble now for them to move on. And as I told them, the Finches will never have a bigger fan than me.

Let's see, what else? The Sheep have had some turn-over... we lost Christine Sinacore to Noo Yawk and Megan Hovde to... doing less stuff. We were pretty close to losing Ed O'Rourke back to Boston, but he's sticking it out for now, and Andrea Swanson took the summer off to recharge her creative spirit. So Ray Mees, who had come onboard with us at the beginning of April, and myself were looking at a VERY long summer schedule of two-man shows.

Which was not a thrilling prospect. So we talked about hanging up our spurs... saying good-bye to the Sheep. Which was not a thrilling prospect, either. So we put our heads together, and had a few beers, and an idea began to form... what if we re--thought the Sheep?

A daunting prospect, this. And one we frankly weren't even willing to take on if our intrepid leader Todd Edwards decided he didn't want to take the job on. So the first call was to Todd, and oddly enough, he seemed excited by the prospect. So, the next job was deciding who we wanted on-board. The first call was easy... Cesar Jaime had auditioned for the Sheep, and was someone we really liked and wanted to come back for a call-back. Unfortunately, he couldn't due to an out-of-town engagement, and we were under the gun to get someone up and ready by CIF, so we couldn't bring him on at that time. But now? Would he still be interested?

Short answer... Yes. So now we had myself, Ray and Cesar ready to go, with Andrea still on the team but on hiatus. We were looking for a couple more people. We definitely wanted another woman on the team, and I remembered Deborah Millstein from her work on Storytime John. I always enjoyed her work, and knew that STJ had gone to Emeritus status at the Playground, so we asked her to join, too. She, thankfully, also agreed.

Then luck stepped up to the plate... Ed O'Rourke wasn't going to leave town as early, if at all, as he had originally planned... and was back on board. So now we had six Sheep again. Now the question would be one of chemistry. And BANG, right out of the gate, the shows were tight, the support was strong, the vibe was very positive. I remember during our first show together, without having rehearsed more than twice, we did a double swinging-door... something we hadn't rehearsed yet or tried together before... and pulled it off flawlessly. I was blown away. This new incarnation of the Sheep was STRONG, baby.

Yes, I had some mixed feelings about the transition... I had worked with Christine Sinacore for several years, and the comfort level of working with someone who you know so well is pretty high. And Megan Hovde is one of the most talented people I know. BUT... there's something about performing on a team made mostly of people you haven't played with much before... a sense of surprise and wonder... that had been missing from my play for a good long while. Because if there was comfort in playing with someone like Christine, there was also a high level of same-ness in our play. Right now, I feel more creative than I have in a long, long time. And that was a very nice surprise to come out of a very stressful situation.

So, let's sum up... I'm in a very creative space right now; I'm...ambivalent... about my job; I said good-bye to the Finches as their Director.

And anyone who voted for Ralph Nader (and yes, I'm talking to you, Dave Colan) can and should SUCK IT!!!

Answering Playground Questions (Updated 10/26/2002)

Yesterday on the Improv Chicago site, the two month shit-storm that is the IO schedule hit the message boards. It's like clockwork. Every eight weeks, terror seeps into the hearts of IO improvisors. I then posted the same message I post every two months: So what? So what if you get cut? There are other places to play. Take control of your own destiny. The full message can be read on my "Archives" page if you want to slog through it.

This time around, though, a new element crept into the conversation. Some of the veteran improvisors, hearing that IO was going to demand that everyone take classes in order to stay on teams, regardless of tenure, argued that they should get free performance level classes. Whatever. I think that's a ridiculous idea. Charna didn't build that theater to the stature it is by giving anything away. And it's not like there aren't six hundred students behind you who aren't getting stage-time. They'd be willing to snatch up those spaces in a heartbeat. And they don't feel entitled.

But the point was made that the students at IO are starting to feel like cattle. I honestly don't know what took them so long. IO is the best training center in town, no doubt about it. But it's no place to stay when you're done. Anyway, some people feel that this dissatisfaction will lead to a splintering off of the best talent from IO, a la Armando and Ali beginning the People's Improv Theater after splitting from the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater in NYC. Finally, at one point, someone asked me where The Playground stood in all of this, and where I stood in the Playground. I decided that maybe I should post those questions here, because they're good questions, and I get them all the time. So, fresh from yesterdays ImprovChicago message boards, here they are:

Where do you feel you stand in all of this "branching off"?

The Playground originally started in reaction to IO; Doug Diefenbach conceived the idea that teams didn't need to break up after being cut by IO, and looked at all the independent teams around town struggling to survive. Hence the creation of the Playground.

When do you think (if at all) the Playground will become a business rather than a co-op?

Not anytime soon. Being a co-op is our greatest strength. It is an inverted IO model; the team is more important than the theater. Someplace in town has to think like this. We're hippies. Might as well be us.

What is the advantage of being a co-op?

I think I just answered that. Being not-for-profit? We can apply for more grants and donations that way.

Do you think you have carved a niche in the Chicago improv community?

Absolutely. We routinely fill all the available audition slots at our Incubator auditions, and that wouldn't happen if there wasn't a need for more stages for the huge numbers of Chicago improvisors to play on. We offer stage time to guest teams without any strings. You play your style. We'll give you 25 minutes.

Why aren't there more member teams at the Playground?

We're looking to bring in more. We have three "pilot members" in the pipeline right now. Part of the reason is that we're picky. We want our new members to be of the highest caliber. Part of it is that not every team out there wants to be a member. Taking ownership of the Playground has not only rights, but responsibilities.

When will the Playground develop a full blown training center?

We're pretty happy with our current niche; offering our Playground Master's Series, which are one-day workshops for experienced improvisors in specific areas, such as directing.

Are you the main person at the Playground? If not, who is?

Main person? Please. I fix the toilet. I'm the King of Duct-Tape.
The Playground is run by a board of directors made up of members of each Playground team. Each team gets one vote, so no one team or person has undue influence.
The day-to-day activities are run by the Executive Committee, which is basically the chairs of the different committees. For instance, I'm the on-site chair, because I'm in charge of renting the facilities and keeping us stocked up on toilet paper. Ross Foti is the Professionalism chair, in charge of the Prof. committee and Incubators; Megan Pedersen is the Productions chair, in charge of productions (natch); Doug Diefenbach is the Player community chair, in charge of player communications, fundraising and grants; Holly Gibson is our Webmistress; Ed O'Rourke does our schedule; Rene Duquesnoy is in charge of our Outreach, and Mike Higgins and Liz McDonald work in our Treasurer capacity.
However, any issue of import needs to be voted on and approved by the full Board; it meets once a month.

I hope that answers any questions... we do have a full guide to the Playground on our website, too.

Say "Hello!" to our new Black Sheep director!(Updated 10/26/2002)

Well, after an exhaustive search, the Sheep have found a new director... Malice's very own Todd Edwards. When I say exhaustive, what I mean is soul-sucking, grinding and infuriating. Soul-sucking in that just putting together a list of names for possible directors caused inter-group friction. It was nearly impossible to find just nine names we could agree upon even auditioning for us. Grinding in that many of the people we were interested in were too busy to fit us in their schedules. Obviously. If they were talented enough and met all our criteria, they usually had plates that were overfilled to begin with. Infuriating because, when it finally came down to it, we'd worked with some very talented people, and it's rough telling one person "yes" and the others "no." And the truth of it is that we had a blast working with the people we worked with. Each director brought a different sensibility to the rehearsals. Everyone was also incredibly professional and unbelievably prepared.

However, when it came down to decision time, we went with Todd... which was cool because Todd was on the very first list we put together. Even just tossing around names, his name was one we all agreed on right away. I hear he's really excited to be coaching us. That's cool, because we're very excited to be coached by him.

Welcome aboard, Todd!

I'm a baaaaaad boy! (Updated 10/5/2002)

Okay, so it's been 5 months since I updated the page... Summer is a bad time for me to trying to update. Especially this summer. Megan and I took on a TON of projects, and before you knew it, the summer was gone. We managed one stinking weekend away THE WHOLE EFFIN' SUMMER! Now it's fall. *sigh*

I did have the wonderful experience of working with Jen Ellison on her Director's Series production, "1000 Monkeys." What a fabulous idea; take improv back to it's roots. Do the kind of improv the Compass Players did. We created a one-act play out of improvisation. Jen had us create multiple different characters over a four-week period. Then we choose one to focus on, and we began creating a shared history between the different characters. Finally, Jen gave us the outline of actions we needed to complete... she had lifted the beats out of a different play, Neil Simon's "Rumors," and what was left was a very bare skeleton for us to lay our characters and their shared history into.

Jen is a fantastic director; very nurturing, very fun. But this show wouldn't have been half as good without the great cast we had: Andrea Swanson, Jeff Griggs, Matt Elwell, Fuzzy Gerdes, Steve Lund and myself. We had a wonderful chemistry, and it was fun to come to the theater every rehearsal and every show. I've been in shows or worked with casts that had constant friction; it makes the process very stressful, and by the end you're worn out. Eventually, it plays itself out on stage. With this cast, we were Teflon; a frictionless surface. It made the show better every week, and in my mind, that's how the process should be. You should walk away wondering just how good it could get.

Plus, because the show wasn't scripted, it changed week to week. Different beats and different relationships ended up getting stressed every week, so that even though the final outcome of the show was always the same, the journey was always different. We literally put up eight deviations on a theme in eight weeks.

Also this summer, I took Mick Napier's directing class over at the Annoyance. Previously, I had taken workshops with Joe Bill and Liz Allen at the Playground, but Mick's class was six weeks, three hours a week. There were 9 directing students and 11 actors. The main focus was on scripted shows similar to a Second City production, but there was plenty of material on working with improvisational troupes. I think the biggest mindset switch for me was Mick's insisting that we refer to our groups as groups or troupes, with the individuals being actors. We are directors. This is in contrast to the current vernacular used in the Chicago improv community, where we've been referring to ourselves as coaches that work with teams comprised of improvisors or players. Mick's take was that the old vernacular devalues the actors and ourselves; we should take the whole enterprise up a notch.

Also, he broke me of the habit of giving the group notes directly after the show. Now, I give notes before the next rehearsal, and instead of going through each scene, I address the overall actions I was seeing; the good moves and the bad, looking for patterns to continue working on or patterns to try and break. I think that the Finches respond much better to this. Plus, I know from personal experience that going over the show scene by scene immediately after you just performed it destroys the fun of the enterprise. We should be rejoicing in the act of creation; instead we're contemplating our navels, reducing the act of creation to a series of beats... "What was the game of that scene? How did it feel for you? What could you have heightened?" I'm glad to be done with it with the Finches. Let them enjoy the group mind and have a couple of cocktails before they start shredding their performances. Life is fleeting.

Finally, on the Black Sheep front, we're in the process of auditioning new coaches. Ross Foti, our coach for over a year, is reclaiming his life. Good for him. Sometimes I think about how much time I put into improv and the Playground, and I wonder if I'm too invested. Am I living the rest of my life enough? Am I becoming too one-dimensional? I'm not sure if I'm ever going to be comfortable with that line of questioning.

Anyhow, the upshot is that the Sheep are looking to find our own identity. We brought on new members, but had the same old coach. Finally, we'll be working as a new group with a new coach, a process I'm frankly very excited about. I love the chemistry of this team... I'm interested to see what we become.

Oh, and Megan and I just celebrated our third anniversary. Once again, thank you for making my life so rich, Megan. I love you more each day.

New Black Sheep Pics!!!

(From left to right: front row- Christine Sinacore, Megan Hovde, Mark Henderson
back row- Andrea Swanson, John Eiberger, Ed O'Rourke)

(From left to right: Ed, Mark, Megan, Christine, Andrea and John)

(From left to right: front row- Andrea; second row- Christine, Megan
back row- Ed, Mark and John)

(from left to right: front row- Andrea, Ed and Megan; back row- Christine, John and Mark)

(From left to right: front row- Andrea, Megan and Ed; back row- Christine, John and Mark)

Happy Birthday, baby! (updated 5/18/02)

Last weekend was the Playground Theater's fifth anniversary, and we celebrated by having a weekend of Anniversary shows. Instead of our normal Thursday Incubator shows, we had a special show, and we also added two 10:30pm shows on Friday and Saturday. We invited groups from the Annoyance (The Four Horsemen), Schadenfreude, WNEP (The WNEP Players), The Noble Fool (Zeitgeist Theater), ComedySportz (The Zach Experiment) and IO (Carl and the Passions). As a whole, the performances were fantastic. In my mind, the standouts would have to have been The Four Horsemen and Carl and the Passions (even though Steve, our emcee, BUTCHERED their name... I have not been able to apologize enough... ugh).

The shows were then followed by a trek across the street to Tavern 33 for some informal partying. The bar was PACKED on both nights, and the camaraderie and atmosphere showed me that the Playground at five had, indeed, gained a large measure of legitimacy. In the past, I've always felt that our rep has been better nationwide than it is in Chicago. It's true. For the last few years, people OUTSIDE of Chicago thought better of us than the people that lived here. Why? Because I think people outside dug the idea of running your own show... remember, that's how the majority of improvisors in this great country do it. They have their own groups, or work for a group that is independent of a theater. There's a LOT of "barprov" that goes on outside the confines of New York, Chicago and LA. People here in Chicago have very little notion of what it means to be independent. At least, until about a year ago... then independent groups starting popping up with their own shows, like Chemically Imbalanced and Sleuburn's Buffet! And at the center of this independence movement sat the Playground, which was getting bigger and stronger every year. Our Director's Series was attracting some of the best directors in town, and the buzz was getting louder. Now, some of IO and WNEP's best and brightest are coming over to audition for OUR shows... which set off some weird, weird echoes in my head.

Why echoes? Because our nickname for the first couple of years was "IO Lite." And it was true... we formed in reaction to what was going on at IO, and spent a lot of time talking about it. Then we realized that we were never going to be our own entity that way, and created our own identity. A big part of that was building the theater. When we first started, we went the "barprov" route. Our first shows at the Cue Club were HORRENDOUS... I remember being in a really shitty group (Twisted), and thinking "this sucks... we're the second or third best group here, and we stink." Our next move to Cafe Ashie was a move in the right direction, because we actually had a decent period of growth... our shows were getting better and better groups were playing with us. Then came the HARD downturn at Jako's. Our shows got much, much worse the longer we were there... I think because we were so depressed to be playing for loud, angry, armed Serbians. No shit, guys with guns who hated us. We had to get out, and we had to get our own theater.

I'll let you in on a little secret that some of you already know... the Playground has two fathers. Doug Diefenbach is the father of the Playground as an organization... he's the one who realized that teams didn't have to fall apart just because Charna said so, and who realized that the independent teams in Chicago were struggling to stay alive... it's too hard to rent your own space and produce your own shows and get audiences when it's just your team... but if four teams a night pooled their resources, then they might bring in a respectable house. And if 10 teams got together and marketed the LARGER group together, they could actually have a well-oiled machine. No one owned it, and no one ran the teams but themselves. Our model was an inverted IO model... the team is more important than the theater. Self-determination is the rule, and the way teams will find artistic growth is through experimentation over time, not being randomly thrown together and then moved to another team six months later. The Incubator was the offshoot of that thought... we'd put teams together, but we'd quickly become hands-off... and we'd give these teams a nurturing place to grow until they found their own legs and succeeded on their own, or disbanded on their own. In either case, they owned their own success or failure, and that has it's own set of rewards.

I was the father of the Playground Theater, and honestly, I joined the Playground with an ulterior motive. I saw the Playground as a place I could be a part of a theater of my own. After our first anniversary party, Mick invited everyone over to a party at The Annoyance, and I took the opportunity to push the idea of owning our own theater on Doug and Jen Clymer, the third part of the "Playground Holy Trinity," as we were dubbed back then. I took them on a tour of the Annoyance space, and we sat on the stairs backstage where I made an impassioned plea for them to back me in my "quest for keys." It was very appropriate for me that that was where the idea of the Playground Theater was born... because if the Playground as a whole was in reaction to IO, I was personally in reaction to the Annoyance.

There were a number of years where I felt I had made the wrong move not sticking with the people I worked with at IU, Dubbletaque. They all went on to form the Annoyance Theater, and I saw the ghost of the Mark Henderson that might-have-been walking their stage. That really disquieted me. It wasn't until I saw that I could never have arrived where I am now if I'd followed them that I put that ghost to rest. First off, the experiences I had during my time away from them shaped my world-view... my marriage, my divorce, my career in finance... I wouldn't have had them if I'd have stayed. Also, it took me a long while to understand that the Annoyance was actually the Mick Napier Theater... it wasn't so much a collective of the Dubbletaque scene as Mick's personal vision. And when Mick decided that it was done, it was done. Sure, they still teach classes, and sure, it's still called the Annoyance, but it's not even close to what it was. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It was what it needed to be, nothing more, nothing less. And then it passed on. Now I see that the Playground is, in it's own way, what it needed to be... and I know that we probably wouldn't have made it to five if I hadn't become involved... which I wouldn't of if I had stayed on the path with the boys from IU. So I ended up doing what I was supposed to have done all along.

Okay, that's making my head hurt. So I'll just go back to my original point, which is it is damn fine to see that the path we've all taken at the Playground looks like it's got plenty of miles left to go.

Improv Prom! (updated 5/18/02)

Last night was the final burst for the Playground's Fifth Anniversary... The First Annual Playground Improv Prom! The idea was born during our Anniversary plans... originally, Jason Anfinsen was in charge of planning the events, but his original idea for a party at Goose Island went over like a lead balloon... we couldn't see shelling out over $4000 to have our anniversary party next door to IO... nothing against IO, but this wasn't about them, it was a celebration of us. Well, disagreements were had, and tempers got raised, and long-story short, Jason decided that he would let the rest of the Executive Committee take the ball and run with it. So, there we are, trying to figure out what kind of party we should have, then one night I'm driving home from work, and I have my "Big Gay Idea"... we should have a prom. An Improv Prom. Nothing says "Spring Party" like a prom, and we could dress up, and I could get a new tux and shoes...

You get the picture. So I pitch the idea to Megan and to our friend Holly Gibson, and they go NUTS... they decide this is the best idea ever. So now we pitch it to the Ex-Com... and they ...kind of... go along with it. Not a ton of support, because they couldn't see just how much BIG FUN it was going to be, but they did think it was an idea to pursue. So we take it to the Board for a vote... and they... barely... go along with it. The main comments centered around us not being able to sell enough tickets. But I assured them we would sell enough, and that the Incubators alone would pack the house. I had already done all the prelim work getting prices and booking the reservation with Fizz, and then I handed the baton off to the Prom Committee (Megan and Holly) who then made it simply THE BEST PROM EVER!!!

We rented the upstairs from Fizz, and purchased appetizers from them and negotiated for a open bar on beer, wine and soda. Holly and Megan then got SuVan's, Dinkel's and James Whitington to donate the items for our dessert table. Next, Rene Duquesnoy was recruited to deejay the first half of the evening, and we reached out and touched Megan's uncle Al Day to play for us with his band "Johnny Bacon and the Aristocrats." A photographer was hired to take cheesy prom pictures, decorations were bought, balloons inflated, and the crowds arrived.

And arrived. And arrived. We had nearly 150 people there, with the band and all. That room was packed and JUMPING!!! People were all gussied up, the music set the house to dancing, single people started hooking up, the couples started making out, and people had more fun at this prom then they did at their proms in high school. The most often heard comment of the night was,"You're having this again next year, right?" The early buzz is that the Prom was the Improv Party of the year... bigger than the parties for CIF, better then the Del Awards. No pressure, no one to impress, just BIG BIG FUN!!

And I have to say that I looked fucking SUH-WEET in my vintage tux. I'm a hottie, no doubt about it.

The Black Sheep saga continues... (updated 1/29/02)

So, the ebb and flow that is the Black Sheep membership continues unabated into this brave new Millenium. Robyn Okrant had to leave the Sheep because she got a paying gig working with Free Associates on BS ( and may I take this opportunity to congratulate her once again... paying gigs fucking ROCK!) and Scott Woldman went on more or less permanent hiatus to focus on his poetry (he was the finalist representing Chicago last year at the Poetry Slam nationals).

That took us down to myself, Ed O'Rourke and Christine Sinacore. Clearly, we needed some beefing up. Well, John Eiberger (from the Playground member troupe Homey Loves Chachi) had already been sitting in with us, so we brought him on board. He brought a cool energy to the team... Ed, Christine and I are pretty aggressive and tend to play "mean." John has a quality that comes across on the surface as sweet... but under the skin of it is really malicious. Not to say they play exactly the same way, but John's style of play reminds me of Tim Sniffen. Then we started talking about making the team a truly balanced team... not just talents and temprements, but also male/female. Ed and I had seen the amazing Andrea Swanson three Incubator auditions ago when she got put on the team Happy Couple/Burning Baby... she had quite simply blown the doors of the muthafuckin' hiz-nouse. I had seen her play more recently in Mick's class. I was really impressed with her emotional commitment and her character work... and it's just a happy coincidence that she has a really mean side. So, after some discussion, we asked her to start sitting in with us, and finally to join us. Now we were five... in an ideal universe, we needed another female.

We decided to put our team in to draft at the most recent round of Incubator auditions at the Playground with the idea that we wanted to draft only if someone blew us away. Ideally, we'd draft a woman, but if a man showed up who was clearly head and shoulders above the rest, so be it... we'd be 4 and 2. We also planned on drafting no one if the fit was right... we would just pass on this round and look again next time.

That is a really freeing space of mind to be drafting from. We didn't "need" anyone right now, per se. Plenty of teams get by with only five players. So, coming from that frame of reference, Ed O'Rourke, John Eiberger and myself went into the Incubator auditions.

I'll speak more about the Incubators later... I don't want to blow my whole load on this particular topic. However, when the smoke cleared, Ed, John and myself were unanimous in our decision to draft Megan Hovde as our newest Sheep. She played really subtle, which was a nice addition to the stylistic soup we were building. But here's the cool thing... and it wasn't something anyone noticed during the Incubators... but she's a LOT smaller than the rest of us... especially Ed and I. I'm looking forward to the physical pairing of us in scenes together (NOT SEXUALLY, FREAKS! I ALREADY HAVE A MEGAN! Oddly, though, they both come from Kansas, about ten minutes away from each other, but I digress...) So now we have bigger players, smaller players, male players, female players, aggressive players, more subtle players.

This may just be the best balanced Black Sheep yet. We've had a couple of rehearsals together... so far so good. Last Saturday was our first show together, and it was so much frikkin' fun! I missed playing with a larger group, even though I didn't realize it. It was so much less pressure. Plus, the trust level was right there from the git-go. I am pins and needles with anticipation of what's to come with the 21st Century Black Sheep!

It ain't just a "Boy's Club" anymore...(updated 1/29/02)

Our last round of Incubators was a complete and wonderful surprise to me. Not at the talent level... it's been rising with every audition we've had (which is somewhere near 20 now, if my math is correct). Not at how well they went (even though it always feels like hell is just about to break loose). Not at the number of people who turned out (somewhere near 70 people).

No, this go-round was absolutely PACKED with really talented women. Maybe it's due to the influence of the Funny Women's Festival, maybe Charna's holding them back over at IO, maybe it was just about time... maybe all. I don't know. All I know is that between our drafting Megan Hovde and the teams we put together, 10 of the 22 people cast were women.

I'll tell you something else, and it is purely my opinion and not one shared by or endorsed by the Playground Theater (well, maybe shared by it... how would I know? I'm just one guy), but I think the women were far stronger, for the most part, then the men. I think the only reason more women weren't cast is because more women weren't there.

Ed O'Rourke and I were talking about the auditions on the way back to our swank neighborhood, and Ed made an interesting point... the men aren't doing anything surprising anymore. The ones that were taking chances and really stretching themselves were the women. I mean, let's face it... how many little children characters have I seen? How many "good ol' boys," right down to the twang? How many variations on the soldier boy? Or the stereotypical mincing gay man?

Andrea, Christine and Megan did a scene in our show that knocked my socks off... three women on a "Girl's Night Out" that was so anti-stereotypical that I had no idea where they were going... but still loved the ride. Three women who were fighting over what exactly "Girl's Night Out" meant... and unable to have any fun. They heightened this game until their frustrations were boiling over and Andrea screamed out, "It's Girl's Night, CUNT!" I don't know what that means but it still makes me laugh my fucking ass off.

So, frat boy wannabees and good ol' boys... the game has changed, at least over at the Playground... it's not about the boys anymore... IT'S GIRL'S NIGHT, CUNT

Reflections on 2001, part I

(updated 12/03/01)

Well, here it is, December 2001. This has been one of the most tumultous, frustrating, painful and yet self-affirming years of my life. In my day life, I'm a financial advisor, and let's face it, the stock market has sucked it big time for the last 20 months. So my clients aren't making money, which means I'm not making money. Not good. To top it off, I'm a manager for an office full of financial advisors, many of them with less than two years experience in the business. This means they have NEVER seen the stock market go up. I have to keep them focused and positive, which has been nearly impossible, since my frame of mind isn't. There have been several times when I thought about chucking it all and walking away. Yet I'm still here. That's probably a good thing.

Personally, there were other challenges that came to me this year... challenges that, since they were personal, will not be discussed here. However, those were perservered over, as well. Despite the sleepless nights, despite the personal anguish.

Then, of course, you have terrorist attacks on our country. I don't know about you, but these threw me into a serious, prolonged funk. Maybe because they whacked the markets so hard, maybe because I knew people who were involved with the chaos in Manhattan, maybe because it felt so horribly wrong to me. I full-on freaked out. I bought gallons of bottled water, jars and jars of canned food, candles, batteries, dried beans. I don't think I'm fully over that one, yet, but I'm working on it.

As far as my acting and improv go... the Bettie Page project has been a challenge... it's still not completed yet, but at least the filming has begun. I'm feeling a little stale in my improv, but I'm signing up for more classes to put a spark to that again. I'm producing my first play (which I'll discuss later). So here again, I prevail.

My take on 2001 is that is wasn't a year that I conquered so much as one that I survived. And that's good enough.

The Producer

(updated 12/03/01)

Well, as promised, here's my thoughts on producing a play. If you're an improviser, you might want to take note.

You might want to go back and re-read that... because I think a lot of people get the idea that producing is a power position.

It is. And it's power that, if you're good, you'll never use. Let me explain and tell you my story.

I was talking to Kevin Reome earlier this year about his possibly renting the Playground for a 3 week run of a show he wrote. He'd use the team he coached, St. John's Wort, as his cast. He'd been screwing around with it for a while, and wanted to see what it looked like on-stage. Well, the first option he wanted to explore was having the Playground produce it, but we couldn't give them good slots that way... the best slots are saved for rentals, which account for about 40% of the Playground's current revenues. Kevin's idea was a solid concept, though, and I felt it need a better slot. (For those of you who don't know, "The Eulogist" is the story of a corporate trainer that winds up doing eulogies for a living... there's more to it than that, but you'll have to come see the show!) He was still looking at how to do the show at 10:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays... and I was intrigued by the concept of his play... so I set up a meeting, and me and Kevin sat down to figure out how to make this happen.

Before the meeting, I looked hard at my finances, then came up with an idea... I would be the lead producer, using Full Deck Productions, the production company that Megan runs and I belong to, as the name behind it. I'd already been an associate producer on the Bettie Page movie, why not make the leap and take the reins? So I walk into the meeting, and without having read the script, and going on nothing but my faith in Kevin's talents, I pitched him my idea. He seemed pretty taken aback, and I don't blame him. Remember, I hadn't even seen the script yet... just heard his ideas. He threw in his curve, which was that he wanted to donate his share of the profits to the Playground. That fed into another idea that I'd been mulling over... how to spur the Playground as an organization to quit screwing around and do some serious grant-writing towards our own productions... so I wouldn't have to rent space anymore.

So the new twist became this... Kevin, Dave Castro (the director), and myself wouldn't take any profits... Full Deck would still be the lead producer and pick up all the costs (which meant taking on all the risks), and the Playground would be the sub-producer, in charge of getting us a stage-manager and doing all the marketing. In return, the Playground would split the profits down the middle with the cast. Also, we'd take the worst time of the year... the end of the year... where ordinarily the Playground would be empty. It was a no-lose situation for the Playground. They'd make money off of me renting it, no matter what. There risk was nothing. Ross Foti and Lillie Frances jumped at the idea... some of the rest of the board took a little more persuading... but I knew that if the Playground said no, we'd do the show anyway, and all the profits would go to the cast.

The Playground voted to do this as our sub-producer, and we were off.

The next job was casting the show... and in this regard, things went very smoothly. Kevin, David and I agreed about who should be cast in what parts pretty much immediately... no arguments, no hurt feelings. That was when I knew we'd have a smooth production. It was right around then, too, that David and Kevin had a sit-down with me to ask me what exactly my role would be. Frankly, I'd been expecting this question. I'm very opinionated, and I tend to be a control-freak. However, I've done enough theater in my life to understand that for this show to succeed, then there needed to be a clear line of power... Until the play was finished, Kevin had artistic control. But the minute he finished that play, he was just an actor. David would be the artistic voice from that point on. My input would be minimal, and would be given to David, and David only. After all, it would only cause divisions and weaken David's position if we were ever to argue in front of the cast. No, I let Kevin and David know that I would be hands-off of the artistic, day-to-day activities.

So what is the producer's job? My job was to make sure all the marketing was in place, that I found the right person to tech the show, to report back to the Playground and Full Deck on the progress of the show, and lastly, but most importantly, make sure everything was going smoothly with rehearsals and that the show opened on time.

That's it... the producer's job is that of designated hard-guy. If an actor or actress is having a hissy fit, it won't help the director to try and get that actor or actress on the set and shutting their pie-hole. No, the producer is the one who has to soothe, cajole or threaten to get that actor or actress on stage. That's the number one reason a producer shouldn't be the director, too. Also, if the problem is the director, and you pray to god it's not, then the producer has to do the same with them. I've been involved in productions where the director was an abusive, insulting prick, and it got to the point where they had to be pulled from the project. No producer wants to do that, but it's their job. Lastly, you need to make sure the show opens on time, which means making sure that the rehearsal schedule is allowing the cast and tech crew the time they need to pull their shit together. Now, mind you, most directors and casts will tell you a week and a half out that there's no way they're going to be ready, but you factor that in... an UNBELIEVABLE amount of work gets done in that last week and a half. In fact, the show you see at tech rehearsal won't be the one you see in previews... and the jump from previews to opening night is a quantum leap, too.

So what did I do? Did I have to run rough-shod on the cast? Watch David like a hawk? Push the cast and crew the last two weeks? No. I found some extra time in the theater that was empty for them to use for rehearsals, yes. I made sure the posters and handbills were ready in plenty of time. I got the programs together. I checked to make sure we'd be listed in all the papers. I talked to David, and gave him a couple of minor ideas. Mostly, I listened to the cast and director... many times when the didn't know I was listening. And I trusted them, because I knew we did a good job of pulling this cast and crew together. And I let them do what they knew they could...

I didn't sleep the night before we opened. That was the only time my nerves betrayed me. However, there was no need for nerves. I was and am so proud of the cast for the shows they put up opening weekend. All that work on their part, and all that trust on mine finally paid off in such a wonderful way. Sure, from the outside it might look like I just sat there with my arms crossed, doing very little at rehearsals. But if you know me at all, you'll know just how hard that was. But I also knew just how necessary it was.

So, if you want to learn to trust, put a couple thousand dollars into a show, then do your damndest not to get too involved. It's much harder than it looks.

(updated 10/22/01)

Halloween is here! Yeeeeee-Haaaaaa!

The season of the Witch is upon us... and I've got to tell you, it's my favorite holiday, hands-down. This year, however, I am foregoing the usual monster make-up... no devils or vampires or werewolves for Mark this year. No, this year has brought with it quite enough horror. This year, I'm going to depart from my decades-old habits of dressing to frighten. This year, I'm going to dress to inspire. I'm going to dress as the proto-typical superhero, the man who started it all.

This year, I'm going as Superman.

Sure, I'll be a chubby Superman, and yes, I'll take some ribbing, but it feels like we all ought to be celebrating the best of our selves... our heroic figures from past, present, and future. The ideal of what we can and should be... not the dark reflections of our inner demons, the monsters from our past. We've been staring at one particular monster for a month and a half, and I, quite frankly, am tired of monsters.

I'm betting we see lots more heroes this year than in the past... characters of fantasy instead of horror. If I do, I won't be surprised.

So, until this weekend, keep your eyes on the skies! Up, up... and away!

Season of the Witch, part II

Well, the schedule's not due out for another two days, and already the ImprovChicago board is speaking of the bleeding to come. Again, as I've said before, if you're cut from a team you truly loved, you have my sympathy.

But shake those feelings of anger and remorse of quickly. Remember, IO is only a training center. It's not the end of your adventure, merely a place to go to get more directions. Take what you've learned with a grain of salt... some of the lessons learned will take longer to set in than you originally thought.

Lisa Lewis just posted today on the Improv Chicago forum about the break-up of Georgia Pacific and said no, it wasn't their decision, but no, there were no hard feelings... six years run hard is a long, long run indeed. And no one ran harder than Georgia Pacific. The funniest things I ever saw on an IO stage (well, technically heard) were when they were running the Bat. TJ Jagodowski's Devil Child, or Pat Shay as Godzilla in a bar... scenes that still make me laugh.

Even the best teams know that there time at IO must end... because the real dollars come from students. Students taking classes, students drinking at the bar, students getting on teams and bringing in every single human being they know... until they've been around, and their friends stop coming to shows as often or at all. Then that new team will be cut. And so on, and so on, and so on. Blue Velveeta doesn't play at IO anymore. Neither does Frank Booth, Monster Island, the Family, Inside Vladimir, or Frisky Winter. Every team has to move on. Why? Because IO is a training center, and sooner or later, you've learned your last lesson, whether you think so or not.

(updated 9/20/2001)

Let's clear our minds with a little Black Sheep fun...

Here's the new Black Sheep team photos, taken by Uber-coach Ross Foti

(Updated 9/7/01)

Happy Anniversary, Megan!

Yes, it's true... the tall, beautiful Goddess and I have been together 2 years this weekend... and I may reveal myself to be a sap when I say I'm more in love with her now than I've ever been. I'm not new to this relationship game... long time readers know I've been married before. That relationship lasted a total of 10 years.

But that relationship was never as fulfilling as this one has been. That's not to say all has been peaches'n'cream. We've had our ups and downs. I've been (and this may surprise you, dear readers) an asshole from time to time. My pride has either made me say things I regretted, or prevented me from saying things that I should. And Megan has brought her stubbornness and anger to the table.

However, we've always managed to work through it, and come out stronger. The only prayers I say are for her; the only fears I have are for her.

So let me say it once more, and very publicly. Megan Pedersen, you are the love and light of my life. Happy Anniversary.

(Updated 9/2/2001)

Likker Dreams

Well, me and the Tall Beautiful Goddess were out drinking at the Townhall Pub with our friend and neighbor Ed, and we put down many, many alcoholic beverages. Oftentimes, drinking that much will give me some fucked up dreams. Ordinarily, I never remember them. Last night, however, I had an extremely disturbing dream, and it's still pretty clear in my head, and I thought I'd share it with you.

First, let me preface this by saying that I'm not one prone to deep, theological thought. I'm an agnostic leaning towards flat out atheistic views, meaning that the older I get, the less I believe in any sort of God. Still and all...

So, the crux of this dream revolved on the old adage "History is written by the winners," taken to a metaphysical scale. In my dream, I was asked to suppose that there was indeed a war for Heaven, and Lucifer (whose name means "Lightbringer," if you remember your theology) and his band of angels did indeed lose. Here's the twist. Lucifer wasn't the evil one. He was just the loser. What if he and his angels fought with God over God's treatment of Man... and Lucifer was the one on the side of Good. We only conceive of him as Evil because God's side won. In my dream, the argument was that what we conceive of as Good and Evil are connected to the wrong beings.

There was an argument similar in nature made by Garth Ennis in his (Gasp!) comic book "The Preacher." He showed a God that was deeply flawed, and that allowed Evil and pain because he needed us to choose him... and kept creating greater evil and pain because he was like a love junkie. Take that supposition and link it to my dream... the war in Heaven, with God casting out Lucifer only takes it's current coloring if you believe that God is, indeed, All-Good, as well as All-Knowing and All-Powerful. But what if God isn't? What if he is flawed? That opens the door to the supposition that he might have been wrong in his disputes with Lucifer. And the only book we have on that seems to have been written by the winner.

Or it could just be the liquor talking.

(Updated 9/1/2001)

Here's a little something I wrote on the ImprovChicago Forum under the name "Just Curious"

Did the sun come up today?

Because with all the crying on this page, you'd think the world had ended.  Your team got broken up?  You're not on this schedule?  Your best friend not on this schedule?  Charna/Chin/Griggs/God did you wrong?
Get over it... just shut the fuck up and get over it.  You think you're the first one cut from a schedule?  The only person who feels like they've been done wrong?  Think again, bunkie.  I'm with Besser... there should be between 5 and 10 teams at IO... AT MOST!!  You think you suck-holes have it hard?  At UCB, you have to AUDITION to be put on the schedule.  Think about it... having to audition to be put on teams.  And there's a LOT less teams at UCB.
There's a  million places to do improv in this town.  IO is one.  And a training center at that.  Maybe you just got your last, most important lesson... this is all a fucking business, baby.  This isn't a club, a frat house, or kindergarten.  It's a business depending on new students coming through the door and asses sitting in the seats.  New students will only come if they get stage-time.  Who's stage time will they get?  Yours.  Maybe not now, but sooner or later.  And what puts asses in seats?  Two things... phenomenal teams and new improvisors.  The new improvisors will invite every human they know to their shows, and will get them until their friends/family/co-workers get tired of the same old "arguing roommates" scenes they get over and over and over.  Then they'll be in your shoes, hating God/Charna/Chin/Griggs.
The phenomenal groups?  Don't worry about it.  You weren't on one. Obviously.
So learn your lessons and move on.  Sorry to be a prick and throw cold water in your face, but I'm tired of reading this shit every two fucking months.

Yup. That just about sums it all up for me. Happy Labor Day!

Black Sheep Redux

(updated 07/25/01) Black Sheep has entered a new era... The Ross Foti era. Ross was brought on to the Black Sheep to help dispel some of what we perceived was the stale nature of our play. I guess it happens to all teams sooner or later, but the core of Black Sheep has been together for three years... lots of drama, lots of tension, but we've lived through it. This spring, we had a parting of the ways with one member who had joined us only a few short months before, and we not only brought in Ed O'Rourke and Robyn Okrant to buoy up the group, but we brought in a new coach, and hopefully a new focus.

The first few rehearsals together were painful. The new members were tentative in trying to figure out how they fit in, the older members were struggling to find our feet again, and Ross was kicking the living shit out of us.

Then, about a month into it, we started to see the payoff... our shows have been better, the group is gelling. We've talked about doing festivals again.

Feels good to be back on track again.



Introducing... Atticus Finch!

(updated 07/25/01) I have been working with a new group for about the last month and a half... a group put together from the last round of Incubator auditions at The Playground. Originally, we cast 10 people, but one member had to drop early because of schedule conflicts. The other nine members started rehearsing with me, and I have to say that I've never seen a group jump into a group mind as hard and fast as this group. They named themselves Atticus Finch, and had their inaugural show July 16, 2001 at The Playground Theater in front of the largest audience EVER for any show in that space... over 120 people came out to see their debut, and the energy was tremendous.

This group has a focus and a sense of fun that has revived the thrill of improv for me again, and I think they've got a very, very bright future. Come on out and see them now, before they become too big to talk to you!