When Humor Goes, There Goes Civilization.

"Improvisation is the expression of the accumulated yearnings, dreams, and wisdom of the soul."
--- Yehudi Menuhin

Let's talk for a moment about Improv Comedy. I recently performed in my third show at the Off Broadway Theater as part of Laughing Stock, Utah's longest running improv troupe. Though I'm still wet behind the ears, I've received positive feedback from my fellow actors and I feel like I've made a pretty good start. Like anything else in show biz, the best way to learn anything is by doing, and with improv that's pretty much your only option. You learn a few rules, you may practice a bit in High School, but then you shove out and get on that stage with only your wits to save you. There's nothing more terrifying or rewarding in the world.
Eberhard Scheiffele, a psychologist in the field of human consciousness, has studied the altered state of consciousness that actors, in particular improvisational actors, experience. According to other studies, acting is seen as altering most of the 14 dimensions of changed subjective experience which characterize ASCs namely: attention, perception, imagery and fantasy, inner speech, memory, higher-level thought processes, meaning or significance of experiences, time experience, emotional feeling and expression, level of arousal, self-control, suggestibility, body image, and sense of personal identity.
Improvisation is, in my opinion, the most organic and pure form of acting. You learn to alter your own perceptions in order to enhance your performance and work with other people. For the skilled improviser,time slows down rather like in The Matrix. They see a palette of possibilities in front of them and make instant connections, using what they have.

So what are these cardinal rules of improvisational acting that you mentioned earlier, you might ask. Well, here they are, as David Alger wrote them and as I learned them back as an impressionable lass of 15.

1) Say Yes-and!

For a story to be built, whether it is short form or long form, the players have to agree to the basic situation and set-up. The who, what, and where have to be developed for a scene to work.

2) After the `and` add new information.

An improvised scene can't move forward or advance unless we add new information. That is why new information is added after the Yes of Yes-and!

3) Don't Block.

The opposite of saying yes-and is blocking or denial.

4) Avoid Questions.

A form of blocking (in its more subtle form) is asking questions. Questions force our partners to fill in the information or do the work. It is a way of avoiding committing to a choice or a detail. It is playing it safe. However, on more advanced levels, questions can be used to add information or tell your partner the direction to go in.

5) Focus on the Here and Now.

Another useful rule is to keep the focus on the here and now. A scene is about the people in the scene. The change, the struggle, the win or loss will happen to the characters on the stage. Focus on what is going on right this at this moment.

6) Establish the Location!

Good scenes take place somewhere and at sometime. They do not take place on an empty stage. A location can easily be established in one or two lines without breaking the scene.

7) Be Specific- Provide Details!

Details are the lifeblood of moving a scene forward. Each detail provides clues to what is important. Details help provide beat objectives and flesh out characters.

8) Change, Change, Change!

Improv is about character change. The characters in a scene must experience some type of change for the scene to be interesting. Characters need to go on journeys, be altered by revelations, experience the ramifications of their choices and be moved by emotional moments.

9) For serious and emotional scenes, focus on characters and relationships.

A long form improv set should contain a variety of scenes. Some scenes will be emotional, some will be tense, and some should be funny. The easiest way to make a scene serious is by focusing on the relationship of those on the stage (their characters).

10) For humor, commit and take choices to the nth degree or focus on actions/objects.

A good long form set is balanced. Shakespeare knew that too much pathos was wearing on the audience; hence, he had minor characters in humorous scenes such as the drunken porter in MacBeth.

And there you have it. Awesome conclusion, eh?

Sigh.

"When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him; and you are torn by the thought of the unhappiness and night you cast, by the mere fact of living, in the hearts you encounter."

-Albert Camus

"The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."

-Allan K. Chalmers

"I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever."

-Amy Tan

"Have I told you how happy I am?"

-Elise Hanson

The Art of Seduction.

I recently read Robert Greene's book, "The Art of Seduction." I now think that everyone should read this book. It's probably the best thing to come out on manipulation for one's own social and political climbing since "How To Win Friends and Influence People." I love it. Read it. You'll be glad you did. Especially you single folks out there.

Boulders, Bugs, and Buffoonery

I went on vacation with my family this last week to Central/Southern Utah. The five of us--myself, my dad, my stepmom Sheila, Marjaan, and Anthony--piled in the truck and drove to Boulder Utah.
Boulder is an unusual place. It's surrounded by a dense forest inhabited by wild deer and even wilder cows. But once you pull into Boulder you're surrounded by canyon lands. We stayed in a little motel called Pole's Place. It was named after the owner's pa, Eugene Napolean Bonaparte Griffin.
We went to a restaraunt in town for dinner, where, as soon as we walked in, my sister and I couldn't help but notice the beautiful host behind the counter. He was dark and exotic, with bright turquoise eyes. My family has a habit of making friends with servers when we go out to eat, and we soon learned he was from Istanbul. My brother and sister spoke a little Arabic with him, and we spent a lot of the drive the next day debating why on earth a man from Istanbul would end up in Boulder Utah.
That brings me to my next topic: my family is pretty good at coming up with our own entertainment. That's why trips to Central Utah are perfect for us. Low cost, lots of opportunity for creating our own adventure, and of course, time to spend together, making fun of each other, acting crazy, and being stupid.
My little brother, at one point, picked up a bug (I have no idea what it was,) put it on a stick, and carried it around on our long walk to the only grocery store in town, which was, of course, closed. He named the bug Jeremy and thus began our list; The Top Ten Reasons You Belong In Boulder, Utah. They're all mostly inside jokes, but hopefully they're still amusing.

10- You become attached to a bug-on-a-stick.
9-You make up songs about local cuisine.
8-You think hiking upstream in a river sounds like a fun Friday activity.
7-You derive endless entertainment from watching an entire town drive by at 55 miles per hour while you're parked on the side of the highway.
6-You like to stick french fries in your ears and other people's toes.
5-You make noises that will one day cause others to ban you from polite society.
4-Upon finding yourself in Lake Powell, you then proceed to break apart the sandstone and smear it all over your face and arms. (That one belongs to me.)
3-You have tasted both Pickle and Pinto Bean Pie.
2-You have to wash your hair with soap.
1-You vacation there. For fun.

Yes, my family did all of this and more on our trip. Crazy hikes, long drives, animal harrassments, film festivals, and all-around tom foolery.

I love us.

It's just a fond farewell to a friend.

The litebrite's now black and white
Cause you took apart a picture that wasn't right
Pitch burning on a shining sheet
The only maker that you'd want to meet
The dying man in a living room
Who's shadow paces the floor
Who'll take you out in the open door
This is not my life
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
It's not what I'm like
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
Who couldn't get things right
Fond farewell to a friend
He said really I just wanna dance
Good and evil matched perfect it's a great romance
I can deal with some physic pain
If it'll slow down my higher brain
Veins full of disappearing ink
Vomiting in the kitchen sink
Disconnecting from the missing link
This is not my life
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
It's not what I'm like
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
Who couldn't get things right
Fond farewell to a friend
I see you're leaving me and taking up with the enemy
The cold comfort of the in between
A little less than a human being
A little less than a happy high
A little less than a suicide
The only things that you really tried
This is not my life
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
It's not what I'm like
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
Who couldn't get things right
Fond farewell to a friend
This is not my life
It's just a fond farewell to a friend



I love that song. It makes me sad. In a good way.

Goodbye, my friends. I will miss your faces.

I love you Dain, Whitney, and Greg.

Uncertainty.

My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise and nothing is but what is not.

-The Bard.

I don't know where to go from here.

-Me.

A Friend Like Ben.

I would just like to take a moment to remember the artist Michael Jackson. He died on June 25th, 2009.
I've been a fan of Michael's since I was a little girl. My mom loved his upbeat music and incomparable dancing style, so she would put on a tape and we would all dance in our apartment. I loved his unique voice and his style, and later gained an appreciation for just how talented a performer he was. I would watch his music videos like "Thriller," "Billy Jean," and "Black and White," and marvel at his abilities. You watch "Thriller" and his background dancers, all professional, simply can't compare to Michael. He sparkles. I could watch him dance for hours.
When he died, the first thing I felt was disappointment. I had made it one of my life goals to see Michael in concert, but now I'd never get a chance. I'm hoping there'll be a comeback tour in the next life.;)
My favorite song of Michael's, one that has always touched my heart, is "Ben." I think the lyrics are sweet and the melody is a little bit sad. I've been listening to it a lot since he passed.

Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you, my friend, will see
You've got a friend in me
(you've got a friend in me)

Ben, you're always running here and there
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's one thing you should know
You've got a place to go
(you've got a place to go)

I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
(a friend) Like Ben
(like Ben) Like Ben


Goodbye, Michael. You will be missed.