A Plethora of News

Hello there. Rehearsal on Tuesday was great, IA is really starting to turn into a solid "team." Everyone is so focused lately. It is a great turn of events and I hope it continues. Comedy City shows continue to be cancelled whenever I am there, which is really starting to be a turn off. The videos Tommy and I are making seem to be getting some good feedback... so far. We are very new at this and are learning a lot. Hopefully they will get better and better. Still no news from the Nebraska videos, but I promise, once I know you will too.

I am still very depressed about the Writer's strike. I hope it is resolved soon. I miss SNL and The Office dearly. Hopefully they come back energized and better than ever. Thank God 30 Rock is still on...for now.

In other news Tommy and I need to start rehearsing for our 2 man show at Improv Thunderdome which starts mid-January. We have discussed it a few times and the only thing we know for sure now is that Jared Brustad will be our director/coach. Very exciting. I have never had a coach for anything except soccer when I was younger, and that was my dad.

So what, we don't have to know each other.

I stumbled across Molly Erdman's blog. For those of you who don't know her, she is the hilarious female in the Sonic commercials, and has been on the Second City Mainstage for quite some time now. (Although I guess she just moved to LA) Her blog is great. As if I needed another thing to fulfill my improv addiction. Her blog is very informative about her move to LA and the "business." She even has some blogs about her Second City past. Good stuff.

Sure, we don't know each other, we aren't friends, but why can't I post a link to her blog. I think it is great, and I respect her. It takes a lot of work to get on the Second City Mainstage. I wish nothing but the best for her and I will support her in any way I can you judgemental jerk!

I am one week off.

The meeting is next Monday....sorry.

aaaand we're back

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I know I did. I had to do a lot of traveling, but it was worth it for the food!!! Just kidding, it was great to see the family.

I have to admit, it was nice to have a break from improv for awhile, and I do mean a break. I didn't even think about it for a good 5 days. Thursday morning was the last time I thought about it during the Turkey Bowl. (It wasn't the same without you Corey)

I feel refreshed. I had a lot of me time, which I think is exactly what I needed. Now I can go to the City 3 board meeting tonight excited again for improv in Kansas City. Not depressed about it like I have been the past few weeks. I have realized it is time to remain positive no matter what. I get to do what I love, and sure, maybe the audience is small, but I am having a blast, and that is all that matters. If it wasn't fun, then what would be the point.

Besides, maybe the audience isn't expanding, but the community is. 5 years ago there was one improv theater. (Comedy City) Now there are two. (Roving Imp) 5 years ago there were maybe 3 legitimate improv groups. Now, I can't even count how many groups are doing this at least once every 2 months or so. So there, positivity back on track.

Moral of this story. Thank God for Thanksgiving break. I think we all needed it.

Ruby Streak

Ruby is the musical director for the mainstage at Second City. Sure, that sounds like her favorite job...but no, she hosts a podcast for Second City. In the podcast, Ruby interviews current members of Second City's mainstage, etc stage, tourco's, and even some famous alumni. I have been listening to these podcasts religiously and the last two have been the most informative. It's as if it gives us fans a glimpse into the business side of Second City, from the performers perspective. Last week she had two lovely ladies from Second City Las Vegas. Shelly Gossman and Katie Neff discussing how they got to where they are today and what is in store for them. It is very insightful for those who dream of moving to Chicago and trying out what they have done. This week the entire cast of Second City Detroit keeps my addiction to improv at bay. If you are a true fan of improv, please listen in. They are divine.

oh well...

Saturday's 5:00pm Comedy City show was cancelled. (this is becoming annoying) It was also the only show I was scheduled in. However, their late show had at least 140 reservations when I left. Since the show was cancelled Tommy and I got to chat about some upcoming video work that we want to accomplish, so all in all, it turned out to be a productive evening.

Speaking of video stuff, we have posted our next one on our Youtube account...but I will just post it here anyway:

Another one bites the dust

Guess which show got cancelled last night???

It's too bad, I was really looking forward to playing again...oh well, it will just have to wait until Saturday.

Have you ever had improv withdrawal? I really am having some right now. It has been exactly 1 week since I have done any improv...and I am really starting to feel it.

In other news, I can't wait for the *2007 Turkey Bowl!

*Turkey Bowl is copyrighted under Corey Rittmaster and Jim Montemayor

Welcome Back

I got back from Lincoln a little late last night. I had an absolute blast this time around. It was even better than the first time. I don't want to give to much away, but I got tarred and feathered for the first time (and hopefully last) in my life. I was able to watch the first video and the director told me of his disappointment after we watched it. Apparently the client wants an ad...not a video...oh well. I still think the video turned out great. The next two should be equally funny. Sadly...the videos will not be ready until mid-December. They are creating a website, and they are going to launch all of the videos at the same time. I will definitely keep you all posted as soon as I hear anything.

It is great to be back. As much as I love sitting around and being filmed all day for a decent amount of money. I would much rather be back improvising here in Kansas City with the people I know and have grown with. I missed rehearsal on Tuesday and my body felt it. I was having improv withdrawals for sure. I have a show this evening at Comedy City and another on Saturday so I can get my fix.

Also, this weekend Tommy and I will be putting the finishing touches on another video. I promise that it will be up by Sunday night or Monday morning at the latest.

IA had a great turnout finally at The Mission Theatre for their show last night. From what I have heard it was also a great show. Strictly short form improv, but hilarious none the less.

I have given myself a new challenge for the upcoming shows I am in this weekend. Characters that are very far from myself. I know that I can change my body in order to create someone different, but what about my voice, and personality? I want the character to be grounded in reality, but to be nothing like me. I want people to see the character, not me playing a character. We'll see how that turns out.

Tonight is Comedy City, tomorrow is On The Spot, and at some point this weekend, Tommy and I will be putting the finishing touches on another video!!! Hopefully you are anticipating these things. For those who do read this, the upcoming videos are interviews...no more, I don't want to give anything away...but man they make me giggle.

The holidays are fast approaching which means there will be fewer posts around those days. Be patient people, I am not leaving you.

Tuesday Rehearsal

We only had to rehearse for 2 hours last night at IA because of the workshop Sunday and the Chris Gaines Experiment on Monday night. It was refreshing, you could tell that every one's energy and excitement for the group has been stepped up a notch, due to the great workshop with Second City.

So far Tommy and I have had some great feedback on our first video. We know the video quality is not that good, but after the first few videos it will get better. My wife and I just bought a very nice camcorder for vacations and future family stuff, and it will definitely help our videos have better quality in the future. Thanks to everyone for the views, comments, and subscriptions.

In other news Jill Bernard has started showing up on the City3 forums answering any questions that improvisers have. She has been very helpful so far. She has been down here 2 times so far to teach workshops and participate in the Kansas City Improv Festival, and she is as nice as she is talented. (Very!)

Lots of news

Last night Improv-Abilities had Tim Baltz and Rebecca Hanson from Second City's Tour Co. come and teach us an improv workshop. It was a fantastic workshop. Everyone involved was so focused and ready to learn. (The pros were here right, we were ready to learn) However, both Tim and Rebecca said that we were far ahead of where they thought we would be. It seemed as if they planned on us not knowing how to perform long form. I am very excited that we exceeded their expectations. Don't get me wrong, we still learned a lot, but I think we definitely surprised them. Tonight IA is going to be filming some more KCWE stuff at the Sprint Center, so if you're going to see Garth, be prepared for improv.

Tommy and I finally finished some videos. We are trying this new venture out. We both love doing short videos and so far it has been fun. You can check out the first video (with more to come) by clicking the link on the right, or just right here.

Oh what the heck, I will just post it here!

How Ironic

The day I complain about bad communication at one improv show, the other show excels in communication. Saturday night was an Improv-Abilities show at Lucky Brew Grille. Low attendance as usual, but great show. We all received an email a week before the show telling us what games were going to be in the show, we then rehearsed it very well on Tuesday at rehearsal. Sure it was planned out, but everyone was on the same page and the show was smooth because of it. The games were played due to players strengths, not because someone wanted to play a certain game that night. After the show we said thank you to the audience for a good 10 minutes, and then we went backstage and got notes from Timmy, who watched the show with the audience, it was great to get feedback directly after the show. It was fresh in my mind and he gave us constructive criticism. I love learning what worked and what didn't, it helps me become a better improviser. Just another reason I think that IA is on the brink of becoming a better improv group.

Comedy City

Last night's show went well. Even though it was a Friday night, there were only 30-35 audience members, which isn't great, but it is about the average for every group in town at their shows, so I can't complain too much. I got to be the "DJ." This stands for Designated Jokester. You basically play in every game. This may sound like a great thing, but being somewhat new still at Comedy City, I do not know the games that they play. (And they don't rehearse anymore...so you have to learn as you play....ugh) We played 3 games last night that I have never played before or have only played once. It was tough.

What did I learn? Communication is key. Everyone in the show should discuss what games are going to be played and if everyone in the show knows how to play them. If they don't know how to play them, then give them a great description, or pick something else. Am I wrong here? Is it improv if you plan out the games before the show? I don't think it is a good idea to just pick games as you go, unless everyone in the show is experienced with all of the games. Does anyone know how ComedySportz does it in Chicago? I am sure they actually get to train people and rehearse, which is a luxury that is lost at Comedy City nowadays.

High School?

John Robison out in Bonner Springs has started teaching two groups of high school kids (with 4 members on each team) how to do improv. This will culminate in a battle of the two teams type show for Roving Imp. He of course is hoping this will raise awareness of his theatre and help his attendance overall. I have to agree with him for trying. High school kids have to be a part of the answer. They are like our minor league system if you will. They are the ones who will either love it or hate it, and at some point most of us were high school or college kids that fell in love with improv. If he can get one of the kids to stick around and participate with his theatre after the show then I say it was a success.

By the way, the high school show will be on:

Saturday, Dec. 8:
High School Improv Showdown: Piper vs. Mill Valley