tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27950243359401752982024-03-19T04:48:24.624-04:00My Nephew is a PoodleA blog by Pam Victor -
Improviser. Comedian. Author. Journalist. Nice person.Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.comBlogger249125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-1694029097303208432018-05-23T11:52:00.000-04:002018-05-24T13:24:10.022-04:00From Dream to Dirty Vanilla BoxBy Pam Victor<br />
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When the clouds parted 15 years ago and the Great Goddess of Improv locked me in her fierce tractor beam with songs of laughter and connection, I didn't know that I was just one of hundreds - maybe thousands - to have the epiphany that improv was my calling. I didn't know because almost none of them lived anywhere near me in Western Mass. There is so much I didn't know back then. I am so grateful for all I didn't know. As I sat there for the first time in a dusty barn-like room with about 15 other slightly terrified people from all walks of life listening to our teacher explain the tenets of improv, the one and only thing I knew was that I was deeply and madly in love. With improv.<br />
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And all I wanted was more improv, more improv, more improv. A match was lit and it spread like wildfire in my soul. If you looked into my eyes, you would see little funny flames burning. If you cupped your hand like you would with a seashell, and listened to my chest, you would hear my heart beating "more improv, more improv, more improv." As luck would have it, there was only just one improv show in my little neck of the woods in Western Massachusetts, a terrific troupe called the Villa Jidiots who performed short form improv occasionally throughout the county and in the backroom of a Chinese restaurant once a month. Though, again luckily, they didn't seem to be interested in casting me in their show. Yes, it was luck. Though I thought the lack of improv scene was my albatross, it ended up being my awesomesauce. Just like improv promises, there are no mistakes. There are only opportunities.<br />
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But 15 years ago, there were no opportunities in sight. So I made my one. Improv teaches us to accept the moment without judgment and to move forward in positivity one small step at a time. So I begged some friends from that first ragtag class and founded an improv troupe. Thankfully, we had no idea what we were doing - so many opportunities to learn! - and our first gig was at my local library in my tiny dot of a town in Western Mass. We did a lot of libraries back then. Lots of fundraisers. There is so much I didn't know back then. I am so grateful for all I didn't know. And still the Goddess held me in her tractor beam. More improv, more improv, more improv.<br />
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In 2012, I took another big leap of faith. I knit together a fragile web of childcare coverage - many thanks to my in-laws and my ever-supportive husband! - to allow me to spend five weeks in Chicago studying at the mecca of longform improv, iO Theater. I cried a lot in preparation for that trip because I felt like a fraud and a fake and a dilettante. Why was I abandoning my family to do this insane thing for no sensible reason? Here I was studying improv with people who were working for their shot on "Saturday Night Live," and I had few prospects in improv aside from my blind willingness to listen to the drumbeat of my passion. Turns out, that's enough. Improv guru Susan Messing says, "Being brave is being scared as shit but doing it anyway with the result of flying." I was scared as shit to go to Chicago. What's more, I didn't know why I was doing it, only to return to my little life raising my kids in Western Mass. But I tacked Susan Messing's words to my bulletin board, making it a vision board, and I spent five of the happiest weeks of my life in Chicago only to come back home to continue homeschooling and raising my kids with no prospects in improv. But still the drumbeat continued, More improv, more improv, more improv.<br />
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With no destination in sight, my thirst for improv knowledge lead, one silly step at a time, to an interview blog series where I asked my improv heroes every question I could think of about the art form. They thought I was a journalist, but really I was just cobbling together my own education from the confines of my life as a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom in woodsy Western Mass. There is so much I didn't know back then. I am so grateful for all I didn't know. Because that blog series lead me to implausibly ask the two most well-respected improvisers in the world to let me write their book. (Experienced, I lacked. But steely ovaries? I had a pair, I guess.) And the Improv Goddess must have shined down her light because they answered, "Yes, and..."<br />
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That's when the dream turned into an experiment. After 10 years of homeschooling our son, we dropped him of at college. I suddenly was out a job and the house was quieter except for that drumbeat. More improv, more improv, more improv. In August 2014, I started the "Can I Make a Living Doing What I Love?" Experiment, a yearlong effort to make $16,000 - the poverty line for a family of two - through improvisation. In Western Massachusetts. Where there were a grand total of five performing improvisers. Improv teaches us to jump and then figure it out on the way down. So I jumped.<br />
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Soon I was the one teaching a class of 15 slightly terrified people from all walks of life. I had no idea what I was doing. So I did what improv trained me to do, I disregarded the voices of unhelpful judgment and I figured it out one step at a time. There were obstacles that turned into opportunities along the way, and I fell back on the improv tenets: Move forward with positivity. Pay attention to the moment that was happening - as opposed to what I wished or feared was happening - and follow where it was taking me. One class of students turned into two, which turned into more improv and more improv and more improv.<br />
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In 2015, I officially founded Happier Valley Comedy, Inc, a nonprofit with a mission to bring more laughter, joy, and ease to Western Massachusetts (and the world.) Much to my surprise and, if we're being honest here, chagrin, I found myself running a company despite the fact that I didn't know how to run a company. There is so much I didn't know back then. I am so grateful for all I didn't know as I built the little improvised house as I lived in it. One metaphorical brick at a time, I built the wing of a improv training program. One metaphorical brick at a time, the wing of the shows. One metaphorical brick at a time, the wings of the professional and personal development programs. There is so much I didn't know back then. I am so grateful for all I didn't know. It allowed me to open myself to ask for help and guidance, which lead to forming a leadership team and community of the most supportive, enthusiastic humans on earth ... almost all of whom love a good poop joke.<br />
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Yesterday, on May 22, 2018, my business partner Scott Braidman and I signed a lease on a 1,300 square foot space on Route 9 in Hadley, Massachusetts. (The bricks aren't metaphors anymore!) Right now, it's what they call a dirty "vanilla box," an empty room devoid of anything but walls and toilets. But when we look at it, we see the first ever improv theater and training center in Western Massachusetts.<br />
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"I thought this was going to feel more celebratory," said Scott as we clinked our turmeric lattes together in Pulse Cafe, the vegan restaurant across the street, after signing the lease. We both looked at each other wide-eyed and scared as shit. There is so much we don't know about building a theater. We don't even know what we don't know. "We are going to learn so much," said Scott, which is improv-speak for "Holy crap. We are going to make so many mistakes." We are trying to be grateful for all we don't know.<br />
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Gulp.<br />
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Trust.<br />
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Jump.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pam celebrating in the dirty vanilla box <br />(May 22, 2018)</i></td></tr>
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Figure it out.<br />
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Fly.<br />
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Rinse.<br />
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Repeat.<br />
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The only thing we can do now is to move forward, step by step, as if we were in an improv scene. First notice without judgment to how it feels and accept that reality. (It's scary! Yay! We have no idea what's going to happen! Yay!) Then we need to listen to what's really happening in the moment - rather than what we hope or fear is happening - and serve the needs of those moments one small step at a time.<br />
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The first thing we're going to need is a broom.<br />
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----<br />
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<i>Pam Victor is the founder and Head of Happiness - which is what they call the President - of Happier Valley Comedy where she runs the Through Laughter program for professional and personal growth and a multi-level improv comedy school as well as producing regular improv shows in Western Massachusetts. Pam is the author of “Baj and the Word Launcher: A Space-Aged Asperger Adventure in Communication” and, along with legendary improvisers TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi, co-author of “Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book.” Pam is a nice person. She likes you already.</i><br />
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<i>On August 12, Pam will be facilitating<a href="https://www.happiervalley.com/fckyourfear.html" target="_blank"> "F*ck Your Fear & Trust Your Truth," a personal growth workshop for all who identify as women</a>. This three-hour workshop takes place at the Happier Valley Comedy Theater at 1 Mill Valley Road in Hadley, Massachusetts, the first-ever improv theater in Western Massachusetts. For more about that workshop and more, check out. www.happiervalley.com.</i>Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-79901346402453477632016-11-20T16:44:00.001-05:002020-08-10T15:45:56.130-04:00“That Just Happened” (Or “Moving Forward from a Clusterfuck)”<div style="line-height: 27px;">
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>You know that burning, sinking moment that happens after something potentially horrible just occurred? We feel our fight-or-flight response kick in, our blood pressure ramps up into overdrive, those gnarly chemicals that make us feel at once hot and cold as the reptilian brain takes over and rational thought goes bye-bye. Everything in our bodies and minds is screaming “Bad! Bad! Bad!” And even after the initial shock begins to fade, we may still be eager to kick ass and take names even as we’re wanting to curl up in a ball and cry, or else hide from our fear with the numbing balm of social media, wine, and chocolate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Yeah, that feeling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">What’s next? How are we supposed to proceed from there if it feels like half the world is going low and rather than get high, we want to “go high”?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i>“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else;</i></span></span> <i style="color: #674ea7; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px;">you are the one who gets burned.”</i> </div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px;">- Buddha</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">As always when I’m lost and bereft, I look to improvisation for guidance. Ever helpful, improvisation offers two useful directions in this situation. The first is to seek the practice of Non-judgment, which to me means accepting the reality of the moment as it is, rather than how we wish it would be. The second useful direction is to practice the kissin' cousin muscles of Agreement and Acceptance, which I define as the act of moving forward together given the present reality.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Improvisers get to strengthen the muscles of Non-judgment, Acceptance, and Agreement quite often in our scenework. We’re doing a scene and our scene partner comes in and “fucks it up” by saying something we might consider annoying or the result of poor listening or that takes the scene where we didn’t want to go. You know that feeling, I’m sure. You initiate a scene, and someone comes on and responds in a way that makes you have this feeling of disappointment. Maybe you even sigh. Maybe you feel a wave of anger or annoyance. It happens. It will happen again. Now what? How to continue the scene while still seeking ease and joy?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">That’s when I evoke the story I’ve taken to calling “The Parable of Dave Razowsky’s Foot.” I call it a parable because I’ve told the story so many times in my own way and according to my own interpretation that it’s no doubt ceased to be the story I heard improv teach extraordinaire Dave Razowsky tell on a podcast years ago. That’s my way of saying that the story I’m about to tell you now is my own version and is not the way it really went down. Here is how I tell “The Parable of Dave Razowksy’s Foot:”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Once upon a time, Dave Razowsky was at a wedding reception dancing with a woman. In my imagination, the woman is quite large, like an Amazon in pink chiffon. So excited was this lovely Amazon at the prospect of dancing with Dave Razowsky, that she placed her two meaty paws upon his shoulders in delight, and slammed him to the ground in mislaid enthusiasm. Unaware of her impending Amazonian fervor, Dave Razowsky’s foot found itself at an angle, so when it had its unhappy encounter with the hard ground, Dave Razowsky’s foot ended up breaking very badly. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">And in that moment, Dave Razowksy says he thought, “That just happened.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Not “Holy fuck, you Amazon she-bitch, what have you done?! You fucking broke my fucking foot!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Not even, “Aaaaaaaah! My foot! It’s broken! Ooooooowwwww!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Merely, “That just happened.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">The foot breaking was an event. The “holy fuck!” is the judgment. And according to the parable, Dave Razowsky was able to remain in the event. On one hand, that event in my parable had many bad outcomes: Dave Razowsky was unable to work for quite some time. He couldn’t do his shopping. He was stuck at home for 6-8 weeks. But the event also had positive outcomes: Dave Razowksy had time for projects he wouldn’t have had time for otherwise. He had opportunities to sit and be present and think and imagine, which lead to more opportunities for productive growth. He found out who his real friends were, the ones he could count on, the ones who actually did his shopping for him and took him to the foot bone doctor and sat around with him and made him laugh while his foot healed. (Again, these outcomes are for parable purposes only and may not be what actually happened in real life to the real Dave Razowsky, who is a swell guy with a fully functioning foot.)</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Real Dave Razowsky</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">“That just happened.” Which means accepting the reality of the moment in a place of non-judgment. The Amazon slammed him to the ground and his foot was broken. Your scene partner just came in and responded to your offer. The election did not turn out the way I had fervently hoped. Now what? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">First, the improv guideposts of Non-Judgment, Agreement, and Acceptance help us practice accepting the present reality as it is rather than how we wish it would be. No amount of denial, bargaining, chest-beating would unbreak the foot, change the offer, alter the election. It happened.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Personally, I can’t always jump straight to “That just happened.” Because I am a paint-still-drying, evolving human, I find that I often have to go through a state of negative emotion before I can get to accepting the shit sandwich of reality. (Yes, “shit sandwich” is a judgment. See? “The just happened” is a practice. Sometimes, I get there. Sometimes I don’t.) Usually, I have to feel sad/mad/disappointment/grief for a proportional period of time before I can claw my way to the judgment-free acceptance of “That just happened.” Still, I can use this parable as an intention to move towards because accepting the reality of the moment is necessary in order to find the most ease and joy of reality.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Once acceptance happens, we can move forward. That’s the next step: <b>Given the reality of what just happened, how can we now move forward together?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">I don’t have to deny that I’m unhappy about the current reality, but improvisation demands us to accept it and move forward together. Inspired by a Del Close quote, I describe the act of building a scene with this full-hearted acceptance as being like building a life raft together while we’re in it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;"><i>“A Harold is like building a 747 in mid-flight.” </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">– Del Close</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">My litmus test of Agreement is “Does this offer add to our life raft?” If it does, great. If not, that move probably wasn’t an act of agreement and wasn’t helpful in moving us forward together. Ideally, we’re in a scene together constantly adding little pieces to our life raft as we glide easefully down the stream. If all goes well, by the time we leave the stage, the ground under us is solid, steady, and leak-free. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9CjVxkt_K8eLRr3wd_pJV2wZO8hGCWf5RdcY073s9ojYvmTGOfNnab4mjopOXtlZvUWixHAX7Jo-yYcj9F7l_jx7-ZW3c__AAyUvtRURBhqZilSxc5PCwxZBI75btcpxkaVDsoG81ooD/s1600/constant+examination+book+quote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9CjVxkt_K8eLRr3wd_pJV2wZO8hGCWf5RdcY073s9ojYvmTGOfNnab4mjopOXtlZvUWixHAX7Jo-yYcj9F7l_jx7-ZW3c__AAyUvtRURBhqZilSxc5PCwxZBI75btcpxkaVDsoG81ooD/s320/constant+examination+book+quote.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Applying this offstage, when we find ourselves in the clusterfuck of life, we may find it most helpful to get to a place of non-judgment acceptance – That just happened – where we cease resisting reality, so we can then figure out how we can move forward together. How can we build a life raft together with the maximum joy and ease? That means, I can’t argue with my “scene partners” in life about what they’re bringing to the moment. I have to figure out how I can build onto what they’re bringing to the moment so hopefully we don’t all die in a fiery blaze of shitfire. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">Now how can we move forward together?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;"><i>“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals. Adjust the action steps.”</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">- Confucius</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px;">I don’t claim to yet have the answer for you, but I hope you find it useful to ask the question. Then pay attention like a ninja-detective, so you don’t miss the next step when it appears.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-71833751226552112422016-11-09T08:37:00.001-05:002016-11-09T08:38:42.235-05:00A Note to My Children on November 9, 2016<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Yeah, well, this sucks. On behalf of the world, I apologize to you and your generation. Dad and I and our friends worked hard to avoid this reality, but the world has failed you at this moment, there is no doubt. And it's scary and upsetting and it feels like anger would feel better than fear. Though it's okay to feel anger and fear, I urge you to eventually channel your anger and fear into hope, love, and action.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Humans are strong, resilient creatures. I keep thinking about how scary it must have been for the generation before mine. When they were your age, in the mid- to late-60s, their friends were being drafted into the military to fight in a senseless war. There were protests in the street. Segregation and sexism were blatant realities. Heroes were being murdered - JFK, Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King - and it must have felt scary and hopeless, yet humans overcame.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I've also been thinking about how scary it must have been during World War 2. London was being bombed. Paris was occupied by Nazis. Millions of people were being systematically murdered. It must have felt hopeless, yet somehow humans overcame.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Over and over, there have been in scary, hopeless times in our history. And yet humans managed to somehow overcome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I'm not going to sugarcoat it. We are in a dark time. But we will overcome this too. History is a swinging pendulum. We are in an extreme. It will swing back eventually with some hard work and hope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You are both in important fields for our times: art and education. Music and theater are vehicles for spreading messages of love, hope, resistance, and change. Education is the antidote to hate and ignorance. Education is hugely important for moving our world out of darkness. Once we come out of our grief, let's all focus on our art and education to heal the world. I am so proud of you both.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So, the thing is, the next days and weeks are going to suck. I need you both to take care of yourselves, mentally, spiritually, and physically. I strongly strongly strongly suggest you STAY OFF SOCIAL MEDIA. It is not going to be helpful right now. Though it feels like we want to "be with our friends," social media is not a healthy place right now. In the future, social media will be useful as a way of banding people together to spread messages of love, hope, change, and education; but right now, it's full of fear. And it's all conjecture. Nobody knows how things are going to turn out. (Read that again. It's important.) They're just spinning out their worst fears. Please try to go on a digital diet for a week. Believe it or not, that's what I'm doing as much as possible, unless I have to promote shows. I'm off Facebook for a while because I know it's not going to be a healthy place for me and it will be too upsetting to see my friends spinning out their worst fears and present pain. If I can do it, you can too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you listen to the news, be sure to remind yourself of the difference between fact and beliefs. Concentrate on what is actually happening. What is a fact and what is an opinion? Put the beliefs and opinions in perspective. They're not reality; they're only ideas. Beliefs are not necessarily true or what's going to happen in the future. They are ideas, and ideas change. Even reality changes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My plan is to concentrate on the voices of Good in the world. Find the leaders you trust in, both world and local leaders. Listen to them. Stand with them. This week, we are going to grieve. Next week, the work begins. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By the same token, make sure to take breaks from the work and from unhelpful people in your life. Though these are dramatic days, kids your age tend to be extremely dramatic because you all feel things deeply. That's not a bad thing. In fact, that's important. But over the next week or so if things are feeling too intense at school, take a break. Sierra, I will come pick you up today if you need me too. Jake, Aunt Col will pick you up if you need a little break tonight or one or two evenings (or more) this week...she is very wise and will know what to say to help you maintain perspective. If you need to come home for a while, that's an option too. Otherwise, we'll see you in a couple weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Please talk to dad and me if you are feeling worried. If you don't want to talk to us, it's important to reach out for help when you need it. You both have a fantastic, powerful tribe of adults - teachers, our friends, family - who love you and would drop everything to be of service to you. All you have to do is ask.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I love you both.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Mom</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">P.S. If you want to share this note with your friends in the event that it might be helpful, please do.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor is an improv comedian, author, teacher, consultant, and nice person. She is the founder and Head of Happiness of <a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" target="_blank">Happier Valley Comedy</a>, the epicenter of improv in Western Mass, where Pam teaches The Zen of Improv to the best students in the world </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">as well as bringing the power of improvisation to the workplace in her "<a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/through-laughter-program.html" target="_blank">Through Laughter</a>" program. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> TJ Jagodowski, David Pasquesi, and Pam are the co-authors of "<a href="http://amzn.to/1iKkGds" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book." </a> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">She lives online at <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/">www.pamvictor.com</a>.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Unless you're a meanie, Pam would probably like you.</span></span></i></div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-1154655547189838992016-06-16T16:49:00.003-04:002020-08-10T15:47:45.774-04:00Fun vs. Assholes (More About the Joyride)<div style="line-height: 27px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Pam Victor</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4xrCPH0qEXKAYk6bqw9XGbI3XovMC86rD2fn7GilBoxSNOz-kpHugWck5Xvj_lcEfWXZNk2WgAHuAF7Ftds1-xShv4gK5I8Ppz-eE5nRkHsHmDTDtKKrvCjJozlIglSn10oPMJlkIS6N/s1600/1-susan+mick+scott+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4xrCPH0qEXKAYk6bqw9XGbI3XovMC86rD2fn7GilBoxSNOz-kpHugWck5Xvj_lcEfWXZNk2WgAHuAF7Ftds1-xShv4gK5I8Ppz-eE5nRkHsHmDTDtKKrvCjJozlIglSn10oPMJlkIS6N/s640/1-susan+mick+scott+%25281%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">This photo captiony thingy got me in some deep doo-doo. I guess the adult way of seeing it is that it got me engaged in some spirited and enlightening debate…but at first, it really felt like doo-doo.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Thinking only about how much I love the photo, how much that quote means to me, and how grateful I am to the guidance (and existence) of Susan Messing, I posted it on a Facebook page for female comedians along with a little shout-out about a new project I’m working on. Let’s just say that a vocal faction of the ladies did not like the pairing of the quote with the photo. They found it offensive and sexist, and – if I understand their point correctly – they said that the photo-quote pairing suggested that women need to do whatever is asked of them in a scene, even bury their faces in men’s crotches, if they wanted to be considered good improvisers. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">"Huh," said I. "That is the exact opposite of what I meant," as I felt the doo-doo shame fever rise up through my core.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I tilted my head and looked at the photo again. Then again. Then I walked away and came back and looked at it. Then, finally, I performed what Brené Brown calls “shame resilience” by talking about it with a trusted person. It was hard to talk about it. I really didn’t want to. I even started the conversation by saying, “Don’t ask me about to tell you the whole story but…” But then I told my trusted friend the whole story when I remembered Dr. Brown’s wise quote:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i><span style="color: #674ea7;">"If we can share our story with someone </span></i></span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; font-style: italic; line-height: 32px;">who responds with empathy and understanding, </span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; font-style: italic; line-height: 32px;">shame can't survive.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">― <a href="http://brenebrown.com/" target="_blank">Brené Brown, </a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://brenebrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable </span></span></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://brenebrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://brenebrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7; line-height: 32px;">Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead</span></span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">And that’s when something interesting happened. Not only did I feel less ashamed that I had inadvertently angered and offended people, but I suddenly saw their viewpoints more clearly. It was as if the rabbit turned into a duck in this common optical illusion:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTZZCWh3GwSXIDhWILFSYABWLkDfrcGK8APcOSANkFvpK8_uQQVHhlXuXdgXr5EKtgje7CtdRJ1IPtkNG3DBNabCqKkc3XM7OweITOtY0d9EtydGbGEWvbuj9b27CZRwBcvDrALZV_0R-/s1600/rabbit+duck+illusion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTZZCWh3GwSXIDhWILFSYABWLkDfrcGK8APcOSANkFvpK8_uQQVHhlXuXdgXr5EKtgje7CtdRJ1IPtkNG3DBNabCqKkc3XM7OweITOtY0d9EtydGbGEWvbuj9b27CZRwBcvDrALZV_0R-/s200/rabbit+duck+illusion.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Do you see a duck or a rabbit?<br />Keep looking until you see the other one.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I realized that these well-intentioned Facebook folks understand both the photo and the quote differently than I do. They see a sexist duck while I see a empowering rabbit. After recovering from my shame fever, I could suddenly see both my rabbit and their duck.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">My rabbit perspective is an advantaged viewpoint because I know all three people in this photo at least a little bit, and I certainly have seen them perform more than a little. I know that they all go way back. I know that both Scott Adsit and Mick Napier have <i>tremendous</i> respect for Susan Messing, and she for them. I know that this photo was taken at the Chicago Improv Festival and was most likely performed in front of a wildly delighted crowd. In that rabbit-and-duck moment, I realized that what I was seeing as an immensely powerful women in complete charge of the scene could – without context – be seen as the men manipulating a woman into burying her face in their crotch and her crotch and their crotch. (Crotch crotch crotch. Crotch is a funny word.) If you know Susan Messing, you know that unicorns would sooner fly out of a bear’s ass than she would ever be manipulated by <i>anyone</i> onstage, least of whom these two fine gentlemen friends. But if you don’t know Susan Messing, then the photo could look like a damsel in distress moment, and when paired with the advice to not be the asshole, it could look like a call to just suck it up and suck him off if you’re called to do so onstage or else you suck. (Which, just to be clear, is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I believe and teach.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I still love the fuck out of this photo, but point taken. Context is everything.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Speaking of context, I want to take this moment to provide some context for Susan’s quote, which I believe is often misunderstood and misused. I also would like to tell you what this quote means to me, and it has more to do with life than improv because “If you’re not having fun, you’re the asshole” is one of the central guideposts of my life. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">But first, a caveat: This interpretation is 100% mine. I’m not sure if Susan Messing intends it the way I use and teach this tenet. This essay is only how I interpret the phrase and how I use it to light my way along my life journey in an effort to have more fun and be less of an asshole.</span></span><br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBO9obMICLYB_TIySlDNEyLyfscxhR5-Yq-OnMsBNncQHps0dGdRHmfiXh21EASAxSbFuYM06TLu4TDwXn_dknre9oWR1qd1fxrWEVPXSVYNvlqhyphenhyphenY7hrD3y57HHXTnc4NowkIraN2aNnC/s1600/Susan+Messing+part+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #351c75; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBO9obMICLYB_TIySlDNEyLyfscxhR5-Yq-OnMsBNncQHps0dGdRHmfiXh21EASAxSbFuYM06TLu4TDwXn_dknre9oWR1qd1fxrWEVPXSVYNvlqhyphenhyphenY7hrD3y57HHXTnc4NowkIraN2aNnC/s320/Susan+Messing+part+2.jpg" width="255" /></a><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“If you’re not having fun, you’re the asshole.”</span></span></i></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Susan Messing</span></span></i></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Often the first time I pull this Susan Messing mantra out of my teaching bag of tricks, I am quick to provide my interpretation because sometimes people think it’s a mean phrase at first blush. (After all, I just said the words “…you’re the asshole” to the whole class.) I interpret this phrase as said lovingly and kindly with only the best of intentions. To me, “If you’re not having fun, you’re the asshole” means that if we’re not having fun in the moment, it’s up to us to find the fun. If it doesn’t feel good, we get to control our lives to make it feel good, perhaps by speaking up or walking away or changing the situation or paying more attention and recommitting to the moment. It’s a very powerful statement to me. I use it to remember that I am the author of my own story. I have control. I can re-frame the situation to duck-to-rabbit switch my perspective from tossing a blame bomb to opening up to joyful acceptance. This is life. This is the scene we’re in. This is the moment we’re in. We can deny that the reality exists and “be the asshole,” or we can accept it and make it a positive experience. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">It also reminds me that my judgement is not helpful in the moment. Sometimes, what seems like not-fun at time ends up being a really great happenstance down the line. For example, I was at an improv event last year, and I wasn't having fun at all. I locked myself in the bathroom and chanted, "You're being the asshole. You're being the asshole." Everyone else was having fun; I was not. So I tried to get on the joyride. Within a few weeks, I got two very well-paying jobs from that event. I should have been having more fun.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">In improv, “If you’re not having fun, you’re the asshole” means to me that if the scene isn’t working, don’t judge it or argue the reality of the scene or deny your scene partner's offer, but make it fun for yourself. So if my scene partner is suggesting I mime-suck his dick – and that doesn’t sound like fun to me - I can say, “Let me just accept this Nobel Peace Prize for neuro-physics first” or “Sure, but I’m having trouble finding your dick” or “Get off your ass and suck it yourself. And clean the kitchen before the kids get home from school, you lazy fuck.” I get to choose any response that seems the most fun. More importantly, we then get to have the most important conversation of all: offstage with that BJ-seeking improviser and our director about how that guy can be a better stage partner and how our team can have more fun. Because I believe this phrase (which I think I made up but maybe I forgot that I heard from somewhere):</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><b>If everyone isn’t having fun onstage </b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">t</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">hen no one is having fun onstage</span></b><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">And it’s a team’s job and a director/teacher’s job to make sure everyone is having fun. It’s our job to make sure our scene partner is having fun. Anyone who isn’t on board with the group joyride by trying to change the scene to fit their agenda is being the asshole.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Let me clarify what “fun” means to me. In my opinion, the “fun” in “If you’re not having fun, you’re the asshole” doesn’t refer exclusively to the “Yay! Wheee! Hip hip hooray!” kind of fun. The “fun” in this quote is about a general positive energy and being in flow with our scene partners, the scene, and the moment itself. I see this “fun” as referring to Susan’s idea of the “joyride.” (Which Susan might lovingly also call “whatever gets you off.”) In my opinion, the joyride refers to what brings you joy and ease. In improv, your joyride might be playing with people you trust, love, respect, and know very well in a well-rehearsed form. Or it might be jumping into a jam with people you’ve never met before. Or it might be short form games. Or it might be doing a highly structured longform with a bunch of Harold purists. Or it might mean messing around in a clusterfuck show with your friends. Or performing as if the stage were a church. Everyone is free to their own joyride, as long as nobody gets hurt. Mostly importantly,<b> YOU GET TO DEFINE YOUR OWN JOYRIDE. </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">One thing is for sure, it would behoove us all not to shit on other people’s joyrides. Judgment has no place in the joyride of life. As my friend, sex educator, Joli Hamilton advises,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>“Don’t yuck anybody’s yum.”</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">As we are in a time of evolution as we work on making comedy a more inclusive place, it certainly does nobody any favors to judge each other’s joyrides, call each other names, make heated accusations from behind the safe curtain of a computer screen, and generally tear down the people who we should be lifting up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i>“When they go low, I go high.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>-President Barack Obama</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">If someone’s joyride is to do a scene with such beautiful, whole-bodied commitment that it involves one moment when her face is in Mick Napier’s crotch and Scott Adsit is desperately cradling her ass, who are we to judge? If someone’s joyride is to do a scene where there is no swearing and nobody goes blue, who are we to judge? If my joyride is to spend a weekend camping in Vermont with a bunch of old friends, mostly guys, and trying to out-gross them (and winning,) I will request that you keep your opinion of my joyride to yourself. And if your joyride is to spend the weekend scouring your house until it’s sparkling, eat-off-the-floor clean, it’s my job not to yuck your yum … or else I’m being the asshole. I’ll say it again: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><b>ONLY YOU HAVE A RIGHT</b></span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">TO DEFINE YOUR OWN JOYRIDE. </b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">(Only you do not have a right to judge another person’s joyride.)</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Life sucks and then you die. Why not die happier than anyone? To turn to <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2012/05/geeking-out-withsusan-messing-part-two.html" target="_blank">another Susan Messing touchpoint from a life-changing conversation I had with her once</a>:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“What if, god forbid, we were all RIGHT? What if you couldn't be WRONG? What if you were exactly what was needed at that very moment?</span></span></i> </span></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">And maybe, just maybe, because no one has told me I'm WRONG in a very long time, they think I'm RIGHT; when in fact, I'm just making sure to have more fun than anyone in the whole wide world. And that shit's contagious, and then I'm so grateful they get my gig and we're all happy.”</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">This is the moment that is happening. This is our present reality. It might be amazeballs or it might suck turds, but it’s not so helpful to deny this reality. To me, it feels more “fun” to accept the present reality and figure out to how to best get on the joyride of life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">And that is what “If you’re not having fun, you’re the asshole” means to me.</span></span><br />
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-40870798919320630032016-06-12T16:49:00.002-04:002020-08-10T15:51:10.507-04:00For the Eager Beavers (More About the Journey)<div style="line-height: 27px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Pam Victor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Recently in my "Improv for Scaredy Cats workshop for absolute beginners, pre-beginners, and the improv curious," I had a brand spankin' freshly-hatched new improv student say, "But in the book, TJ and Dave said..."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">"Fuck TJ and Dave" was my salty response. (And I mean that lovingly and respectfully.) And then I thought, "Ah, we've got an Eager Beaver here." (I mean that lovingly and respectfully too.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I can easily identify an Eager Beaver because I was one, so I can recognize the tells. It’s a gleam in the Eager Beaver's eye that betrays their enthusiastic impatience when they walk in the door. It’s a Cookie Monster-like chant of “Me need more improv!” which is only audible to the thoroughly addicted. It’s a sigh of frustration and the wrinkled brow while walking back to the chairs after a scene in an early class. We dedicated Eager Beavers thump our tails impatiently to beat a quicker path to the Best Improv Show Ever. And as my teachers may recall all too well, I'm one of the most egregious Eager Beavers at the dam. We Eager Beavers are a pain in the ass. We’re so eager to lickety-split “get better at improv,<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From www.azquotes.com</i></td></tr>
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" we might forget to notice that the real gift of this improv journey is that it can’t be rushed. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">To my dear fellow Eager Beavers, I'm sorry to say “becoming a better improviser” is not something that we can think or study or read our way to. I’ve had students who’ve come into their first class having read books and watched shows and done some really mind-expanding thinking on the topic. And no matter how much preparation they've done, these Eager Beaver students still start at Day One, just like the kid off the street who signed up for class on a whim "because Wayne Brady is funny." No matter how much thinking and reading and discussing they’ve had before that first (or 100th) day of class, the Eager Beavers still need/get to learn all the many permutations of agreement and fighting/following their fear, and how to make each other look good, and how to redefine failure, and what a perceived shitty scene feels like (and then what two or three or a hundred shitty scenes feel like,) and how to get back out there, jump again into the unknown, and catch each other and all that other delicious, juicy stuff. On our feet. Over and over and over again. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">If there are short cuts in improvisation, I sure as shit don't know about them. And even if I did have the magical, CandyLand map with the Rainbow Trail short cut, I'm not sure I would tell you because I wouldn't want to deprive you of one single, solitary second along your journey.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">The lessons of improvisation are meant to be discovered over time, with lots of trial and lots of error, in order for them to properly seep into our bones. Improv is a journey - yes, one that can take decades and decades until the end of our lives. (And, if there is a heaven, certainly there too.) That's the beauty of it and the reason why so many of us do it as voraciously as ever, even when we're ten, twenty, thirty years in. There are no short cuts. What a curse! What a blessing! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">We can't think or talk our way any more quickly along the journey of improvisation. (Believe me, I've tried. And then I inflict those efforts on blog readers.) Though you might be feeling grumbly about that news, the bright side is, that if we could get all our questions answered by thinking and talking and writing, we’d be tempted to stop asking, investigating, thinking, geeking out. Then we’d lose touch with our <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-zen-of-improv-improvisers-mind.html" target="_blank">beginner’s mind</a> that spurs that all-important Cookie Monster energy to learn more, more, more about improvisation. The "Me want more improv!" mindset is a fleeting gift. Hold onto it! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>"No one saves us but ourselves.</i></span></span> <i style="color: #674ea7; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></blockquote>
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<i style="color: #674ea7; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">- Buddha</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">If anyone tells you there is one easy, quick-and-dirty answer to improvisation's big questions, they're selling you snake oil. Pay for that shit at your own risk. Yes, a teacher will answer your question, but keep in mind that a teacher can only give you one possible answer for that particular moment in time given the teacher’s and your current state of evolution. But then the moment is gone, and the answer loses focus and needs to be asked all over again. We learn, we grow, and we learn more and outgrow the old answers…until, strangely, we learn and grow so much that we come back to asking the same questions we had from the start.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I can hear you thinking, "Fuck you, Pam. I want answers to my questions! I want to get better!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Of course you do. So do I. Also, fuck you too. (And I mean that lovingly and respectfully.) I know all too well the soul-pummeling feeling of walking back to the green room after a shit-show. I know what it feels like to slink away as soon as possible after a hard class muttering, "Never again. Fuck this shit. I'm going to spend evenings in a less painful way, like maybe poking myself in the eye with a hot fork." <i>Who wouldn't want to speed through the painful portions of the fucking journey?</i> Believe me, I would love to be the teacher who could sprinkle fairy dust on you and say the magic words that would turn you into the world's best improviser. (Well, to be honest, I would save the best dust for myself and my teammates ... Yeah, I know. I'm a total dick.) But here's the hard, cold truth: We're all on the same journey with no achievable end, bitches. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Given that, I wonder what it would be like to enjoy the journey more? What would it feel like to be grateful for those gut-punching moments that teach us so much? What would it be like to resist the whirlpool of self-judgment and self-flagellation after a hard scene in class? How could we get back on the joyride when improv is kicking our ass?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">One way might be to stop thinking so damn much. Dave Pasquesi often advises that if thinking is part of the problem, more thinking is not going to be part of the solution. So what to do instead? As always, one answer is to pay attention. Listen with your ears, your eyes, your heart, your gut, your intuition. Notice what makes you laugh, what brings you joy and what makes you want to be part of the scene. What feels ease-ful? What feels fun? Then do that instead of thinking.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">This improv thing is a long-ass journey, my friends. And by "long-ass," I mean "infinite." Even if we've never had the good fortune of working together, I will put good money on this bet: I'd bet that you are in the perfect place along the way in your improv journey - exactly where you need to be. You are where you are. You can't rush it. So you can either hate the journey or love the journey. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">If I could sprinkle fairy dust and say magic words, I would wish for us all to choose love.</span></span><br />
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<b>Pam is very proud that she wrote an entire essay about beavers without even a soupçon of a vag joke.</b></div>
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<br />Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-29278730383658153802015-12-20T14:51:00.003-05:002016-12-27T14:35:08.881-05:00Scrumptious Improv Quotes: TJ Jagodowski (Service is Inherent)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Click here to soon be reading the rest of </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you're interested in reading more of my slurry, check out</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html"><i>The Zen of Improv </i>series here</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like this one called</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-zen-of-improv-journey.html" target="_blank">The Journey</a>, which begins:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"Am I the only one who wanted to walk on stage on Day One of improv school and blow the fucking lid off the scenes? I remember wanting to be GOOD right away. And the weird thing about improv is that we get to taste the GOOD almost immediately in little fleeting licks of laughter and ease, which mistakenly leads us to believe that greatness can be born in a flash if we could only get that just-right lick. We think that maybe we’re just one scene away from being the best fucking improviser on the planet, and with just a couple more classes, we can be all, “Suck it, </i>TJ and Dave<i>!"</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Or perhaps you'd like to read interviews with </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">TJ Jagodowski and other great minds in improvisation in the </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/geeking-out-withinterviews.html" target="_blank"><i>Geeking Out with...</i> series here</a>?</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor is an improv comedian, author, teacher, consultant, and nice person. She is the founder and Head of Happiness of <a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" target="_blank">Happier Valley Comedy</a>, the epicenter of improv in Western Mass, where Pam teaches The Zen of Improv to the best students in the world </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">as well as bringing the power of improvisation to the workplace in her "<a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/through-laughter-program.html" target="_blank">Through Laughter</a>" program. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> TJ Jagodowski, David Pasquesi, and Pam are the co-authors of "<a href="http://amzn.to/1iKkGds" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book." </a> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">She lives online at <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/">www.pamvictor.com</a>.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Unless you're a meanie, Pam would probably like you.</span></span></i></div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-63791954367551941762015-12-03T13:03:00.001-05:002015-12-03T13:03:25.454-05:00Podcast Guesting on The Soul Glo Project<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">My soul was all a'glow talking to the lovely ladies on this podcast about making a living through improvisation in Western Massachusetts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh, and I totally won Two Truths and a Lie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take a listen here: <a href="https://soundcloud.com/the-soul-glo-project/44-pam-victor" target="_blank">The Soul Glo Project</a>.</span></div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-16411581916450368912015-11-19T14:36:00.003-05:002020-08-10T15:50:54.211-04:00The Journey<div style="line-height: 27px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Pam Victor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Am I the only one who wanted to walk on stage on Day One of improv school and blow the fucking lid off the scenes? I remember wanting to be GOOD right away. And the weird thing about improv is that we get to taste the GOOD almost immediately in little fleeting licks of laughter and ease, which mistakenly leads us to believe that greatness can be born in a flash if we could only get that just-right lick. We think that maybe we’re just one scene away from being the best fucking improviser on the planet, and with just a couple more classes, we can be all, “Suck it, TJ and Dave! Eat my dust, Improvised Shakespeare!” as we ride off into the improv legend horizon. But then a couple months later, when we’re not performing in a 8pm Saturday night show and haven’t been cast on a house team and don’t have Matt Besser on speed-dial, we start to get frustrated with ourselves, with our stage partners, with our teachers, and with improvisation. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">The cool/fucked up thing is that now that I have the perspective of a teacher, I can see what an unhelpful path this erroneous thinking takes us on. I see students who want to "be good" right away, and their current status as learners only frustrates them. This frustration leads to fear-based moves onstage and also sucks joy out of the practice. None of these things gets them back on the happy improv train when they got that first GOOD lick that hooked them into improv in the first place. The coolest/most fucked up thing is that their current status as learners is one of the biggest blessings in the improv journey, but they're in such a hurry to get past it that they miss out the joy.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NP8paoFMiFTLgFcLJHMfrNONL3SlJ1zeEDozebVRHhsb1gSZ6OSkgJFI4CPTdr240zT_Ohrw_7eJKn6yhyEkMc2eJTkbbT8VUBwKMS-P8Mpx5gYxGBH5y_NMQkBexv1q9KJOMB9aDGx5/s1600/journey+front.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NP8paoFMiFTLgFcLJHMfrNONL3SlJ1zeEDozebVRHhsb1gSZ6OSkgJFI4CPTdr240zT_Ohrw_7eJKn6yhyEkMc2eJTkbbT8VUBwKMS-P8Mpx5gYxGBH5y_NMQkBexv1q9KJOMB9aDGx5/s320/journey+front.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A gift from my daughter<br />and a reminder from my angels</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">My message today is this: We are on a journey. And we are exactly where we need to be on the journey, as much as it sucks to hear that. The secret is to find joy in being where we are at this moment, while at the same time keeping our eye on the prize of where we want to be. This secret, this intention, is no small task. Personally, I know it will take me a lifetime of practice. But perhaps I can meet it with <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-zen-of-improv-curiosity-killed-crap.html" target="_blank">curiosity</a>: <i>What would it be like to be perfectly content with where I am right now on the journey?</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Our improv journey involves ups, downs – not to mention those dreaded plateaus - none of which can or should be avoided. The ups fuel us through the downs. The downs lead to profound learning, which ultimately fuel the ups. And the plateaus are part of the journey too, which also make us better players as they compel us to take more risks and get out of our comfort zone and generally shake things up. I know there is a desire to speed the journey along in order to get to whatever end goal we've set. But I am sad (and happy!) to say, I'm not sure that's possible to do. If we’re doing our jobs as evolving improvisers, we are taking classes and workshops and seeing shows. We are getting up on stage and leaping into the unknown; we’re landing on downy, groupmind softness and we’re crashing into nasty road pizza on the ground. We are doing the work. We are on the journey. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">The trick is to take more pleasure in the place we’re in right now. In retrospect, I really wish I had when I was a beginner. And this moment is a good reminder for me to get more fully on the joyride with the challenges I face right now in my own improv life. Not to mention my real life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>- Lao Tzu</i></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">We are on a journey. There are no short cuts because there is no end of this journey. Like life, improvisation is a lifelong practice. In the beginning, we feel impatient to be “farther along” in the journey, to know more, to be “better,” to feel more secure. But the longer we improvise, the more we know the less we know. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>TJ Jagodowski<span style="text-align: left;"> , iO Theater (2012)<br />[Photo credit: Pam Victor]</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>“There is so much I don’t know. Of all the things in the world I </i></span></span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">should have learned, I probably know the most about improvisation and I know almost nothing.”</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>-TJ Jagodowski, </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I mean – look, you guys – that’s TJ speaking there. In my opinion, he’s one of the best improvisers on the planet. That chap is one of the smartest, most talented people I know; he’s has studied with Del Close, Mick Napier, Noah Gregoropoulos, and our other most excellent teachers; he’s performed on Second City Mainstage and is a rockstar at Annoyance and iO Theater; he’s devoted his life to improvisation and he lives seeped in it; he’s been getting up onstage in Chicago with some of the world’s top improvisers most nights of the week over the past twenty years or so … and he still feels like he knows almost nothing.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vzI_QF4iKJMwpYX64TgInA2KzPsjXJbhlbjzbhh2FpvevMYDcs_ZX7jjOpDs95xNfRjSZQkqfLSZ2CvDcHPBUAicHihpfTlUUiuUb3Y371lnUjtKZCbKfjv94LOZm5cFWVtg9vkUWpsV/s1600/journey+back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vzI_QF4iKJMwpYX64TgInA2KzPsjXJbhlbjzbhh2FpvevMYDcs_ZX7jjOpDs95xNfRjSZQkqfLSZ2CvDcHPBUAicHihpfTlUUiuUb3Y371lnUjtKZCbKfjv94LOZm5cFWVtg9vkUWpsV/s320/journey+back.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">It’s all part of the journey. Every move is part of the journey. Just like when we play <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-zen-of-improv-extreme-geekiness-non.html" target="_blank">the word association game Clover</a>, there are no bad moves because every single, damn word gets us closer to coming back to the original word again. What if it’s the same in our improv journey? What if in order to get to the “good,” we have to go through the “bad"? (So much so that there is no good and bad.) What if, in order to go closer towards our goal, we have to go far away from it? (So much so that there is no closer and no farther away.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">What if it’s the same in our life journey as it is in our improv journey as it is in Clover? Every moment takes to one step closer to where we need to be, which is right there in the moment.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">That’s so fucking OBNOXIOUS, isn’t it? I want to bitchslap that idea so hard, you guys. But, I’ll ask again because I need to hear it again, <i>What would it be like to be perfectly content with where I am right now on the journey?</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Finally, I'll leave you with this mantra, which I adopted in my struggle with this journey idea: “This is the pathway to joy. This is the pathway of joy.” The moments that feel like my life has devolved into a steaming shitshow? This is the pathway to joy. This is the pathway of joy. As much as I’d like to kick into overdrive to get past those <i>blerg</i>-ful moments along my pathway to joy, I can’t. There are no shortcuts along the pathway to joy, I guess. Because it’s all the pathway of joy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Isn’t that fucking craptastic, you guys?</span></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">John Windmueller’s Improv Lifecycle<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington DC improviser John Windmueller posted this terrific overview
of the typical improviser's practical journey, which he was kind enough to allow
me to share with you. (Thanks, John!) He includes this caveat and
acknowledgment: “This is just an in general thing, and individual mileage can
totally vary. Props to Jill Bernard, who first got me thinking about this
years ago when she noted the two year know-it-all phase folks sometimes go
through.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Level 1 Class: Improv Baby</u></b> Shit yourself/your scenes, but
don't really even realize or fully understand or judge it, so laugh, laugh,
laugh and enjoy the joy.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Levels 2-3 Classes: Improv Toddler</u></b> Can do more, but that's
sort of a mixed blessing. Runs into walls and falls. Is aware that it has run
into walls and fallen, and older siblings don't do that. Still joyful, but some
frustrated aspirational goals as well.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Levels 4-5 classes thru 1.5 years out: Improv Tween</u></b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh the awkward improv tween years. So
earnest. So self aware and critical of themselves. Cue the piece by Ira Glass
about taste and the curse of developing judgment long before reps gives them
ability: <a href="https://vimeo.com/85040589" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/85040589</a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>1.5-3 years: Improv Teenager</u></b> I FUCKING KNOW EVERYTHING AND
YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME. So much attitude, and maybe it's best they don't
realize how not-yet-actually-good they are at improv, because at least there's
confidence.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>3-6 years: Improv Twenties</u></b> Figuring it out. Making the
transition into adulthood/solid improv, with growth coming in lurches forward,
occasional falls backward, and long slogs through what they worry is stagnation
(but isn't.)</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>7-10 years: Improv Thirties / Adult improviser</u></b> Not
everything is figured out, but if they've made it this far into adulthood,
they've probably generally got the core stuff figured out. They've reached the
point of being legitimately good, and they've also reached the point of being
less obsessed with "good."</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>10-20 years: Improv Midlife</u></b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes midlife means starting to fall into stagnant
comfortable ruts. Sometimes it means a wrenching but ultimately awesome midlife
crisis -- sure there's good improv, but what is MY good improv?</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>20+ years: Improv Elder Years</u></b> Sometimes it's crotchety
improv senility and just repeating echos of what once worked and was fresh, but
now they're sort of repeating shorthand simplifications--getting smaller
instead of expanding. Or, and god bless them, there's the wise and mischievous
improv elderly. They have a twinkle in their eyes and do the smallest things
with such grand and wonderful result. And the really wise ones might even
revert to their Improv Baby years, doing such crazy and wild things, and with
that sometimes shitting themselves/shows, but they smile so wide when they do,
laughing and finding joy in the full experience of life/improv.</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/comedy/what-would-improv-do.html" target="_blank"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />What Would Improv Do?</a></i></div>
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A teeny tiny, one-minute webseries that </div>
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tries to answer the questions of life </div>
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according to the tenets of improvisation.</div>
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In this episode, we explore the non-question, </div>
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"Life sucks and then you die."</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bTd82Bj95fk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bTd82Bj95fk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-86865218462568472442015-11-01T12:35:00.000-05:002015-11-01T12:35:15.228-05:00What Would Improv Do? (I F*cked Up)<div style="text-align: center;">
Life's questions explored according to the tenets of improvisation. </div>
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(Or at least how I interpret them.) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>This week's "question": <i>I Fucked Up</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rUUp9uEd9y0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rUUp9uEd9y0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: #990000;">Email your question to info@pamvictor.com.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></i><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/comedy/what-would-improv-do.html" target="_blank">Click here to see more videos</a></div>
Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-56886015177322590422015-10-14T14:47:00.000-04:002015-11-01T12:34:37.024-05:00What Would Improv Do? (What do I do when I feel sad?)<div style="text-align: center;">
Life's questions explored according to the tenets of improvisation. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Or at least how I interpret them.) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>This week's question: <i>What do I do when I feel sad?</i></b></div>
<i><br /></i>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #990000;">Email your question to info@pamvictor.com.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></i>
<a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/comedy/what-would-improv-do.html" target="_blank">Click here to see more videos</a></div>
Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-37562984780443798172015-10-01T12:59:00.002-04:002020-08-10T15:52:51.118-04:00How "Yes and..." Screws the Pooch<div style="line-height: 27px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Pam Victor</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank"></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Big confession time: I do not teach “Yes, and…” to my improv students. Especially (!!!) not my beginning students. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>GASP! </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I know. Blasphemy, right? After you're finished flogging me with a rubber chicken, you might be wondering why I don’t teach “Yes, and …” to my beginning students. The answer is that I think "Yes, and ..." is one of the most misunderstood rules in improvisation. And I believe it can do more harm than good when it’s misunderstood and artlessly applied. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Do I teach the <i>spirit</i> of and the <i>principle </i>behind “Yes, and…”? Oh, you bet your sweet ass I do, and how! To me, the spirit of “Yes, and …” lives in Acceptance. I think it’s important that improvisers practice acceptance of the moment that’s happening onstage rather than the ideas happening in our heads. It’s my understanding that the principle behind “Yes, and…” means accepting the reality of the moment and moving forward together.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">In response to, “Look out! There is a sinkhole!” The spirit of “Yes, and…” would have us say, “Holy cow! Let’s get out of here.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Likewise, in response to “Look out! There is a sinkhole! Let’s go explorin', Jeb!” the spirit of “Yes, and…” would have say, “No fucking way.” (Unless we’re playing suicide spelunkers.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi really brought home this lesson to me while we were writing <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Vnx6Jj" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life</a></i>: </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“TJ: The spirit of ‘Yes, and…’ as we read it, is an agreement to the present and to deal with it as actual. I don’t literally have to agree with everything Dave says or say ‘Yes’ all the time. If he invites me to the beach and my character doesn’t like the sand, I will say no.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">DAVID: NO. GO FUCK YOURSELF.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">TJ: Like that.”</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">(Can I just take a commercial break moment to enjoy how much I enjoy David Pasquesi?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Ok, moment over…)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Saying a reflexive “yes” just for the sake of saying “yes” is what TJ calls a “baloney yes.” He writes in our book, ”We’re told to offer these automatic yeses that end up reading like the bullshit they are. Instead, be honest to the point of view that you’ve found yourself in.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">(Can I just take a commercial break moment to enjoy how much I enjoy TJ Jagodowski?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Ok, moment over…)</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nMTGIV9Z10TzO9B6TPFqoZDNjCbAzrUtC6yHAPTLCGcnqEz8MF2pHJcoNLzCl0uCpB8Yf5IWAfNB6ubCcKS8NXlQ_B0592SUxemFVAvciZHkgONoIjrAAhlgxzrOo-bijQsA6GTl6SOf/s1600/patrick+short+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nMTGIV9Z10TzO9B6TPFqoZDNjCbAzrUtC6yHAPTLCGcnqEz8MF2pHJcoNLzCl0uCpB8Yf5IWAfNB6ubCcKS8NXlQ_B0592SUxemFVAvciZHkgONoIjrAAhlgxzrOo-bijQsA6GTl6SOf/s200/patrick+short+photo.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Patrick Short</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">In a discussion online, General Manager of </span></span><a href="http://www.portlandcomedy.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;" target="_blank">ComedySportz</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://www.portlandcomedy.com/" target="_blank"> (Portland)</a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"> Patrick Short helped me further refine this subtle distinction in my mind when he said, “A character may say, ‘No,’ if that fits their character in that situation. The PERFORMER should not say no, which usually comes from panic, pushing their own agenda, or ignoring others' ideas.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I love this differentiation between the improviser’s mind and the character’s mind. <b>The character can say no, if that’s honest to their point of view. The improviser must say yes to the reality of the moment – this is exactly what “Yes, and …” means to me! </b>(I bold faced it, so you know I mean it.)<b> </b> Though it's not as tidy as saying yes to every offer, saying yes to the<i> reality of the moment</i> is a subtextual, unspoken affair; which is why a blanket, out loud “Yes, and …” to every offer is so clumsy and ineffectual, because it offers a slobbering face mauling when what you really desire is one well-placed neck kiss. Ok, that metaphor might not work, but you know what I mean. Saying “Yes, and …” all the time is like a dentist using a hammer as her only instrument.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">(See? That kissing metaphor was tons better, wasn’t it?)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Kissing and dentistry aside, the spirit and principles behind “Yes, and …” are a far subtler affair between the improviser and character which an automatic “Yes, and …” can’t possibly convey. One instance I've noticed this improviser mind/character mind mix up is in the tendency in some students to try to fix the situation. Like if a car breaks down, beginning improvisers are likely to try to repair it, which doesn’t always lead to the most fun scenes. (Though it might and that would be amazeballs!) The<i> character </i>wants to repair the car – that’s a perfectly reasonable "Yes, and ..." response in the real world. But the<i> improviser</i> wants to agree to the reality (say “yes, and …” if you will) to the broken car because of the fun that could unfold. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“Shoot. I can’t get the car to start.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">The character thinks, “Oh no! We have to repair it!”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">The improviser thinks, “Oh yes! And there is a super sketchy looking guy walking towards us.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Aha! That's when my improv parts start getting warm and tingly because that's my joyride. (Though yours might be different, and that's cool too.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Craig Cackowski of iO Theater West teaches a great exercise that brings home this lovely character mind/improviser mind dance called “Make It Worse.” From my chat with Craig in <i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2013/08/geeking-out-withcraig-cackowski-part-two.html" target="_blank">Geeking Out with…Craig Cackowski</a></i>:</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“PAM: ‘Problem-solving is comedy elimination’ is another great Cacky quote I remember from last summer. I found that quote and this exercise very enlightening because we learned that in a scene it was important not to solve the problem, but to make it worse while staying true to our characters. (I think you said something about a bully needing a nerd, not another bully, in a scene.) The exercise was very counter-intuitive because in real life we tend to want to fix or brainstorm away the problem rather than prolonging the agony. You said what the character is asking for and what the improviser is asking for are two different things. I thought it was so interesting that “Yes, and…” means doing what the IMPROVISER wants, so if someone's character says, ‘Calm down’ in a scene, the improviser might be saying, ‘Be more insane.’ And her partner should agree to that (‘Yes, and…’) by heightening the insanity.</span></span></i><span style="color: #674ea7;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">CRAIG: I think it's about each improvisor figuring out what their unique role is going to be in the scene. So if I'm agreeing to be the nerd, I'm not going to spend the scene trying to get out of being the nerd, or trying to make YOU the nerd, or trying to negotiate with the bully. I'm going to be that FUCKING NERD. In other words, I'm not trying to WIN the scene, or have the ‘correct’ point of view. I want both of us to agree to our roles, so we can win TOGETHER. My job as a writer of the scene is to help you be a better bully, not to get you to stop bullying me.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazThXn4g3h0Wka0R9mD3Rh6LkT0z2i6WlIBr49wHcTI1A25o0rC77JKQ999Hf95bPjVmJZgd_-riUkcNZdMHPHVoGTV0-YWHxrhjJLmE_abDi-JzwmD-Ee646RZKqx1Mwy05LepoW66HA/s1600/cacky+with+kitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazThXn4g3h0Wka0R9mD3Rh6LkT0z2i6WlIBr49wHcTI1A25o0rC77JKQ999Hf95bPjVmJZgd_-riUkcNZdMHPHVoGTV0-YWHxrhjJLmE_abDi-JzwmD-Ee646RZKqx1Mwy05LepoW66HA/s200/cacky+with+kitten.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Craig Cackowski and cat</i></td></tr>
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</span></span></i> </span></blockquote>
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<i><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">But people want to be right, and people want to win, so it leads to a lot of conflict-driven scenes. It's more fun to lose, or to be gloriously wrong. When we talk about conflict in improv, we're usually talking about the improvisors not being able to agree what they want the scene to be about. Conflict between two characters we care about can be compelling. Conflict between improvisors is boring. The worst kind of scene? Two characters of equal status who both think they're right.”</span></span></span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">This resistance to making it worse is just like that impulse to say “No.” Both are born of fear of the unknown. Both tend to put the brakes on a scene. And I get that so hard, you guys. Moving forward into the unknown future is SCARY. Our impulses to say “No” and to fix it are perfectly understandable, normal human reactions. Fortunately, improvisers are not normal humans. "Yes, and …” is a handy shorthand reminder that improvisers need to take</span></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px;"> the blind plunge into the unknown and muck things up.</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px;"> Too bad "Yes, and..." so often screws the pooch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">The spirit behind “Yes, and …” is some subtle shit, man. Maybe – just maybe – you’re starting to see why I choose not to teach “Yes, and…” to beginning students. The term is pithy and cute but also trite and misleading. Exploring agreement and acceptance – the principles behind “Yes, and…” – is a far more nuanced journey. One that, in my opinion, could be well guided by our hearts and guts rather than our minds and mouths. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">And the spirit of "Yes, and ..." could be well guided by our joy parts too! </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">That's why, instead of a ham-fisted "Yes, and ..." exercise, I prefer to teach an exercise I call "Love the Fuck Out of This Moment," which is a series of short scenes in which the players are instructed to love the fuck out of every single offer their scene partner makes, whatever that looks like and whatever that means to each player. This exercise strengthens our muscle of total joyful agreement. Have fun! Love everything! Invite players to just jump in there and say anything with joy and abandon ... and love the fuck out of it. As you can imagine, the scenes tend to be very high energy and sometimes frenetic, so after a happy round or two, invite players to experiment with modulating the energy. How can you love the fuck out this moment slowly? quietly? while the character is saying no? Wheeee! This joy is what it feels like when the improviser (as opposed to the character) plays with pure acceptance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">In defense of all those “Yes, and…” enthusiasts, I think that’s the muscle we’re all trying to strengthen: the joy of pure acceptance, of jumping into the unknown and making it worse. As Curt Mabry, founder of Zmack Improv (Shanghai, China) said to me, “When I use exercises that focus on how can you 'yes, and' in my advanced classes, I also remind them that this is like the batter in baseball warming up in the on-deck circle - he has a weight on his bat as he swings to challenge his strength ... so that when he's up and the weight is off, he's got all the power in his swing but also a lot of learned control.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">When those muscles are stronger, we have more ability to play with agility, nuance, and discernment. Just as I think that we should make a conscious rather than reflexive choice to say “no," I also believe that “yes” also should be a conscious rather than reflexive response. Are you saying no because it's a.) good judgment or because b.) you feel afraid of the unknown or losing control? If the answer is B, say "Yes, and..." instead. Does the “yes” jibe with the reality of the scene and all that has come before it? If so, say “Yes!” If not, say “No.” (Or if you’re Mr. Pasquesi, you may say, “No. Go fuck yourself.”)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Here’s the super subtle part that I’m ruminating over these days: If we’re not sure how to respond and “Yes, and …” still maintains the integrity and reality of the scene, please by all means let's say “Yes, and …!” And then see what happens. Often, it’s a super fun joyride that you would have denied yourself by saying “no.” If you explore this balancing act in your work, let me know how it goes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">As I'm sure you all know, the spirit of and principles behind "Yes, and ..." extend beyond the classroom as well. By strengthening that so-called “Yes, and…” muscle, we’re becoming more willing to jump gleefully into the unknown, more adaptable to change, and more able to accept the reality of the moment. Because isn’t that the very definition of personal sadness: the difference between the actual reality and what we WISH would be the reality? A</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">s far as I can tell, the act of accepting the present reality seems to lead to more joy. And you know me - I'm all about the joyride. Can I get a "Yes, and ..." to that, brothers and sisters?</span><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/comedy/what-would-improv-do.html" target="_blank"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />What Would Improv Do?</a></i></div>
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A teeny tiny, one-minute webseries that </div>
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In this episode, we explore the question, </div>
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"How do you know what your joyride is?"</div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-18489156703417598932015-09-23T13:34:00.000-04:002015-09-23T13:35:51.987-04:00Radio: Comedians of the Pioneer Valley<div style="text-align: center;">
I got to sub on The Bill Newman Show on WHMP (Northampton, MA) today, and I invited three other funny ladies - Laura Patrick, Kim DeShields, and Jess Miller - and a whipsmart professor to talk about comedy in the Pioneer Valley. Then we did the Hot Mess Guess game show, in which Professor Kirsten Leng of UMass (Amherst) quizzed us about women in comedy. How did we fare? Listen and see.</div>
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I mean, hear. Listen and hear.</div>
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<a href="http://whmp.com/podcasts/women-rule-the-airwaves/" target="_blank"><strike>The Bill Newman Show</strike> The Arty Party Hour with Pam Victor (Sept. 27, 2015)</a><br />
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-62495531912355887942015-09-21T23:46:00.000-04:002020-08-10T14:24:12.998-04:00The Zen of Improv: The Power of "No"<div style="line-height: 27px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Pam Victor</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />[<i>The Zen of Improv</i> is a series of articles about </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>the place where improvisation and Zen thinking meet</b></span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank">You can find all the pieces here</a>.]</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Comedian and improviser Jane Lynch spoke to the graduating seniors at Smith College in 2012:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“As you travel through life, in these many years ahead, I guarantee that you will come upon countless times in which the last thing you’re gonna want to say is “YES AND.” You will experience loss, heartache, the death of a loved one, you’ll probably have to say goodbye to a lover, you’ll experience rejection, maybe have to deal with a bad diagnosis. You’ll age.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"></span></span></i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.smith.edu/events/commencement_speech2012.php" target="_blank">Jane Lynch, Smith College commencement 2012</a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">The trick isn’t to avoid these times or pretend they’re not </span></span></i></span><i style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">happening; you can’t. What you’ll need to do is step up to them courageously and embrace them. Allow these experiences to permeate your being and weave them all into the fabric of your life. They will not only soften you and strengthen you, and you will open your heart to compassion. You will not be powerless in this. If you embrace what is happening, instead of denying it, you can make it your own. If life gives you lemons, grab it by the horns and drive.”</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Scratch a comedian and you’re sure to come up with a quote about living life according to the testament of “Yes, and…” A guidepost I also believe in deeply and thoroughly and down to the very marrow in my bones and the glitter in my soul. But why doesn’t anybody talk about the power of “No”?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I can’t love “Yes, and…” without having some healthy respect for “No.” It’s such an effective weapon for putting the ultimate brakes on life. “No” is a powerful beastie, because the person who plays the “No” card automatically wins. Or at least forces the other player to concede defeat; it’s a mere formality whether the poor schlub decides to go down swinging and spitting or just instantly put their cards on the table with a firm, “I’m out.” In any case, the power of “No” is a profound game ender. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">I suppose that’s why it’s so hard to let go of “No” for us improvisers and human beings. To do so would be to relinquish control of the situation. To let go of “No” is to hand over the wheel to another driver - to fate, to the moment, to the group. To switch over to another vehicular metaphor, “Yes, and…” helps us pull the oars into the canoe and allow the scene/moment to take us where it’s going already. Whereas “No” grabs the mother of all bigass oars, shoves it deep into the water where it anchors us in the muck below, effectively arresting the canoe dead in the water. In fact, “No” makes the canoe altogether un-canoe-ish, as the it transforms from its float-down-the-stream job and instead becomes more like a boulder resolutely moored to the floor of the stream ever since prehistoric times and well beyond all our lifetimes and our children’s children’s children’s lifetimes. There is no joyride on that boulder. But it is undeniably potent. “No” is definite and immovable and, yes, a very powerful way for the No-er to hold total control.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Lately (as in, for the last 48 years of my life,) I’ve been seeking the answer to, “How to let go?” with extra special bonus points awarded for the answer to, “How to let go gracefully?” How to let go of the power of “No”? How to let go of the need to control? How to let go of the fear of the unknown? How to let go of the boulder and instead float ease-fully along with the current of the moment?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">As I understand it, improvisation encourages us to let go and allow the scene/moment to take us along its path. In order to be a good improviser, we need to let go of where we WANT the scene/moment to go, and allow the scene/moment to take us where it’s going already. It's that act of pulling the oars into the canoe and saying "Yes, and ..." to the stream, where the scene is going already. This actions requires a tremendous amount of letting go, especially the two big, bad Leroy Brown’s of letting go: letting go of control and letting go of fear. We allow ourselves to feel the big, bad feels, and we let go anyway as we say, “Yes, and…” to the scene and to the moment. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Let’s scratch a few more comedians:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">"’Say yes, and you'll figure it out afterward’ has helped me to be more adventurous. It has definitely helped me be less afraid.”</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">-</span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Tina Fey, Bossypants</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"> “I love saying ‘yes’ and I love saying ‘please.’ Saying ‘yes’ doesn’t mean I don’t know how to say no, and saying ‘please’ doesn’t mean I am waiting for permission. ‘Yes please’ sounds powerful and concise. It’s a response and a request. It is not about being a good girl; it is about being a real woman. It’s also a title I can tell my kids. I like when they say ‘Yes please’ because most people are rude and nice manners are the secret keys to the universe.” </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">― Amy Poehler, Yes Please</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“… you are not in control. So say ‘yes.’ And if you're lucky, you'll find people who will say "yes" back. Now will saying "yes" get you in trouble at times? Will saying ‘yes’ lead you to doing some foolish things? Yes it will. But don't be afraid to be a fool.” </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">- Stephen Colbert, Commencement address at Knox College (2006)</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">But what happens when a “Yes, and…” joyrider meets a bigass boulder of “No”? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">The answer can be found in the splinters of canoe shrapnel floating down the stream. “No” wins. Game over. End of joyride. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“No” is so fucking powerful, you guys! “No” not only hoards all the oars but also overtakes the power of the stream’s current, gravity itself. “No” says, “Try to move me, motherfucker. I dare you.” And you can’t because “No” is Arnold Schwarzenegger in a no good, very bad “Go ahead, make my day” mood, and even if you could deal with that shit, it’s just not worth it, man. It's just not worth it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">(Yes, I know that Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t say “Go ahead, make my day,” but you get my drift.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">What would it be like to let go of the Power of No? What would it be like to let go of our fear of what’s ahead? What would it be like to let go of our need to plan? To let go of the whole self-delusion of planning? What would it be like to let go and give in to where the scene and the moment is taking us?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Back to Ms. Lynch at that Smith College commencement for this one,</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>“To this I say: you can always trust that when you’re coming from your highest self and from your heart, you’ll know when you should say YES AND,’ and when to engage the awesome power of ‘NO WAY’ …. Your job is to honestly discern for yourself if you’re saying ‘no’ to an opportunity out of fear, or are you simply exercising good judgment.”</i></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">And I would add that we should take a magnifying glass to our definition of “good judgment” while we’re examining these intersections of life. Aside from those classic “bad judgment” red flags – like heroin, murder, kitten torture – defining “bad judgment” is not always a no-brainer. That’s the bitch of it, people. Because there are moments when Fear colors everything to make it <i>seem</i> like a bad decision. Quitting your paying job in order to fulfill your non-paying dream? That logically seems like a bad decision. Saying yes to an opportunity to leave all your friends and family and move to another country? That logically seems like a bad decision. Being with a person who you desire even though it would mean posting on Facebook that “It’s complicated”? That logically seems like a bad decision. All those moments logically certainly seem like good times to wield the great Power of No.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">And yet …</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">What would happen if we allowed ourselves a bubble outside of life, a bit of time in a life vacuum outside of the exertions of the “shoulds” and “musts” of life? What would happen if you were scared but tried it anyway, even if it doesn’t make sense and you don’t know why you’re doing it? What would happen if you take a tiny break from life to listen to your heart? What would happen if you pull the oars out of the water and allowed the moment to carry you, just for a moment or two or three or four? Where would you go? How does that feel in your heart? Can your head possibly catch up for just a second to consider those moments in this lovely bubble before stopping the journey dead in its tracks with “No”?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">On the other hand, should the lovely bubble experiment fail, what would it be like to say “Yes, and …” to<i> that</i> new reality, whether we like it or not? What would it be like to say "Yes, and ..." to the "No"? This “No” might be the new normal, the (maybe) unhappy reality of this moment. What would it be like to allow that moment of “No” to take us to the next step along the way? Because, as my co-authors of <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Oq3Gpq" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life</a></i> taught me, the principle behind “Yes, and …” does not require us to say yes. The spirit of “Yes, and …” suggests that we “merely” accept the present reality of the scene/moment. Bonus points for doing so without out judgment. Daily double bonus points for doing it gracefully.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">“No” is a powerful weapon that requires we use it ever so wisely and judiciously. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">Maybe the secret is to follow the heart rather than the head? For sure,</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"> the secret is to <i>consciously</i>, rather than reflexively, choose to say no.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;">This seems to be a good time to return to our seats in the<a href="http://www.smith.edu/events/commencement_video.php?v=RwuNfHSOxZI" target="_blank"> beautiful quad in Northampton, Massachusetts on a sunny day in 2012</a> to turn our attention toward a very funny woman:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9091px; line-height: 32px;"><i>“It turns out I just had to be willing to take chances, look at what’s right in front of me and greet everything with a big ’YES AND,’ putting all of my heart into everything I do. My counsel to you, women of Smith College? Let life surprise you. Don’t have a plan. Plans are for wusses.”</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<i><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/comedy/what-would-improv-do.html" target="_blank">What Would Improv Do?</a></i></div>
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A teeny tiny, one-minute webseries that </div>
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tries to answer the questions of life </div>
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In this episode, we explore the question, </div>
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"How do I let go?"</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you are interested in exploring some </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">more <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank">Zen of Improv</a> pieces, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">you might enjoy reading about the other side of the "No" coin:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-zen-of-improv-how-yes-and-screws.html" target="_blank">How "Yes, and ..." Screws the Pooch</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 32px;">Or how about some of these<i> <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/geeking-out-withinterviews.html" target="_blank">"Geeking Out with..."</a> </i>interviews with some of the biggest minds in improv?</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor is an improv comedian, author, teacher, consultant, and nice person. She is the founder and Head of Happiness of <a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" target="_blank">Happier Valley Comedy</a>, the epicenter of improv in Western Mass, where Pam teaches The Zen of Improv to the best students in the world </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">as well as bringing the power of improvisation to the workplace in her "<a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/through-laughter-program.html" target="_blank">Through Laughter</a>" program. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> TJ Jagodowski, David Pasquesi, and Pam are the co-authors of "<a href="http://amzn.to/1iKkGds" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book." </a> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">She lives online at <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/">www.pamvictor.com</a>.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Unless you're a meanie, Pam would probably like you.</span></span></i><br />
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-45559597822453592542015-09-19T15:54:00.000-04:002015-10-14T14:48:40.106-04:00What Would Improv Do? (How do you let go?)<div style="text-align: center;">
Life's questions explored according to the tenets of improvisation. </div>
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(Or at least how I interpret them.) </div>
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<b>This week's question: <i>How do you let go?</i></b></div>
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<i><span style="color: magenta;">Email your question to info@pamvictor.com!</span></i><br />
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<a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/comedy/what-would-improv-do.html" target="_blank">Click here to see more videos</a></div>
Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-35300230570087566482015-09-13T09:24:00.000-04:002015-09-13T09:24:01.887-04:00What Would Improv Do? (How do you know what your joyride is?)<div style="text-align: center;">
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Life's questions answered according to the tenets of improvisation.</div>
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This week's question: How do you know what your joyride is?</div>
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Send your question to info@pamvictor.com</div>
Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-87546205036989881772015-09-07T11:10:00.001-04:002015-09-07T11:10:03.210-04:00What Would Improv Do? (Life sucks and then you die)<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Life's questions answered according to the tenets of improv comedy.</i></div>
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<i>Do you have a question? Email info@pamvictor.com.</i></div>
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<br />Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-40497738064786631932015-07-31T13:43:00.000-04:002015-07-31T17:50:04.769-04:00The "Can I Make a Living Doing What I Love?" Experiment (#22: The Experiment Ends & Life Begins)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">By Pam Victor</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">[The "Can I Make a Living Doing What I Love?" Experiment is my one-year challenge to make a living through creative pursuits. <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20%22Can%20I%20Make%20a%20Living%20Doing%20What%20I%20Love%3F%22%20Experiment" target="_blank">Read all the updates here.</a>]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Well boy oh boy, tomorrow is August 1, 2015, the official last day of The "Can I Make a Living Doing What I Love?" Experiment. As <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2014/08/essay-can-i-make-living-doing-what-i.html" target="_blank">I summed it up on August 1, 2014</a>, "</span><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">The crux of my 'Can I Make a Living Doing What I Love?' Experiment is to see if it’s possible to do these things that I love from the tips of my toes to that godly space above my head while getting paid just like other hard working people." And I even went ahead and made my financial goal see-through rice paper, scary vulnerable transparent: $16,000 in a year through improvisation, writing, teaching - "the things that put wind in my soul’s sail, make my heart want to keep kerthumping, rev up my juicy lady motor, make me eagerly lean forward and want to learn and explore and experiment and do more every day forever and ever until hopefully even after I die." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">I have twice in one paragraph quoted myself, so obviously I succeeded in my goal to become a pretentious twat. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">But has the Experiment itself been a success? Spoiler alert: Yes.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Doing what I love with the people who I love.<br />The Ha-Ha's 2015</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">I achieved my financial goal a few months ago, so I've been putting away a little bit more since that time. Enough that if I was the sole breadwinner of our family of four, we would be just teeny tiny bit over the poverty line. Though the Experiment is a success, according to society I make a meager living. That said, when improvisers hear how much I made, they can't believe how much it is. However, when normal people hear how much I made, they can't believe how little it is. But the fact remains, I made a bit over $25,000 in one year through teaching, performing, and writing about improvisation. I'm sure you will rejoice this achievement or make sympathetic clucks depending on which side of the aisle you're sitting in. For both, I thank you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">This Experiment is about much more than just money. It's about the experience of making a living doing what I love, and if I still love what I do after doing so. Was that do-si-do a success? I'll have to go with a more moderate "Yes" on that one. Yes, I still love improvisation. Of course I do. I love it like I love breathing. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Has every moment of the last year been skipping through a field of daisies, mojitos, and kittens? No.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"> No, it hasn't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Like Rick Hall told me last September when he was on the</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>With Laura Hall and Rick Hall at the BCAF 2015<br />[Photo credit Lisa Cordner]</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"> panel of my talk show at the Boston Comedy Arts Festival - <i>oops, that pretentious twat just snuck out again</i> - anyway, he said that getting the job is work, doing the job is play. Most of the time, I still deeply love performing and teaching, but actual performing and teaching is about 20% of the work necessary to do this job. The other 80% is sitting in front of my computer alone in my office, doing what needs to be done to get onstage and into the classroom. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><u>The Big Stuff I Accomplished During the </u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><u>"Can I Make a Living Doing What I Love?" Experiment:</u></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Designing, running, and teaching a multi-level improv class curriculum called <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/teacher/the-zen-of-improv-classes.html" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Teaching 70+ Zen of Improv students, plus probably an equal number of workshop students in several different states</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Publishing a book with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Writing sixteen essays in <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/author-journalist/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv series</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Almost always getting paid to perform improvisation</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Producing The Happier Valley Comedy Show and Sunday Improv Fun Time (a jam/show)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Facilitating many workshops with guest teachers</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Firmly establishing a home, school, stage, and loving community for improv comedy in Western Massachusetts</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">That seems like a year well spent when I see it all bullet-pointed out like that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">What's the big lesson I learned over the last year of doing what I love? <b>It's all about hustle.</b> (Yes, <a href="http://www.dsicomedytheater.com/people/zach-ward/" target="_blank">Zach Ward of DSI Comedy Theater</a> got the hashtag right. #hustle) This job has been a ginormous 24/7 mofo of hustle. I'm CONSTANTLY thinking, working on, managing the next gig. I am always brainstorming new ideas to try to figure out how to expand my job still further. I'm still trying to crack the nut of applied improv, how to utilize improv for personal and professional growth in my <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/personal-and-professional-growth-through-laughter/through-laughter.html" target="_blank">"Through Laughter" Program</a> and how the hell to get those gigs. I'm always working on my websites, both of which I had to re-build over the past few months. (Add Web Design to my skills! But don't put that under "Doing What I Love" - Egads! What a pain in the ass. Goddess bless the web designers, those patient souls.) Hustling also includes booking workshops, finding classroom and performance space, planning new classes, designing curriculum, taking registration, answering endless questions, sending out proposals ... basically, putting every possible pole in the water in hopes of getting just one bite. Hustling has become reflexive and nearly compulsive and may have made enemies of my Facebook friends with. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Basically, I've spent the last year getting a new business off the ground. Which means I've been working without stop almost every day and many evenings for the last year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Time management has been my greatest challenge, by far. My biggest source of income right now is classes. I teach about three or four classes each week. That means that between classes, workshops, performances, and rehearsals, I'm out of the house about five or six nights a week. Often, I leave the house before my husband gets home from work and I get home after he has gone to bed. You'd think we'd see each other on weekends, but shows, workshops, and classes tend to land on Saturdays and Sundays. Plus, if I have a free moment, I tend to sneak down to my office to get a little work done in hopes of whittling away at the endless, regenerating monster of the to-do list. I pretty much work in front of my computer all day long, then shove some late afternoon combo meal (linner? dunch?) into my gullet before dashing out of the house to teach/perform/rehearse. I have a ridunkulous work ethic and the hustling is non-stop. And stressful.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">What I'm saying is, I am very tired.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Nevertheless, I have to take a moment to say that I feel very - excuse the expression - blessed. You cannot believe the people I get to work with! I know you <i>think </i>you can believe it, but you just cannot. I'm telling you, improvisation is like the most powerful Awesome People Magnet ever. I have received nothing but encouragement from every improviser I know. Over the last year, I've felt like I have a team that literally spans the globe rooting for me. Here are a few stand-outs who have let me know they're cheering me on: </span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Everyone I perform with has let me know they have my back, but most of all my improv family in Western Mass - Laura Patrick, Christine Stevens, Moe McElligott, Maile Shoul, Mosie McNally, and Scott "Sunshine Face" Braidman - such talented improvisers, such huge hearts, such cherished friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Neighbors who have heard me on the radio and took the time to say so</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">My ImprovBoston family. (Thanks especially to Mike D!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">The improvisers I worked with in Florida </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">The gentleman in Italy who translated my Zen of Improv essay and offered me a place to stay if I'm ever in Milano </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">The members of our audiences</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Readers of my blog, especially those kind and generous souls who took a moment to let me know that someone appreciative is out there reading</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Susan Messing, whose sexy voice rings in my head when I'm struggling: "If you're not having fun, you're the asshole," "Being brave is being scared as shit but doing it anyway with the results of flying," "You, love, will put your head down and take care of your beeswax," and so much more.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">My mentor/friends Will Luera and Piero Procaccini</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Dr. Sue Keller, a dentist who sponsors The Happier Valley Comedy Show and sent me a clipping in the real, actual mail when I was in the paper </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">The people, like Sarah and Tom, who come to almost every show. And like Adelaide who buys a ticket every month, even if she can't attend the show. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">And boy oh boy! do I LOVE LOVE LOVE my students so damn hard. They are some of the most brave, loving, supportive, and fun-loving people I've ever met. I cannot tell you how many <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Some of the Best Students in the World</i></td></tr>
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different ways my students inspire me each day. I feel so grateful for getting to meet, work/play with, and become friends with them. I am excited and optimistic about the improv community that is building around these classes. I hope you get to meet, know, play, and/or work with my students one day because I'm pretty sure they're the best students on the planet. And that's not an exaggeration in the least.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">What's ahead? The good news is that my Experiment was enough of a success that I can continue to do what I love. That means my next challenge is to figure out how to do what I love in a more sustainable way that will keep me going over the long haul. I need to figure out how to take days off and re-charge. I also would like to expand my applied improv program because I have learned that improvisation is as helpful to people off the stage as it is on the stage, and I would like to bring the joy and learning to more people. My next financial goal is to be able to cover all of my son's college tuition, so we can eat something besides rice and beans this year. I also would like to establish a physical "clubhouse" for improv comedy where we can teach and learn and perform and nerd out. I have a lot of ideas for more shows and classes, and a permanent forever-home for improv in Western Mass. would allow them to happen. I would like to find more paying performance opportunities. I would like continue to facilitate more paid improv gigs for others. I could go on ... I have more goals, hopes, and dreams that I'm looking forward to making my work and play in the year ahead. Still dreaming. Still hustling. Still on the joyride.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">When you're using your own machete to clear a new path through life's jungle, it's not always clear which way to go. Though I have some ideas of the general direction I'd like to aim in, like those listed above, the big unknowns are how to get there and which is the "best" path for me. It should come as no surprise that when this self-questioning reaches a crescendo (usually around 3:00am as I'm tossing and turning in bed, scowling in the dark at my easy-sleeper husband,) I turn to improvisation to light the path. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>ME: Excuse me, Goddess of Improvisation? Do you have a moment?</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">IMPROVISATION: I have only moments, like the one right here and right now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>ME: Um, cool. Thanks. So how do I make my way through the unknown? </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">IMPROVISATION Notice where you already are and be there. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>ME: How do I know which path to take? </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">IMPROVISATION: Take the one that feels the most ease-ful and fun. Pull the paddles out of the water and into the canoe and let the joyride take you where it's already going. Follow the show. (And by "show," I mean "moment.")</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>ME: Roger that. Thanks. What is the best path for me? </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">IMPROVISATION: The one you're already on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>ME: Oooohkay. Thank you kindly, ma'am.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">IMPROVISATION: You are most welcome. Now do five moments of gratitude, notice the moment around you, and never make a joke onstage again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">The Experiment ends today, but, if all goes well, life as a full time, professional improviser is only just beginning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Ok, I gotta go work on that monster to-do list! Thanks for following me along on my journey. Really, I mean it. Thank you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20%22Can%20I%20Make%20a%20Living%20Doing%20What%20I%20Love%3F%22%20Experiment" target="_blank">Read all the installments in </a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20%22Can%20I%20Make%20a%20Living%20Doing%20What%20I%20Love%3F%22%20Experiment" target="_blank">The "Can I Make a Living Doing What I Love?" Experiment </a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20%22Can%20I%20Make%20a%20Living%20Doing%20What%20I%20Love%3F%22%20Experiment" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>Or maybe you're into improv? </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>Take a peek at</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/author-journalist/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv essay series</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/author-journalist/geeking-out-with-interviews.html" target="_blank">Geeking Out with...</a><i><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/author-journalist/geeking-out-with-interviews.html" target="_blank"> </a>interviews</i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Pam Victor is a full time professional improviser! She is the founder of <a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" target="_blank">Happier Valley Comedy</a>, <a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/shows/this-month-at-the-happier-valley-comedy-show.html" target="_blank">The Happier Valley Comedy Show,</a> <a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/the-ha-has.html" target="_blank">The Ha-Ha's</a>, <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/teacher/the-zen-of-improv-classes.html" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a> curriculum, and the <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/personal-and-professional-growth-through-laughter/through-laughter.html" target="_blank">"Through Laughter" Program</a>, which brings personal and professional growth through improvisation. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Pam performs </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/comedy/geeking-out-with-the-live-talk-show.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">"Geeking Out with: The TALK SHOW,"</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> a live version of the written </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/author-journalist/geeking-out-with-interviews.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">Geeking Out with...</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> interview series, at comedy festivals throughout the land. Pam writes mostly humorous, mostly true essays and reviews of books, movies, and tea on her blog, </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"My Nephew is a Poodle."</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> She also writes about the meeting of Zen thinking and improvisation in the <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/author-journalist/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank">Zen of Improv written series</a>. Along with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi, Pam is the co-author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a>." Read all her nonsense at <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/">www.pamvictor.com</a>. </span></i><br />
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-10982536681302940832015-07-28T12:00:00.000-04:002015-12-20T14:45:53.256-05:00Scrumptious Improv Quotes: The TJ & Dave Book (Silence)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Click here to soon be reading the rest of </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you're interested in reading more of my slurry, check out</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank"><i>The Zen of Improv </i>series here</a>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like this one called</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-zen-of-improv-how-to-make-sweet.html" target="_blank"><i>How to Make Sweet Love to Your Fear</i></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Or perhaps you'd like to read interviews with great minds in improvisation in the <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" target="_blank"><i>Geeking Out with...</i> series here</a>?</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> is the co-author of the newly released "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423591826&sr=8-1&keywords=improvisation+at+the+speed" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book"</a> along with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam writes (and performs) the</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Geeking Out with...</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> interview series and <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a> series as well as mostly humorous, mostly true essays and reviews of books, movies, and tea on the blog </span>"My Nephew is a Poodle."<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">is the founding member of </span>The Ha-Ha’s,<span style="text-align: justify;"> and she produces </span><a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" style="text-align: justify;">The Happier Valley Comedy Show</a>.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Currently, Pam teaches <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Workshops.html" target="_blank"> "The Zen of Improv Comedy"</a> and "<a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Mindfulness_Through_Laughter.html" target="_blank">Mindfulness Through Laughter</a>" in Western Massachusetts.</span></span></i><br />
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<br />Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-28434544040920903752015-07-12T20:10:00.000-04:002016-10-25T15:50:20.840-04:00Geeking Out with..."Open Tables" (An interview with film writer/director/producer Jack C. Newell with thoughts from Colleen Doyle, Beth Lacke, and David Pasquesi)<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
by Pam Victor<br />
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>[“Geeking Out with…” is a series of super improv-geeky interviews </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>with well-known, highly experienced improvisers. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/geeking-out-withinterviews.html" target="_blank">See the whole series here</a>.]</b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If
you like good food, romance set in Paris and Chicago, and improvisation, </i>Open
Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> will make all your juicy parts
say, “Mmmmm.” Written, directed, and produced by Jack C. Newell, with whom I
previously geeked out about </i>Close Quarters,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> the first improv-chocked film he directed, </i>Open Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> explores the idea that “every table has a
story.” In this case, the story-rich table is surrounded by a pu pu platter of
delicious improvisers and stage/screen actors - TJ Jagodowski, Colleen Doyle,
Kate Duffy, Keith Kupferer, Caroline Neff, Desmin Borges, and Jack C. Newell
himself – who play three couples sitting down together to a centerpiece meal
from which radiates a banquet of stories about love lost and found, and lost
and found again. This films also features Joel Murray (who manages to eat
throughout the movie even though all his scenes take place in a doctor’s
office), Linda Orr (who is a familiar face from the stages of Annoyance and iO
theaters in Chicago,) Gwendolyn Gourvenec and William Prünck (who are both
French actors and thus very, very sexy,) Beth Lacke (who has the good/bad luck
to fall in love with an amnesiac,) and David Pasquesi (who plays the
aforementioned amnesiac lover.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus, improvisers will enjoy cameos by beloved Chicago gurus Susan
Messing and Bill Arnett.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
picturesque, romantic movie, </i>Open Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
makes eye-love to viewers with its appetizing meals and settings. This movie
left me both sated and hungry for good food, travel, and love. It’s no
coincidence that Jack Newell first discovered the kernel of the story while he
was falling in love with his now-wife during their trip to Paris. (Let that be
a lesson to you: Choose wisely with whom you travel to Paris.) </i>Open Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> riffs on the idea that we also would do
well to choose wisely with whom we share a meal. As Jack Newell writes, “Once
you've eaten a meal with someone you can’t call that someone a stranger. The
act of eating is, by definition, an ephemeral experience, but the memory of a
great meal stays with us forever.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love.
Great meals shared together. Chicago. Paris. Improvisation. </i>Open Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> satisfies all our tastes. (Or at least
mine. As they say in France, “À chacun son goût.”)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I
had the good fortune of sitting down with Jack Newell for this cinematic </i>Geeking
Out with…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Additional commentary by some
of the stars of the movie can be found in the Special Features track. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No.
Wait. Blogs don’t have different tracks. Ummm…. Ok …Let’s pretend little text
boxes are Special Features. (Wheee! I’m in a movie! I’m gonna IMDB this shit.)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Of course, I'm most curious about how you utilized improvisation in the making
of this film. I get the impression that you used it in a more structured way
than in your previous film.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK C. NEWELL: That is correct. If
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Close Quarters</i> was 90% improvised, <span style="line-height: 150%;">which I think is safe to say it is,
I would say </span><i style="line-height: 150%;">Open Tables</i><span style="line-height: 150%;"> is 50%
improvised. Though this conversation gets tricky when you use the word
“improvised.” In the shooting draft, I had sections that are 100% scripted, 50%
scripted, and 0% scripted. So different parts of the film are dealt with differently,
and it's hard to say one way of how I approached it.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
What was the process of making this movie?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: I wrote the script for this
one. (I did not write <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Close Quarters</i>.)
It started as an idea while my girlfriend (at the time - wife now) and I were
in Paris. When we got home from our vacation there, I wrote the script in two
weeks. And then rewrote it over the next nine months.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: How did making this movie differ from
the process of making Close Quarters?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">COLLEEN
DOYLE ("Dana"): <i>Open Tables</i> was a very
different experience <i>than Close Quarters</i>.
Jack gave us a lot more structure in <i>Open
Tables</i>; the story was laid out and there were beats we knew we'd hit. The
film was fleshed out from the beginning, but the dialogue was still improvised
and there was room for discovery there. Jack loves improv and it's always so
fun to have someone who’s excited about what you're bringing to the table and
willing and eager to let it help shape the piece. I also got to work with
different and wonderful people over the course of several weeks while not
eating in Chicago's best restaurants. </span><span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
In this film, you use well-known and highly respected improvisers, such as TJ
Jagodowski, David Pasquesi, Colleen Doyle, Kate Duffy, and Linda Orr, but many of your actors
seemed to come from the stage. They aren't at all regular improvisers, if at
all. And of course the main character is played by you, a "normal" as
Susan Messing calls non-improvisers.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK:
As well as Caroline Neff, and the French couple - Gwendolyn Gourvenec and
William Prünck - all "normal" people.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYjw0VAL9UbxJoVMdSoZTIFa2OSANUHG4fmiYvMXOBaG56gTK1EwhbtovfPknHFn64Q6eriJNHrRYgvBNE8Zv9aW2C_gyg3gIhZFGxB2UdTEqrrpl0tLPCwr9o9EO_RlYbKQhWWHmTrxk/s1600/10496237_879113028774052_4693774349736011406_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYjw0VAL9UbxJoVMdSoZTIFa2OSANUHG4fmiYvMXOBaG56gTK1EwhbtovfPknHFn64Q6eriJNHrRYgvBNE8Zv9aW2C_gyg3gIhZFGxB2UdTEqrrpl0tLPCwr9o9EO_RlYbKQhWWHmTrxk/s400/10496237_879113028774052_4693774349736011406_o.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Yup. They're "real" actors, right? Not improvisers. That leads me to
believe you were looking for something different from the actors in this movie. </i><i style="line-height: 150%;">Perhaps
something different than the typical improviser's approach?</i></div>
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JACK: I would say like "on the
ground" that I was less concerned with the labels. Not to discount your
point.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Go ahead. Discount my point. The night is young.</i></div>
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JACK: Hahaha! My interest in improv is
the fear in the eyes of the unknown, which is almost impossible to replicate.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
And very difficult to capture on film.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: I think one thing that sets
my films apart is a level of performance that is very "real" or
"believable." Improvisation, if used right, can do this very well;
actually, better than anything else outside of real life. My tolerance for
unbelievable or fake moments is incredibly low. I can't stand it. It turns me
off immediately. That's not to say it has to be REAL as in POSSIBLE, but REAL
as in BELIEVABLE.</div>
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Case in point, Pasquesi: Ridiculous
story line. Totally believable.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Dave Pasquesi plays a man named Dean who has a sort of amnesia. And Hannah (played
beautifully by Beth Lacke) falls in love with him. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: If you breakdown Hannah and Dean's story, it's ridiculous. But in the
end is believable and reveals something true about human nature.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Hannah is an interesting character.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: Yeah! I love Hannah.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me too. And Beth Lacke is pretty wonderful
too. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: What is about Dave Pasquesi's character, or at
least his situation, that makes your character fall in love with him?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">BETH
LACKE ("Hannah"): I believe that with him she's given an opportunity every day to open up
more and more at a pace that feels safer than her past relationships. It would
take a man who wakes up every morning, looking at her as if she did nothing
wrong the day before, to generate the (in this case, false) feeling of
unconditional love that would make her feel safe enough to feel worthy of love.
Which, for me, was the underlying reason she was burning through men faster
than a California wildfire before he entered her life.</span><span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: Why do you think Beth's character
falls in love with your character?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">DAVID
PASQUESI ("Dean"): I am fucking irresistible. Did you not see the movie?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: What's it like to share a bed with
David Pasquesi?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">BETH
LACKE: I can say that for the brief time we shared a bed, it was just as
delightful a time as one would assume if you'd spent any time outside of one
with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: Very diplomatic.</span><span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Can you tell me about-<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoYVKUfM98Ah-o8eYv4BQ_r1cORr7NknN7D-r_WD2ZvLQDbZxlDG4_Br2aufiPYWzKsSLYSnysFlf6l_UnPSvwy7iByFDGwDpkDI3k4cE_s_7s9afG5hTERFrNOLRBDydMbE6qhHKGYEk/s1600/open+tables+dave+and+beth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoYVKUfM98Ah-o8eYv4BQ_r1cORr7NknN7D-r_WD2ZvLQDbZxlDG4_Br2aufiPYWzKsSLYSnysFlf6l_UnPSvwy7iByFDGwDpkDI3k4cE_s_7s9afG5hTERFrNOLRBDydMbE6qhHKGYEk/s400/open+tables+dave+and+beth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>David Pasquesi and Beth Lacke<br />in "Open Tables" </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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JACK: Can I ask a question first?</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Of course.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: Is Hannah's storyline
scripted or improvised?</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Hmmm … I think it's scripted. It is set apart from the other stories, and I
think you were trying to make a point about a certain type of relationship. A
commentary on how women approach romance. The general story is scripted. Her
exact words seem to be improvised.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: Good, good.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are about to tell me I'm wrong, I
assume.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: No, you're very close. The
only alteration is that it's 100% scripted. There are some ad libs, but nothing
improvised. She's a great actor.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Ah! She really is a great actor.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: As is Dave. </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Yeah, he’s okay.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: Hannah's character and situation are something I observe in my friends and people I know, who bounce from
relationship to relationship. And you see them for coffee or a dinner or
something, and they're telling the same story <span style="line-height: 150%;">over and over and over, but the
characters change.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
But there seems to be something specific to that story. It's more than just “we
broken real humans re-living the same tired storylines in our real broken human
lives.” Number one, the situation with Dave's character changes the pattern, in
a way. Number two, I think the story is about this woman approaching men in a
stereotypically male way.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: That's interesting. I hadn't
thought about that. That's the first time anyone's said that to me. It's a good
point, and I don't want to discount that. I think your analysis of Hannah is
great and valid.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Aha! We're 1 to 1. A discount tie.</i> </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: How do you view the character you play?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">BETH
LACKE: I see Hannah as completely lost, but like most ‘self-actualized’ women,
who live by the idea, “I've come up with a set of rules to live by that define
who I am and nothing will shake me from my rock solid sense of myself and what
I want out of life," she has set herself up for quite a shaking up when
life sets up the supreme practical joke of falling in love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: Without giving away the end, how did
you view and play her differently at the end of the movie than at the
beginning?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">BETH:
In the beginning I wanted her bravado and ultimately her boredom to be a force
field around her that kept every one out and kept her seemingly safe and sound
only to have her at the end to be gobbly-gooked, wobbly, post-apocalyptic love
raw mess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">Ah,
vulnerability. Ah, love….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: Do you think her story represents a
commentary on dating in this day and age?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">BETH:
Sure. Vulnerability is incredibly scary and unfortunately is one of the only
roads to true intimacy and deep love. (At least, that's what I hear ...) In
this day and age when everyone has an opinion, which they're sharing on social
media 24/7, I feel it's become even scarier to be fully who you are front and
center, without fear of criticism or less than favorable commentary. I think
that leaks into our personal relationships so we're putting up the same false
fronts in dating that we do on our Facebook walls hoping to keep us safe, but
really in just keeps us lonely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">Ah
vulnerability. Ah, love …”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><br /></span></div>
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JACK: Here's how I see it, all of
the storylines are in service of Ryan [played by Jack Newell] and Cassie [played by Caroline Neff]. So Hannah & Dean, Jon and
Dana, and the Paris story - all are different points of view on love and
relationships, etc., and they are all to push forward, or put obstacles in
front of, Ryan and Cassie getting together. OR NOT getting together.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAnRKe-A8vKcZEiWNSy7uDD0lRalGI3E6i-O1YD6NRKlwtYmph-S9iY-yTeuEIglhLg8IRLZBCmTESB4F9khJ4uxYPt51ucA3ArDRNuyM4JAgJnTmh5u0tBg5bOIm_SbM1oYqlaPoFzBE/s1600/open+tables+caroline+neff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAnRKe-A8vKcZEiWNSy7uDD0lRalGI3E6i-O1YD6NRKlwtYmph-S9iY-yTeuEIglhLg8IRLZBCmTESB4F9khJ4uxYPt51ucA3ArDRNuyM4JAgJnTmh5u0tBg5bOIm_SbM1oYqlaPoFzBE/s320/open+tables+caroline+neff.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caroline Neff as<br />"Cassie" in "Open Tables</i>"</td></tr>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
No spoilers here.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: The stories exist
independently, but they also all talk to each other on a thematic level.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Like a Harold.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: CORRECT!</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I win a point! 2 to 1.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: But not intentionally. I
wasn't trying to make a Harold, which is just a story structure. You could say
all of these things connect like a Harold does,</div>
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or at least any other good story.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I do see </i>Open Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> as an improv
structure - but like that kid in the </i>Sixth Sense<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> who sees dead people, I see improv. But seems like the "source
scene" is the dinner table.</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And
all the stories branch off from that table. Ebbing and flowing from that scene.</i></div>
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JACK: That's intentional. It's
either a Dinner Table or a Living Room. </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Living Room structure! Exactly!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: Right. The first, like,
10/16ths of the film is a Living Room, and the final 6/16ths is a La Ronde.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
La Ronde ....woah. Mind blown. </i><i style="line-height: 150%;">Hold
on. I have to process that Is it really? Wow. Ok. I popped an improv lady
boner.</i></div>
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<i style="line-height: 150%;">Back to the process for one sec, aside from the Dean-Hannah (Pasquesi-Lacke) story, did you give
them a general outline scene-by-scene of moments they had to hit, while leaving
the actual verbiage up to them?</i></div>
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JACK: The Dean-Hannah story is
fully scripted except for an ad lib or two. The dinner party is all improvised.
Paris is all improvised. The Dana-Jon (Colleen-Desmin, TJ-Linda Orr) storyline
is all improvised except the ending. That's the simple breakdown.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
TJ did scripted work?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: That was interesting. So I
had read all the “TJ doesn't do scripted work” stuff. And when we met to
improvise, he was like, "Is it cool if we don't rehearse any scenes at
all?"</div>
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And I was like, "Yeah!" I
just gave him the pages for the final scenes and didn't even talk to him about
it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And when we shot, he did all of the
lines as written.</div>
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It's part of the environment I try
to create on set. And he had the pages, he knew what I was going for. I don’t
know if he even read them. And I wasn't a dick about every comma and period.
The other actors in the scene did what was scripted, and he did too - but
perhaps without ever reading anything at all.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wait. Are you suggesting he </i>intuited<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> the script? Just by listening carefully and
reacting honestly?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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JACK: I have no idea what he did.
Here's my guess: He read the script, understood it, and then improvised it. Or
not. I honestly don't know.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_1pzlTGc47JeilIUCI587D2D79LFiVPsqImzdbTNCan2OIpNv4d9t59clPsy1G36zTrWuT4ZLyAjQPvPD1XOzv7NDcAguqsbvBlKAErz7TDOouK_k5kuHIcNHyfOvAuAYczic1finCBJ/s1600/open+tables+foursome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_1pzlTGc47JeilIUCI587D2D79LFiVPsqImzdbTNCan2OIpNv4d9t59clPsy1G36zTrWuT4ZLyAjQPvPD1XOzv7NDcAguqsbvBlKAErz7TDOouK_k5kuHIcNHyfOvAuAYczic1finCBJ/s320/open+tables+foursome.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; line-height: 27px; text-align: start;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14.3999996185303px; text-align: center;"><i>The "Foursome:" Desmin Borgest, Colleen Doyle,<br />TJ Jagodowki, Linda Orr<br />Open Tables by Jack C. Newell</i></td></tr>
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</i></td></tr>
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So one day on set, we're shooting
the scene at Trencherman [Chicago restaurant], when "the look"
happens between Desmin and Colleen. In the script, all that it says is
something like, "They talk, and have an amazing time, and then this look
happens during The Look Away Game."</div>
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<br /></div>
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On set, they improvised everything up
until The Look Away game, which I taught them on set. The Look Away Game and
the outcome is "scripted." Everything before that was
"scripted" in that it was - "Have the best time ever." So
anyway, I'm on set feeling pretty proud of myself, like I'm this genius improv
filmmaker who is creating a whole new form. Like no one has done this shit.
Ever.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And TJ comes up, and we're chatting
and I ask him, “Do you have any questions or anything?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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And he says, "No, I get it -
very simple: First Line, Last Line, right?"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
LOL.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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JACK: First Line, Last Line -
you're familiar with?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, Jack. I am.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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JACK: You don't call it something
different on the East Coast?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Not to discount your question, but I get another point for knowing the game.
The score is 3-1.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes,
we call it First Line, Last Line here. It’s the rare improv game name that
sticks universally. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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JACK: WHOA! Well, I had to look it
up. So, you have 4-1 points now?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I think I have three. You have one.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: So, the outcome of the scene
or more like the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">emotion</i> of the scene
is the "last line." And they just played to that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything good about art and life can
be summed up in an improv game.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tell
me more about the environment you create on set so you can get improv-quality
(that is, natural language) out of a scripted piece.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: And the opposite of that
question, How to get improv not to feel meandering and listless but on point
and ‘scripted'?’”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM: Burn. Ok. Two points to you, three to me.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I think filmmakers probably
get too caught up in the words, which is odd. And I think comedies nowadays are
a.) not very funny and b.) too wordy <span style="line-height: 150%;">all about witticism. But what
matters is subtext … so, directing from the underneath.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
And if there's a line you really
love, you do it all the same way, but just make sure they say that line.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
That's the thing about this film: It's about the relationship. And that's the
thing about good improv: It's about the relationship.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Totally.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-kXpIipiX0RLop_MGTVaOUI1caA6E8Qc6v6F7bHqW6ascZT5wOGlFTMeVkoAzAS9UGHmJkBQXS10ZLNhYLLRiuqLVjib-_25eQkQK1km1y3pJMppApiHO4isKj8ndythLxRijnoqOMQY/s1600/mark+sutton+quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-kXpIipiX0RLop_MGTVaOUI1caA6E8Qc6v6F7bHqW6ascZT5wOGlFTMeVkoAzAS9UGHmJkBQXS10ZLNhYLLRiuqLVjib-_25eQkQK1km1y3pJMppApiHO4isKj8ndythLxRijnoqOMQY/s320/mark+sutton+quote.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the brilliant Mark Sutton says,
"I guarantee you that nobody in an improv audience anywhere has ever
turned to the person sitting next to them and said, ‘Man, I sure hope they fix
that bike.’"<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Exactly. The fool looks at
the finger sort of thing, right? Like someone is pointing at something? Wait.
Maybe that doesn't work …</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can't answer. Too busy looking at my
finger.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: MY FINGEERRRRR!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
My nails are a mess.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Everyone has zero points now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I like this game. All or nothing. It just got interesting.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: High stakes, Mr. Bond.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
So, to go back to an earlier idea,
I think I am landing on the side of improv as a tool for creation and maybe not
an end to itself. At least in film.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
WHAT???!!!! A million points for me. Black hole points for you.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Why?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
PAM: Are you familiar with the
age-old argument between Bernie Sahlins (founder of Second City) and Del Close
(co-founder of iO Theater)?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Hit me with it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
PAM: Mr. Sahlins believed that
improvisation is merely a tool for creation, as you said. <span style="line-height: 150%;">That's why - or so I'm told - the
improv set at Second City is free. He believed that improv is not worth the
price of admission</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Yikes. *neck collar pull*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Del believed otherwise and spent his life proving it. They even argued about it
at Del's deathbed, or so the story goes. I would suppose Del met Bernie in the
afterlife to continue the debate. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anyhoo
... that's the pile of dog doo you just stepped in.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Well, I don't really think
the argument or both sides is mutually exclusive. Why can't improv be it's own
art form over here, and then also this other thing - improv be a tool for
creation?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Of course it can.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I would also throw in there,
as a filmmaker, we are like mixed media artists, and we borrow from
photography, music, dance, acting, improv … <span style="line-height: 150%;">and so my view point is weird when
put next to someone who is just an improviser.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
You said, "Improv is a tool for creation and maybe not an ends to itself,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">at
least in film."<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Or the other way to say that
is "Of course I think it's a tool.” In film, everything is a tool to tell
story, to evoke emotion, to reveal truth, etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, yes, of course. I see your point.
It’s the same with improv. Supposedly, </i><i style="line-height: 150%;">Del
said to go out and live life, then bring it to the stage.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I love that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Yup. It's a good one. I can see the challenge in an exclusively improvised
movie though. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Yeah.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I just take issue with your point that improv is not an end to itself. I don't
think it can be limited in that way. But what do I know? I'm, as you say, “just an improviser.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Score:
1-1.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I don't know. It's
interesting, I think you'd talk to some improvisers, and I could explain the
film process and they would respond either a.) Your work is not improv at all,
too much "scripting,"or b.) It's totally improv because improv has
games, and bits, and "rules", and etc, etc, etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The Harold is scripted in my
viewpoint, and any good player knows the script. Just like someone's ability to
recognize a game; once you know "the game," <span style="line-height: 150%;">it's what I would call scripted.
And then you have a chance to either subvert or play out the expectations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i>PAM:
Let's have this conversation again after you read our book</i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=COV24ME6PFP5KR67&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank"><i> [</i>Improvisation at the Speed of Life</a><i>.] As TJ and Dave view
it, improv is about human nature, and not at all about game.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: People get real bent out of
shape about "game." Jeez.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM: You have no idea.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I have some idea!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Ok. You can have a pity point. 2-1.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cinematically,
I see influences of Woody Allen in this movie as far as the visual rhythm of
some scenes. Especially in the scenes between TJ and Colleen in their kitchen.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Sure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that intentional or unconsciously
intentional?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's very pretty.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I would say that Woody Allen
is a big influence for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I love Woody Allen. As a filmmaker.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: (Am I allowed to still like
Woody Allen?)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
(I'm pretty sure we're allowed to like Woody Allen, but we're not allowed to
like Bill Cosby.)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
That scene in TJ and Colleen’s kitchen made me think of </i>Annie Hall.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Sure. I'm more of a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hannah and Her Sisters</i> fan, so I'm
thinking more about that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven't seen that one in years. I'll
take another look.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: There's actually a bunch of
direct references to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hannah and her
Sisters</i> in this film. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Seeing them through the doorway/window, as they're talking. But then when they
argue, they're in the same frame. To me, it feels like how relationships can
be.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Yeah, totally. That kitchen,
I loved.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see your lover in isolation, your
projection of him/her. Then when it gets real ... it’s all right there, so real
and in your face.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: And I loved how Stephanie [Dufford,
Director of Photography] shot it. That is all improvised. And TJ is so fucking
good in it. I love that he gets to be the asshole here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: Please tell me there was a take in the
scene when you're fighting with TJ that you smacked the shit out of him. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">COLLEEN
DOYLE: No smacking TJ. It's in his contract. Also, no direct eye contact. </span><span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: How many millions of negative
points do I currently have?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I think we're tied again. Two bananas each.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ok
… Paris. We have to talk about Paris. First of all, I would give my left ball
to be in a movie in Paris. That's not a question. Just putting it out there.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I understand. Left ball. GOT
IT, PAM - LEFT BALL.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
You don’t want to hear about my
homage to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hannah and Her Sisters</i>?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Of course I do. But Paris awaits and time is short. Also, I HAVE BALLS.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I'll save it for next time.
Hit me with your questions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Can I be in your next movie in Paris?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Haha!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
The score is tied. The game hinges on your response.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX-v68ouQLuk1if9ChH4jtZ347_gDTJI-W3GuVaR1FfakrOyEXqnrbGvVu_dbAe-rToCv8PQc6ocjPiVRlgJIhWeGvgtQ_XXS2WT2aXAzZwvjlG4fB8ejKxZIoCRe-NsKicZjlyAaymvq/s1600/open+tables+paris+jack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX-v68ouQLuk1if9ChH4jtZ347_gDTJI-W3GuVaR1FfakrOyEXqnrbGvVu_dbAe-rToCv8PQc6ocjPiVRlgJIhWeGvgtQ_XXS2WT2aXAzZwvjlG4fB8ejKxZIoCRe-NsKicZjlyAaymvq/s400/open+tables+paris+jack.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jack C. Newell as Ryan<br />Open Tables</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: If I do another one in Paris,
we'll talk.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I speak French.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I do not. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
And I lost my virginity to a Frenchman in France.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boom.
Five points for me.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Whoa! Okay.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
So, given all that, plus my love of wine and chocolate, I'm basically French.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I came up with the idea for
this movie in Paris and wrote a thing in Paris. And I was like, "We gotta
try to shoot in Paris. It's one of the most rewarding film experiences I've
had.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
How can you not be thinking about love in Paris?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: RIGHT?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
And you actually were in love in Paris?! That's the best.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I was! That's when we FELL IN
LOVE.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjfeFc5dVVRDsXctZn97-10i34TW8Q06b7-w9oqWpR58gRxb-apvFcw1OLunIP1NaSICMwQdxv7jr4KsWlDP7GuzC0FIYDEM8Xpw3VuQHTi_IK4xmDkmBhSBZiBmLhsFvATqkiYuJvU5P/s1600/open+tables+paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjfeFc5dVVRDsXctZn97-10i34TW8Q06b7-w9oqWpR58gRxb-apvFcw1OLunIP1NaSICMwQdxv7jr4KsWlDP7GuzC0FIYDEM8Xpw3VuQHTi_IK4xmDkmBhSBZiBmLhsFvATqkiYuJvU5P/s320/open+tables+paris.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Filming "Open Tables" in Paris</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
OMG. THE BEST.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Yeah, I mean, we were
definitely in love. But going there over New Year’s Eve … it was like
LOOOOOVVVEEEEE. LOVE. All the feels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
So many feels in Paris.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anyway,
tell me about how you were falling in love in Paris and how these particular
ideas about relationship were formed. Because </i>Open Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> is not really a rom-com here. These aren't
the same tired old ideas about boy-girl romance we've seen a thousand times.
(And I love rom-coms.)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: The simple idea is playing on
what you are talking about. But it is much sadder: What if you were the
loneliest you've ever been in the capital of love? And so, that's ultimately
his story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
“His” being the character you play, Ryan, who is set up with Cassie. When he later tells his Paris story at the main table, she’s really turned off.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Cassie's character is
motivated by the truth and a desire for it, <span style="line-height: 150%;">and she can tell when people are
full of shit. And that's what she responded to. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">(Like Mark Sutton’s bicycle thing
you mentioned before.) One of the points of the film is that if you are
truthful and open and vulnerable, you can or could find love.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Maybe to apply it to the theme of relationship, lies are the deal breaker for
her. And as long as he's telling the truth, she doesn't care what it is. Maybe
it's about how we set these litmus tests for our love interests, which maybe
valid or super duper random?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Right on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
I actually feel like I am most like
Cassie in the movie. That is me, if you were gonna ask, "Who are you most
like?" I identify with Cassie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I am most like Beth Lacke's character. Tough on the outside. Big ol' open
hearted marshmallow on the inside</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Nice. AND CRAZY. (Just
kidding.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Everyone is crazy, Jack. Everyone.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Double true.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
The score is 6 to 2, if you were wondering.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Shit. Unless I am the six? In
that case: In your face!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
No, I am six. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Oh. Okay ... COOL.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I don't know how to announce points properly. I am sports-challenged. So that’s
one more point for you. Now we're 6-3.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: “Pam 6, Jack 3” would be one idea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Ok. That's one possible way, Jack. The </i>obvious<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> choice …<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Jack "Obvious Choice"
Newell.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
That's what she said.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: "Really, you're going to
put it there? Such an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">obvious </i>choice."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Speaking of which, one topic that comes up in this movie is the question,
"Are women 'better than' men?"<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Sure. They do actually talk
about that in the movie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I knew I heard that somewhere!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: And I think all of the
characters come down pretty strongly on the side of, "Yes, women are
better than men."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In bed. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: BOOOOOOM.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
(I was playing Fortune Cookie, which is an improv game I just made up.)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: (We call it First Line, Last
Line here.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM: (Hahahaha!)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: So, you definitely lost
points there, right?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Ok, ok. I lost points with "That's what she said" too, of course.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nice.
You're winning. Jack: 6, Pam: 2.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Yeah, you're kind of bro-ing
out over there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
So, are you asking me if women are
better than men?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I suppose I am, at least in the context of the movie and relationships.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I'll answer it like this: My Director
of Photography and Editor are both women. We had a large female crew and we
have strong, good, interesting, female roles in the film. It's ensemble film,
but the women stand out. I find women more interesting to work with. I find
women interesting to explore.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
(I get points for not saying "in bed.")<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: But I didn't directly answer
your question. You took it slightly more specific. I don't know how to answer
this. I feel like anything I say as a man is in danger of being
misconstrued and potentially dumb.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
WHY DO YOU THINK I ASKED THE QUESTION???<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Ha! Fair.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I think the movie asks the question and comes close to answering it: Women and
men can both be the most exquisite creatures … and total asshats.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: I would agree with that
statement. Thank you for jumping in there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
I want to say one thing about
collaboration - and this is where I might sound like an idiot - but one of the
things I like about collaborating with women is that I feel like their
priorities are different than men (speaking generally) and one of those priorities or attributes is emotional intelligence and an ability to
communicate their emotions. And that is much more interesting than some men. It's
just a hard statement because there are people on either side that break that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Sure. I think the sticky part comes when you apply it strictly to women and
men. But I think if you think of it as feminine vs. masculine sensibilities, it
works better. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: There ya' go. And to
go back to the movie, the thing you said: <span style="line-height: 150%;">"I think the movie asks the
questions and comes close to answering it. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Women and men can both be the most
exquisite creatures. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">And total asshats." That is
right on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Oh, please quote me more! I love that. Pam: 10, Jack: 6<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Actually, the "Are women
better than men?" conversation is a distraction. In the movie, the
characters say women are better than men, right after seeing Hannah be a
douchebag.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
Exactly. And that foursome of TJ, Linda, Colleen, and Desmin – they’re involved
in that “love square.” (It’s more than a triangle because it’s four people.) They're
ALL fucked up.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: Well, yeah. Classic tragic
figures.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They've got that whole "grass
is always greener" thing going on.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27px;">
JACK: They are people you know. You might have been that person. I might have been ... we ALL have been or are those people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">PAM: In thinking about your character's
storyline - sort of in that classic "torn between two lovers, feelin' like
a fool" situation - it feels like a statement on romance. What angle on
romance do you think your character's storyline explored? Do you relate to that
in anyway?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #674ea7;">COLLEEN
DOYLE: I think my character's storyline revolved around that time (or times?)
in your life when you think you know what you want. You're technically an
adult: you have a job, people expect things of you, etc. And then you ape the
types of relationships in which you've seen other adults engage. You're not a
fully formed person yet, but you believe you're ready to play house. And that's
easy to relate to; it's how I spent a good deal of my 20's -- dramatic and
immature. </span><span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #b2a1c7;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM: Another question raised in </i>Open Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> is: What is the crux of attraction? I mean, for Hannah – whose
amnesiac lover allows her to re-invent herself each day - it's to have this blank slate upon
which to project her desires. Maybe for the foursome, the crux of attraction is
what you can't have. For your guy in Paris, it was human contact. For Cassie,
it's about truth …<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: We have these appetites (food
tie in!) that need to be satiated. And they are actually probably a distraction
from love - or can be. One thing for sure, they aren't love. Sometimes we think
they might be.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of these couples don't find
love.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
JACK: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Open Tables</i> is essentially a movie about why and how relationships
don't work. So when you go into that final scene with Cassie and Ryan, the couple who you are rooting for to get together through the whole film, you are presented with the question: Is this their first date or last date?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
And that's up to you. There's no
answer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PAM:
I think the final score is a tie.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<o:p> *</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Main Meal<br />Open Tables by Jack C. Newell</i></td></tr>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The premier of </i>Open Tables<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> is on July 26, 2015 at the <a href="http://www.woodsholefilmfestival.org/festival-2015/woods-hole-film-festival-2015-narrative-feature-films-in-competition/">Wood’s
Hole Film Festival</a></i>. </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For </i><i>more
about </i>Open Tables<i>, check out the <a href="http://www.opentablesmovie.com/">website</a> and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OpenTablesMovie?fref=ts">Facebook page.</a></i> </div>
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<i>If all goes well, you will be able to see </i>Open Tables <i>soon. </i></div>
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<i>In the meantime, y</i><i>ou can now see Jack C. Newell’s first
feature film<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Close-Quarters-Bill-Arnett/dp/B00XCXJGPC/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1435862613&sr=1-1&keywords=close+quarters&pebp=1435862615483&perid=1Z6KB4K1Q6ATXMKJJYZA">,</a></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Close-Quarters-Bill-Arnett/dp/B00XCXJGPC/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1435862613&sr=1-1&keywords=close+quarters&pebp=1435862615483&perid=1Z6KB4K1Q6ATXMKJJYZA"><span style="font-style: normal;">Close Quarters</span>, on Amazon here</a>. </i></div>
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<i>And in
another visual arts medium, Jack currently is<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jackcnewell/the-wabash-lights-the-beta-test/description"> </a></i></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jackcnewell/the-wabash-lights-the-beta-test/description">crowd-funding for a site-specific light installation under the Wabash El train
in Chicago for a very cool project called Wabash Lights</a>.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Catch up on past improv geek-a-thons:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2013/04/geeking-out-withclose-quarters.html" target="_blank"><i>Geeking Out with...Close Quarters</i></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2014/08/micro-mini-geeking-out-withsusan.html" target="_blank"><i>...Jack C. Newell, Susan Messing, and Rachael Mason of</i> I'Mprovising Right</a></span><br />
<a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2014/08/geeking-out-withcolleen-doyle.html" target="_blank"><i>...Colleen Doyle</i></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/geeking-out-withinterviews.html" target="_blank">See the whole series here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you like groovy stuff, you might enjoy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a> series, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">which contemplates improvisation and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">mind-expanding ideas like non-judgment, joy, and curiosity. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AzP7PC3ikbhSqzSeoOucM1x7NuaO7gjEAGdms2q-o6-T9_Ipv6F2aWT6obpKzQW_fMWvIMl2aYHsJuaMCRREWmi4ewJ6BbbJx_2RclSRf9Z2KDXwlNqKY6yqnq5UuRP5Y-05nYOi42lA/s1600/_DSC0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AzP7PC3ikbhSqzSeoOucM1x7NuaO7gjEAGdms2q-o6-T9_Ipv6F2aWT6obpKzQW_fMWvIMl2aYHsJuaMCRREWmi4ewJ6BbbJx_2RclSRf9Z2KDXwlNqKY6yqnq5UuRP5Y-05nYOi42lA/s200/_DSC0176.JPG" width="120" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor is an improv comedian, author, teacher, consultant, and nice person. She is the founder and Head of Happiness of <a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" target="_blank">Happier Valley Comedy</a>, the epicenter of improv in Western Mass, where Pam teaches The Zen of Improv to the best students in the world </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">as well as bringing the power of improvisation to the workplace in her "<a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/through-laughter-program.html" target="_blank">Through Laughter</a>" program. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> TJ Jagodowski, David Pasquesi, and Pam are the co-authors of "<a href="http://amzn.to/1iKkGds" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book." </a> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">She lives online at <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/">www.pamvictor.com</a>.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Unless you're a meanie, Pam would probably like you.</span></span></i></div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-85701366524225182352015-06-24T13:33:00.001-04:002015-06-24T13:33:36.451-04:00Scrumptious Improv Quotes: TJ Jagodowski/The TJ & Dave Book (All It Wants Is You)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Click here to soon be reading the rest of </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you're interested in reading more of my slurry, check out</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank"><i>The Zen of Improv </i>series here</a>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like this one called where I talk about TJ's quote:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-zen-of-improv-importance-of-being.html" target="_blank"><i>The Importance of Being Eunice</i></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Or perhaps you'd like to read about the story behind the book in </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/03/getting-grilled-by-cute-snl-dude.html" target="_blank">Writing The TJ & Dave Book</a></i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> is the co-author of the newly released "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423591826&sr=8-1&keywords=improvisation+at+the+speed" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book"</a> along with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam writes (and performs) the</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Geeking Out with...</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> interview series and <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a> series as well as mostly humorous, mostly true essays and reviews of books, movies, and tea on the blog </span>"My Nephew is a Poodle."<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">is the founding member of </span>The Ha-Ha’s,<span style="text-align: justify;"> and she produces </span><a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" style="text-align: justify;">The Happier Valley Comedy Show</a>.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Currently, Pam teaches <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Workshops.html" target="_blank"> "The Zen of Improv Comedy"</a> and "<a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Mindfulness_Through_Laughter.html" target="_blank">Mindfulness Through Laughter</a>" in Western Massachusetts.</span></span></i><br />
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-30408917715695474682015-06-24T13:30:00.000-04:002020-08-10T14:24:12.996-04:00The Zen of Improv: The Importance of Being Eunice<div style="line-height: 27.0000019073486px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 27.0000019073486px;">by Pam Victor</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />[<i>The Zen of Improv</i> is a series of articles about </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>the place where improvisation and Zen thinking meet</b></span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank">You can find all the pieces here</a>.]</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">We tell Calvin to shut up and we invite Eunice to sing out. That’s the way we roll in my Zen of Improv classes. "Calvin" is the name I’ve given to my particular Evil Mind Meanie, the voice of judgment in my mind who is telling me that I, and everyone around me, sucks. (No offense to actual Calvins. That’s just the name I came up with. Real Calvins are swell lads, across the board. Feel free to pick your own name for your Evil Mind Meanie, Real Calvins. Why do I have the feeling you’re naming it Pam?) “Shut up, Calvin” is our code for quieting our judgmental selves. But Eunice … oh, sweet Eunice … we love Eunice so fucking much.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">One day in class, I was crowing about how much we love your “you-ness” in improvisation, and one student misheard it as a lady’s name; hence, Eunice was born. Your “you-ness” is what makes you <i>you</i>. And it's your secret weapon in improvisation, the greatest tool in your toolbox, the light that makes you shine onstage and makes you look like an amazing actor. (If you can’t play you well, then you might have other fish to fry offstage before you start playing well onstage.) The greatest gift you can bring to improvisation is everything that makes you you, all the life experiences and feelings and vulnerability of your true heart. Your you-ness. Your Eunice. We, the audience and your stage partners, celebrate your you-ness. We relate to it. We’re inspired by it. And, very often, your Eunice makes us erupt in the heartiest, most multi-dimensional possible laughter. The kind that says, “Yes. Yes! I hear you. Thank you for reflecting a piece of me back with laughter and making me feel less alone in the world.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">In our book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a></i>, TJ Jagodowski writes in his conclusion:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>“That’s one of my favorite things about improvisation: All it wants it you. It says you’ve done all the homework needed to be good at it. You stayed alive ‘til now. And along the way, you’ve felt and learned. You’ve talked to people. You’ve thought the most lovely and atrocious stuff imaginable. And improvisation gives you a place for it all. Brings you to it. Those oddities and eccentricities. Your most sensitive self. Your highest aspiration and basest impulse have their arena. Improvisation wants all of you. Every angelic height and dusty corner. It says you don’t have to hide any part of you anymore.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>It wants your whole soul. But that’s all. It only wants everything.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">(I know, right? <i>Loving sigh.</i> TJ knows his way around a word, doesn’t</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAEsqcrYHp4VlD1Yu3JVvFxIXIQM1Rdypee3nPMZFOJ_ET2QKSb-CM4DC58D_IfaDLcMLYq7RxqwXaKU5VHNk_JTodEIwrOWSJDM3OLigkDJ6VFTd_CYV5Wxx2lTsvyQiXOz0W_UcQ8Rv/s1600/tj+%2528all+it+wants+is+you%2529+quote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAEsqcrYHp4VlD1Yu3JVvFxIXIQM1Rdypee3nPMZFOJ_ET2QKSb-CM4DC58D_IfaDLcMLYq7RxqwXaKU5VHNk_JTodEIwrOWSJDM3OLigkDJ6VFTd_CYV5Wxx2lTsvyQiXOz0W_UcQ8Rv/s400/tj+%2528all+it+wants+is+you%2529+quote.JPG" width="230" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Speaking of Mr. Jagodowski, he’s the one who first taught me an exercise that brings out the power and beauty of Eunice in improvisation. I later saw him teach it in a workshop with Mr. Pasquesi. Their exercise inspired me to adapt it for the Zen of Improv. I’ll explain how I personally do it here, but please know that the true value of the original exercise is the side-coaching by TJ and Dave. Which I’m deeply sorry that I can neither teach to my students nor replicate virtually with you. So we’ll make do with what we have in the here and now … </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">My version is called The Conversation, and it’s as simple as just that: Two people have a conversation onstage. The players are given a scenario in which two people might find themselves chatting, and they’re instructed to have a conversation in their true voices - their real selves - with the only goal to respond naturally and honestly. It’s helpful to begin with a topic of authentic interest to at least one actor, so I sometimes ask, “What are you into right now? Is there a TV show/ book/article/experience/topic you’re enjoying talking about? What gets your heart pumping and fires up your mind these days?” The response could be profound or mundane – both are equally wonderful – the key is that it contains that spark of <i>authenticity</i>. And usually as someone is answering my question, their eyes start to gleam, they lean forward a bit, maybe start moving their arms around more, and that’s how I know the scene has begun. So I slowly back off the stage, allowing them to continue. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">The most important part of the exercise – and if you're an experienced improviser, it might be the most challenging part – is to speak in your true voice. Not your actor voice. Not a staged conversation. No heightening or playing patterns or jokes. In The Conversation, your you-ness is turned on and the actor is turned off. (I suspect TJ and Dave would hope the actor stays turned off for eternity and then some.) When I got up to perform this exercise in TJ’s workshop, he told my stage partner and me that we were two guests grabbing a drink at the bar at a wedding. I can’t remember exactly what my first line was – probably something insipid and contrived like “Weddings are a farce” - but TJ stopped me before the last word left my mouth. It wasn’t only what I said, but probably more how I said it. Rather, in whose voice I said it. It wasn’t Regular Pam; it was Improviser Pam. The stupid and embarrassing thing is, I knew what he was looking for. This workshop was in the middle of our book-writing years, and at that time I was living and breathing TJ and Dave’s philosophies. And yet … and yet, the improv habit was (okay, I’ll admit, probably still is) so fully ingrained in my self that it took over as soon as we began the exercise. Feeling like a total asshole on that evening in the workshop with TJ, I quieted my internal judgmental voice who was busy expounding on my suckitude </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">("Shut up, Calvin,")</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"> then I mentally hit re-set and tried once again to have a natural, honest conversation onstage. The scene that resulted was fun and “ease-ful,” and the people watching didn’t throw tomatoes. I walked offstage feeling like less of an asshole, and, more significantly, having learned a cornerstone lesson in improvisation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">If you’re an experienced improviser at a rehearsal and you want to get real fancy, you can use three of these conversations as the first beat of a set. Then bring back those characters in the second beat. (Yes, after the first beat, they become characters who have had those experiences talked about in the initial conversations.) In pairs again, we allow them to interact in any time or space they’re inspired to do so. Maybe it's five minutes after the first conversation or maybe it's five years later or maybe it's ten years before. Who knows? We won't know until they take the stage and discover it. When I do it in class, I get all six players up on stage for the third beat, and instruct them to do scenes with whichever characters they think their character would most enjoy playing with. Et <i>voilà</i>, a pretty, little Harold-esque set with honest moments and authenticity has been performed before we know it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">The reason I love The Conversation is that it shines the spotlight on Eunice. And hopefully everyone’s you-ness continues to shine every time they take the stage forevermore. "What?" you might be thinking. "Am I supposed to play myself in every scene?" No, that's not what I'm saying, and I'll thank you for not putting any more words in my mouth. But I am suggesting that you can start there, with your you-ness, until you discover more about your character; and, even then, your character can share your life experiences and emotional reactions, if it seems true to the moment. Even though you might be bored by your you-ness, I can assure you that we are not. The audience and your stage partners are delighted by something – anything! – that you authentically care about. I’ve been wildly entertained by scenes about computer programming manuals, disdain for hippies, and personal space issues. When done authentically and honestly, any interaction onstage is compelling. As long as you let Eunice shine.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>“To be beautiful means to be yourself.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;"><i>― Thích Nhất Hạnh</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Eunice, I believe, is who Del Close was talking about when he instructed his students to go out and live life fully, and then bring it back to the stage. I have observed that the more life we have lived before we take the stage, the more you-ness goodness we have to share. Which is why I’m flummoxed that older improvisers are not the most revered and sought after teammates in the global improv world. Just by sheer man-hours put in, older improvisers have more developed and varied Eunices. And the older people who are attracted to improv tend to have some of the most astounding Eunices around. I’m not sure why. Maybe all the boring older people stay home?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">In any case, all of us can bring more Eunice to the stage. I wonder what it would be like if we only brought Eunice to the stage? What would those scenes be like? Beautiful and heartful and fully entertaining, I suspect. Because you are enough. You are enough. You are enough. Your you-ness is all you need. Your you-ness is all we need. Because we love your weirdness, your true-ness, your ugly-ness, your heart-ness. We love your you-ness. Let your Eunice shine! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you are interested in exploring some </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">more <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/the-zen-of-improv-essays.html" target="_blank">Zen of Improv</a> pieces, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">you might enjoy reading more about </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-zen-of-improv-mind-meanies-non.html" target="_blank">the Evil Mind Meanies here</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">and perhaps more about the importance of authenticity in </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-zen-of-improv-i-love-weird-shit-you.html" target="_blank">I Love the Weird Shit You Care About</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 32px;">Or how about some of these<i> <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/geeking-out-withinterviews.html" target="_blank">"Geeking Out with..." </a></i>interviews?</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor is an improv comedian, author, teacher, consultant, and nice person. She is the founder and Head of Happiness of <a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" target="_blank">Happier Valley Comedy</a>, the epicenter of improv in Western Mass, where Pam teaches The Zen of Improv to the best students in the world </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">as well as bringing the power of improvisation to the workplace in her "<a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/through-laughter-program.html" target="_blank">Through Laughter</a>" program. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> TJ Jagodowski, David Pasquesi, and Pam are the co-authors of "<a href="http://amzn.to/1iKkGds" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book." </a> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">She lives online at <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/">www.pamvictor.com</a>.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Unless you're a meanie, Pam would probably like you.</span></span></i></div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-89254213134157865392015-05-29T15:43:00.000-04:002015-05-29T15:43:30.039-04:00Scrumptious Improv Quotes: The TJ & Dave Book (The Secret)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Click here to soon be reading the rest of </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you're interested in reading more of my slurry, check out</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank"><i>The Zen of Improv </i>series here</a>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like this one called</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-zen-of-improv-how-to-make-sweet.html" target="_blank"><i>How to Make Sweet Love to Your Fear</i></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Or perhaps you'd like to read about the story behind the book in </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/03/getting-grilled-by-cute-snl-dude.html" target="_blank">Writing The TJ & Dave Book</a></i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> is the co-author of the newly released "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423591826&sr=8-1&keywords=improvisation+at+the+speed" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book"</a> along with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam writes (and performs) the</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Geeking Out with...</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> interview series and <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a> series as well as mostly humorous, mostly true essays and reviews of books, movies, and tea on the blog </span>"My Nephew is a Poodle."<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">is the founding member of </span>The Ha-Ha’s,<span style="text-align: justify;"> and she produces </span><a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" style="text-align: justify;">The Happier Valley Comedy Show</a>.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Currently, Pam teaches <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Workshops.html" target="_blank"> "The Zen of Improv Comedy"</a> and "<a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Mindfulness_Through_Laughter.html" target="_blank">Mindfulness Through Laughter</a>" in Western Massachusetts.</span></span></i><br />
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-38832033470647958112015-05-18T14:01:00.000-04:002015-05-18T14:01:50.611-04:00Scrumptious Improv Quotes: The TJ & Dave Book (Energy is Beautiful)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Click here to soon be reading the rest of </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you're interested in reading more of my slurry, check out</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank"><i>The Zen of Improv </i>series here</a>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This photo above is that quote that I promised would make</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">make you jizz yourself in </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-zen-of-improv-hardiest-easiest-work.html" target="_blank">The Hardest Easiest Work</a>!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Or perhaps you'd like to read interviews with great minds in improvisation in the <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" target="_blank"><i>Geeking Out with...</i> series here</a>?</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> is the co-author of the newly released "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423591826&sr=8-1&keywords=improvisation+at+the+speed" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book"</a> along with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam writes (and performs) the</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Geeking Out with...</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> interview series and <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a> series as well as mostly humorous, mostly true essays and reviews of books, movies, and tea on the blog </span>"My Nephew is a Poodle."<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">is the founding member of </span>The Ha-Ha’s,<span style="text-align: justify;"> and she produces </span><a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" style="text-align: justify;">The Happier Valley Comedy Show</a>.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Currently, Pam teaches <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Workshops.html" target="_blank"> "The Zen of Improv Comedy"</a> and "<a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Mindfulness_Through_Laughter.html" target="_blank">Mindfulness Through Laughter</a>" in Western Massachusetts.</span></span></i></div>
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<br />Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-81082087198425564902015-05-08T16:43:00.000-04:002015-05-08T17:57:14.572-04:00Writing The TJ & Dave Book (#10): The Hard Work of Juggling Clouds<div style="line-height: 27.0000019073486px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 27.0000019073486px;">By Pam Victor</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 27.0000019073486px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">["<i>Writing The TJ & Dave Book" is the series plucked from the journal I kept while writing "Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book" with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-tj-dave-book-pre-sale-now-open.html" target="_blank">You should buy the book here</a>. (I mean, if you want to.) </i></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 27.0000019073486px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/Writing%20The%20TJ%20%26%20Dave%20Book" target="_blank">You can see the whole behind-the-book blog series here</a> for free.</i></span></b></span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 27.0000019073486px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">I suppose if every part of the process of writing this book was effortless and encrusted with the gold flecks of rubbing elbows with SNL players in private back room bars in Greenwich Village then there would be something lacking, right? You need a little adversity to make it a good story. Some tears. Some rejection to overcome. A whole chunk of worry and self-doubt. In that case, welcome to the rollercoaster of doing the real pedal-to-the-metal work of writing the book with Mr. Pasquesi and Mr. Jagodowski.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">How I wish I could have known then what I know now about writing a book with TJ and Dave, what draws them out, what to expect from them as far as interpersonal communication goes, how to get the work I needed without bugging the shit out of them, how to better edit the work once it was on paper, how to write fluidly in three voices, how to make them laugh.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Making David Pasquesi laugh feels like winning an award to me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Those laughs were the ups. And there were some downs. To nobody's surprise, the work of writing a book was, well, work. Hard, sometimes terribly frustrating work. Writing a book with two other people is harder still. And writing about how to make art is like juggling clouds. It took </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">me many moons to become adept at funneling their complex concepts through my brain and onto the page. Eventually, I discovered that I could read over what we'd written, listen to what changes they wanted to make and what they really wanted to say, and after a momentary pause to let the sand settle, I could channel the proper phrasing out my fingertips and onto the screen. (I'm not sure how to put that skill on my resumé.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Work. Laughter. Rejection. Publishing bullshit. Hard work. Long hours. Juggling clouds. But by August, 2013, it seemed like we were about three-quarters of the way through the book, I think. Maybe a wee be more - it was hard to tell since we didn't know when it was going to be complete. (It's over when the lights go out, right?) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">For the most part, we had settled into meeting once a week for two hours – almost always on a Wednesday, which was their preference because they said it put them in a focused state of mind for their show that night. Then I would spend the next week working full-time on the book, all alone in my home office in Western Massachusetts. Sometimes during our Wednesday meetings, I would interview them as fodder for new chapters, either by meeting all together on Google Docs or meeting through phone conference calls that I would then transcribe before wrangling it all into a semi-cohesive and hopefully coherent chapter. Other times, we would edit existing chapters in the manuscript online while we chatted via a three-way phone call. It was a long spell of productive, often fun work, and always, ALWAYS intellectually stimulating. Those guys are so fucking smart. Between trying to keep up with them, grappling to understand their concepts well enough to write about it, and managing communication skills over the barrier of the virtual world and the thousand-some miles distance, I always hung up from our Wednesday meetings thoroughly exhausted and spent; but nevertheless humming contentedly deep in my improv bones with the pleasure of sharing the minds, humor, and company of TJ and David for a couple hours every week. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Many Wednesday nights as it neared 11pm central time - which was what time they played in 2013 - I would look at the clock and give a little sigh of longing, sad to not be sitting in the pleasantly beer- and adrenaline-scented iO Cabaret space, waiting with the other expectant audience members for TJ and Dave to take the stage. There is something different about the energy in the room for a <i>TJ & Dave </i>show. More excited chatter than a typical improv show. More nervous energy. More of a feeling of potential greatness hanging in heady swags around the small, tightly packed tables. I know I sound like a total improv-whore when I say this, but Wednesdays at 10:55pm in the iO Cabaret Theatre in 2013 is what the gates of heaven might feel like to me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Often, I felt sorry for myself that I wasn't there to enjoy the show that night. But then I'd remember that I had spent two hours in a meeting where Dave tried (often successfully) to make me laugh…while I got one or two successful chuckles out of him, though more often a smile I could hear across the phone lines (which was fine by me too). During one spring Wednesday meeting, he </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">struck exactly the right spot on my funnybone's sweet spot </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">when he started speaking alternately in his own voice and in a high-pitched silly voice, as if he were speaking to a puppet he wore on his hand. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">I spent most of that meeting in fits of schoolgirl giggles. I know. I know. I'm such an easy and cheap laugh sometimes. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">I guess you had to be there. But hours later, I was still giggling to myself at David Pasquesi's puppet voice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">I guess given the option of seeing TJ and Dave with the masses and getting my own private show every week, I’d choose …</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Wait.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20.9090900421143px; line-height: 32px;">Can I have both?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you're interested in reading more of my slurry, check out</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank"><i>The Zen of Improv </i>series here</a>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's one about practicing non-judgment called</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-zen-of-improv-great-spirit-of-fuck.html" target="_blank">The Great Spirit of "Fuck It!"</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Or perhaps you'd like to read interviews with great minds in improvisation in the <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" target="_blank"><i>Geeking Out with...</i> series here</a>?</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> is the co-author of the newly released "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423591826&sr=8-1&keywords=improvisation+at+the+speed" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book"</a> along with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam writes (and performs) the</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Geeking Out with...</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> interview series and <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a> series as well as mostly humorous, mostly true essays and reviews of books, movies, and tea on the blog </span>"My Nephew is a Poodle."<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">is the founding member of </span>The Ha-Ha’s,<span style="text-align: justify;"> and she produces </span><a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" style="text-align: justify;">The Happier Valley Comedy Show</a>.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Currently, Pam teaches <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Workshops.html" target="_blank"> "The Zen of Improv Comedy"</a> and "<a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Mindfulness_Through_Laughter.html" target="_blank">Mindfulness Through Laughter</a>" in Western Massachusetts.</span></span></i></div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795024335940175298.post-32922796108859653202015-05-08T12:04:00.000-04:002015-05-08T12:04:31.678-04:00Scrumptious Improv Quotes: The TJ & Dave Book (The Moment Before Us)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHmngDsKhCq2qX5iiYsAmPfZ6AIw1WTxRS6Zq9UFtcTLlmTQBqqkOKYMBOivtH2u926j-b3ZEsOlTDcVj6ZD0h78YaU-LUBrGDnMwtJc2pmutKIoXEWCswv1_qWElCXxWP9OBC444taEG/s1600/constant+examination+book+quote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHmngDsKhCq2qX5iiYsAmPfZ6AIw1WTxRS6Zq9UFtcTLlmTQBqqkOKYMBOivtH2u926j-b3ZEsOlTDcVj6ZD0h78YaU-LUBrGDnMwtJc2pmutKIoXEWCswv1_qWElCXxWP9OBC444taEG/s1600/constant+examination+book+quote.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Click here to soon be reading the rest of </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=pamvic-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=EJVG4KSEJNVYNOQS&creativeASIN=0977309339" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">If you're interested in reading more of my slurry, check out</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank"><i>The Zen of Improv </i>series here</a>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's one about why TJ and Dave get annoyed with me when</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can them "masters" of improvisation:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-zen-of-improv-improvisers-mind.html" target="_blank">Improviser's Mind, Beginner's Mind</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Or perhaps you'd like to read interviews with great minds in improvisation in the <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" target="_blank"><i>Geeking Out with...</i> series here</a>?</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam Victor</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> is the co-author of the newly released "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Improvisation-Speed-Life-Dave-Book/dp/0977309339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423591826&sr=8-1&keywords=improvisation+at+the+speed" target="_blank">Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book"</a> along with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam writes (and performs) the</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/%22Geeking_Out_with%E2%80%A6%22.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Geeking Out with...</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> interview series and <a href="http://pamvictor.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Zen%20of%20Improv" target="_blank">The Zen of Improv</a> series as well as mostly humorous, mostly true essays and reviews of books, movies, and tea on the blog </span>"My Nephew is a Poodle."<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pam </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">is the founding member of </span>The Ha-Ha’s,<span style="text-align: justify;"> and she produces </span><a href="http://www.happiervalley.com/" style="text-align: justify;">The Happier Valley Comedy Show</a>.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Currently, Pam teaches <a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Workshops.html" target="_blank"> "The Zen of Improv Comedy"</a> and "<a href="http://www.pamvictor.com/Mindfulness_Through_Laughter.html" target="_blank">Mindfulness Through Laughter</a>" in Western Massachusetts.</span></span></i></div>
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Pam Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997629664057863762noreply@blogger.com1