Thursday, June 19, 2008 by John Robison.

People may not believe this, but I’m actually not someone that seeks out the spotlight, especially in large groups of people. My ideal environment is a smallish gathering of about 5-15 people. The huge gatherings in Chicago were many times bigger, which put me in my usual “big party” role - that of observer and listener.

I met a lot of people. I hung out in clumps. I listened a lot. Every now and then I’d ask a question. Not everything we talked about was improv, but of course, that was a topic that was discussed a lot, as everyone in the room had the same passion… and there’s nothing like talking to people who are passionate about something, especially when it’s something you’re passionate about as well.

I talked to some folks from Washington, D.C. who perform at the Washington Improv Theater. I had seen them in shows earlier in the day, and was really impressed with both groups that came from WIT. So, I talked a little, and listened a lot, and one conversation has altered the way that I will run the Roving Imp from now on. The folks at WIT have several ensembles, each separate from one another, performing at separate times, yet all call the same place home. This is a really simple concept, and I had of course thought of doing this before… but Washington is much, much bigger than Bonner Springs, so my “let’s get a whole bunch of groups together” idea was on the back burner. There’s a shortage of players, coaches, and time with my family, after all.

I don’t remember exactly what it was in this conversation that sparked my new idea, but I remember exactly when it happened. It was one of those perfect moments of clarity, where you’re mystically at one with the universe, and you can see the whole of existence spread out before you, and the fibers that connect it all. Those moments last only a second at most… but in that second, it became clear. The time had come to branch out.

We’ve been slowly growing toward multiple Roving Imp groups. We’ve begun Trivial Prov-suit. We’ve had the High School Showdown. But now, I was ready to  formalize and expand. I came home from Chicago and started brainstorming. I then coalesced my ideas into concrete goals. I laid out a plan to expand into eight different Roving Imp productions by the time April 2009 rolls around. Huge step, eh? In April 2008, we had two groups - the Imps and the high schoolers. What makes me think I can get six more in one year? Maybe I’m just a megalomaniac. Maybe I’m crazy like a fox. Only time will tell.

The Imps will continue as we have been. They’ll perform twice a month, half short form and half rotating long forms. Trivial Prov-suit will continue. We started in May, and it’s one of our most promising shows. The high school program will continue, and hopefully expand (that’s another topic altogether). We’ve added Movie Prov, which we start this Saturday (perhaps another topic as well). I’m also in the process of casting a new elite longform group called Omega Directive, which will take television episode synopses as suggestions for the show. Ideally, the show will not resemble said television episode at all. I’ve just started talking with another improviser about reviving our two-person longform show, Dictionary Soup. So far, two weeks after Chicago, I have six of my eight groups in the works, and things are not progressing too quickly to handle. I have ideas for two more groups, but we’re going to just sit on those for awhile… we’ll let these other groups have a few shows first.

I’ve recently cast a whole bunch of new talented folks, and they’re all terribly excited about all the opportunities to do some shows. It’s my hope that they will get to perform a lot, and will also be driven to go see the shows of the other ensembles as well. I’ve arranged rehearsal schedules to overlap somewhat, so that when we go over longform technique and good improv tips, the groups are able to share their strengths and weaknesses, performing together. I also am looking forward to creating ensembles that develop critical eyes. As they work together and watch each other, they will eventually be able to give good feedback as they watch from the audience. Performing all this quality improv week after week will cause people to take notice. We’ll attract additional talented improvisers, more students, and more audience. Of course, that’s more long-range. I don’t expect miracles by April 2009… but maybe some of the groundwork will be laid.

There you go. Pie in the sky dreaming. Two months from now, everything might self destruct. But you never know if you don’t try. If we’re going to make Bonner Springs into an oasis of improvisational art, we’re going to have to try a lot of ideas.

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Wednesday, May 7, 2008 by John Robison.

The newest show at the Roving Imp is coming up this weekend, and I’m getting really excited. This show has been a long time coming… since very early in the life of the Imp, we’ve had the “Game Show,” which presents various game shows live on stage. These Game Shows are really fun, and are a really neat idea. However, they don’t draw well. Audiences have not been good for the Game Shows, no matter which one has been presented. And with the amount of work that goes into each one, preparing questions, learning rules, getting prizes, and getting a basic stage look for the show… well, they’re not working out. I’ve not given up on them completely, but I’m no longer planning on doing them on a regular basis. They’ll pop up again from time to time if I need to fill a hole in the schedule, but (sigh) for now, I consider this format to be one that is not yet ready to be accepted.

I’m a huge game fan, though. I grew up watching game shows, and still am a daily watcher of Jeopardy! I have a collection of 130 board games that has taken over an entire wall of my house. This may be where my love of playing improv games originally came from.

Several months ago, when I realized that the Game Show was not going to work out, I started looking for a way to combine improv with a game show… but after a few attempts, I couldn’t quite bring myself to tamper with what were, in effect, my childhood friends. Board games, however, I’d been tampering with for years. Many times the rules that come with these games are overly complex, incomplete, or just plain stupid. I’ve been altering board game rules for as long as I can remember.

Trivial Pursuit has long been one of my favorites. As a child, I used to play it with my grandma. When she died, I received her Trivial Pursuit game, and still have it as one of my treasured possessions. People tell me I’m wickedly good at it… and I do win more often than not, but I really just enjoy playing. Winning isn’t the ultimate goal… which to me, is why a game is fun. It’s the journey, not the destination.

A couple months ago, I tried out a preliminary version of the Trivial Pursuit Game Show on stage. It drew just as many people as Game Shows usually did, which is probably a good thing, as it wasn’t fully cooked yet. It was fun, but not fun enough. It was time to really crank things up.

I thought I’d try a more “Bassprov” type Trivial Pursuit - two or three people sitting around playing the game, talking about some of the topics raised by the answers to the questions. This idea came to me while playing a game of TP with my sister Julie. I took it to the stage, and James Nelson and Magie Hogan of the Imps helped me workshop it. After that first session, it was still clear to me that this format was still not going to be the final form.

James and Magie returned to help me work on it again, and this time, I was more prepared. We keep the questions, and get rid of the game board. Standing on opposite sides of the stage, the two players (or teams) fire questions at one another, and anytime someone gets a question wrong, an improvised scene happens, with the actual answer used as the suggestion. This time, things clicked.

After working on it a little more, we arrived at a multi-round system. Round One will be quickfire scenes. Round Two will be longer scenes, and will make up the bulk of the show. Round Three will use a longer form we use at RI and Rounds Four and Five will be a short form game or two. In effect, we’re blending games with a bunch of different types of improv, all under the umbrella of a competition.

This is without a doubt the most fun form I’ve had the opportunity to help create. I can’t wait to get it in front of an audience this weekend. James is returning to christen the form, and based on the rehearsals so far, he has absolutely no chance of winning the trivia portion. However, he will really be a force when it comes to the improv, which is, of course, the most important thing.

Now, I’m just hoping that Trivial Prov-suit will entice an audience better than its ancestor, the Game Show.

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Monday, March 24, 2008 by John Robison.

Once again, wealth comes from the comments.

I happen to have been born into a family with a multitude of talents. Since I’ve begun directing shows, I’ve performed with almost everyone. I have two brothers and a sister, with me as the oldest. My next brother, Carl, has done tech for every show I’ve done for the past 10 years, from the time we had to cart around my iMac for sound and some portable lights to today, when he has his own lighting panel and laptop. He’s much happier nowadays, since he has his own little room.

My next brother, Brian, was in some of my shows just after high school, and now is content to be in the audience. That’s good. Audiences are important.

My mother has catered dinner theater shows I’ve had, and is now one of my biggest advocates, spreading the word about my fledgling theater to everyone she can, as she serves meals as a waitress with an attitude.

As I’ve mentioned before, my sister, Julie, is a member of the Roving Imps, and has been in shows with me since she was 10 years old, and she was the “cue card girl.”

My dad is the one member that doesn’t come around much anymore. He enjoys a good scripted play, but improv games are not his thing. When I first told him I was opening a theater, and that we would be doing a lot of improv, he didn’t know exactly what that was. I turned on “Whose Line is it Anyway?,” and he nodded. He said, “Yeah. I’ve seen that before. That shit ain’t funny.” Nothing you can do about that. If you don’t like Colin Mochrie, there’s nothing that can be done to salvage the genre for you.

Even my wife has gotten in on the action. Though she was initially afraid of improv, she took some of my classes, and worked up the nerve to perform a few times. She’s on a hiatus now, but we both have hopes that she’ll get back to the stage someday… probably when our son develops the ability to sit through a show.

I’m very lucky to have them all on my side. Even Dad the Improv Hater pitched in money to help me get started. Everyone else helps me on a weekly basis.

The only time any of this becomes uncomfortable is on stage. I’m going to blame Julie for this one. As improvisers, you’re in all kinds of different scenes, playing all kinds of different parts. It’s inevitable that eventually you’re going to end up playing the significant other of everyone in your troupe… even your own sister. When this happens, there’s always this little guy somewhere in the back of my mind that curls up into the fetal position and puts his fists to his temples as he whimpers, “no…. no… no…. no….” However, I do my best to ignore that little man and play the scene as it should be… and so far there has been no good reason for those two characters to have any intimate physical contact. Thank God. That little man in the back of my mind would have something to say about that, as would the audience, most of whom are well aware of who the actors are.

It would be like watching Donnie and Marie together, or John and Joan Cusack, 0r Bill and Hillary Clinton. You know… just uncomfortable for everyone involved.

It hasn’t always been easy. During that same game of Stunt Double I spoke of last week, our lovely fellow improviser told Julie, “We should totally make out,” and then called “Stunt Double,” completely forgetting who the stunt double was… yours truly. There were about 15 very uncomfortable (and hilarious) moments on stage where Julie and I kind of looked at each other, at the audience, and all around, and then all of Julie’s improv experience coagulated into a moment of genius… she also called “Stunt Double,” and I was able to make out with myself, giving myself several audience-satisfying gropes before relinquishing the stage.

I enjoy sharing a stage with Julie, and I’m fairly confident that even if the situation demands something we’re uncomfortable with, we’ll be able to sidestep it, using the schtick of the game, the wonder of a well-placed lights out from our brother, or through the grace and understanding of our audience.

I have a psychiatrist’s number standing by just in case.

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Thursday, March 20, 2008 by John Robison.

A comment to my previous post got me thinking about touching… so get ready for some random thought process…

Obviously, physical contact on stage is going to happen. Most improvisers don’t use it enough. I know I sure don’t - but there are reasons why. Are they good reasons? I might get myself into trouble here, but one of the main reasons I don’t touch as much as I really should… I’m a man. When you’re doing comedy, as long as you all trust each other and have general consent, gender shouldn’t be an obstacle. But it is.

Human interaction encompasses a huge amount of kinds of physical contact, but we don’t display much of that range on stage. There isn’t one person in any group in which I play that I would be totally comfortable planting a kiss on if the situation called for it. I would do it, but if I’m not committed to the choice, it won’t have the right effect. And sometimes, a kiss (especially between men, for some reason), can bring the house down.

As a group, the active Roving Imps are largely women. Unusual for improv in general… par for the course for us. Also, they’re ages 18-25. Maybe this hearkens back to my days as a middle school and high school teacher, but there’s something deeply ingrained within me that says, “You will get yourself in trouble.” So, as a general rule, it’s hands off the ladies. Maybe it goes back to my last post… maybe we just don’t have a high enough level of trust yet. Maybe I have a mental block. Either way, I think it’s really limiting an important portion of improv that we can do. According to Trish’s comment from yesterday, my group is not the only one that could use some work with this, which is at least some small comfort.

During our show last weekend, an improviser (who’s also my sister, Julie) and I were playing “Stunt Double,” and I was the stunt double. As I was called in to substitute for the other actress, Julie said, “hop on,” and indicated that she wanted me to jump onto her back. What I should have done: immediately trusted and agreed with her, jumping on. What I did: hesitated, and half-denied, until she persisted, when I finally hopped up on her back. It was great… the audience loved it, and it became a really memorable moment.

Instead of trusting and being in the moment, I took time on stage to worry about the effect my 193-pound body would have on my little sister, who I shouldn’t have worried about. In case you’re wondering, she describes herself as being “built like a football player,” which comes in handy when you want to pick up tiny teenage boys, which she’s done on more than one occasion, always with hilarious results.

The second thing that prevents me from initiating physical contact is the fact that when it comes to the Imps, I’m in charge. I’m not only an actor on the stage, but I’m the director, who casts the troupe and the shows.  Ever since I directed my first show at age 19, there have been jokes and insinuations about “John’s casting couch,” and perhaps after so many years, I’ve got more mental walls up than I want to acknowledge.

Perhaps what I need to do is start trusting that the women of my troupe are both grown-ups and professional, and know me well enough to be able to have their butt smacked or boob grabbed every once in a while. Maybe. Where exactly is that line? Being an introspective male director/performer is hard.

We need to start doing more exercises getting comfortable with trust and physical contact. Anyone have any favorite exercises for this? I’ve got a couple, but obviously not enough. I’ve got to get the ball rolling on this, because if I’m second-guessing myself even with the experience I’ve got behind me, then the newbies in my troupe have no hope.

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by John Robison.

On stage you do so many different weird things that it’s really important to have a good rapport with one another. Building that kind of trust is extremely important, or you’ll think twice about hopping up on someone’s back to ride them like a prized steed, or you won’t be in tune well enough to be able to believably convince the audience that you’re long lost lovers.
It’s a tough thing to develop… people naturally have all kinds of walls and barriers around the core of their real feelings - they get naturally put up so their vulnerabilities aren’t exposed for the world to see and take advantage of. Getting past some of those barriers to expose some real feeling is really hard for a lot of improvisers, especially those just starting out. In a really good scene, the actors will be reacting in a realistic way, and it’s nearly impossible to do well unless you’re in tune with your own self. Sure, you can do great shows without this level of commitment, but teams that consistently gel have this kind of focus.

It sounds touchy-feely. It probably is. But it’s so important, even in scenes that are waaay out there. The Roving Imps have made a lot of progress toward this goal lately, but still have a ways to go.

Last week, one of our prodigal Imps rejoined the group for one show. She started with the rest of us, but hadn’t performed with us in seven months. Was it really a good decision to throw her back into a show right away? Probably not, but we needed performers, and there was some excitement to have her back again.

It’s amazing how throwing someone into the mix can really alter your whole performance, even when it’s someone that was at one time part of the group. We had a great show, and the audience was laughing, but those great, deep connections were nearly completely absent. This is absolutely not our former member’s fault… she hasn’t had the last seven months to think about this. She had seven days.

However, the rest of us (me included) absolutely forgot all about reaching down deep for those connections and relationships. The characters all knew each other, and had some great lines, but emotional stakes were absent.

Of course, nobody realized this was happening in the moment. That’s the advantage of hindsight. Looking back, I wonder if the reason for the absence was that the high level of trust was no longer there. Did we all feel comfortable opening up our vulnerabilities?  Impossible to tell. We all learn as we go along, eh?

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