Greatest Show On Turf CANCELLED

[improvstitute]

Well gang...I guess this isn't the greatest show on turf after all. Since I couldn't even get a troupe to perform this weekend after posts, personal invites, begging and pleading, and even last minute guilt trips, I have decided to cancel the remaining shows. It just isn't worth the effort.

Not to sound like a whiner, but I am really sad that this show was so unsupported. I see all the support for other new ideas and I can't help but wonder why this didn't get the same...especially since it was intended to be a way to get more butts in seats during our regular timeslots. Not one improviser even came to see a show to see what it was all about (aside from the people who were involved in the show). I was really shocked by this. I still can't believe that anybody would ignore a chance to spread improv to a new group of people. After last Friday's poor attendance (2 of the 3 shows cancelled b/c of ZERO audience members), I couldn't help but think that we need to be doing things like GSOT to get people to come see us.

In any case, thanks to Bob A, Andy P, Dave, Bob M, and Troy for your contributions. I really do appreciate you guys helping me out.

[AustinsIrishPirate]

Hey, I went to one and even brought along my sister and brother-in-law. I totally support it, because it was actually really good! Sorry it didn't work out.

[Brian Boyko]

Well gang...I guess this isn't the greatest show on turf after all. Since I couldn't even get a troupe to perform this weekend after posts, personal invites, begging and pleading, and even last minute guilt trips, I have decided to cancel the remaining shows. It just isn't worth the effort.

Not to sound like a whiner, but I am really sad that this show was so unsupported. I see all the support for other new ideas and I can't help but wonder why this didn't get the same...

Not to be a dick, but have you ever considered that the audience for live theatre and televised football might not have much of an overlap - and that many of us into performing improv comedy weren't exactly the first ones picked for sports back in the day?

I mean... theatre. Football. The juxtaposition is there but only through it's sheer "opposite end of the spectrum" feeling.

Instead of asking improvisers to participate, maybe you should have asked budding sports journalists.

Actually, no, I realised that there's no way to say that without sounding like a dick.

I really don't mean to be a dick, you put alot of effort into an idea which had great potential and it didn't work. That sucks, that always sucks... but if you want to know why... that's probably why.

Right now I'm working on a project combining D&D with Improv... and I think I'm running into the same problems - I'm not prepared to call it off, but it's discouraging to see no confirmed hits on it.

[sara farr]

Ted,

I am so proud of you trying a new thing! I loved the improvised commentary & commercials over the UT & USC (GO TROJANS!!!) Rosebowl game that Lamb & D'Alonzo did (along with the help of a few other improvisers). I loved the idea for this format, and I'm sure your show was great, too.

I don't know if you are looking for personal reasons why this show was not more supported within the community, but I would like to share mine.

Unfortunately, Sunday has become the day when I spend time with my sister & her family, so that is why I did not attend your show. I would have liked to have seen it, though.

I would also like to suggest you bring "The Greates Show on Turf" back for the Superbowl, or some other over-hyped bowl game. I would much rather come to your show than "seriously" watch football on TV -- I have done this with Austin's USC alumni group and it was no where near as much fun as that Rosebowl game. Plus, with a one time occurance, for a very big game, with some help in advertising (count me in for this - I was handing out your fliers last First Thursday and got lots of interested people), you might get a big (profitable??) audience.

Big Hug!
Sara

[improvstitute]

Not to be a dick, but have you ever considered that the audience for live theatre and televised football might not have much of an overlap - and that many of us into performing improv comedy weren't exactly the first ones picked for sports back in the day?

I mean... theatre. Football. The juxtaposition is there but only through it's sheer "opposite end of the spectrum" feeling.

you see...this is really what I think the problem is...many improvisers couldn't get over the football part of it. I wasn't asking anyone to come for the football. I was asking people to come for the IMPROV. I realized that most improvisers are not football fans. However, I believe that most improvisers want to promote themselves and improv in general. I wasn't looking to get an audience from the AIC. I was looking to get performers and a tech crew who wanted to reach a different audience. However, I get the feeling that many people saw the word football and wrote it off as something that they didn't want to know more about or be involved with. That is why I tried to reiterate to everyone that you don't have to like football to help out...you just have to want bigger audiences for the AIC.

Also, I am not sure how budding sports casters would have helped the show since there is nothing in the show that involves sports casting. It was just a football game with funny videos in the commercial breaks and a live, improvised halftime show. I tried to make that very clear. It was an opportunity to perform in front of a different audience. The only connection the improv had to the football was the time constraint of halftime.

[improvstitute]

Hey, I went to one and even brought along my sister and brother-in-law. I totally support it, because it was actually really good! Sorry it didn't work out.

Thanks for checking it out. I am glad you enjoyed it. I am not sure we have ever met so I didn't know you from the improv community. My apologies to you for teh oversight!!!

[Brian Boyko]

The problem with it is that you need at least a passing familiarity with something in order to make fun of it. This is why I don't tell jokes about growing up black in the ghetto.

However, I do tell jokes about how it wasn't easy for me to grow up blind and black in the ghetto.

Bad example.

Truth is that after you make the obvious jokes about sacks and tight ends, it's very hard to make jokes about football unless you know some of the particulars.

[improvstitute]

I would also like to suggest you bring "The Greates Show on Turf" back for the Superbowl, or some other over-hyped bowl game.

thx Sara! I would love to bring it back for the playoffs, Superbowl or whatever bowl game Texas is in, the National Championship, etc. That was actually phase 2 of my plan. However, in order for that to happen, I would need a lot of help. I need a crew, like a host troupe, to handle box, lights, sound, video, etc. Plus...I will need to find just the right performers. Without volunteers, I cannot do it. I am not looking to make any money off of this. I just want to make more people aware of the AIC. In fact, if we can get this together, I will gladly give all profits to the AIC to help with advertising future AIC shows.

[improvstitute]

The problem with it is that you need at least a passing familiarity with something in order to make fun of it. This is why I don't tell jokes about growing up black in the ghetto.

However, I do tell jokes about how it wasn't easy for me to grow up blind and black in the ghetto.

Bad example.

Truth is that after you make the obvious jokes about sacks and tight ends, it's very hard to make jokes about football unless you know some of the particulars.

actually, no. The improv has nothing to do with knowing football. It is about recognizing themes. Just like watching scenes and looking for themes to develop. It isn't about making fun of football. I think sitting around and commenting on/joking about what everyone just saw would make for a really uninteresting improv show. That certainly isn't what happened in the 2 shows we did. The shows that we did used themes from the game (like a qb obviously overlooking a receiver for an entire half) and used them as metaphors for life (like never being asked to dance at high school parties). However, we didn't talk about football...it was just inspiration, like audience suggestions.

[Miggy]

Hi Ted.
Let me first off state my great admiration for your putting on this show. Let me second encourage you not to stop. Let me third volunteer if you need any technical help.

Now, let me fourth also confirm your estimation that the reason that some people (in this case me) didn't come out was because of the football association. I'm not just not interested in footbal, I can think of few things I am more passionately dissinterested in. All the same, I sat through a show of McMahon! during Test Pattern at Coldtowne Theatre and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have equal to possibly less interest in fake wrestling... but I liked the show including the improvised voice overs to commercials by Andy and Jill Morris.

I can see the potential in what you're doing. and if you'll have someone like myself, I'd be happy to help out.... just don't ask me to like football )

-Mike

[ChrisTrew.Com]

Ted,
Your enthusiasm and effort is appreciated, but most of us are already spread super thin. It sucks that the show didn't get a lot of support from the community, but the notion that "we need to do shows like GSOT for people to come see us...etc" doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't think people looked at GSOT like, "I need to help get this show off the ground because it will help get butts in seats for other shows," I think people looked at it as another show slot like the Double Barrel or Maestro.

And keep in mind that there are people in this community who have never played Maestro. There are even fewer who go to watch Maestro.
There are people in this community who have never seen a Thursday Night Awesome and have no idea what the show is like.

Also, new things take time to catch fire. Last year when we first expanded to Thursdays and gave those slots away as "Thursday Showcases" the attendance was terrible, unless you were one of the two groups that promoted the event. We kept at it, kept plugging away, and eventually it became Thursday Night Awesome and now it's getting the community support any slot needs to be successful. It took 7 months, though. And it's still not doing as super good as it could be.

If you really believe in the GSOT and have the time and energy to put up with some shitty shows where nobody shows up (not everyone does), my vote is "maintain."

[York99]

I also applaud the effort. I would be in your demographic for this as a participant and an audience member. The problem is -- and this is for me personally, but there is likely a comparison with others in the community -- I'm a Saints fan and I only get so much time in a year to watch Saints games.

Plus, Sunday afternoon is a difficult slot. Most people work all week -- and with improvisers, they work all week AND perform and rehearse at night time -- so Sunday is a day to relax and live a "normal" life for a little while.

I think Chris is right that this might work in time, but you have to build it and gain awareness outside of the improv community more so than within.

[Jastroch]

Wrestling is not fake.

[ChrisTrew.Com]

Whoa Whoa Whoa I didn't catch that part. Wrestling fake? Jastroch, hold me back!

[improvstitute]

I am not cancelling it because the shows were shitty or there was poor turn out. They were actually very good and the audience we had loved it and came back for more. I am having to cancel it because I can't get anyone to perform in it or do tech for it this week. It is a fairly involved show tech-wise and needs 2 people in the booth to make it go smoothly. There are alot of moving parts. The improv could be done with 1 to whatever. So...I need a bare minimum of 3 to have a show. I couldn't even get that. Again, I don't WANT to cancel this. I just don't have much choice this week. As for the december shows (3rd and 10th), I am game if there's help. If we can get that, then we can look at the playoffs, bowl games, and the superbowl.