The Harold Workshop - ReadMe

York99 · Post by **York99** » June 26th, 2006, 3:22 am

The Harold Workshop
Saturday July 1
The Year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Six
1PM â€“ â€˜Til
The Hideout

Come one; come all!! I will be leading a workshop on the Harold this Saturday. Improvisers of all levels are welcome and encouraged to join. I am very excited to open some virgin eyes to the form that dazzled and enticed me to explore long-form improvisation. I am also jazzed to work with people who already know the Harold and want to work on it or freshen up a bit.

If anyone has been considering my workshop but has doubts, please come this Saturday. I will be happy to discuss any reservations with you privately beforehand. I feel very strongly about the wonders of the Harold and I want to share that with all who will open their ears and their minds.

I would like to get a rough number of people who will be there this Saturday. If you could email me at jyork99 at g mail dot com (that looks weird, so if you prefer, get in touch with me in any way) and let me know if youâ€™re in.

Jy

acrouch · Post by **acrouch** » June 26th, 2006, 8:16 pm

I'm in!

ratliff · Post by **ratliff** » June 27th, 2006, 12:46 am

Harold ho!

Wesley · Post by **Wesley** » June 27th, 2006, 1:11 pm

Is it wrong that I've vowed never to see or perform in a Harold?

Ever?

kaci_beeler · Post by **kaci_beeler** » June 27th, 2006, 1:20 pm

Just wait until "Harold Night"...
A night of improv celebrating the style and work of the great Harold Lloyd, legendary actor of the silent silver screen age.

Oh how I love The Harold.

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » June 27th, 2006, 1:28 pm

kaci_beeler wrote:Just wait until "Harold Night"...
A night of improv celebrating the style and work of the great Harold Lloyd, legendary actor of the silent silver screen age.

This *will* happen.

erikamay · Post by **erikamay** » June 27th, 2006, 1:33 pm

Is it wrong that I've vowed never to see or perform in a Harold?

Ever?

Yes.

Doors to depart the Open-Minded, Growing Train open on the left.

Wesley · Post by **Wesley** » June 27th, 2006, 1:49 pm

Is it open-minded to believe that my belief is wrong? I demand to speak to the engineer, I think the train has derailed! Perhaps it is my lack of exposure, but I don't know what the Harold can do for me.

I'm just saying, for all the talk the Harold gets as the Holy Grail of improv, I've still never seen anyone here bother to do one--or if they did, they modified so much as to render it unrecognizable to me. I say, what's the big deal? What does the Harold provide that other forms don't (other than endless books about how great George Wendt and Jim Belushi feel when they nail one on stage)?

erikamay · Post by **erikamay** » June 27th, 2006, 1:55 pm

wes.

you were looking for a reply, and you got one.

my question is why do you hate the Harold? i think you have Harold-envy.

mcnichol · Post by **mcnichol** » June 27th, 2006, 2:00 pm

You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. The Harold is not a holy grail or anything -- outside of Justin's eager posts on it, I've seen nary a mention of the Harold on these boards or have barely heard it mentioned in conversation at the Hideout. It can't be that great if no-one's bothered to do one (Tight has actually), right?

But, just to play Devil's Advocate here, why actively avoid seeing or learning one? I mean, what is there to gain from avoiding it? Avoiding another experience in your life? Avoiding an additional perspective on improv? I really don't understand...

It reads like this to me: I've never heard Jazz before but alot of people seem to like it alot. Therefore, I'm going to make sure I never hear it or experience it.

Anyway Wes, as a fellow student of improv, you should at least give anything a shot once. Anything. Experience it, process it, and go from there.

Jill Morris · Post by **Jill Morris** » June 27th, 2006, 2:38 pm

kaci_beeler wrote:Just wait until "Harold Night"...
A night of improv celebrating the style and work of the great Harold Lloyd, legendary actor of the silent silver screen age.

Just wait until "Christopher Night"...

A night of improv celebrating the style and work of great character actor Christopher Lloyd, legendary actor of the Back To The Future trilogy.

acrouch · Post by **acrouch** » June 27th, 2006, 4:03 pm

Great Scott!

kbadr · Post by **kbadr** » June 27th, 2006, 4:05 pm

Great Scott!

http://pics.livejournal.com/nekomouser/ ... x/s640x480

Wesley · Post by **Wesley** » June 27th, 2006, 4:13 pm

I'm just ribbing y'all. I'm going to do the world a favor and invent a sarcasm font for online use.

But the "you gotta see it/do it" reply was part of my point. I just hear over and over about Harolds. Harolds this and Harolds that. You'll grow as an improviser, you'll tell better stories, you'll find God in Act III, Scene II. Entire books have been written on this one form. But for all the lip service, I've still never seen one in 18 months of pretty intensely regular watching and playing. Not to say they haven't been done here or anything, but it seems improv communities in geberal worship the form a lot for me never to have even been exposed to it.
Therefore, it has fallen into the realm of "Sean Hill" and other oft-spoken about, but invisible improv myths. So, I'll refine my stance: I don't believe that the Harold exists.

shando · Post by **shando** » June 27th, 2006, 4:16 pm

Jill Morris wrote:
kaci_beeler wrote:Just wait until "Harold Night"...
A night of improv celebrating the style and work of the great Harold Lloyd, legendary actor of the silent silver screen age.

Just wait until "Christopher Night"...

A night of improv celebrating the style and work of great character actor Christopher Lloyd, legendary actor of the Back To The Future trilogy.

Hell yeah to all of it. In fact, this gives me an idea for a run of shows once the SVT space opens up. Movie appreciation of a famous comic and then improv to follow. Hmmmmm.......