Day 2: Audience

York99 · Post by **York99** » June 26th, 2006, 4:38 pm

I offer a heartfelt apology if I came across as offensive or defensive on that or any other post. I enjoy provoking and playing the devil's advocate, but if I ever cross the line or get uncomfortably close to it, please call me out on that.

[On a related note, one activity I enjoy doing is arguing a point that I do not believe in. I find that I learn a lot about other sides of a topic, particularly when arguing a point I know little about with someone who knows a lot. (Case in point: I argued for several hours with my sister and my father -- both of whom are doctors -- on why the Hypocratic Oath is outdated. Who cares? But I gained some valuable insight.) Another benefit is that I can often get a point across effectively by "tricking" a person into believing that they came up with it. But I digress.... a lot.]

Dammit, this was going to be a really short post. Some fine day I will learn how to speak to my fellow ADD sufferers.

shando · Post by **shando** » June 26th, 2006, 4:59 pm

York99 wrote:I offer a heartfelt apology if I came across as offensive or defensive on that or any other post. I enjoy provoking and playing the devil's advocate, but if I ever cross the line or get uncomfortably close to it, please call me out on that.

I certainly didn't think either of those things. We're all just being provocative, which is different.

York99 wrote:[On a related note, one activity I enjoy doing is arguing a point that I do not believe in. I find that I learn a lot about other sides of a topic, particularly when arguing a point I know little about with someone who knows a lot.

Word. See many of my recent posts for the exact same strategy.

erikamay · Post by **erikamay** » June 26th, 2006, 5:27 pm

i dont have anything to add here, except this:

shando:

More than likely it sucked becuase it was about trivial shit where the audience didn't see some real human experience enacted. And I'm not talking about some some real human experience described and simulated, I mean enacted. And that's what I mean when I talk about taking the audeince into consideration.

here here, bra.

and this: i would hate for anyone to walk away from this post thinking liz allen is a nutfluffer. she taught me some of the most amazing things about group mind that i have ever learned.

she also taught me that i really suck when i try to think about stuff too much.

not that i doubt that liz allen said improvisers are amazing people, i just wanted to make sure folk knew she wasn't some flowery lotion smelling dumbass.

ratliff · Post by **ratliff** » June 26th, 2006, 5:29 pm

"nutfluffer"?

shando · Post by **shando** » June 26th, 2006, 5:29 pm

erikamay wrote:flowery lotion smelling dumbass.

In addition to Napdump, my other CageMatch name I want you to be involved with, Erika.

Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell · June 26th, 2006, 9:48 pm

York99 wrote:I offer a heartfelt apology if I came across as offensive or defensive on that or any other post. I enjoy provoking and playing the devil's advocate, but if I ever cross the line or get uncomfortably close to it, please call me out on that.

[On a related note, one activity I enjoy doing is arguing a point that I do not believe in. I find that I learn a lot about other sides of a topic, particularly when arguing a point I know little about with someone who knows a lot. (Case in point: I argued for several hours with my sister and my father -- both of whom are doctors -- on why the Hypocratic Oath is outdated. Who cares? But I gained some valuable insight.) Another benefit is that I can often get a point across effectively by "tricking" a person into believing that they came up with it. But I digress.... a lot.]

Dammit, this was going to be a really short post. Some fine day I will learn how to speak to my fellow ADD sufferers.

not offensive or defensive at all. i just wanted to make sure my argument was coming across clearly. i'm used to dealing with idiot fanboys over at the comic book website i work at, so i can sometimes paint my argument in broad strokes (because 1. they're more likely to understand it that way and 2. they're idiots and i don't want to spend too much time on it...unless i just need to work out some frustrations, and then i rant them into submission

). actually speaking with intelligent and articulate people on the internet is somewhat new, so i just want to make sure i'm getting my point across as well as possible.

and i've tried that arguing the other position before. and i was pretty good at it and got to know other people's arguments and gained insight into my own as well. but i had to stop because i'm a very passionate speaker and it was getting troublesome having people think i actually believed some of those things. plus, i started to earn a rep as someone who'd argue just to be contrary which i don't think is true, so now i just argue when i give enough of a damn to.

but i agree with Shannon...i think it's great that we're all in here talking about these things. As far as improv is concerned, i never really THINK about my philosophy or approach to it. i just kind of...do it. i know what works for me, i know what i like watching, but it's not something i ordinarily sit around talking about all that much. so this has been a really unique opportunity to put words to my thoughts and articulate my thoughts and feelings...which don't really differ too much from my thoughts and feelings on scripted theatre or really any storytelling medium, but all the same. The minutiae that apply to improv have been really fascinating, and hearing different people's approaches and backgrounds...which really seem to be bringing us all to the same place. Approaches seem to differ, or at the very least semantics. But in the end...we keep arriving at the same destination. Which is kind of cool, in a very Zen way...

arthursimone · Post by **arthursimone** » June 26th, 2006, 11:28 pm

no, liz allen is no nutfluffer, in the course of classes, she said something I loved in a context I can't remember, so I snatched it and rehashed it to fit in with my own view of how things should be.

I don't think improvisers should go around patting themselves on the back willynilly, but we should never ever ever ever be afraid to be ourselves (or shades of ourselves) on stage. we firstandforemost have to maintain that connection to our doglike minds, our horny monkey bodies, our pack o' wolves teammates, only then can we even begin to acknowledge and recognize the audience out there.

there! I said it! "The audience comes last."

but stay with me. actors are the goddamn human sacrifices that go up on stage. we're the gladiators, the debaters, the guinea pigs, we offer ourselves up for judgement, set ourselves up for failure, beg and kick and scream and plead for humiliation and the metaphorical noose to end it all- the release of laughter, the sharing of experience and regret and sin and heartbreak and death.

but to be able to share that experience, we as actors gotta feel it first. we gotta recognize that bitter twang, we gotta play that note out in our head, and we gotta believe in ourselves as viable, if not superior, storytellers. we have to be honest. what we do is funny and eyepopping because we live in a dishonest society, and we build beautiful, transparent lies. if that's immaturity and arrogance, then I'm not ashamed, because that's what I believe the audience came to see.

thus I like to put the audience first by putting them last. I have faith they'll be there when we come back around.

normally, I have the self-confidence of worm. but when I am onstage, I am unapologetic eagle. swoop edits!

ah, criminy, I hope this makes sense to someone. sometimes I do shitty scenes.

shando · Post by **shando** » June 26th, 2006, 11:35 pm

arthursimone wrote:
thus I like to put the audience first by putting them last. I have faith they'll be there when we come back around.

This is where my thinking is heading as well. See the post up above. One big massive discurssis is brewing inside me. Stay tuned. Also I have not done much 'prov lately due to other theater and have been thinking about more than doing. I'm jealous.

ratliff · Post by **ratliff** » June 26th, 2006, 11:59 pm

Arthur Simone is a kickass writer.

Dibs on "Bitter Twang."

York99 · Post by **York99** » June 27th, 2006, 1:09 am

If only there was a girl version of Arthur...

Spots · Post by **Spots** » August 23rd, 2012, 5:49 am

I'm prospecting for gold.