Austin Improv

KathyRose wrote:Stoltz was being perfectly "real," but you could easily read much larger reactions on Fox's face. His anxiety / shock / urgency was always palpable. So, comedy is about being "real," but with the commitment dialed up 200% or more.

I can't imagine a set where 'dial it up' or 'show more' never once occurred to the director or the producers when dealing with Stoltz. He probably did and it probably didn't work because the boyish charm looked fake on him. I don't think any 'comedic acting' teacher in the world could have fixed their problem of misguided casting.

arthursimone wrote:

KathyRose wrote:Stoltz was being perfectly "real," but you could easily read much larger reactions on Fox's face. His anxiety / shock / urgency was always palpable. So, comedy is about being "real," but with the commitment dialed up 200% or more.

I can't imagine a set where 'dial it up' or 'show more' never once occurred to the director or the producers when dealing with Stoltz. He probably did and it probably didn't work because the boyish charm looked fake on him. I don't think any 'comedic acting' teacher in the world could have fixed their problem of misguided casting.

Yes. That's just casting. And I bet Fox would be terrible as that Mask guy with Cher.

arthursimone wrote:

KathyRose wrote:Stoltz was being perfectly "real," but you could easily read much larger reactions on Fox's face. His anxiety / shock / urgency was always palpable. So, comedy is about being "real," but with the commitment dialed up 200% or more.

I can't imagine a set where 'dial it up' or 'show more' never once occurred to the director or the producers when dealing with Stoltz. He probably did and it probably didn't work because the boyish charm looked fake on him. I don't think any 'comedic acting' teacher in the world could have fixed their problem of misguided casting.

You make a good point. Stoltz simply looked too mature to be playing the part of a teenage boy. That's an assessment based on his features, not his acting ability. (I'm sure that he's quite capable of being "charming," but he had long passed the "boyish" mark.) So yes, that was a casting problem. Fox was a much better choice. It doesn't prove that "comedy acting" can't be learned or coached, or that total commitment to the ridiculous isn't a critical element of comedy.

Oh, BTW, if comedy can't be taught, why are there so many improv classes and coaches?

KathyRose wrote: Oh, BTW, if comedy can't be taught, why are there so many improv classes and coaches?

1. that presumes improv and comedy to be the same thing.
2. how else are improvisors going to make money?

KathyRose wrote: Oh, BTW, if comedy can't be taught, why are there so many improv classes and coaches?

Because improv preaches flexibility and builds confidence necessary for good comedy. In my admittedly uninformed opinion, a 'comedy acting' class would leave you with dangerously inflexible script-specific bits and shtick. I think a good basic acting class would leave you just as prepared to perform in Sam Shepard as in Chris Durang.

I think that if a person has some comedic ability, a class offers them a chance to gain experience, through trial and error, and personal reflection, to see what works and learn how to hone what they have. I think people can get better. I don't know that you can really be 'taught' any art but you can be taught how to think artistically and comedically, how to free and open the part of you that exists already, and for that, improv and comedy and art classes are good. I think that's why it's valuable to experience many schools and teachers - so you can see what lets you open, and not just what one teacher has to say.

Here's what I've taken out of this discussion so far:

1) Acting is really hard and should not be attempted.
2) Improv is easy (unless you're doing parody).
3) Being funny is a specific set of skills that can be mastered -- like sewing or politics.

What if I told you I've only been acting as an improviser this entire time!?


Mind blown yet? Haha, you thought all those shitty, easy things I said were ill prepared and lazy. That took YEARS of preparation.

Spots wrote:What if I told you I've only been acting as an improviser this entire time!? Mind blown yet? Haha, you thought all those shitty, easy things I said were ill prepared and lazy. That took YEARS of preparation.

Oh shit. This thread just got all Inception! What you don't know is that I'm the star of a Bruno-style mocumentary. I play a theater owner making glib dismissive statements on a message board.

arthursimone wrote:

KathyRose wrote:Oh, BTW, if comedy can't be taught, why are there so many improv classes and coaches?

Because improv preaches flexibility and builds confidence necessary for good comedy. In my admittedly uninformed opinion, a 'comedy acting' class would leave you with dangerously inflexible script-specific bits and shtick. I think a good basic acting class would leave you just as prepared to perform in Sam Shepard as in Chris Durang.

I bow to your uninformed opinion. Yep. I'm totally sold. You should host an Art Minute on Fox News!

BTW - can you recommend a good basic acting class in Austin?

Jastroch wrote:3) Being funny is a specific set of skills that can be mastered -- like sewing or politics.

Sewing can only be attempted; never mastered. Have you never watched Project Runway?

KathyRose wrote:I bow to your uninformed opinion. Yep. I'm totally sold. You should host an Art Minute on Fox News!

LOL! Arthur, you just got Center'd!

KathyRose wrote: I bow to your uninformed opinion. Yep. I'm totally sold. You should host an Art Minute on Fox News!

why are you being so confrontational? I'm just trying to communicate an opinion.

arthursimone wrote:why are you being so confrontational? I'm just trying to communicate an opinion.

For someone who began by saying, "Not to disparage anyone..." you sure did a lot of disparaging - to the point of envisioning a "dangerous" comedy acting Method. I thought that progression was really funny in a Fox News kind of way. You know - "I'm not saying Obama is Hitler..."

To each his own.

ejbrammer wrote:... you can be taught how to think artistically and comedically, how to free and open the part of you that exists already, and for that, improv and comedy and art classes are good. I think that's why it's valuable to experience many schools and teachers - so you can see what lets you open, and not just what one teacher has to say.

Words this true should constitute legal currency.