Austin Improv

kbadr wrote:I can't do any on-mic work sitting down, as anyone who's done KOOP shows with me can attest. I have to be on my feet, doing space work'n shit. I'm a doof.

for me it's more about using the fullest instrument...i feel like i can't get on my breath strong enough when i'm sitting down. my commercial VO reel was all sitting down reading the copy, and i still have trouble listening to some of it. lol!

Jordan, we've had discussions about being a working actor and different philosophies towards taking whatever work is available; have you ever had a job (an acting job) that you felt really crummy about taking, and if so, what was it?

can i get a definition on "crummy"?

Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell wrote:can i get a definition on "crummy"?

Guilty. Unclean. Compromised. Anything that made you look back, (apart from any personal misgivings about your personal performance) and say "Yeah, that sucked."

Hmm...not really. my motto's always been "if you're not paying me, you'd better have quality...and if you don't have the quality, you'd better be paying me." and i've lucked out so far in that all the paying work i've done has been high quality. there have been a couple of projects i got involved with early on that, once i had a chance to read the script or started working with the people, i felt like either it was lacking or we weren't a good fit for each other and i backed out. no regrets.

there have been a couple of plays i've done as favors for friends that i didn't feel were very good...but i was happy to help out, and in one case met one of my best and very dearest friends Dylan in the process (who Andrew Pish is now doing Cymbeline with out in L.A....small world!), so you always get something out of it.

i suppose if i whored myself out a bit more, i might be further along in my career...but the opportunities to do so have been scarce and the cost to benefit ratio in each has been pretty obvious. so i suppose i'm both fortunate and unfortunate in that regard so far.

Fair enough. Thanks, Jordan. OK, guess I'm up.

Brad: I feel like we have had some very long conversations about our lives. What don't I know about you???

Chuy! wrote:Brad: I feel like we have had some very long conversations about our lives. What don't I know about you???

Geez, I don't know. There's a lot, probably. Do you have a particular field of study in mind?

It's just a question...

OK. How about this: My greatest fear is humiliation, in the form of being the one person who doesn't know something everyone else knows. Particularly if that involves people talking about me behind my back. I have been cheated on in relationships, and that may be the source of that fear. For this reason, I am very self-deprecating because it's hard for people to run you down if you get there first. I would hate to be the guy that runs around thinking he's hot shit when everyone else knows he sucks.

Now, improv has helped a little with this -- you will find me, occasionally, looking at something I did in a less-than-completely-negative light. It's starting to happen more and more.

Great response. Thanks, Brad... Bring it on, world.

Chuy! wrote:Great response. Thanks, Brad... Bring it on, world.

Chuy, Austin improv seems to have made great strides recently in bringing in a lot more Hispanic players and making our scene look a lot more like Austin in general. It's not a perfect demographic breakdown, of course, but as the seasoned Austin improv hand that you are who's also Hispanic, why do you think we've seen the recent uptick, and what else can the community do to be even more inclusive and reflective of more various players' backgrounds?

Oops, forgot to ask him about bags of sperm.......

I think that Latinos are finding their voice and an audience that wants to hear their voice. We have always been there, but as a people, a lot of Latinos haven't had the advantages that others have had in life. I say that as a generalization, I know that not ALL Latinos are in that situation, but a majority are. When you are 17 and have to work because you grew up in a one parent household and you are expected to contribute financially, it's hard to have a lot of time for extra-currlicular activities.
I think the rise in minority comedians can be attributed to them getting a fair shake in life. This may seem a little "angry Mexican", but more of us are getting into college and becoming more successful in life. Therefore, we have the opportunity to "play" more.
As far as what the community can do to foster this further, keep encouraging minorities to be around. The more that minorities are looked at as funny people, not funny minorities, the better. It is my goal for Shades Of Brown to be looked at as a funny and structured troupe that is void of color. I can't tell you how many times I've overheard people actually say, (not necessarily about SOB) "That group was funny, but I didn't understand the Spanish, so it wasn't my thing." The implication being that it's the troupe's fault that this person didn't get it. I see both sides of this, ("If you don't like it, don't go see it.") but it always offends me. It's this sort of stifling that causes some minorities to quit doing comedy altogether.
Anyhoo, that's my bullshit opinion on the subject. Sorry if it wasn't positive enough. You know us, Mexicans, always asking for handouts...

Bag of sperm...... Still a mystery...

Certainly no need to be positive, that's why I asked the question. Too bad about people not being up for things that are funny but in Spanish (or whatever the barrier might be for other groups). I know I for one have seen some LCP sketches in Spanish where I didn't get the words but they made me laugh my ass off because comedic timing and stage presence defeats language barriers. Oh, and I know Thelma is cooking up a culturally Mexican show soon that sounds awesome.

OK, I guess I'm up again. What the hell am I doing.....