Austin Improv

arthursimone wrote:bump

Chris Trew would probably think this was pathetic.

pathetic

BUMP!

Circle your wagons.

Haaahahahaha, how's THIS for timing.

https://twitter.com/ssamanthaa/status/2 ... 6709647360

it's the question mark that sells it for me.

How on Earth did I miss this when it first happened? I can't recall having been so entertained by a forum thread. Perhaps the best part is all of the stuff that Ratliff has redacted, which makes it look like that's what he originally said, coupled with his picture on the side. It's amazing.

Anyone else feel rubbed a little wrong by her guarantee?

I mean I know that sales pitches are often rife with hyperbole, but still...

"I guarantee it'll be the best improv you'll see all year?"


I believe an Austin journalist made that claim, not the TourCo.

Probably true for the target audience who won't see any other improv all year.

wiggies wrote:Probably true for the target audience who won't see any other improv all year.

A solid point.

Look, the UCB as an institution has a well-deserved reputation for arrogance. The rank and file of UCB folks even look down their noses at the other two theaters in NYC, let alone improvisers from elsewhere in the country (except for Chicago which is considered a kind of Eden, and L.A., which is where New Yorkers go to get famous after they do a really good Harold). But I'd be willing to bet that no deliberate slight to Austin imps is intended here. I think they're simply unaware that there even IS a scene down here. They probably haven't even bothered to look.

Should they have? Sure. But they aren't talking to us, guys. They don't even know we're here. Not that that's necessarily any better.

Apologies if something like this has been said already, but I didn't want to read pages and pages of this thread at one AM.

[Edited for clarity. A couple times.]

You'd have to ask the Austin journalist who made the claim.

I know everyone has their impressions. Stories. Perhaps members of another theater have lacked professionalism towards you personally in the past.

But many of us also have friends who do not fit the sweeping generalization. My friend and UCB editor Kent Kincannon, when asked about improv talent in Austin Texas, personally recommended Coldtowne for a particular corporate gig some years ago.

"Yeah there are some funny guys you should email about that."

We also have instructors such as Chris Gethard recommending Austin Texas as a cool place to check out classes. I could demonstrate this easily by pointing to my friend & tourmate Ariel and telling you I never would have met her without Gethard's advising her to contact New Movement. There are other cities she could have gone to. (After her conversation with Chris she hopped online and sent Tami an email about summer internships.)

Today she's a UCB transplant and a sketch teacher in Austin, Texas.

So sure, we all have stories and impressions but Ben are we honestly going to approach a community-wide stance on any theater or institution?

To what benefit?

Asaf wrote:Anyone else feel rubbed a little wrong by her guarantee?

I mean I know that sales pitches are often rife with hyperbole, but still...

Well, as Jesse pointed out it's not a sales pitch, it's an Austin Twitterer who may or may not have ever seen an Austin show, but likely is a fan of UCB. It's as close to nothing as it could possibly be. It's not a shot across the bow, a UCB-made or UCB-endorsed claim, and is probably better ignored.

Brad Hawkins wrote:Well, as Jesse pointed out it's not a sales pitch, it's an Austin Twitterer who may or may not have ever seen an Austin show, but likely is a fan of UCB. It's as close to nothing as it could possibly be. It's not a shot across the bow, a UCB-made or UCB-endorsed claim, and is probably better ignored.

Give Samantha some credit. I've seen her at Coldtowne before, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's checked out a few of the other theaters. A quick look at stuff like this (notice there's even a link to these very forums) indicates she's covered the scene.

I definitely don't think it's a shot fired across the bow. She wrote some great coverage of the past few DCMs for Splitsider and probably wanted to help some of her friends she's made in the past sell some tickets.

It's just funny that people don't seem to recognize this name when she's given the scene quite a bit of coverage online.

bradisntclever wrote: I wouldn't be surprised if she's checked out a few of the other theaters.

I saw her at Out of Bounds last year and of course recognize that she cohosted Block Party with JPR at TNM. I never really got to know her, and respect that she's spreading word of mouth for the growing Austin comedy scene.