Austin Improv

I know I have said this before, and I know that in other places where a similar show is performed, they do it this way, but why must the blackout for the cagematch come exactly at 22 minutes?

tonight, the cuddle quartet had a really good laugh after our light dimming warning and it would have been a very appropriate place for our set to end. but instead we wallowed around in awkwardidity trying to come up with a good ending until they faded out at exactly 22 minutes. i think this hurt the show overall not to mention our votes. i care less about the votes and more about the overall quality of the show.
i don't see why a format should be strictly adhered to at the expense of the show. comedic sets should go out on laughs. it doesn't serve the players or the audience if they don't. the only thing it can do is look really impressive when a group hits it right on the head, but that's a lot of pressure for the groups, especially considering they don't REALLY know how much time they have left.
it's like when you're playing a timed game like half life. if you're running the clock, it's much better to pretend the players hit it right on the head. the audience is not checking their watches. if you're playing hesitation debate, you should try to let the players end their argument on a joke or at least at the end of a sentence. not right in the middle where it makes no sense and hurts the game.

i propose that if anywhere within the last two minutes something great happens, the lighting person can make the call to end the set. it will improve the show and the endings many times over. this i promise.

AND, on an unrelated note, the cagematch trophy looks friggin sweet. it's a good compliment to the coin and it creates an active record. me likey.

b

I'm not against a team stopping early. If you get a great laugh, feel free to call it quits. Whhen we return to regular Cage Matches after the Oob festival, I'll have some new things in place. I'll add this to the list of changes. From now on, team captains can get to gether with me and whoever is doing the lighting/sound, and we can arrange some signal for you to end the show when you want.

I'd like to present the Cage Match as a show that follows its own lead. You want to stop early, go ahead. You want to shange formats in the middle of your scene, go ahead. I really want everyone involved to come away with a feeling that they had a good time, did a great show, and made the audience want to come back for more. I'll practice hosting over the hiatus and try to look more comfortable on the stage and try to work out some sort of pre-match audience warmup to really get them ready for the players.


So in the next match, within the last 2 minutes (when the lights flicker) the players on stage will get to call their show early.
And thanks for the compliment on the trophy.

Mike

I agree with you Jeremy. To a certain extent.

I think that if there is a clock put on stage that counts down from exactly 22 minutes, that the host presses right as he calls the team out, then we should honor the exactly 22 minutes format. I believe it heightens the tension and the competition feel. Add a loud buzzer (not the person in the booth saying "Aaghhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnn") and bang bang bang, we've got a cool show that will sell sell sell.

I'm all for this. The audience will see us see the clock, excitement, fun, excitement!

However - if we don't do these things, then yes. Let's not sacrifice quality of show for anything.

And I will add, Mike, that I love the trophy. Fucking nice work. Seriously. I'm very happy. I love it.

I'm so behind the cage match and Mike, if you want to discuss more ways to merge the theatrics of professional wrestling into this, then holy shit I am your man.

I think the rule has been 22 minutes unless you actually tell the lighter that it is OK to pull it anytime after the flash. In fact, as a rule, I think the lighter's have been generally hands off on creative effects unless asked (tonight I requested the lights down at the beginning and spots for the monologues). I think some people might get (and actually have gotten) irked when cut on a big laugh at 20:45 if they thought they could get a bigger one or were actually working toward something.

i don't see why a format should be strictly adhered to at the expense of the show.
It's not my show, so Mike can tweak the rules anyway he wants, but my two cents is to basically leave it like it is.
I always thought that the strict adherence WAS the show. Let the lights fall at 22, even mid-sentence. That's part of the gimmick and I think if you want a truly "raw" show feel, you have to cut people off every now and again so that the audience knows you're playing by the rules you explained to them. I don't think we've ever nailed the trappings quite right, the competitiveness, the battle for victory and valor, the trash talking. To me, this "form" of improv is more like a sporting event than a typical show and not every soccer game ends with a well-timed goal.
(Personally, I'd love to see a "shot clock," some large red LED clock that the audience and improvisers can see that counts down--this was discussed before but not deemed feasible. It would also keep things on track because in the past teams have had as little as 18 minutes or as many as 27 due to people just guessing the time).
If a team wants special lighting or wants the lights to fall early on a laugh, that's fine, but it should be their responsibility to tell the lighting person that. The only reason I really say any of this is if you give the lighting person the power to pull the lights without a team's consent, then for every "late light pull hurt our votes" complaint there's also going to be a "unexpected early light pull hurt our votes" complaint and people will say they thought they had 2 minutes left.
But the point is very valid, audience can take away a last impression and if the lights close on a weaker moment, that may be what they remember. Again, just my 2 cents. It's Mike's call and I'll go with wherever he wants to take the format. I just wanted to throw out the devil's advocate side of things because we've also had people upset by an early pull.

On tonight's show...great job everyone. Both teams put on a hell of a show and I had a blast watching the Cuddle Quartet. You guys were really on and I loved some of those scenes. The bird in the cage was great and the skinless bit was priceless. I think the audience had fun tonight and I love the direction Mike is going with the show. The trophy was an excellent addition and will help hype that sporting/wrestling/competitive vibe. I saw some of the logo design ideas, as well, and I have no doubts about the success of this slot with his enthusiasm and desire to promote it.

It's not really "my" show if you think about it. It's everyone's show; I'm just hosting it and such.

I would like input on this thread. Please, let me know what would bring you to the Cage Match both as an improvisor and an audience member. I would like as much input as possible, then I'll try to find a happy medium of what the public wants, and what I want to do with the show.

We have one more match before Out of Bounds takes over the slot. I'll leave the ruling where you can pull lights early, but the whole team has to agree to this. As for going over your 22 minutes, I was reading this thread again, and if you can't finish in 22 minutes, then that's that. It's a competetion and I don't think offering any extra time would be fair.

So here's the plan for the next match:

22 minutes. no more. Do with them as you will.

The winner will come back ater OoB to defend their title.
Win 5 weeks in a row, and you get your own trophy to keep.

Thanks for putting up with me as I try to adapt and tweak this show to make it more enjoyable for all.

That trophy is pretty frickin' sweet...

Since I was in the booth last night, I'll chime in. Personally I prefer to pull the lights on a good ending, but I tried to keep to what I understand as the format. Also to keep it fair, I let both teams go the full time. Both teams had endings that were pretty much just awkwardly trying to get to lights out. That seems to be part of the challenge in a cagematch, and if the audience knows what's going on they will be forgiving and even enjoy it.

Didn't Buckman bring this format to us? WWDBD?

Jeremy, if you would like to punch me that would be ok.

I agree it is a pain to have it be exactly 22 minutes -- you don't know exactly when it's going to end and it's hard to line up that climactic point so it doesn't hit too soon or too late.

But that's specifically the challenge in the Cagematch that makes it tough and can add suspense and tension to the play. I do agree that for a show, the benefit of the piece should be the primary focus. But as long as the audience is in on the rules -- that they are clearly explained to them and that they understand the 22 minute thing -- everyone will be on the same page and they will indeed ROOT for a team to get it. It's just part of the excitement of the show if you let it be. Maybe it's like a three-pointer in b-ball. It's not an easy shot from that far out -- it would be easier to make shots if it were closer. But when someone does make a three, the audience loves it because it's a tough shot to make.

All that said, I think it has been difficult to hit the 22 minutes here because there's no way for the team onstage to really be aware of how much time has past or how much they have left. Whenever I've seen it played elsewhere, there's a clock with a second hand that both the players AND the audience can clearly see, which helps the players get the end lined up as best they can. ...and also adds that suspense for the audience. I'd forgotten about this since I hadn't played in one of these in awhile but I'd like to bring up investing some AIC money in some sort of time keeping device that would suit this show better. The one in Chicago was analog -- it literally had a hand that rotated around, and had a big red light and loud ass buzzer that went off right at 22. The audience could watch that as the show was nearing it's end and, as an audience member, you could see the panic in the players as they see how much time they have left.

Anyway, it's my favorite part of the cagematch -- level playing field and everything.

Here's an old wiki nerd link to the Cagematch history.

Ok. I say if we get a clock that both players and audience can see, do the 22 minute thing, but if there is no clock, then tech looks for an out in the last two minutes.

I'm looking around for a large digital clock to bring to future cage matches. I agree it would be better if everyone could see how much time is left because it would definitely heighten the suspense of "Can they finish this?"

Right now the Cage match is a work in progress. I'm hoping to make some small improvements and changes to really get the show going. If there's anything you want to see, let me know. If you have seen this done in another city and it rocked, tell me how it was set up.

This is our show and I really want it to be something everyone wants to come back to.

I want to make an intro video that will play everytime the cage match starts. Mike, let's discuss.

mcnichol wrote:Maybe it's like a three-pointer in b-ball. It's not an easy shot from that far out -- it would be easier to make shots if it were closer. But when someone does make a three, the audience loves it because it's a tough shot to make.

except that you're not forced to take a three pointer at any time in basketball. here, you HAVE TO go for that shot at the end of your show.

To me, this "form" of improv is more like a sporting event than a typical show and not every soccer game ends with a well-timed goal.

we need to be careful to not let the sports gimmicks in our improv take over the more important part of the show; that it's good improv. the gimmick of micetro is that the players are all competing to win. the best shows are where that competition is merely window dressing to well done improv.

i think my real hangup comes from the audience's perspective. in the cagematch shows i've been in, the audience was not really briefed on how strict or important the 22 minute length is. i love the idea of a clock that the audience and performers can see. in this instance i'm all for lights going out right at 22 minutes. then everyone gets it.
back last december i think it was i looked around online for a digital clock and could not find anything affordable, but i think it is crucial if we want to stick to a hard ending time.

don't mean to ruffle feathers. i just want our shows to be the best they can be.

b

[quote="beardedlamb
i think my real hangup comes from the audience's perspective. in the cagematch shows i've been in, the audience was not really briefed on how strict or important the 22 minute length is. i love the idea of a clock that the audience and performers can see. in this instance i'm all for lights going out right at 22 minutes. then everyone gets it.
back last december i think it was i looked around online for a digital clock and could not find anything affordable, but i think it is crucial if we want to stick to a hard ending time.

don't mean to ruffle feathers. i just want our shows to be the best they can be.

b[/quote]

I will be searching the sporting goods stores for clocks this week, as well as looking on Craig's List and other places. Hopefully we'll have a good one when the cage match comes back in August.

As far as the briefing, I'll put it into the opening of the show. I'm trying to rehearse a bit so I can get the basics of the match to the audience ( two troupes, the time limit, and the importance of voting.)

So please bear with me as I go through the learning process on how to host/pimp/market a show. I'm always open to any suggestions and such.

We brought up the clock idea awhile back. Maybe now it's time to see if we can find something affordable and pay with AIC funds. Said clock could work for other shows....not just Cage Match.

Also, I really think the AIC should invest in printing flyers like BeardedLamb got for Kazillionaire*. That glossy post card print looks very professional. Our current ones suggest an amateur venue. They were good for awhile...but I think it would be smart to invest in a more professional look now.
It could even be similar to our free tickets. Yellow/Brown kitchen sink logo on one side. List of shows, website, and directions on the back.
If you think this is a good idea, please say so.