your dream moment

[beardedlamb]

what's something you've always wanted to do on stage?

i wanted to premeditate a point in an improv show where i throw up on stage for real but the jury wouldn't let me. wisely, i imagine.

i've also thought about how insane it would be for someone (not me) to kill themselves during an improv show. this has some serious ramifications, obviously, but it would go down as some crazy improv lore.

[ratliff]

a number of performers over the years have announced their intention to kill themselves onstage. they usually chicken out, but i imagine it's happened at least once somewhere.

let's see, you listed throwing up and dying. how about having a baby? or making a baby?

[ratliff]

also, 'serious ramifications' is an excellent euphemism for 'violent death.'

[DollarBill]

i wanted to premeditate a point in an improv show where i throw up on stage for real but the jury wouldn't let me. wisely, i imagine.

I was just telling someone about this the other day.

It may sound weird, but I've always wanted to play in a band. The closest I've ever come has been one night band, but I've never really played a real rock show.

[ratliff]

well, jesus, bill, some people's dream is to be a matador or a ballerina or to fuck brad pitt. yours, by contrast, is well within your reach.

[arthursimone]

at oberlin in my senior year I organized a variety show called "Fear of a Modern Post" that featured, among other acts, the Great Milk Challenge. Early in the show, three audience volunteers were given the challenge to down a gallon of milk in thirty minutes and to hold it down an additional thirty. Buckets and seats of honor at the back of the stage were provided to each.

Between segments, I interviewed them on their progress....

As you may know, nobody has a tummy that can deal with that much lactose, so the achievement and triumph felt by two of the contestants (the third barely tried) and downing it all slowly but surely changed to misery and nausea. I had fully intended to interrupt whatever act was going on at the time of "climax" to rush over to the unfortunate contestant and conduct a mid-vomit interview, but alas! Despite my assertion that contestants stay glued to their conspicuous seats, and despite the convenience of their buckets, both of the lucky "winners" fled to the bathroom, depriving us all of a glorious theatrical moment.

One opted not to return, the second gave a less-than-thrilling interview.

Overall, I'd say it was one of the more successful segments from the show.

[sara farr]

I imagined you meant "what's something you've always wanted to do WELL on stage?", and because this is an improv forum and I was thinking about it earlier, my answer is...

ALFRED HITCHCOCK style suspense. However, I will settle for seeing someone else do this. Begin!!!

Your post also made me think of that moment in last year's GGG-Valentine's Day show where Kacey Samiee whipped out a concealed harmonica and had her character serenade Shana's character in their scene... which pretty much blew everyone's minds (cast and audience). That was f-u-n! I would love to surprise my stage partner with something wonderful like that! Premedition/Planning seems to be the key.

[Wesley]

Make a real, honest to god, dramatic, thoughtful, provoking, political point that people leave thinking about and saying "man, that artform wasn't just entertaining, it actually had something to say and I'm going to remember and think about it."

[mcnichol]

This isn't the only or biggest thing I want to do, but it's the first thing that sprung to mind because I've wanted to do it for years now, but the right scene/timing/whatever has never come up (and you can really only do it once).

...that moment in Harold & Maude, after Harold lights himself on fire. The computer date runs screaming out of the house, as Harold and his mother watch, and then Harold/Bud Cort very slowly turns towards the camera, gives the slightest smile, and then slowly turns back, notices his mother, and drops the smile. That's what I want to do. It's the most subtle breaking of the fourth wall I've ever seen and I've wanted to cop that move (in homage) forever. That was the only time in the entire film there was anything like that and that's what I love about it.

For reference... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaZCOZ6enGw

[ratliff]

This isn't the only or biggest thing I want to do, but it's the first thing that sprung to mind because I've wanted to do it for years now, but the right scene/timing/whatever has never come up (and you can really only do it once).

...that moment in Harold & Maude, after Harold lights himself on fire. The computer date runs screaming out of the house, as Harold and his mother watch, and then Harold/Bud Cort very slowly turns towards the camera, gives the slightest smile, and then slowly turns back, notices his mother, and drops the smile. That's what I want to do. It's the most subtle breaking of the fourth wall I've ever seen and I've wanted to cop that move (in homage) forever. That was the only time in the entire film there was anything like that and that's what I love about it.

For reference... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaZCOZ6enGw

Bob, you can do that more than once. In fact, you could put it into EVERY SINGLE PERFORMANCE. It's called branding. People will come to the show with their friends and say, 'Wait for when that dude looks at the audience, man, it's fucking hilarious,' and then when you finally do it it'll get a huge laugh because it will be the one thing that everyone came to see. You'll start being invited to play with other troupes and all you'll have to do is walk onstage, look at the audience, and then walk back off and you'll have stolen the show. Then you'll be in a local band's music video and the dam will break. Doritos commercials. Jack Black movies. The whole nine yards.

Dream big, my friend. Dream big.

[kbadr]

Make a real, honest to god, dramatic, thoughtful, provoking, political point that people leave thinking about and saying "man, that artform wasn't just entertaining, it actually had something to say and I'm going to remember and think about it."

We'll need to start marketing to people with monocles if you ever want someone to speak so formally about a show.

[Roy Janik]

My dream is to perform to an audience full of people with monocles.

[mcnichol]

Bob, you can do that more than once. In fact, you could put it into EVERY SINGLE PERFORMANCE. It's called branding.

You're right John, this is bound to work! Surely no-one would ever tire of the bit.

[arthursimone]

I've always dreamed of doing a show with Chris Trew, Michael Jastroch, Justin York, and Tami Nelson.

[TexasImprovMassacre]

i wanted to premeditate a point in an improv show where i throw up on stage for real but the jury wouldn't let me. wisely, i imagine.

i've also thought about how insane it would be for someone (not me) to kill themselves during an improv show. this has some serious ramifications, obviously, but it would go down as some crazy improv lore.

Just wait for my improvised one man show depicting the life of GG Allin.