There should be an AIC Student/Lab Show

[Roy Janik]

I think the time has come for an AIC Student/Lab Show.

Facts:
1) There's no more Blank Show. Old news.
The Blank Show, when done right, provided opportunities to experiment with new forms and whatever the crap you wanted... Halloween formats (IFE and Cupholder's Zombie show spring to mind), Knot Improv, Wes's Status experiment, etc...

2) There's no more Thursday Night Awesome, kinda.
TNA allowed for all sorts of experimentation and bizarreness... Buddy Daddy, Dark Bloodlords' Choose Your Own Adventure Shows, etc...

3) There's a wave of new troupes.
Look Cookie, The Starter Kit , Bubu Lubu, and the new troupe that's just been formed out of Coldtowne's auditions.

4) There's a lot of people coming to the jam.
A lot of the people coming to the jam are new to the AIC and new to improv, in general.

Proposal

There should be a new AIC Student/Lab show.

The show's mission will be the following:

a)give stage time to new troupes
b)provide a space for graduation shows from all Austin schools, and allow (should they wish it), upper level improv classes to have more than 1 show.
c)create a space for more experimental type shows, such as might have been in the TNA or The Blank Show.
d)create a space for new cross-troupe combinations, such as The Dark Bloodlords, Frogtown Hollow, or Tank Prov

The show should be free, with possibly a donation bucket.

The show will have 3 spots, like the 3-fer.

The show will have a schedule put together by the scheduling committee.

Ultimately, the show would be weekly (on Sunday or Monday?), but we could start by doing one or two shows to feel it out.

What do you think?

[kbadr]

I would suggest doing it once, and then expanding it to be a monthly thing. Unless we see that we have enough new troupes to justify doing it every week.

Who would staff the show, though?

If we do this, I want to make sure that it gets the same treatment the other shows do (or should). In other words, just because it's a free show, that doesn't mean we can be lazy asses about things. It's still a production, and we're still putting on a show for an audience.

I would also suggest ending each show with a more established troupe, as a sort of ringer.

[bradisntclever]

I would suggest doing it once, and then expanding it to be a monthly thing. Unless we see that we have enough new troupes to justify doing it every week.

I agree. While there may be a ton of enthusiasm to go weekly the first couple of months, I think there would be a struggle to keep people performing. There could also be some droughts where students/new troupes are in low supply. A monthly (or even bi-weekly) format would seem more reliable.

I would also suggest ending each show with a more established troupe, as a sort of ringer.

This is a good idea as well.

[acrouch]

Let's try a pilot show on a Sunday or Thursday in July.

[beardedlamb]

thursday is the next prime day after friday and saturday. i say we do it once a month or every second and fourth thursday. schedule it like it's own scehdule, as in, if you're one of the new troupes who's playing these shows, you should have to host on another night, but separate from the regular AIC shows.

[kbadr]

schedule it like it's own scehdule, as in, if you're one of the new troupes who's playing these shows, you should have to host on another night, but separate from the regular AIC shows.

Do you mean that they'd have to host on another Thursday night?
Would we want the entire thing performed and staffed by people who are relatively new, or would it better benefit the community to have someone with more experience do the actual show MCing?

[York99]

2 Things:

1. ColdTowne Theater is working on a show somewhat like this. We are calling it WIP. Details to come.

2. ColdTowne Theater is planning to make a jam. It will be almost nothing like the one at the Hideout. It's more of a show on a weekend night that allows audience members (improvisers or not) to join in. There will be no direct education involved and liquor will be consumed. Still, it offers more performance time. Details to come.

I don't want to dissuade anyone from making a show like the one proposed, but I want you to be aware that some other things are in planning phases now.

[Roy Janik]

1. ColdTowne Theater is working on a show somewhat like this. We are calling it WIP. Details to come.

I'd like to hear more details about WIP. Part of the reason I'm pushing for an AIC student/lab show now is that I want new students of ALL the schools, and new troupes that come out of anywhere to feel that they're part of one large community, and that they can collaborate and cross-pollinate.

I've encountered too many new improvisers lately at the Jam or at ColdTowne who are almost completely unaware of what's going on at one of the theaters.

[Jeff]

Part of the reason I'm pushing for an AIC student/lab show now is that I want new students of ALL the schools, and new troupes that come out of anywhere to feel that they're part of one large community, and that they can collaborate and cross-pollinate.

Hear, hear.

[ESeufert]

Doesn't the Cage Match serve these purposes?

[kbadr]

Sort of. It doesn't allow for someone to literally do a one-off show, though, unless you somehow guarantee that you'll lose the cagematch and not have to return the following week/bracket.

[Marc Majcher]

It doesn't allow for someone to literally do a one-off show, though, unless you somehow guarantee that you'll lose the cagematch and not have to return the following week/bracket.

Oh, I can guarantee that.

[bilbo]

i would love cross-pollination. there are so many of us newbs. so, so many. when exactly does the flower orgasm occur?

[Asaf]

I think it would be great to have something like this for newer improvisers. Especially if we start out slow.

My one questions is, who is the audience for this? What is going to sell them on coming out for this?

[Jeff]

My one questions is, who is the audience for this?

People who want to see live comedy on a Sunday night, but who don't have $7-$10.