Austin Improv

Tom Booker returns to lead the jam tonight! He says he real excited about it, and you should be too.

Come one, come all. 7PM at the Hideout!

Roy Janik wrote:Tom Booker returns to lead the jam tonight! He says he real excited about it, and you should be too.

Come one, come all. 7PM at the Hideout!

I'll be there tonight.

Wheeeeeee!

That was fun. There were roughly 30 people there at one point. Booker did a good job of trying to get people to let go and commit.

I forgot how infectious the energy and enthusiasm in a Jam can be. Got some fun ideas for Maestro out of it too.

Wheeee! That was awesome energy. Yay!

And thanks Justin, for co-hosting.

Press conference game was a success after we figured it out. Great idea, Justin!

Jon Bolden wrote:Press conference game was a success after we figured it out. Great idea, Justin!

Was that the exercise from the Bill Arnett workshop?

Roy Janik wrote:

Jon Bolden wrote:Press conference game was a success after we figured it out. Great idea, Justin!

Was that the exercise from the Bill Arnett workshop?

Yep. Had fun playing it and wanted to do something with a lot of people, so I directed that in the Jam. The first time we did it was fun, but everyone really drove it home the second time. Michael Thomas was sadly and infuriatingly unable to explain why there weren't part-time work benefits for Jews, why Nike hated them, and why he was denying the Holocaust.

I gave it a five.

That was seriously fun stuff. Tom and Justin made a pretty great team; it was weird seeing and playing with 30 people maintaining energy for that long. I had a lot of fun and definitely will try to make this a regular thing.


Also, Tom and Spaz should definitely Cagematch together. It might just be a winner.

Justin Davis wrote:

Roy Janik wrote:

Jon Bolden wrote:Press conference game was a success after we figured it out. Great idea, Justin!

Was that the exercise from the Bill Arnett workshop?

Yep.

I sincerely wish to see that game show up in a Maestro sometime. Soon.

majcher wrote:I sincerely wish to see that game show up in a Maestro sometime. Soon.

Provided the players know how it's played, I think it'd make be a really fun first round game.

kbadr wrote:

majcher wrote:I sincerely wish to see that game show up in a Maestro sometime. Soon.

Provided the players know how it's played, I think it'd make be a really fun first round game.

Someone break down this game for me, please.

majcher wrote:

Justin Davis wrote:

Roy Janik wrote: Was that the exercise from the Bill Arnett workshop?

Yep.

I sincerely wish to see that game show up in a Maestro sometime. Soon.

Gee, I wonder who's directing Maestro this week? Hmmm.

HerrHerr wrote:Someone break down this game for me, please.

Simple group game, both in the traditional sense and Chicago-style improv sense.

One person is giving a presentation/press conference on a random subject. A line of 4 or 5 people act as the press, asking questions and intentionally mis-hearing and misinterpreting details. They heighten what they mishear and frustrate the person giving the presentation, who tries to fix things by correcting the mis-heard details the interviewers heard. This only provides more details for the interviewers to latch on to and mis-hear. Heighten, heighten, build until the presenter goes insane. Pretty simple, yet fun, game.

kbadr wrote:

HerrHerr wrote:Someone break down this game for me, please.

Simple group game, both in the traditional sense and Chicago-style improv sense.

One person is giving a presentation/press conference on a random subject. A line of 4 or 5 people act as the press, asking questions and intentionally mis-hearing and misinterpreting details. They heighten what they mishear and frustrate the person giving the presentation, who tries to fix things by correcting the mis-heard details the interviewers heard. This only provides more details for the interviewers to latch on to and mis-hear. Heighten, heighten, build until the presenter goes insane. Pretty simple, yet fun, game.

About as apt a description as can be given. Watching the presenter lose his or her mind while trying to stay calm enough to refute the ridiculous questions is fun. Then again, the questions themselves are often good on their own.

I've seen this before Arnett's class. Really surprised I haven't seen it in a Maestro before.