There's A BLACKOUT In NYC Tonight

Tonight, all those in the NYC area, prepare to sit in the dark and be tickled (not literally, that's weird) as my improv group BLACKOUT does a show at the UCB Theatre tonight in NYC. BLACKOUT performs a fully improvised show off one suggestion completely in the dark. It's like an improvised radio show, or like lying in bed awake listening to your neighbors fight (only funnier).

Show starts at 11pm, tickets are $5, and you can even go at 8:00pm and see great improv from the UCBT's Harold teams and stay for our show afterwards....all for one low price. Come on out and wear whatever you want, because no one will be able to see you in the dark. You can finally wear that Bobby Brown t-shirt you've wanted to.

Sunday Funnies

If you happen to be out Sunday morning on your way to church or breakfast, (or if you're simply stumbling home from a long night of gettin' freaky to some R. Kelly tracks in some ridiculous club) stop by the UCB Theatre and catch part of the 8th Annual Del Close Marathon. The DCM is a 72 hour long improv marathon that takes place every summer at the UCB Theatre with teams from all over performing continuously all weekend in 30 minute slots. Here's the list of the performing teams below:






















And if you look a little closer on that list you see....




So on your way to worship or eat (or on your way to crashing in your bed after desecrating your ears and dignity with club tunes like "Beep Beep, Who Got The Keys To The Jeep") come see some hilarious sunrise improv. Because everything's funny at 7AM. No, really.

Get In The Ring

This week my improv group Chantico Warfare competes in CAGEMATCH at the UCB Theatre. Oh yes, blood will flow. The blood will be improvised however, so you can't see it, it will be mimed and hopefully it'll make you laugh. If you ever wanted to catch a plane to New York and vote for us to win at an improv competition, this would be the week to do it.

In other gettin'-in-the-ring news, I completed a mission that has been in my heart since Mrs. Phister's 5th grade class at Wesley Chapel Elementary - I witnessed a live Guns N' Roses show last week. It was pretty amazing.

Go Get Filthy Dirty With Funny

This week is the 6th Annual Dirty South Improv Festival in Chapel Thrill, NC. Unfortunately, I won't make it to the fest this year, but it holds a special place in my juiced up improv heart. DSI was started by some old Comedy Sportz Chapel Hill friends and has been going strong, gaining steam over the past couple years, much like the popularity of Milli Vanilli in a hypercolor shirt in 1992. DSIF is also the first place I really started pursuing long form improv, when I attended last year's festival, which led me to eventually move to the NYC and study at the UCBT.

If you're in the Chapel Hill area this weekend, do yourself a favor and go see some shows (and go take a shower too, you bum. We don't pay you to come in looking like that.). Check the DSIF website for schedules and show locations. The freestyle rap battle (for which I hold last year's second place title, sucka) is tomorrow night and anyone can sign up for it via email (festival@dirtysouthimprov.com), so go flex your skillz homeboy. It's a great festival that hosts over 400 improvisers from all over the US and you can see some darn good improv. Some recommendations are the UCB Theatre team, The Beatbox, The Reckoning (oh good goodness go see The Reckoning - AMAZING), Show Pony, and The Bat (improv with the lights out...spooooooky). Here's a write up in the Herald Sun about the festival and it has a full schedule at the bottom.

And if you do make it to Chapel Hill, do a few things for me: go to Pepper's, get a black olive and feta slice with a salad, go to the Cat's Cradle and see a punk show and climb on stage and sing the lyrics without getting your nose broken afterwards, run through a sorority house screaming "Panty Raid" and when you're detained by campus police claim you were shouting "Fannie Mae" hailing your newfound stock success, drive over to Duke and slap Wojo and look at Reddick and say, "This is you in eight years", drive back, sprint through the quad and high five Roy Williams, and then wrap your arms around Davie Poplar tree and say, "Hey there big fella. I've missed you. And my arms have grown since I left since I'm wrapping them around you now."

Watch Improv On Bravo This Week!!!

This week, Bravo is airing a Live-to-Tape show of the Upright Citizens Brigade doing long form improv. The show is called "A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T. Improv" and it stars the original UCB (Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Matt Besser), Andy Richter (of Late Night with Conan O'Brien), Tina Fey, Horatio Sanz, Rachel Dratch (all of SNL), and others. It airs Wedenesday, September 7th, at 11PM. It should be really funny and it's the best way for you to see some good long form improv, which is what I'm taking classes and doing up here in the biggest of apples.

For more info, click here (http://www.bravotv.com/ASSSSCAT_Improv/). Or here (http://www.ucbtheatre.com/ny/).

TiVo it, tape it, watch it, and tell others. Peace!

26 Miles of Comedy

This weekend was the 7th Annual Del Close Marathon at the UCB Theatre, which meant 3 days STRAIGHT of shows shows shows. Today, I am tired.
The pre-kick off for the marathon happened Thursday night in Central Park with a free show with the Original Upright Citizens Brigade and a bunch of others from SNL, Comedy Central, etc.
Improv comedy is a funny thing (da dun dun - RIMSHOT!), because everybody likes to see a little funny from time to time. But only certain people want to sit some 4, 6, 12 hours at a time and see constant non-stop improv shows. It's an amazing experience, realizing that the things you see are created before you and will never be seen again because it came up out of thin air. Even if an idea is taken and developed into a sketch or movie (as many things discovered in improv are), it will still never match the original live out-of-nothingness in the moment it was created. It was amazing to watch some groups this weekend.
Also when you watch improv some 4, 6, 12 hours at a time and combine that with smart, quirky people and the wee hours of the night, strange things happen. I saw some shows on stage that were incredibly strange, and not in that strange performance art way, but more in the "this is CRAZY and I don't know what to say to the person beside me, much less the people who aren't here who will NEVER understand what i am talking about when i tell them about this." Improv is an experiential thing and that's one thing that I like about it. Being there in the moment.
The other cool thing about improv, the marathon, and the UCBT is that it's a very accessible place, unlike going to a huge concert where there's a wall between you and the performers. An example is, I was able to be in two shows this weekend. One called "The Lottery" where they had 5 seasoned improvisers on stage and then they called out dates and any UCB student who's birthday was closest to the date they called out got to get on stage as a performer. Fun, nervous experience. And then the other show I was in.....Sonic Assault....it took place at 3:30 am one night and involved some 50 people on stage in costume chanting, freestlye rap battling, dancing to techno, throwing stuffed animals, spraying baby powder around, and screaming for 30 minutes straight (all led by SNL's Rob Riggle and UCB's Matt Walsh). I know. You weren't there so it doesn't make any sense. Trust me, if you were, it'd be different. But it still wouldn't have made any sense.















Original UCB at Summerstage (Rob Riggle in the background).









View from behind my head of original UCB at Summerstage.
















This is Sonic Assault. "That looks chaotic." Yes yes.

ready and red eyed

Yesterday i worked an 18 1/2 hour day. Needless to say i feel like this:



Anyway, for some reason I want to keep on with the task of posting these pictures. And telling you about the ends of the trip which ended 2 weeks ago. The last day of the trip Zach and I walked to work together. When i say work i mean Zach went to his job at a consulting company and I went to the improv theater.



The week rounded out well with both teams from my class completing some great long form improv shows. 25 minutes of pure hilarity made up on the spot. It was amazing let me tell you. From someone who was up there on the stage, it was stupendous. I am so tired. I think I spelled stupendous wrong. I don't know. Man, this blog thing, you have to write a lot. Who is actually reading this? I think i am occasionally, but i don't know who else is. Anyway, Cory, here's the rest of the pictures for today. Enjoy.


Grand Central is still such a nostalgic place. especially when you turn your camera to the sepia setting.


Sunny New York outside Grand Central.


Saw this sticker on a door when i was leaving the subway early Saturday morning. Not saying I believe it, but man, it's a cool sticker.

After I departed the city, I went on to my sister's in Connecticut where we had a great easter and I slept and picked my nose apparently. It was awesome!



Ok. Go to bed. I'm talking to me.

day dos (or two, en englais)

Day two: all is well. Very well. It is technically day three as I write this. These days are long, but great. Did workshops all day til' 5pm. Ate lunch with some other classmates at a taco/burrito/mexican food shop run completely by Asians. And they don't take no crap. I was forwarned by another classmate, but when i went up to receive my order, the woman looked at me and said "I've called your number 3 times!", and then she refused to look me in the eye the rest of our encounter.

Tonight, went to 3 different improv shows and saw a total of 5 groups perform. It was great. All long form improv, Harold style. If you don't know what that means, you don't spend a lot of time studying obscure comedy theater forms like improvisation, and you can consider yourself NORMAL. And that's good.

However, I really like watching the different groups and how they can create 25 minute pieces COMPLETELY made up on the spot. It's awesome. Speaking of watching awesome groups do improv, MY CLASS IS DOING A SHOW AT THE THEATER FRIDAY AT 6:30 AND I'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU COME!!! If you can catch an E-Saver, drive up, whatever, first of all you'd be awesome, and second of all, we'll find a place for you to stay. Heck, i'll split a hotel room with you and pay for half your cost. BUT COME UP AND SEE OUR SHOW!!!! If you can't i understand too. but it'd be awesome to see you there.

Anyway, i only took 2 pictures for you today.



Me and about 1/3 of the class out for dinner after class today. I dropped the camera in sticky chicken tender sauce before the picture was taken, hence the smudge on the lens, so you can't see me and Kristen.




An original shot of the "Titte` Brothers" (pronounced 'tittay'), of Upright Citizens Brigade fame. That one's for you Alex.

day 1

NYC......day one went great. Quick rundown.....

Got here sunday night. met up with Zach Fay (who i'm staying with) and Charles Keifer (visiting also) and we all hung out, went to a great church service then went out to Bubba Gump Shrimp and ate and shared dessert. Zach lives in Union Square in Manhattan and we're living right above a bar called the Beauty Bar where they give manicures and pedicures while they serve drinks.

Started classes yesterday morning at the the UCB. Wow. They're awesome. If you ever wanna do improv, read Truth In Comedy, because i'm reading it and I feel like everything we do is covered in that book.....I had some good head's ups on the exercises.

A friend from UCB classes and me went out last night to grab dinner and then went to a Christian artists fellowship that meets weekly and monthly they do classes and share their knowledge. So...we took a stage combat class. I spent the evening learning fake chokeholds, punches, and slaps, and spent some time punching this woman who was my partner. Awesome.

Then went to 2 UCB shows, came home, talked to Zach, slept some, and now I'm leaving for class. Whirlwind. Talk to you later....off to class.
















Me at the end of day 1 ....this expression means "good day."