My life after CS

My comedy studies program has ended. Bittersweet. Our ensemble's showcase, 45 minutes of original sketch comedy, on the ETC Theater, went swimmingly. We rocked. We killed. My mom conceded it was a great performance although "why does the show have to be so dirty?" I claim a generational gap. I've never felt more connected and in sync with my ensemble. I invited Ross Bryant from Baby Wants Candy fame and he attended, and dealt with text rumors saying the SC Casting Director was attending. In terms of feedback, we received all around praise, from our teachers to parents to the director Norm Holly to even His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, who reportedly was heard cheerily humming the "Fitting Room Blowjob" melody on his way out of the theatre.

The bittersweet part came afterwards. You see, I contracted the Flu a few days before Thanksgiving and the illness lingered to eat my innards during the Parody News Show project, the Showcase, and even after CS until I finally was prescribed Azithromycin by my Doc. Right before the showcase, I saw the Doc at a minute clinic (for the 3rd time) who ordered me to take 48 hours rest immediately. I had a show that night, so I did what I could and slept Monday and Tuesday as much as I could. What I didn't realize was I missed my Tuesday time slot to meet with my teachers to review my performance for the whole semester. The final review. I missed it. I couldn't believe it.

At the farewell pizza party the next day, I asked Anne Libera if I could make it up that day or after and she said it was out of the question with the busy schedules of the 5 teachers. I was crushed. I couldn't help but recall how common this situation was in my schooling years - makeups, unprepared marks, mounting tardies, late papers with red ink reading "This would have been an A - if it wasn't late!" I took this last lapse of memory pretty hard. After the teachers imparted their last words of wisdom and praise of the class, we took a group picture and slowly filed out of Donny's Skybox. I left the theatre to go home and found Jet waiting in the lobby for the elevator. She told me "Good Luck" and I went over to apologize for missing my review. She cut me off. "I know. That was BIG. HUGE." She stepped in the elevator and said "Just let that resonate" as the doors closed. Those were the last words from my teacher.

I did let it resonate even more, and Friday I emailed the teachers apologizing and asking for individual meetings but no one responded.

So, I guess what I lacked most leaving Comedy Studies was the closure and feedback that my friends received in their reviews.

But overall, the program was very satisfying and enriching and my comedy knowledge has grown SO MUCH. I received a very well-rounded education. My brain feels bigger.

Oh computer dying. Goodbye world. 00001000100010101010010.

Brown Sugar BB-Gun Bitch Slap

I had a fun Halloween weekend this year. A very large adventure, indeed. Saturday night, Anna invites me to a friend's party. I accept. We make a last-minute costume making trip to JoAnn's Fabric store, then eat dinner at Chipotle (their promotional hard truth - no foil hats = no free burrito). We hitchhike with a hungarian immigrant to the party. Sketchy. I experience midwestern suburbs for the first time. I ease into conversations about Buster, the dog, named after Buster Keaton (recent History of Comedy focus) and bring up Harold Lloyd to the superbly dressed Charlie Chaplin dude. Comedy geeks unite!
We head over to another party by bus. Anna (dressed as a Death Panel Reaper - "do you get it?") feels a sisterhood with every other costumed man, woman, child, and dog and initiates any and all conversations with them. A true go-getter. We exit bus and continue trek on foot...wandering for the next 1.5 hours. At many times, Death dragged me (true story). We amused ourselves when crossing restaurant windows, Death Reaper makes eye contact with diner and points at her watch. Finally arrive at party (kegger), nice people, nice music, nice dancing, good night.

Fast forward to Sunday night. to when I literally get shot in a drive-by.

My friend...Lynnae...and I find open mic to read some poetry and head south on Green Line...wayyyy south. California stop to be exact. Rundown area, dark night, broken glass everywhere, we hurry to the bar 3 blocks away named "Brown Sugar." The bar's closed, gated, chained. Shit. confused and dejected, we hurry back towards CTA. Before we can get around the corner, a car pulls up, driver takes out a gun, and I get shot in chest before they speed off. Not a bullet, thank God. Just a bb gun. After a moment of panic, I'm just surprised and irritated I didn't think to shout anything at them before they ran away. The title for this night - Brown Sugar BB Gun Bitch-Slap.
Laci told me exactly this would happen if I went South. She's my own Nostradamus apparently.

But I live to see another day
....of clown school. Yeahhh.

The Yes Men {and I} fix the world.

This evening, I chose to see the movie "The Yes Men Fix the World" with Bre at the Music BoxTheatre. I had no idea that a mere 2 hours later, I would end up in a fat suit protesting Chase Bank with graffiti and police overlooking.

This independent theatres lasted 80 years - phew. The movie was great - very funny, very real, depressing and encouraging in the same moment. I'd define the yes men as an international group of professional rabblerousers that impersonate irresponsible greedy corporations to expose the corporate lack of respect for human, animal, or the Earth's life. After the show, Yes Men prankster Mike Bonnano took a short Q and A, and then the real fun started. He asked for two volunteers, and of course, my hand shot up. He told us that Chase Bank is the last bank to still fund coal mining mountaintop removal and there just so happened to be a Chase across the street....and he just so happened to have 10 bags of coal for "sidewalk art" and two "Survivaball" costumes...hehehe.
I hopped in the suit, paraded across to Chase bank and a friendly mob and I started doodling mountains on the walls and sidewalk of the bank, while I danced around in my Survivaball. I was interviewed on camera (still in the suit) and questioned by chicago police too (a twofer). I love activism.
By the way, Baby Wants Candy was amazing again (as always).

500 Clown

I saw 500 Clown Frankenstein tonight with Shannon and Brad and Amy and Jet and fellow humans. Free steins and dogs before the show - ohhhh yeah. And then our small crowd was seated in a small room with a small cast. And it was intimate, and personal, and It was so SO so REAL. For those of you who don't know, 5o0 Clown is Chicago's best nonprofit Clowning theatre and school. 2 clowns, 1 clownette, presented an interpretation of a doomed play of Shelley's Frankenstein complete with vain actors, mutinies, temper tantrums, and breaking the 4th wall (screwing with audience) that made the clowning so real. Real physical risks, real conflict, they put the slap in slapstick. One unscripted event was when Frankenstein stood on a table, electrocuted the monster by holding the dangling lightbulbs, fell off the table, in the process bumping the bulbs hard enough to collide with the spinning fan, which catapulted the lights around a beam (they didn't break on Jet's head, thank God). Totally spontaneous, totally dangerous, totally my heart's delight!
In other news, I'm enjoying my classes at Second City. They're all pretty interesting. Oh shit(-ake mushrooms), my COA winter class registration opens at midnight. Gotta run!

Rush

I'm in a whirlwind of activity at the moment, touring Chicago with new friends before Second City classes start Tuesday, including JaZZ festivals and musuem tours and rooftop shenanigans. I hope this blog can accurately represent all my best lessons, all the trials and tribulations, all of the life-altering moments of Improv Training at Second City. Mas luego.