I have a confession to make. I’ve been a huge dingus.
I won tickets to see Tim and Eric this past weekend at the Danforth Music Hall and it pretty fucking much blew my mind. (Not the confession)
Admittedly, I wasn’t all that familiar with the show/the guys prior to winning the tickets, (gasp) (the confession) other than the occasional praise and constant imitation (not that I would have known) from my Humber colleagues. I thought they were just making stupid noises and making up bizarre names for the hell of it. Turns out it was SO MUCH MORE.
I really should have been listening to them then because I’ve now become obsessed.
This must be what people felt like while watching the Kids in the Hall in the 80s. Or the 90s I guess, considering I’m a bit behind in my discovery.
Either way, what I’m trying to say is… Mom and Dad, NEVER watch this show. Seriously. It’s amazing, but you’ll hate it.
“You just gotta trust that someone’ll be there to support you.”
That’s an incredible thing my buddy Eric said to a dude who went on stage to improvise for the first time last night at the renewed bi-monthly comedy variety night; Comedy Night at Musideum.
The other improvisers off-stage encouraged the new dude to get up and play a scene and despite his reticence, they eventually just literally threw him up there, no mercy. I was glad to be the person who got to play the scene. I had no idea he’d never done it before, and to be quite honest, he reacted precisely the way I think any man would to my chasing him around with a mimed whip and hot oil like some crazed dominatrix, demanding he recite his multiplication table would’ve acted; fearfully. In fact he cowered under a chair. That’s commitment.
Way to go Zach!
Also, maybe my Mom was right. Maybe I should have been a teacher.
OK folks, something you should know about me is that I HATE doing dishes. HATE it. But the tedious, mundane and often unsettlingly repugnant task was made much more tolerable this evening as I put in my earbuds and cleaned away while listening to and learning from Toronto improv sages Adam Cawley and Rob Norman’s podcast The Backline. In it, the two share their personal experiences and discuss valuable insight into the wild and wonderful craft of improv.
If you give a shit about learning improv, you should listen and take notes.
Click the image below and download the shit outta this podcast. I’m sure the guys won’t care WHAT you’re doing while listening along…
I was all excited to get out there and see some comedy shows this evening after spending a bit of time away to “recharge.” (Note, I’m not a robot.) But when I got home after work, (first day in my new job, I might add) I started to feel feverish, tired, unwell in general. I kept saying: “I’ll feel better in an hour or so.” But my condition didn’t really improve.
I then get to the point where my mind asks: “Are you really sick, or are you just trying to weasel your way out of going to shows tonight?” But I DID want to see shows. And I was NOT feeling well. Seeing shows isn’t like going to a job you don’t want to go to. You don’t need duvet-days when there’s so much great comedy to see on any given night here in Toronto.
How to balance this self-judgement? People say I’m too hard on myself, but aren’t you supposed to be in this business? Should I have just gone to the shows anyway? I’ve done that in the past when I feel kindof sick, and I don’t get anything out of the experience, I just sortof daze through the show, even if it’s a really great show, I don’t appreciate it. Then, I just go right home because I feel too crappy to socialize with anyone and I worry about getting them sick in turn.
Is this rationalization?
Is it just anxiety and over-thinking?
Does anyone else get this way?
Send me your feedback. I’d be glad to have a conversation on the body vs. mind + guilt = more guilt.
This is a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, for various reasons, but I thought about how fitting it would be to know how even the greats had their tough moments of eating shit on stage, and that should be motivation to keep on keeping on.
Not to ensure this doesn’t happen to me when I deliver my Maid of Honour speech tomorrow…
The best way to get over a crappy stand-up set, I discovered last night, was to hit up an improv room. Specifically, Natasha Boomer’s “Wheel of Improv.” After a fair amount of ridiculousness, a little practice of my own, watching some newbies go up for the first time, watching some more experienced enjoy the challenge of working with the seasoned pros (in this case, special guests were Ken Hall & Rob Norman as well as a surprise drop-in from Becky Johnson & Kayla Lorette,) and finally chats and cupcakes at the end of the night, I felt a whole lot better about myself.
The stand-up bit needs more work, but at least I don’t feel as bitter about it after having been in the extremely supportive care of the Toronto improv community.
I have finally begun writing a fucking script! I’ve been telling myself since graduation from Humber “Brie, write a spec script, Brie, write a spec script. Do it do it do it now!” But I didn’t. I don’t know why? Procrastination? I guess it’s because I can always go out somewhere and perform. It’s easy to put off writing by justifying the fact that you need to go out and do and see shows; to stay connected and to make sure people out in the community remember your face and that you do in fact, live and breathe. However, equally, it’s important to have a base of written work in case someone asks you to write for their TV shows one of these days. (Or so I dream.)
I decided not to write a spec script. Rather, I’ve had an idea mulling around the ol’ brain box for a number of years now, and I’m finally putting the ideas down in writing and creating my first script for a sitcom pilot. Of course we did work on similar tasks while at Humber. We collaboratively wrote a workplace pilot, which was altogether a very interesting learning process. But it was the entire class working on it, so my contribution was pretty limited. Nothing you could show to an agent or whatever. We also wrote pitch packages in our writing class, which was also an interesting exercise, and I was told to get writing an episode, but I never quite found the desire for it. It was a fun project to work on, but I didn’t see the show ever realistically being picked up. It was about army cadets, and I don’t think there’s a huge interest in youth paramilitary activities. At least, not since 1945 anyway.
In addition to the writing of words, I also caught a few live shows this week. On Monday, I attended the Humber College New Faces ’14 show. (I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since my face was new!) It was a classy show and featured a guest performance by none other than veteran comic Dave Thomas. Last year, I left the Industry Show with a sense of joy, maybe because I knew some of the performers still, and I was still riding high from my own experience from the year before, but this year the connection was a bit different. I now look at the shows more critically, thinking: “if I were ever to direct a show of this magnitude, I would do this differently, or I wouldn’t do this at all, or I would definitely consider this… etc.” Maybe having taken the Conservatory program at The Second City has given me more experience and a different approach to putting on a massive revue, but whatever the case, I felt differently about this show than I had in the year prior.
Then I thought about the aftershmooze. There were some people I would really have liked to chat with, but the room was clearing out and it seemed like everyone wanted to go home because it was friggin sweaty in there. Also, I felt like what’s the point of talking to someone if they’re really there to see and mingle with the people who just performed a huge show that took months of preparation and 2 years of training? It wasn’t my night to shmooze. Or was it? Who knows? Are there appropriate conventions to shmoozing? It was a great night to catch up with my ol’ teachers. Ever since high school I’ve found it slightly easier to connect with the teachers than to most of my classmates. I know. What a nerd, right?
Anyway, it was a great show, and it’s always a cool production to see such young, hopeful talent rockin’ their jokes & performing their little hearts out on the Main Stage. It’s also a great way to get motivated to get my own butt back in gear!
That being said, I also attended a show put on by a great Toronto improv troupe; Fake Cops. Every month they put on a free show at The Ossington. This week, they had some pretty awesome acts. It seems like a great show to be able to explore; to make crazy choices and see where that takes you. To do a set where you end up covered in cereal, or to perform with a mic stand wearing a wig. Either way, the result was laughter! There was some weirdness and some messiness, but it was all good, it was all interesting, and the night had a really good vibe going on. I highly recommend checking this one out (and I’d love to get on it one of these days, if any Fake Cop ever reads this blog.) Passive-manipulative social media marketing. That’s my bag!
Aaaaaanyway, I suppose I still have a job to go to tomorrow. I best be off to bed. Bonne nuit WordPress!
Maybe I’m ready to start writing again. I had a pretty brutal couple of weeks there, but things are slowly beginning to become funny again.
As most of you might know by now, my itty bitty Peanut recently passed away. However, she did used to shed a lot, so I have since collected and created a fur-doll with her remnants. It’s almost as though she hasn’t gone at all!
New necklace. Why yes, that is regurgitated cat fur!
I’m also somewhat looking for jobs as it has become necessary since I’m on the verge of losing my current one. I can’t say I’m happy with my employer’s decision, so to make it right I will be spending my remaining time there repeating work I’d already completed to render my redundancy notice accurate.
CBC to cut 657 jobs, will no longer compete for professional sports rights – Canada – CBC News http://t.co/Ps7NBv1uQr
My bridesmaid’s dress has arrived from China. When I told everyone at work it was too big, they all congratulated me for having lost weight. I didn’t tell them I ordered the dress 2 sizes too big.
Just take a couple inches off…
My new sketchprov troupe (that’s what you call it when your troupe performs both sketch and improv comedy) “Red Herring” are excited to announce we’ve applied to our first comedy festival; the Detroit Improv Festival. Fins crossed. I hope we get in. I really need the motivation to get my damn passport renewed. For some reason, the call of chicken wings from Buffalo just isn’t strong enough for me these days. We also have a few cool shows coming up in May and June. It’s always so great working on a promising new project that can actually go places, like Detroit!
It’s Spring. The Earth is waking up and so am I. <—- who says that shit?
Well blog, I’m sorry. It’s been a while. I know you’ve been sitting here, waiting for me to feed you, but I’ve been busy. I know that’s not a good excuse, but I’m here now aren’t I? So let’s get to it.
Huge news. I’ve recently been OFFICIALLY hired by The Second City to lead improv workshops in French and English as part of their Educational Company. Last Friday, I lead my first workshop at a high school in Brampton and I was absolutely thrilled to go back to feeling the way I did when I was a tour guide, or a cadet instructor, but for something I like even more than First World War history and paramilitary youth engagement; improv! Good old fashioned make-em-ups! Hopefully one day I’ll have the same impact on a kid’s life as Daniel Ayotte did on mine when I was a young Rosario Tanguayan in Welland; making things up on the spot and feeling tremendously free; even for an 11 or 12 year-old, who was already pretty void of responsibility. Sure, I may have lost it for a while there after high school, pretending to be a very serious political scientist, but it’s such a joy to have it back and to now get to share it with others.
Le sit, le stand, le bend, mes amis.
Also great, my boss at el-dayjob and I worked out an arrangement so that I can continue to work at both companies without conflict… of course I had to clear it with my team, the union and Human Resources, but that’s the joy of kindof working for the government.
In addition to that, I have a new comedy troupe in the works. We’ve performed one improv spot to date, and we’ve got a few sketch shows in the works. Right now though, we’re all very concerned about our Second City general audition. After such a great year working on Conservatory material, it’s wonderful to start thinking about the next steps the Toronto comedy scene has to offer, and though that sometimes feels very scary and uncertain, it also lights a fire under one’s ass to get producing funny ass shit for the world (and mostly your friends, peers and family) to see.
On the home front, my Peanut has fallen ill with a bit of a weak liver. She was hospitalized for two days last week and let out right before my birthday, which was a phenomenal gift! Though I have to feed her myself these days because she’s not got much interest in eating, she is doing a bit better. She used to hide under the bed all day, but now she surfaces up onto the bed and appreciates a good cuddle. Hopefully she will become stronger (and hungrier) as the days progress.
Recovering Nut
As a result of the Nut issues, I had to cancel a gig this past week, and I feel absolutely horrible about it; they were very understanding, but there’s something about not-showing up for a gig, especially when the people who run it are awesome in every way, and it involves Star Trek cosplay, that really bites total butt. Tina Fey talks about saying yes to everything, but at that moment, I had to say yes to making sure this tiny creature under my care survived the night off her IV, even if that meant omitting the strenuous process of putting a sock in my hair to simulate Captain Janeway’s awful hairdo from Seasons 1 – 3 ST Voyager.
Was there an on-board stylist? Computer, hairstyle variation 372-D.
Writing all this helps with stress. I’ve been feeling it pop up a bit more frequently lately, maybe because so much seems to be happening all at once. But it’s not as bad as this dude on the streetcar after the Blue Jays game who kept making really loud exhales whilst punching the side of the streetcar wall. I suppose we all have our own techniques of dealing with stress, but I awful concerned this dude was going to have a total Hulkesque breakdown and just smash the back of the streetcar and go running down Bathurst Street jumping on cars and crushing them in his wake.
Wait for it… SMASH!
Maybe he just needed a nap.
Speaking of which, the hour has arisen, I must bathe and retire for the evening. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Brie Watson 