The Times Why Aren't They A Changin' ?
Here's a quote from a Patton Oswalt interview I found linked from www.torontocomedy.com
http://www.aspecialthing.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1465
There were guys that would say, “Well I’m the headliner ‘cause I’ve been doing this eleven years and you’ve been doing this four years.” Well, yeah, you’ve confused doing something for eleven years with doing something for one year and then repeating it eleven times, which is a totally different thing. Just ‘cause you’ve clocked in doesn’t mean you’ve learned anything or you’ve advanced. - Patton Oswalt
This is something we all have to ask ourselves. Are we just doing the same show over and over? The set list for most corporate events (improv shows for companies and private parties) hasn't changed in 15 years at least. Open with Options, then Word at a Time, Day in the Life, Audience Sound Effects, New Choice, Endowments and wrap up with Moving Bodies. Pretty much the same no matter what improv group you go with. Of course doing a corporate event is a lot like being a band at a wedding. You're not there to push the envelope, you're there to do the Chicken Dance, Shout and take a few requests from the drunk bridesmaids.
If your mainstage shows on the other hand haven't changed in 15 years, that's something to look at. How is your 2006 show any different than the one you did in 1996? Or 1991? Are you moving forward or just clocking in?
http://www.aspecialthing.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1465
There were guys that would say, “Well I’m the headliner ‘cause I’ve been doing this eleven years and you’ve been doing this four years.” Well, yeah, you’ve confused doing something for eleven years with doing something for one year and then repeating it eleven times, which is a totally different thing. Just ‘cause you’ve clocked in doesn’t mean you’ve learned anything or you’ve advanced. - Patton Oswalt
This is something we all have to ask ourselves. Are we just doing the same show over and over? The set list for most corporate events (improv shows for companies and private parties) hasn't changed in 15 years at least. Open with Options, then Word at a Time, Day in the Life, Audience Sound Effects, New Choice, Endowments and wrap up with Moving Bodies. Pretty much the same no matter what improv group you go with. Of course doing a corporate event is a lot like being a band at a wedding. You're not there to push the envelope, you're there to do the Chicken Dance, Shout and take a few requests from the drunk bridesmaids.
If your mainstage shows on the other hand haven't changed in 15 years, that's something to look at. How is your 2006 show any different than the one you did in 1996? Or 1991? Are you moving forward or just clocking in?
posted by urban improv at 10:35 PM
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