Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Distance - it's how you look at it.

Places that seem far away, but are among the coolest things in the city, and are a great way to spend a few hours:

Arrowhead/Kaufman Stadiums
Deanna Rose Farm
Great Mall of the Great Plains
Harry Truman Presidential Sites
India Palace in Lawrence
Renaissance Festival
Roving Imp Theater

Places that are actually too far away:

Atchison
Branson
Broadway
Horsehead Nebula
Las Vegas
Moon
Omaha Zoo
le Sorbonne
St. Louis

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Omega Directive

The writer of this post is not a member of Omega Directive, but instead an audience member at any possible instance. The groups at the Roving Imp are all phenomenal and always a joy to watch. But I think that Omega Directive is an amazing amalgamation of the most experienced and talented improvisers in...well anywhere. For anyone doubting the efficacy of improv to bring out real emotion in their audience, doubt may be ceased when you go see Omega Directive. Try it out, you'll never leave again!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Survivor

Goodbye improv Survivor.

HELLO AGAIN, GAME SHOWS!!!

Monday, September 7, 2009

The Quality Keeps Coming

The shows these past two weekends have really brought to light the new focus on high quality we've been working on lately. Last weekend's Robot Parade, One, 92 Monsters, and Red Rubber Ball, combined with this weekend's It's Debatable and TrivProv have been successful... and that's saying something, seeing as the various casts for these shows comprised 20 separate performers.

Little highlights from each:
RP: Proof that beginners with passion paired with a format in which they can be successful can entertain audiences just as well as pros.
One: An amazing cast that keeps getting better... this month was Jen's first show, and we'll be adding Jeremy next month. It's going to be our next super pro group.
92: Probably the weakest overall show of the past two weeks, but still plenty entertaining, especially when considering it was the debut of a brand new show as well as falling on a special night combining an RI ensemble with an outside ensemble with no prior rehearsal.
RRB: A top-notch cast so funny that there were a record number of cast break-ups. Even me, a guy who can count on one hand the number of break-ups in the past two years.
Debate: You know you're doing something right when you can delight all shades of improv audience from experienced to brand-spanking-new with a non-scenic improv show. They're tough to pull off, and even harder to pull off well. I will be indebted to James for a long time for coming up with this format.
TProv: Even though I keep freakin' losing, the improv is getting better and better. Guy and I work well together - he's unmatched when it comes to telling an interesting story, which left me open to do what I do best - play weird, funny, and unexpected characters with depth and relationships. Our scenes sometimes lasted 10 minutes... but were still interesting and fun. The show lasted a half hour longer than any show has lasted here before, and the audience was right there with us the whole time.

Sometimes I think about the awesome art and comedy we're creating here after just two and a half years, and I can't help but wonder what we're in for in a couple more... let alone five, ten, or 20.