First Improv Call-Out a Success
August 22nd, 2009
The first call-out for our new troupe was a success. We met three new people and saw some familiar faces. Our next jam session/workshop will be this coming Saturday, August 29th. The time to be announced as soon as we hear back from everyone on what works best for them. We figured something around 3PM or 7PM.
If you’re interested, please contact us using the form, leaving a comment on this post, or by writing us at improv@-REMOVETHISTEXT-themediacollective.org
(Solo) Improv Exercise: RSS Monologue
June 14th, 2009
RSS Monologue
What you will need: A computer or RSS enabled device
Directions:
- Load a news RSS service in your favorite RSS reader (Firefox will work nicely and there are several listed below)
- Increase the font size so you can read it while standing
- Set your computer to autoscroll (video in full post)
Start up monologues based off of the title and opening sentence of the news stories that are scrolling over your screen. You should make sure that your screen is scrolling slow enough so you can say a few lines for each article.
Variations
Have two people or an entire ensemble use the news stories to start scenes.
RSS news Services and the limit of the results in the RSS feed
Google News Top Stories (100)
Google News World News (100)
Google News USA News (100)
Yahoo! World News (10)
Yahoo! USA News (10)
Yahoo! Top News (10)
Reuters Top News (10)
Reuters USA News (10)
Reuters World News (10)
Reuters Political News (10)
Reuters BusinessNews (10)
Digg Labs also has some good tools for this exercise:
And there is also twistori, a twitter news feed based on emotions.
Summer Improv Workshops
May 6th, 2009
We will be starting a free summer Improv Workshop for those of you that are in the area over the summer. The call outs (we’re having multiple) are May 21st (Thursday) and May 23rd (Saturday). We are meeting on the main floor of the Union, above the food courts.
Contact us if you are planning on attending so we have an idea of how many to expect.
We will populate our improv workshop page with more information as well.
Three Pillars of Comedy Documentation and Interview
April 5th, 2009
We attended the three pillars of comedy put on by the Purdue improv group, The Crazy Monkeys. The night consisted of three different types of comedy: short form, long form, and sketch. The Ship of Fools, The Crazy Monkeys, and the University tWits performed each of these styles respectively.
We recorded the introduction to night given by Shauvon at Hot Box Pizza, followed by Andrew’s warm-up of the crowd before the Ship of Fools came out on stage.
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We missed the intro to the Crazy Monkey’s show at Greyhouse so we don’t have anything recorded there.
Before the third installment of this great even started, I managed to snag an interview with a member of the Crazy Monkeys (Logan?). We talked about the night, how he become a member, and the process of animating imaginary people.
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And, like the idiots we are, nothing of the University tWits was recorded. So there you have it, an incomplete documentation of the nights events. Enjoy!
Improv Troupe/Workshop
July 2nd, 2008
Fall 2009 – Early Troupe Workshops
Our current meeting schedule is 9/9:30 until Midnight in the Union after the Purdue Improv Club’s Friday Open Forum. These workshops are open to anyone who wishes to try their hand at improv in a fun, safe, and nurturing environment.
No matter what level you are, if you have a sincere interest in joining an improv troupe, please contact us or come to a workshop. Once we have a group of dedicated players (~8), we will close these workshops to only those players.
Fall 2009 – New Troupe Callout
With a new crop of students coming back for Boiler Goldrush, we figured now would be a good time to advertise for the new troupe we are forming this Fall. Be on the lookout for this poster.
Our advertised meeting time is 3PM Saturday, August 22nd, in the Purdue Memorial Union. We will meet in the Union, near the model of Purdue on the main floor. Once everyone has arrived, we will either find a room inside or go outside depending on the weather.
If you are interested or want more information, please contact us using our contact form.
Summer 2009 – Workshop
We had a successful first round of callouts for the Summer Improv Workshop! There will be a new poster going up around campus with the new time, Fridays from 6:30-Whenever.
If you are interested in joining this free workshop, please write us at improv [at] themediacollective.org or use the contact form. Contacting us before hand is not mandatory, however, it does give us an idea of who is attending.
Summer 2008 – Workshop Information
There will be more information here, but currently all we have is a copy of the poster/flyer we posted around campus, links to some improv resources on the Internet, an e-mail address and this text.
Improv References
Game/Exercise/Structure Repositories
- The Improv Encyclopedia – Games, ideas, thoughts, concepts—an encyclopedia of improv!
- ImprovWiki – Another reference, in wiki format
- LearnImprov.com – Generate workshops and performance sets, plus a random game player.
- Without Annette – A listing of games by this Improv Troupe.
Communities
- Chicago Improv Network – Bulletin Board
- Improv Resource Center – Bulletin Board
- Improv Resource Center Wiki
Blogs/Podcasts
- StoryRobot – Home of the cartoon I used
- The Fracas! Improv Podcast
- Chicago Improv Associates – Zenprov Podcast
Local Lafayette/West Lafayette Troupes
Videos
- Improv Videos at ExpertVillage
- College Comedy Championship 2007 [1] [2] [3]- Held in Chicago. Watch college troupes perform. Always something to learn.
- Chicago College Improv Tournament 2008: East Coast, Midwest (Third Coast) Regionals, and West Coast Regionals. Same as above, but from 2008. The finals will be posted sometime after November 15, 2008.
- Comedy Sportz Chicago – Musical 505 class show
- See You Next Tuesday Improv Show – The Second City – Chicago
- Whiskey Rebellion’s 1-Year Anniversary Show @ iO Chicago
Tips/Notes
- Applied Improv – Del Close class notes
- How to be a better improviser
Misc. References that Are Useful
