#111 Cos-play the executive
Competition. Armageddon. Politics. Bards.
Issue #111 Cos-play the executive
24th April 2024
GOAL!
That’s right, I like sports now.
Not really, of course, I find them terrifying. But I did just spend the week at a football-themed improv competition and absolutely LOVED it.
It was such a thrill to represent England (alongside Ali James and John Oakes) at the Impro European Masters. We appeared on German TV, ate something called white sausage, watched surfing on a city river and at the same time met some of the kindest, most talented improvisers in Europe. Thanks to the whole team for creating such a warm hug of an event.
It’s made me completely rethink the potential of competitive improv. And you’ll find some of those thoughts below.
But first, this...
Rule of three
[TV] Fallout
I’ve never played any of the Fallout games but really enjoyed this TV adaptation set in a post-apocalyptic USA. Great to find a sensitive beating heart underneath all the irradiated bears, hails of rotten teeth projectiles and other associated Atompunk, retro-futuristic wackiness.
[Documentary] Girls State & Boys State
Every year the American Legion organises an opportunity for young people to come together to essentially cos-play the executive, legislature and judiciary. To form a representative government from the ground up. One problem though, the exercise is segregated by gender. And if you watch both of these documentaries, the differences between the Boys State and Girls State are an elegant commentary on societal expectations of gender. To give a quick example, the boys sure don’t have to learn a government-themed song and dance routine.
[Music] Tiktok’s bard
I like this guy, who takes on right-wing trolls on Tiktok and then sings memorably catchy folk songs about them. The Sad Sad Alpha Man is my favourite.
Spotlight
No proper spotlight this week, except to remind you that you still have a couple of days to use the 10% discount code MOCKUMENTARY-10 for my Bristol theatre intensive. You can read more details here.
And here’s a nice quote about the class:
"I was worried that this format would be heavily premise-based. I think with any other teacher it might have been. Instead, Chris taught us to tap into characters and unlock details intuitively. In the end, we all looked very very clever and hilarious, nearly effortlessly. Very satisfying!"
Longform thoughts
Competitive improv is my kryptonite.
Read How I stopped worrying and learned to love competitive improv.
Radio contact
He’s giving Please sir, I want more