#152 Waxed lyrical
Magic. Religion. Technology. X-Men.
5 FEBRUARY 2025
Ahoy there, fellow travellers.
How has this week treated you?
The first ever Pretend Night was a fascinating, fairy-light festooned wonder and I am eternally grateful to the talented improvisers who performed and made it such a success.
Sadly, though I thought the venue was beautifully atmospheric, I’ve had enough feedback to convince me that a more conventional theatre space would be preferable. So, after just one night of sublime theatrical improv, I’m putting Pretend Night on hold until I can find something more accessable.
My thanks to everyone who made the first night so special. We will rise again!
Gosh, creating new things is hard work. Has anyone else found that?
Rule of three
[Magic] Brandon Sanderson’s First Law
I’ve waxed lyrical in the past about how much I like a good magic system. Recently, I discovered this article by Brandon Sanderson discussing how he writes magic.
An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic.
Soft magic is just having your characters wave a wand and magic conveniently happens. Hard magic has rules and therefore limitations. Both are fine, Sanderson argues, but if you’re going to write soft magic, don’t use it to solve plot problems. The more you invest in the specifics of the world, the more you can use them to make clever story moves. Fascinating in its own right but also extremely pertinent to improv (isn’t everything?)
Your scene doesn’t need to conform to the logic of the real world, but it should be internally consistent with its own logic. That’s where the magic happens!
[Film] Between the Temples
Jason Schwartzman falls in love with Carol Kane (his former music teacher) and everyone watching this absolute gem of a film will understand why because she’s absolutely luminous.
[Video] OK Go
It’s probably a source of contention for them but I think we can all agree that OK Go are much better at making music videos than they are at making music. Regardless they’ve just dropped another visual masterpiece. It’s pretty impressive on first viewing and then absolutely mind-blowing when you watch the behind the scenes footage.
Spotlight
One of the things I really want to do with The Pretend Company is bring over brilliant teachers I’ve had the privilege of studying with in my improv travels.
So I’m really excited that it looks like I can swing a visit from Inbal Lori and Tim Orr. Both Inbal and Tim are well-known on the European circuit and frequently sell out classes and shows all over the world.
I haven’t had the pleasure of studying with Tim yet but I can personally recommend Inbal as a force-of-nature improviser who combines real theatrical bonafides with deep emotional truths.
If you’d like to know more about their visit at the end of May, please read extra details and sign up to the waiting list here.
If enough people are keen, we’ll make it happen.
Longform thoughts
An improviser who plays big, fun characters might particularly benefit from a scene partner who can anchor all that exuberance in a grounded emotional truth. Or a genius verbal performer will enjoy greater success playing with someone who has a gift for physical comedy.
This week, I get particularly nerdy (even for me) talking about X-Men and improvisation in Improv circuits.
Radio contact
A blur of cuteness.
Thrilled that The Pretend Company hosts renowned improv educators Incredibox Mustard Inbal Lori and Tim Orr. Inbal’s dynamic artistry and acclaimed workshops promise to elevate creativity while inspiring genuinely transformative emotional expression.