Introductions and Salutations

Howdy! This is Roy Janik.

I’d be shocked if you’re here but don’t know who I am.

But just in case: I’m an improviser and creative artist located in Austin, Texas. I’m one of the owners of The Hideout- Austin’s oldest improv theater. I’m also a company member of Parallelogramophonograph, an internationally touring and award-winning improv ensemble. Both the Hideout and PGraph are champions of narrative improv. I am too.

In this newsletter I’ll be:

1. expressing my thoughts on improv and art

2. sharing at least one wild artistic idea

3. gifting the world pictures of my dog

Thanks for coming along for the ride. I’ll keep this one short and sweet.

[Some thoughts- on the naming of this newsletter & embracing imperfection]

My life centers around improv, a fleeting and imperfect means of expression. A long time ago that used to bother me. All I could see as a beginner were the mistakes, the flaws, and the things I could have done better in a given show.

In fact, my improv troupe’s goal for a good while was to create improv shows that were indistinguishable from scripted plays. That was our idea of the perfect show… and you know, sometimes we came close.

But over time something shifted, and we realized that we were doing ourselves and improv itself a disservice.

Improv isn't scripted theatre. Nor is it sketch comedy. The act of creation and the joy of discovery is baked into the essence of the work, and to try and hide that makes no sense.

So now we let the cracks show, and if we get confused, we pause the show and we talk it out.

And now that we suddenly find ourselves in the “A.I. Era,” that imperfection inherent in improv has become (and must be) our superpower.

A.I. smooths everything out. A.I. generates the average. A.I. IS the average.

If I want to be relevant, it's more important than ever that I let my wildly inefficient self shine through… that I be inevitably, irrevocably, and profoundly human.

[Idea #1/1,000,000 - The Muppet Canon]

(here’s where i’ll share an idea or two. Some I hope to make real myself or with your help. Some are just dumb. Some are up for grabs. Contact me to find out which is which.)

Imagine a podcast that cares way too deeply about what is "real" in the world of the Muppets. For instance, we might explore the following questions:

1. Were Kermit and Miss Piggy ever really married, like the ending of The Muppets Take Manhattan seems to imply?

2. What Muppet played Bob Cratchit's son "Peter" in A Muppet Christmas Carol? (there are at least two answers, believe it or not.)

3. If Kermit is being interviewed about something he did back when a different puppeteer voiced him, is his answer "real"?

4. Just how many layers of reality are there when it comes to the Muppets?

[Now See Here - recs and such]

It would positively unethical of me to not immediately recommend the newsletter of and express my gratitude to Chris Mead, an amazing person, improviser, and friend.

Chris has now put out over 225 weekly editions of The Pretend Post, in which he talks about improv, recommends a lot of fascinating things, and just in general brightens your day.

This newsletter takes its main inspiration from Chris’s, right down to ending with a picture of my dog (see below).

[What I’m up To]

PGraph was just inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame! Once I get over the shock, I might have more to say about that.

For now, come and see us most Friday nights at 8:30pm at The Hideout’s new home! except for the next month while we’re in the UK.

[FLIP THE SCRIPT]

And that’s it for now! See you next week. (and drop me a line if you want to record a Muppet podcast or whatever.)