Sprezzatura #13 - A Dizzying Torpor
We are deep in the heart of a heat wave in Montreal. It’s a city that reaches -30C every winter. I grew up here and I love the cold. So now that it is +33C, my body rebels, it seizes. With the humidity, the weather info says it feels like 44C, which might as well be 1000C. I don’t like it. I curse the sky and the very air that betrays us all.
It is time to ask the question: do we really need the sun?
[BLOG] Thank God the Joy Comes with the Grief
I’ve known Meghan Wolff for years. We met at the 2017 Improvised Play Festival in Austin, TX. Her fantastic improvised Shakespeare duo, Juliet & Juliet, just played at the Ocean State Festival in Rhode Island. She’s also half of superstar Magic: The Gathering creators Good Luck, High Five. She is also also a great writer and has just shared a deeply personal post sharing the news of her recent signing with a literary agent commingled with the aftermath of her recent break-up. It’s a wonderful read.
[TV] Deadwood
Ok, I may be 20 years late to this party but I’m smack in the middle of the HBO prestige Western drama. It has the danger and lawlessness of the American frontier set in a real place with actual historical figures combined with dialogue that imagines a Shakespeare who overused the word “cocksucker” (among other expletives). Great performances, characters, and relationships.
[Design] What Artists Can Learn from Aladdin’s Incredible Color
Would you like to watch a 20 minute video about the colour design of the classic Disney movie, Aladdin (1992)? Of course you do when it’s as good as this one.
EVENTS
There’s a lot going on so let’s get right to it!
Improv College’s Summer Shimmer 2024
Each year we end our months long journey with each team doing a showcase show on our YouTube channel. It’s a chance to celebrate the work they’ve put into learning and performing together as a team. We’ve got one big show this year on Sat June 22 at 1pm Eastern as The Candy Corns do a montage and “Oops, We Fell In Love” does their improvised Hallmark movie. We’d love to have you watch and support us!
New class: Award-Winning Moments with Velvet Wells
Velvet’s a longtime Improv College collaborator and we’re pumped to have them back to teach this 4-week online class on amplifying your scenework to make them, for lack of a better word, MORE. Full details and registration at the link above. There’s still a 25$ CAD Equity spot available!
Camp Zipzap (Montreal & Toronto)
Every year I run a 3-day improv retreat called Camp Zipzap. It’s a sleep-away camp for improv nerds. We go into the woods, we sleep in bunk beds, we share stories and sing by the campfire. We also do workshops, perform in shows, and play in jams with people we didn’t know the day before. There’s canoes, a Pajama Dance Party, archery, and tearful goodbyes. It’s my favourite weekend every time we do it and this year we do it twice: Montreal (Sep 6-8) and Toronto (Sep 27-29).
I’d LOVE to see you there!
An Interesting Wikipedia Page: Balloonfest ‘86
L8r sk8rs,
Vinny