Sprezzatura #19 - Miles I'd Walk
There’s no snow. There’s no grass. There’s no leaves. We are in weather purgatory in Montreal. The bright linen whites of winter are behind us. The verdant sprouts of spring have not yet arrived. A dun, lifeless world holds its breath. Bleh.
BUT we’ve cracked 500 subscribers to the newsletter! Thank you all for being here, telling your friends, and reading all these words. That’s the exact opposite of bleh: WOOHOO!
A Variety of Things
[MUSIC] Lola Young, Messy
The Brits are ahead on this one but I’m just catching up. I heard someone describe Lola Young as existing in the space between Adele and Amy Winehouse and that sounds right to me. Messy is a catchy anthem with lived-in lyrics. Both this and Conceited have been high in the playlist rotation of late.
[TV] Love on the Spectrum (US)
Love on the Spectrum is a Netflix show about (wait for it) people on the autism spectrum looking for love. I’d heard good things about it and was super worried this would be exploitative but instead it’s just the best possible dating show. Instead of the usual fame-chasing silhouettes desperate to fill a void, the people we meet are genuinely looking for human connection. It’s raw and, at its core, a look at the perfectly human desire for love and to be loved. It is sincere, touching, and, because it’s so often an unfiltered look at how we’re feeling while dating, incredibly hilarious. The original Australian version is also worth a watch!
[TV] The Pitt
I’m an old. I remember when ER was the hottest thing on TV. Well, it’s back as ER: The Next Generation (aka: The Pitt). The Pitt was created by R. Scott Gemmill, John Wells, and Noah Wyle (who also stars) and all three worked together on the original series. It turns out the Crichton estate wanted too much money to launch a reboot so the trio said, see ya, and made their own show (lawsuit is active).
The stated aim is to create the most accurate medical drama focused on the staff rather than the patients. I’m a dumdum improv teacher so I have no idea how real it is but reading the comments online from actual medical staff, it sounds like they nailed it. It gets a little gory (I have to cover my delicate eyes at least once per episode), and the “each episode takes place over one real hour and the season takes place over a most of a day, hey that’s 24” idea keeps the pace brisk. Anyways, I’m into it and the focus on the caregivers and the toll their job takes on them.
Q&A
We got questions! Thank you to everyone who wrote in. Please send in more!
== I’ve been doing improv for a long while now and need some improv reading that is well off the beaten path. Do you have any recommendations for literature that isn’t your Truths in Comedys, your Mick Napiers... meaningful reads from less known, but just as impactful authors?
Kenny Madison
Yep. Here’s a couple great resources:
The Improv Handbook (probably the best book for novices and full of insight for any level)
Status magazine (yes, there’s a monthly improv magazine available to download! site seems to be down as I write tho so here’s their Insta)
== Is there a niche subgenre that you think could be made into an improv show or format which hasn't yet? For instance - we have LOADS of D&D inspired shows… BUT I have yet to see any Space Marine/Warhammer inspired improv (which I feel could be incredibly weird but fun!) or shows inspired by the worlds of Magic the Gathering. Are such cultural references too niche to make shows of?
Fiona Howat
I did see a group in Boston do Magic: The Gathering-based improv (they opened for our fantasy narrative group Quest of the Dragon King when we played there). And I am willing to bet someone, somewhere has done a Warhammer show. But I’m going to answer the larger point: how niche is too niche for a show? Depends what your goals are.
If the goal is to put on a show in a world or genre the players love, then there is nothing too niche. Life’s too short, do what you love. If the goal is to attract a large audience who also loves that world or genre, then the bigger that fandom, the easier the draw. If you’re doing a Gundam show, great, but don’t expect the same size crowd as a Star Wars show.
The ancillary question becomes: is the show accessible to non-fans or is it a love letter for fellow nerds? If it’s full of inside jokes, the fans will love it and bring other fans but the filthy casuals will be alienated. But a core truth applies to all shows: if the general public find a show is good, then people will come back. If the show is only so-so (and you’ll know by the second show), then maybe do it once a year.
== Why do I speak too much in scenes, rather than allow silence, emotion, and acceptance of what my scene partner just offered? I know it; but seem to be challenged doing it.
Lauren Ray
Lauren, this is the question I’ve spent years thinking about and exploring. Unintentional nonstop dialogue by improvisers (not only novices) is a huge challenge and I’m here to tell you: you are not alone. Some schools of thought encourage it. Cut the fat, get to the jokes! But even short, scenic improv needs pacing and timing, a beat here, a pause there. Otherwise it’s like reading a huge block of text without paragraphs: fatiguing and, ultimately, less effective.
So why does it happen? Here’s what I’ve found over the years. Pick and choose the various reasons that may resonate with you. Important to note that none of these are conscious and often based on misconceptions!
Nerves. Doing improv is scary to lots of people. We talk a lot when we’re nervous.
Control. If we’re talking, we’re in control. No one else can talk and ruin our great ideas or make us uncomfortable with uncertainty.
Pressure. Silence means nothing is happening! If we’re not saying anything, there’s nothing for the audience to hear and they will be bored and hate us.
Not listening. The other person is speaking but we need to be interesting. So the instant they stop talking we’re just gonna say the thing we thought of while they were speaking. We have no idea if it fits or builds off what they said but we’re just waiting for the millisecond they stop talking for our turn to shine.
Vulnerability. If we respond with emotion (a look, a sound) instead of words, that is too human and honest and doing that on stage is very scary. Especially if we have trouble expressing our emotions in our regular life.
Disconnected from our bodies. 90% of our daily interactions are with words: email, text, phone calls, etc. Responding intentionally with body language is not something we generally do in our daily lives.
So that’s the why. How to fix it? That’s a whole other essay. But the short version is: it’s good to develop an awareness and practice with intent.
EVENTS & THINGS
Our French show, J’aime l’amour, got into the Montreal Fringe Fest! We’re pretty excited to level up our game but before that we’ve got one more show at the JIM: April 11 at 8pm.
An Interesting Wikipedia Page: Kanchō
And that’s another issue in the bag. Please tell your friends and send in more questions for next time.
L8r sk8rs,
Vinny