December 6, 2023

Sprezzatura #8 - A Gentle Descent to Repose

Hello friends,

I've been busy with corporate gigs, coaching, home repairs, preparing for 2024... Phew! I need a break. Thank goodness the holidays are coming up.

Beyond the rest, I'm just looking forward to spending time with family and friends. We all live busy lives but ain't it nice to have a time of year where people go out of our way to slow down and just be together.

MUSIC: VF 2023

Each year I make a mixtape of songs that I've loved over the last 12 months. I don't like to wait until the end of the year so I get the jump on everyone and put it out either last week of November or first week of December.

This year we've got another mix of genres and artists from around the world. Some are well-known, others are just starting out. But they all caught my ear.

And 2023 is the tenth year of these mixtapes. Time flies, friends. I've got a public directory where you can find all ten mixtapes. Download away!

VIDEO: BODE VOCODER FOR SALE

Someone once had an analogue vocoder for sale. They put it to good use when making a demo video for it. Now I want one.

ARTICLE: “Are you taking any steps to keep shit real?”

Dave Eggers, writer of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" and founder of legendary website/publisher McSweeney's, was interviewed by the Harvard Advocate in April 2000. The interviewer accuses him of selling out. Eggers' response was so formative to me that I often come back to it and re-read it. If you made a model of me out of blocks, one of the blocks would have to be this interview.

IMPROV TIP: POSITIVE TENSION

I've often read and heard that conflict is what drives scenes. Which is true, conflict is great at giving a scene a propulsive energy that connects the characters in a scene.

But conflict is the negative formulation of the real core of a scene: tension. Tension is all about the question that any good scene will ask. What will this parent do with their unruly child? Will the detective catch the murderer? There's conflict here but really at its base, it's tension.

What we don't always get to explore as improvisers is positive tension. What if your scenes hinged on positive outcomes for both characters, where they both wanted the same thing?

Will they confess their love for each other? Will these pirates find the treasure? Can these newlyweds buy the home of their dreams?

Add another tool to your belt by looking for a tension that relies on good news. Forget Chekov's Gun, try Vinny's Hug.

EVENTS

• WINTER BALL 2023

  

It's the Improv College end of year festival, the Winter Ball! We have another one in June called Summer Shimmer but that's miles away. Our improv teams are ready to strut their stuff now! With 4 shows and an open jam, we hope you can join us on our YouTube channel. See the image for the schedule.

• SCENE START BLOWOUT

I've got one workshop in two cities to start 2024. I'm running a workshop focused on scene starts here at home in Montreal (Jan 14) and again in Ottawa (Jan 20). We'll dive deep into how to listen closely to opening offers, how to make bold choices, and avoid common pitfalls improvisers often make just as the scene is getting off the ground.

You can find registration and details on the Improv College site. Don't delay too much as both classes are already half-full.

• Learn Real Good

This Friday's upcoming episode of Learn Real Good has us talking to Zak Kaal who is working on making renewable jet fuel (!) out of food waste (!!). It's our penultimate episode of the season so subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

An Interesting Wikipedia page: The Great Male Renunciation

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L8r sk8rs,

Vinny