Wet the Hippo in Roseville

Price: $12.00Date: Friday, August 29th

Time: 8:00 PM

WET the HIPPO is coming to Blacktop Comedy for one night only. Sacramento, Roseville, and Rocklin...you do not want to miss this show!  This is a show is what we call... can’t miss. It makes you feel truly alive, unlike any other show you have seen before.

That means we’ve got your plans covered this Friday. What are you doing anyway? Step away from the Xbox.

Don’t miss WET the HIPPO, nominated for Best Comedy in the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival, performing at Blacktop Comedy this Friday!

HitchhikerHunters from Wet The Hippo on Vimeo.

They’ve been called twisted, fearless and total IDIOTS.

Trying to outdo each last show, this one­-of-­a-­kind comedy troupe is making waves in Los Angeles for its completely new approach to live performance, where the cast is directed in real time right in front of your eyes. Unafraid to go over-the-top, while creating truly honest, emotional connections with the audience, this is a must see show.

This show will leave you mostly confused and slightly delighted, just like your dating life, but less expensive. Come see this group, composed of unassuming yet mesmerizing actors, improvisers, comedians and one violinist, reach new levels of stupidity and leave you wanting more.

This talented and diverse group challenges each other on stage, creating a unique experience beyond comedy, one that pushes limits, emotions and takes big risks. Their provocative style has blown the minds of past audiences, leaving them feeling equally stunned and inspired. WET the HIPPO takes comedy performance to new heights, in a grotesque and absurd way.

Featuring 9 talented performers, this show is directed live by John Gilkey, a long time lead clown for Cirque Du Soleil. He appeared in more shows that any other clown, developing and performing original characters and routines. John has also been invited to Pixar Studios to consult on comedy routines that were included in Ratatouille. In 2012, Mr. Gilkey started The Idiot Workshop, with classes for experienced actors, devoted to further developing innovative and bold comedic performers.  Claiming to be “the most frightening and absurdly twisted comedy class in LA” from these classes, a group of selected students formed WET the HIPPO.

Other cast members include:

ALEC JONESTRUJILLO grew up taking ballet classes and swimming. After graduating with a theater minor and a history major from UC Santa Cruz, he attended the Clown Conservatory at The San Francisco Circus Center. Deciding to further train in physical comedy he studied at the Flying Actors Studio which emphasized mime, mask, and clown. Throughout all this, Mr. JT was regularly performing standup comedy and sketch. Once moving to Los Angeles he took classes at UCB and now performs in the indy improv scene. Constantly trying to blend and merge the physical, verbal, improvisational and nonsensical, Mr. JT is happy to find the perfect hybrid home for himself in Wet The Hippo.

MICHAEL LIEBERMAN Michael Lieberman, Violist, pursues a busy and varied career as a chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher. He performed as the onstage Violist for the world premier and national tour of Philip Glass’s opera, “In the Penal Colony”. He was the Music Director and Violist for, “Tempo of Recollection” a theatrical staging of Czech composer and holocaust victim Erwin Schulhoff’s works set in a 1920′s Prague beerhall.  Recently, he was the Assistant Music Director and Violist for Cirque Du Soleil’s “IRIS” at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood with over 500 performances including an appearance on the Tonight Show. Michael has played principal Viola with the Santa Babara Symphony, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra and Opera Santa Barbara. For 10 years he was Violist in the Saint Helen’s String Quartet with performances in every major venue, on television and radio throughout the Pacific Northwest including a residency at Cornish College of the Arts. Currently he is a member of Central4 with performances throughout California and Latin America. Michael studied at the Peabody Conservatory.

GABE MCKINNEY Gabe McKinney has performed throughout the US with the Dell’Arte Company and internationally at Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets in Sukawati, Bali. He has a MFA from Dell’Arte International School of Physical theater and performs in More Bigger Masses, directed by John Gilkey. He is the founder of Black Hive Theater Projects, a proud member of Wet The Hippo and once did a 28hour long improv show with 3 other guys.

NATALIE PALAMIDES Natalie graduated Summa Cum Laude from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with dual degrees in Theatre and Communications Media, as well as a minor in Fine Art. During her time there, she was selected to work with the Obie Award winning Pig Iron Theatre Company as a creative consultant in helping to develop a new production to be put up in the spring of 2014. She is now studying Improv and Sketch Comedy with the Upright Citizens Brigade, The Groundlings, and The Idiot Workshop.

TIM REID Tim Reid has been an ensemble member with the NeoFuturists in Chicago since 2008, writing and performing in their longrunning, latenight show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind and recently in the prime time show Analog. He has created and performed work with Emmy Bright, Ellie Heyman and Gabe McKinney among others. He did not care for theater at all until he saw a play called Interference by DOG, a theater company in March 2003.

CLAIRE TITELMAN 2009 Andy Kaufman Award semifinalist Claire Titelman is a comedian, actor and writer. She has recently been on Chelsea Lately, filmed roles on Wilfred and the TBS pilot Do It Yourself, as well as parts on New Girl, Parks and Recreation, Veronica Mars and others. As a standup she performs in L.A., N.Y., the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland and her solo show “Lemons are for Emergencies Only” was first produced in L.A. in her kitchen before going to the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland. She is excited to be a part of the Fringe and loves the Hippos.

TYLER WATSON Tyler Watson is a graduate from the University of California Santa Cruz where he majored in creative writing. It was there that he performed with the long established improv teams Humor Force Five and Someone Always Dies. He was also a member of ShakestoGo for two seasons in which he played Dromio of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night traveling to schools in the greater Santa Cruz area to perform for students. He currently lives in Long Beach, California where he is pursuing writing. He is thrilled to be wetting the hippo and to be in such talented company.

SCOTCH WICHMANN Scotch Wichmann is a writer, standup comedian, performance artist, actor, and filmmaker. A regular at comedy clubs and dive bars across the U.S., his comedy short SECRET TO A BETTER LIFE was recently showcased at the Nihilist and Freethought film festivals. His debut novel, TWO PERFORMANCE ARTISTS KIDNAP THEIR BOSS AND DO THINGS WITH HIM a screwball dark comedy about a pair of performance artists struggling to make itis due for publication in Spring, 2014. The book was a firstround finalist in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, and is receiving great early reviews.

Come see this chaotic live show and leave with something new to think about.

Every Person Should Take An Improv Class

The first time I stepped into an improv class was February 2004. I had no idea what to expect. I had always been anxious in new situations, but I figured it was as good a time as any to come out of my shell. I knew that improv was the way to do that… and I was right.

I have been consistently performing improv comedy for the last decade. It’s one of my favorite things to do and my favorite subject to discuss! When we started Blacktop Comedy in Roseville, CA, I wanted to create a place where people could see great improv shows and where people could take a class and learn the benefits of adding more YES into their lives. Improv has made me a stronger and more flexible person, it has helped me in every aspect of my life... So, I want to share with you why everyone can benefit from taking an improv class.

1. Confidence! I’ll admit that it’s pretty scary to walk into a room full of strangers as an adult and do strange improv exercises. That's the idea I push when running warm-ups and games: everybody is in the same boat. You’re not the only one who looks silly– we all do! That’s a great way to look at life in general – we all have struggles, issues, bad days, good days and it’s kind of nice to realize we’re all in this together. It gives you confidence to know that you can handle almost anything.

2. No Fears, Find Fun! Improv pushes you to step outside of your comfort zone. To participate in the class, you have to go on stage but you’re surrounded by supportive classmates and a teacher who will cheer you on and motivate you to find your voice.

3. Say Yes! The philosophy of improv is the idea of “yes, and”. Not only are you saying, “Yes” but you’re also providing more information. By saying yes, you move action forward instead of stalling it. "And" means you add to the original idea. If you're saying no to new ideas... You could be missing out on so much! Basically, why do the same old thing when you're looking for something to do in Sacramento or Roseville Friday or Saturday night? Why not try something new... Say for instance a hilarious comedy club in Roseville. (I'm performing most nights!)

4. Social benefits! Get ready to make a ton of friends you never thought you’d be friends with... Improv attracts all types of people. And your life is going to be better because of it. Folks come from all over Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo County. It’s cool to get together with people outside of your main group of friends and bond over why you started taking improv classes.

5. Think fast! In an improv class, you’re not training to be FUNNY, your humor is natural, but you are training your brain to act faster. It’s a helpful tool for any situation.

6. Basically, improv is awesome. Even if you don’t want to be an actor, improviser, writer or performer – it’s a super beneficial skill to have and it's fun. It encourages you to let go of the fear and be a confident, risk-taking and positive person. All of a sudden, you’ll find yourself solving problems with ease and not turning down new ideas. You’ll have a whole new set of people to call when you want to grab a drink or two. And let's face it, you’re going to fail at some things… improv is going to make it so much easier to deal with. So, do it!

Take a risk, sign up for a class and get ready for a whole new outlook.

Join the fun this weekend at Blacktop Comedy's Intro to Improv Weekend Intensive. Register NOW.

My Top 5 New-Years Improvisation Improvements

I’ve never really been into making resolutions. I was great at breaking them. Of course, the size and importance determined the length of time that I could keep it up. I still have broken promises to myself from 1988. I finally gave up “resolution setting” as I realized I was continuing to set myself up for rejection year after year. If I wasn’t 125 pounds when I was 18, I sure wasn’t going to hit that now, seeing as I’ve passed 18 by a few years. But I accepted that and strived to be healthy instead. As I’ve turned my life towards goal setting as opposed to resolution setting, I applied that same theory toward my Improvisation. I find it amazing the things I’ve learned in such a short time, and with any skill, find myself frustrated with the areas in which I struggle. Like any art form, it takes a life time to master. When contemplating what I want to see from my own improvisation for the next year, I came up with my personal Top 5 key areas for improvement.

• Enjoy the Silence - Whether I’m in yoga class or improv, there is nothing as unnerving as silence. Those are supposed to best minutes in yoga. They have certainly produced some of the funniest results in improv. It’s almost a physical obstacle, as if my mouth can’t stay closed and I must break the silence. Therefore, in the coming year, I will work on improving the silence of my work.

• Give me a Break- Yep, I’m a giggler. I feel like I found something fun and funny and awesome and I want to laugh out loud. But, in the interest of maintaining a professional stage appearance, I’m going to work on not “breaking” on stage and rolling on the floor in giggles. I am currently, “mostly terrible” at holding it together, so my goal is to improve, period.

• What a Character- One of the most difficult things I have found since beginning my journey into improvisation is finding a character in the scene. Sure it’s easy enough to go out onstage and “be yourself”, or even be a different shade of yourself, but to become a completely different character is sometimes elusive. Recently I completed the Level 3 Improv, and have a lot of material to work with on this matter! We will see what, I mean who, emerges from that venture!

• We’re All In It Together- Simply put, I’m going to do my best to rescue, help, save, support or whatever needs to be done to ensure that my scene partner(s) feel supported 100% of the time.

• Pick Up An Accent – Maybe a little out of place here, but this one is on my “100 Things I Want to Do” List. It’s going to get interesting. It might be Venezuelan, it might be Greek, I haven’t quite decided yet. Most likely it will be British as I see this as the best excuse to rewatch all the Dr. Who episodes, starting with the 9th Doctor (war doctor excluded). So for now Allons-y and Geronimo!!!

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Lisa Wildman, a current Blacktop Comedy student, lives with her husband, two teenage girls, two dogs and a cat in the foothills of Placer County. Lisa enjoys Taekwondo, reading, time with her family, staying active, and most recently improv.