Teen Slasher is Back!

It's time to grab a poncho, and head to Blacktop Comedy. Teen Slasher 2019 is here!

Teen Slasher is our annual blood-soaked love letter to horror films, and specifically teen slasher films. You know the type. Where teens are making lots of bad choices, taking showers at inopportune time, walking into backyards alone, and insisting, "there can't possibly be a killer in the neighborhood."

Well, there is a killer in the neighborhood, and he/she/they are different every night at Teen Slasher! Every show is improvised. Every killer is different and inspired by audience suggestions. Yes! Your choices help our improvisers live, die, and... just maybe.... get help. It's always a new show full of surprises. Live comedy where everyone may not make it out alive. And, this Halloween, it's getting sequel-y-ier! The director, Jay Miller, came up with a brilliant idea for this years show.....sequels. Every Slasher is a sequel to a fictional original film. That's right! You'll be watching an improvised sequel to a movie that doesn't even exist.

Who would undertake such a...ummm....undertaking? Six incredible improvisers: Christina Duran, Kevin Scott Brown, Austin Jansma, Jay Brundage, Jason Alviar, and Jessica Deprez.

I had a chance to sit down, ask them a few questions about improv, horror films, and what they've learned creating Teen Slasher the Halloween Improv Horror Comedy Spectacular that Shan't Be Missed (a working title I suggested and Jay Miller, correctly shortened).

1. How long have you been improvising?

Teen Slasher photo shoot fun. We got some looks at the park.

Jessica Deprez

Christina Duran (CD): About 1.5 years

Jessica Deprez (JD): Since 2007

Jeff Brundage (JB): 2 years.

Kevin Scott Brown (KSB): I started doing it in my Freshmen year of college, in 2001, but I didn't start taking it seriously until 2006.  

Austin Jansma: (AJ):  I started improvising in late 2015; so probably 4-ish years now.

Jason Alviar (JA): Since 2016, so about three, three-and-a-half years or so.

2. How did you get started?

Austin Jansma

CD: My mom found a facebook ad of blacktop and I went to Thursday (game night at the time) playground.

JD: I wanted to take a class to help me through a difficult grieving process. The person who had passed had been egging me to take an improv class for years because they thought I would really enjoy the class. So I enrolled as a way to heal. And it turns out that I was pretty OK at it in the beginning. 

JB: I originally took a class to help my stand up and ended up enjoying imorov more than stand up. 

KSB:  I had just been dumped by my first ever major girlfriend and a lot of my friends at this time were theater majors so they made me go to their improv club to have fun and forget about my problems. After that, I was hooked. 

AJ: I started attending Blacktop comedy to progress in my journey as an actor.

JA: My partner would go to Blacktop’s Improv Playgrounds and I would sit in the car waiting for her.  Then one day I joined in and haven’t stopped.

3. So many people are scared to improvise, and think, “I can’t do this.” Initially, when you started, did you have to push past fear? How did you do that?

Kevin Scott Brown

CD: Because my first improv experience was a playground there are more games and everyone knows how to interact with a game. When I started doing long-form I was more at ease because I knew my scene partners would support me and I would support them so it's less scary with a kind of friend.

JD: Oh dear, yes! I was TERRIFIED. I had anxious breakdowns before class because I was afraid I wasn't good enough, or people would hate what I said, or did. Or I would offend someone beyond belief. It was a lot of EGO and FEAR that dominated my thoughts in the beginning. The way I pushed past that fear was becoming open and vulnerable with my fellow classmates. We were all beginners, and as it turned out, we were all a bit terrified! Building up trust helped me get through those first few classes. 

And SURE. I still get terrified, and I still get nervous, and I still have moments of 'oh-mi-gawd-im-gonna-be-terrible-and-everybody-hates-me', but in the end, I know that whatever happens on stage, I will 100% have my fellow performer's and audience's backs, and they will 100% have mine.

JB: Absolutely, I still have to push back fear but it’s a lot easier now. I just remind myself that it’s going to be fun and I trust my brain and team to help me if I get stuck.

KSB:  Yeah. I would say so. It was a combination. You can't push pass it alone. You need the support of the people around you. You also need to believe in yourself and believe in the people your on stage with. 

AJ: Well, even to this day I have a little bit of fear, or pregame jitters, before getting on stage to perform, and I think that's healthy. But once I’m up there on stage, the fear starts to just roll away. Now have a job to do - have fun and support my friends on stage.

JA: I’m a naturally introverted and shy person, especially when it comes to new things and new people. But the moment you just let loose in front of supportive people (especially the folks at Blacktop) it gets easier and easier, and eventually, you just forget about being afraid and focus on having fun.

4. Teen horror films always seems to have that one moment the audience rolls there eyes and says, “why would you do that?” What was a moment when you were a teen you look back on and think, “why would you do that?”

Christina Duran

CD: Trying to take part of my high school boyfriends' extracurricular and hobbies even though I hated most of them like biking so I could spend extra time with him even though I pretty much knew he wouldn't do the same to spend time with me.

JD: Hooboy. Ok. I was the kid that refused to take off their black leather jacket in class. It might've been 'cool' if I was fashion forward, or I wasn't constantly drowning in my jacket. I was legit cold, nearly ALL the time. So you would've thought 'GET A BETTER SWEATER' but oh no. not me. I mean. Why do I need a better sweater, when I have a perfectly good leather jacket laying around?!

JB: I had long blue hair for a few months

KSB: Man. That was so long ago. I remember going on a date to the State Fair and we walked (since neither of us had a car) to the Arden Mall. It was a long walk and not the best date, overall.  

AJ: I did stupid stuff to try and impress people that I would never see again thinking it would make them like me.

JA: One time my friend and I were play fighting before 9th grade English, and I kicked him square in the nuts. I didn’t mean to, but I look back and think why were you play fighting in the first place? And why in English? Why any of it?

5. What would be something someone would be surprised to know about you as a teenager?

Jeff Brundage

CD: I took defensive driving after I got my license so I got to go on a training course to drive trough cones backward and hydroplane on a skid pan.

JD: I performed approximately 150 hours of community service every year.

JB: I was in band for a year. 

KSB: I didn't go to any of social events (dancing, sports games, ect) at my school, expect homecoming in my senior year. I was at home playing Goldeneye and babysitting my brother.

AJ: As a teenager I hated cats. I currently have one sitting on my lap and I’m loving every minute of it.

JA: I went through a really “emo” phase in 11th grade, I had a long bang, wore tight band shirts and skinny jeans. I would play sappy pop-punk songs on my guitar.

6. What’s your favorite horror film?

Jason Alviar

CD: The Orphanage (2007).

JD: A Tale of Two Sisters, directed by Kim Jee-woon has had the honor for a re-heally long time.  

JB: Devils Rejects

KSB:  Of all time? The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). For a more modern film? Rosemary's Baby or Get Out.  

AJ: That’s a very hard question. I have a wide range of horror films in my collection for different reasons. I have almost every Sir Alfred Hitchcock film because I believe he was the master of misdirection. I also have a lot of classics like The Exorcist, Friday the 13th (1-4), Silence of the Lambs, and much more. If I had to choose a favorite though, I would go with American Psycho.

JA: As of late, I’ve been really digging the Scream series.  But all-time favorite would have to be the original (and maybe the second) Paranormal Activity movies.

7. Teen Slasher has been around for eight years! And this year Jay Miller created some all-new, and it sounds brilliant. Every performance is an improvised sequel to an original movie ...that has never been made. The audience supplies the title, and you and the cast perform the sequel to the movie. I can’t wait to see the show. What attracted you to being a part of Teen Slasher?

CD: I like all the shows at blacktop. Jay and playing with blood make it extra special.

JD: I've always wanted to participate in Teen Slasher since its inception! I love the horror genre so much, and it is such an honor to be cast this year.

JB: Someone messaged me and told me I should audition so I did and here I am. 

KSB:  I really enjoy bringing something new and different to the stage that people haven't seen before and making lasting memories. Even though we been doing it for over 10 years, I enjoy the challenge of making a show that feels fresh. And there's the blood. The blood is fun.  

AJ: i had watched Teen Slasher for 2 years prior to joining the team and it always looked like so much fun. You can see the cast members smiling and having a grand old time. Last year I had the honor of auditioning and being offered a part in Teen Slasher and what I had seen for 2 years was so true. It was so much fun! You could be the hero, the villain, or some random character that moved the story forward. Also, you got to cover the audience in fake blood. It’s like you are making a 3d horror movie. 

JA: I’ve been playing with most of the cast at some capacity since I’ve started.  Teen slasher also happens to be the first real genre show I ever watched at Blacktop. So when the opportunity arose to do it this year, I had to go for it!

8. What has surprised you during the rehearsal for this Teen Slasher?

CD: The amount of running.

JD: How much fun it is to pantomime blood squirt bottles to prepare for the real thing. I will apologize in advance for those in the front rows. I will probably get lots of blood on you. 

JB: How out of shape I am! We have been extremely physical in our rehearsals and I’m always winded and out of breath fast. 

KSB:  How well the cast has been working together and taking care of each other in rehearsal. We all really do have each others back out there. 

AJ: One scene comes to mind between me and Jason. As Kevin entered the scene, he asked, ‘who are you talking to?’ I backed out of the scene as Jason’s back was turned and it appeared like my character was a figment of Jason's mind. I love that all of that happened organically, which gave depth to the show. 

JA: The amount of imagination and creativity everyone has on this team, the choices we make when we’re on stage and on the sidelines are always fun and exciting.

9. What’s been your favorite death during rehearsal?

CD: A favorite death I died was when Jes slit my throat. But my favorite death was when people were being picked off and redressed as train conductor mannequins.

JD: Mystery bear traps from the darkness!!

JB: One time we kept killing Austin’s character right away as soon as he stepped on stage and it was very funny and enjoyable. 

KSB:  Oh man. There's been so many. I would have to say the one where Jason's character was   decapitated by a bear trap and Jessica’s character holding him, saying he's going to be okay for like a minute. But he was missing his head.    

AJ: There was a scene where everyone was a ghost and we were all spinning around Jason and Christina chanting “WE NEED ONE MORE!!!”.

JA: We were doing a teen slasher that took place at an old summer camp and Austin kept coming back as characters that would keep dying by beartrap. 

10. I saw the pictures from the photoshoot. You and everyone in the cast are covered in blood. Any tips on getting blood out of clothes, hair, or skin?

CD: Cold water for clothes, and patients for getting it off the skin because it's not coming out the first time.

JD: We...we use fake blood. Are you asking about real blood? I don't... fake blood you can wash out with cold water. 

JB: The blood came off fairly easy in the shower. I still have a little blood in my pants so I’m looking for tips myself. 

KSB:  One. Don't wait. Get it cleaned sooner than later. Two. Soak and wash. Three. Wash, wash, and wash again. It will come off. Give it time. Four. Don't dry until your sure it's clean.    

AJ: Clothes: still working on that one, but I hear a cold-water rinse is the trick. Hair: shampoo x2. When it says rinse and repeat- actually rinse and repeat. Skin: Old Spice body wash and a loofah

JA: For clothes, you just soak in cold water and run the machine, hair you use shampoo. Skin. Skin has been the trickiest.  At the time of writing this I’ve had blood stains on my skin for about two days.

11. What's one tip you would give another improviser interested in genre work?

CD: Watch a lot of movies of that genre and note all the tropes.

JD: Watch movies and plays in that genre Read books! Talk to people about the genre! All base genres also have subgenres, so learn enough about the genre to know which ones really strike a cord with you. And of course, PLAY. You may discover something way more special to you through play than research.

JB: Have fun, stay out of your head, and the rest will come together.

KSB:  Be in love with the genre. It's hard to do something like this without having a love for the source martial that can transfer over to the stage. I really do love movies and espcally horror movies and this is my way to “contribute” to that culture.

AJ: Research the genre, figure out what the tropes are and play to those character types. Also, rehearsal is amazing; never take it for granted, play and hangout with your friends

JA: Know the genre as best you can, be confident, and trust in your team.

Local Things to Do

At Blacktop, we've done a lot of shows. Westerns, musicals, improv games, horror comedies, romance. A lot of stuff.

One thing we've realized, is people love seeing local spots in Sacramento and Placer. When you bring in a location from Sacramento, when you mention the State Capitol or Arco Arena, or Rocklin High School, people immediately get excited. I think people like the familiar, and a shared experience. Bring up Studio Movie Grill in Rocklin, and people immediately think, "I know what that looks like!" There's comfort in knowing the improvisers and the audience are seeing the same thing.

So, that got me thinking, what is around Rocklin, Roseville, and Sacramento that would get an audience excited? What are those local touchstones. If you're ever producing an improv show, I strongly encourage you to take one of these suggestions, or situate a scene in one of these locations. People respond instantly!

Places in Placer:

Thunder Valley Casino
Golfland Sunsplash
Pavilions
Galleria Mall
Del Oro High School Football Stadium
Hidden Falls Regional Park
Miners Ravine Trail
Finnish Temperance Hall
Quinn QuarryFarmers Market

Places in Sacramento:

Tower Bridge
Tower Theater
Sutter's Fort
Good Day Sacramento Set
Sacramento Convention Center
Scottish Rite Temple
B Street Theater
Decades Costume
Crocker Art Museum
The new site for the Sacramento Kings. (It used to be called Downtown Plaza, but according to the Sacramento Bee it'll will be called Golden 1 Center)
California State Fair
Crest Theater
LowBrau
Faces
Sacramento Auditorium

If you could add something to the list, what would you add? Where do you like going, and what would you like to see onstage?

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.