Who Directs Our Halloween Improv Comedy Teen Slasher?

Don’t miss teen slasher this year. Only 4 performances!

Learn more about the man behind this years improvised Teen Slasher: The Sequel Jay Miller is the director, and I had a chance to ask hima few questions. He has some great insight into improvising!

Jay Miller has survived a lot of Teen Slasher shows.

1.  How long have you been improvising?

I’ve been improvising for just over 9 years now.

2. How did you get started?

I was introduced to improv through a high school drama teacher. When Summer rolled around, I stated looking for places to do improv outside of school. This led me to Blacktop’s Meetup page and I started attending the theater’s drop-in workshops.

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?

Fear and anxiousness were certainly barriers I had to push past when I started doing improv. The key ended up being trusting my teammates to support me. I learned that improv is a team sport and realizing I wasn’t alone helped tremendously. I still feel anxious sometimes, but I think that nervous energy catapults me into some very fun and interesting performances.

Jay Miller…..sexy black and white version!

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?”

Oof. I mean, I was a teenager, so I roll my eyes at pretty much everything I did back then. One example is my incredibly angsty MySpace page. I’m glad that site crashed and burned because I never want to see that profile again.

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

I wasn’t a people person in the slightest. I hated being the center of attention and avoided as human contact as much as possible. That’s still mostly true, actually, except for when I’m performing.

6. If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?

Tough one. I’d go for a sleeping bag and a tent. Might as well be able to sleep comfortably if I’m stranded!

“Did you just see that improvised show! I nearly died!”

7. What’s your favorite horror film?

You’re going to make me pick my favorite? Okay. If I have to choose, there’s a horror-comedy called Gravy (2014) that has a special place in my heart. It wasn’t a critical or box office hit but I’ve always loved it to death. If we’re strictly talking horror movies, IT (2017) is still one of my favorites. I’m a huge Stephen King fan and I think the 2017 adaption was incredible.

Honorable Mentions Treehouse (2019), Get Out (2017), Us (2019) Scream (1996), Cabin in the Woods (2011), The Thing (1982), Psycho (1960), Dude Bro Party Massacre III (2015) and countless others that we really don’t have time to list. Trust me, picking my favorite out of all of these is near impossible.

8. Why did you want to direct Teen Slasher?

Teen Slasher has always been my favorite Blacktop Show. Horror and comedy are my favorite genres, period. They’re both difficult genres to execute well but garner incredible audience reactions when done right. Doing both at the same time and succeeding? That’s been a dream of mine for a long time. Did I succeed? You’ll have to see the show and find out for yourself.

9. How many times have you been in Teen Slasher? What's been your favorite memory?

Geez. That’s really tough, considering my bogus memory. The closest estimation I can manage is that I’ve been in five or so years of teen slasher. This is our ninth year performing the show and while I wasn’t planning on performing initially, you just might see me in the Halloween night show. That would make six!

A Halloween comedy that offers a step and repeat?! We have it at Blacktop!

10. What has surprised you about directing  Teen Slasher?

It surprised me how much I had to sharpen up my communication skills to direct effectively and bring my personal vision to life. I’m good at communicating in other parts of my life, improv included but directing required a new level of communication entirely. I’ve certainly grown a great deal from it. 

11. You've been in five shows… So you must know, what's the secret of getting the blood off your skin and clothes? Any tips on getting blood out of clothes, hair, or skin?

Yeah, that’s always fun. Clothes require a cold soak, followed by a cold wash. No hot water. None. I can’t stress that enough. For skin and hair, you just need a few gentle washes. It might take a handful to get the reddish color out, but rest assured that you will!

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

The most basic advice I have is to learn to tell a story. Just about every genre comes down to telling a story, so understanding how narrative structure works will help you in every genre show you do. All that’s left after that is to learn the genre you want to perform by watching whatever you can to inspire you. Some genres tweak narrative structure a bit, so look for those changes and note any tropes you see popping up in those genres a lot.

In short, if you put in the time to understand the narrative structure and the specific genre you’re emulating, it’ll take you a LONG way.

13. Advice for future Teen Slasher directors?

Have a vision in mind and make sure you’re putting the performers through exercises that help them make that vision a reality. Also, make time to hear the performers’ ideas. They’re performing the show and might have insights that weren’t apparent to you. That was certainly the case for me!

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.

Teen Slasher Cast Interview

Last month we brought Teen Slasher back for it’s 8th season. This time Teen Slasher took the Rocklin audience to space!

Lots of murder, mayhem, and laughs ensued. I had a chance to sit down with the cast and ask them some questions about the performance, preparation, and favorite moments.

A lot of work goes into this improvised genre comedy! If you would like to see some pictures and videos from the show be sure to check out our Instagram.

What was your favorite kill during Teen Slasher?

Kevin:  It wasn't really a kill, but Troy's character during the first show was badly injured. He wasn't dead, so he crawled onto the stage, dragging himself across, and did it several time during the show and it killed me each time.

Dustin:  My favorite kill during teen slasher was a failed kill. Troys character was almost killed but never died and kept coming back crawling and dragging himself across stage. It was such a fun bit.

Jay:  That’s a tough one. We did one show where I was turned into a rat-man hybrid by Dustin’s character. I ended up eating Austin while Kevin (who was amazing on lights and sound) activated the blacklight strobe. Austin’s character was likeable and sympathetic, which made it a genuinely terrifying and emotional moment in which a character’s death truly mattered. It felt like a real, heart wrenching moment in a good movie and it stuck with me because of that

Troy:  In rehearsal we had an alien that would just make people explode.
So we had fun just bringing on random characters that would just be there to explode.

Sydney:  Oh, well during one of our rehearsals someone killed a monster with a giant condom.

Which has been your favorite character to perform and why?

Kevin:  While I wasn't a character this year, but I have done it in the past. I remember playing Chad, a jock, which was different for me since I am such a nerdy person in real life. It was a lot of fun to emulate that kind of person and confidence.  

Dustin:  My favorite character to play was Jays son that turned evil. It was a lot of fun playing with the transformation of the kid as he turned bad. I had a blast playing with the voice bouncing back and forth between sweet and innocent to possessed and evil.

Jay:  Les Talent was a joy. I rarely play villains or jerks, so playing an egomaniacal space captain on the verge of a psychotic break was a nice change of pace. Les ended up being the killer in that particular show, so I had the chance to get out of my comfort zone with a character.

Troy:  In rehearsal again I played an alien who could no longer feel emotions but

had them before. He had to make a choice to lose emotions and live or just die. It was interesting to see how that character felt about himself and other people after the incident that left him emotionless.

Sydney:  I have one character and he is a very old man. He's fun, cause he's sassy and usually has a storied past.

Tips for anyone looking to use fake blood?

Kevin:  If you get in on your clothes, make sure to NOT dry it in the dryer until the stain is completely gone. If you are not careful, the dryer can heat press the stain and it will never come out. Also, avoid getting it in your mouth.

Dustin:  Tips for using fake blood would be practice using it  lots before the show. I would also recommend finding fun ways to deliver the fake blood. My favorite was the water gun filled with fake blood.

Jay:  There are numerous types/brands of fake blood. Understand how yours works. If you’re spilling it (as opposed to using it as costume makeup), practice with it and understand how it sprays, whether it stains, etc.

Troy:  Practice Practice Practice. Know your blood capabilities and limitations. Have fun!

Sydney:  Either take careful precaution and... post-caution (?), or just be prepared to have everything covered in blood for the rest of all time.

What surprised you during your run of Teen Slasher?

Kevin:  The biggest surprise is was how quickly the cast was able to come together and put on an amazing show. We had less than 20 days from our first rehearsal to our first show. They all worked so hard and showed real passion.

Dustin:  What surprised me the most was how slippery the stage got with the fake blood. At moments I felt like a was doing blood ice capades.  

Jay:  No matter how many times I perform in Teen Slasher (this is my 6th year), the audience turnout never ceases to amaze me. Despite loving the genre, seeing full houses for every show was a huge surprise. Maybe October just gets people in the mood to see some bloodshed.

Troy:  Putting the Teen Slasher Genre into space was a more challenging than I thought it would be.  There were many ways to introduce a "killer". Rogue Alien on board. Or some biological mishap that changed crew members.  With no defined killer the story line could get a little confusing.

Sydney:  If you buy white pants from a thrift store, about 90% of what you find will be 10+ years old.


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

Kevin:  I would say there is a very delicate balance when doing genre work. It takes both researching the genre and experimentation. You need to be both truthful to the source material but also make it your own.

Dustin:  Genre work is a lot of fun. I would recommend anyone interested in working on genre work start by watching and researching the genre they want to perform. Make the plot simple and easy to follow. Focus most on the characters and relationship in the story they are most important.

Jay:  First, make sure you understand how to tell a story. Being a good storyteller will make any genre show easier. Second, understand your genre. Read it, watch it and absorb it as much as you can. Recognizing the tropes that pop up in your chosen genre means you can take utilize them to tell your story well.

Troy:  Focus on characters not plot. Keep it simple. Foreshadowing can be really fun.   Example: setting up rooms with weapons or different ways someone could die. Then using those things later in the show.

Sydney:  Do your research! Genre work is the same as anything else really, you just have to know what you're drawing from.