Improv Burnout and Teen Slasher

The cast of TEEN SLASHER 8: INSPACE!

Burnout happens. Nothing is immune! Even passions can feel like more work than joy.

I was there in Burnout City (not Burnout Paradise...which is a really fun game! Go download it on XBox...they just released a remastered version...and it sure is purty. I think it's exclusively on XBox. If it's on PS4, I apologize. I have no allegiance to XBox. Just go experience the game...but after reading the rest of this post of course. I think you'll enjoy it...the post...and the game….but let’s focus on the post right now. Onward!)

And, damn, the population always feels like one, right? When you feel burnout it feels like the world is moving at a different speed, and you wish you were there, but you don't know how to feel that again. All around me are people loving improv excited to perform, and here I am sitting there thinking, "I don't feel the spark." I wanted to be excited, I wanted to feel passionate, but you can't force it. At least, I discovered you can't force it. When you "attempt" to get passionate again, and it doesn't work, you just slide further down into burnout and disappointment.

And, then, a wonderful thing happened! I walked onto the Teen Slasher set! I felt so warm, and fuzzy, and excited. The team had transformed the theater into a giant tarp covered kill room. It felt like walking into an episode of Dexter. The theater stage was quarantined with tarps.

Jay, Kevin, Sydney, Dustin, Troy and Austin had worked hours on designing the space for a very special two night, blood-soaked spectacle called Teen Slasher 8! Kevin and Jay co-directed this years show, and together with the cast developed the vision. They worked together, and came up with something special.This year Teen Slasher takes the bloody good time to space. Like any good franchise, eventually, you put that series in deep space.. All the greats do it! Halloween. Leprechaun. Jason. Dracula Hollywood have even tossed some Killer Klowns into space!

When I entered the theater I was awestruck.

And...

...more then awe. I felt that spark, I felt that joy. I felt that, "wow. We can do anything in improv," feeling. You never know when it hits, but you never forget when it does. I’ve felt that way a few times. The first time was when I discovered long form improv. It was in San Francisco, and the team was Revolving Madness (they no longer perform...but damn they were fun). I remember walking away from that show saying, "you can do that?! That was amazing." That's how I felt walking onto the set of our Teen Slasher show, "this is beautiful, and amazing."

You can walk onto the set too, and feel all the feels. And, who doesn’t want to feel all the feels? But, your chance to feel the feels is fleeting!

Halloween, is your final chance.

You will laugh, you will be sprayed with blood*, and you will realize just some of the beautiful things you can do with improv. Will you be inspired? Maybe. Will you laugh? Definitely! Will you score some free candy at the box office on your way in? Of course! It's Halloween! Let's enjoy a sugar high together and watch improv comedy survival horror!

*We help you guard against that blood splatter by offering you the best in high-tech, space-age ponchos. Working closely with NASA**  and the CIA***, Blacktop has created a marvel in protective gear.

"But, Paul," you begin, "are these just garbage bags?"

"Garbage bags with 3 holes cut in them! That's top-shelf tech."

**NASA: Nurturing And Sassy Animals

***CIA: Collective of Interesting Apples

Video Games and Visual Cues

Playing video games will help you become a better improviser!

Wait! Before you say, "that's preposterous," and go watch cute kitten videos, hear me out. The kittens will always be there! Well, so will this blog, but still. Just hold on. I promise this will make sense! And, if it doesn't, you can sit back smugly in your chair and think, "I knew his ideas wouldn't make sense. I just knew it!" Everyone likes being right! See. If you stay, and learn, you made the right choice. And, if you stay, and don't learn, you'll feel vindicated. You win either way.

I recently completed Dishonored on Xbox. It's an incredible game, for a number of reasons, not least of which is how much information it silently communicates. Dishonored is all about surviving a unique world. You're a "dishonored" guard, who happens to be a pretty incredible assassin. You're out for revenge. And.......

'Start!"

That's all you have to go on. Better escape the jail cell, and do it quietly. How do you do that quietly?

You crouch. You're told how to crouch. Get used to crouching, because you're sneaking around a lot in this game. The guards never know where you are, and you want to keep it that way.

When you're playing from a first person perspective, however, going from standing to crouching is a minor perspective change. A few inches really. In the heart of a battle, and you're trying to slip out quietly, do you remember if you're already down? Am I standing? It's so hard to tell!

Well, it would be hard to tell...but the design team are silent geniuses. They knew the player needed some visual clues. The player needs a height hint. So they decided to change the blade. When you're walking around upright, you hold the blade upright and when you're down low, the knife is folded back, along your arm. You're ready to strike, and you're educated! You know you can duck out of the room unnoticed because you have a clear visual indication you're crouching.

It's a visual cue that saves you a lot of frustrating guesswork.

Do you leave your improv audience to frustrating guesswork? You might. We all might. Visual cues are invaluable in a show.

When we're creating an improvised world at our Rocklin theater, the audience is much like a gamer, thrust into a unique situation. Like a game designer, we, the players better give the audience some information. It doesn't have to be verbal. We don't have to turn to an audience and tell them, "here's the table, and the family photo that makes me cry is sitting right here. On the table." It can be nonverbal cues. Pick up the photo, and tear up. Put it down, and leave the room. When you enter the room again, cross over to the table, pick something up and begin to cry, the audience will assume it's the picture again. The audience is smart, and is looking for patterns. X means Y. Reinforce it. Play with it. Help the audience. It'll probably help you in the scene too.

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.