Tag: solo improv

  • Spotlight On: Solovela

    Spotlight On: Solovela

    Diane Jorge is an improviser currently based in Plantation, Fla. She will make her Countdown Improv Festival debut this year at the HCC Mainstage Theatre on Saturday, October 23 with her solo show Solovela. In this spotlight interview, Jorge discusses the genesis of her show, how it plays with some of the most common telenovela tropes, and whether there’s a rivalry between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

    We’re really, really excited to have you in the festival this year! Can you describe your show for us? What can audiences expect?

    Diane Jorge: Thanks for accepting Solovela into the festival! I’m really, really excited too! Solovela is an improvised solo telenovela. I get quick input from the audience, and I portray all the characters in a narrative that will give the audience passion, desire, love, revenge, betrayal, twists and turns. Tone Tata will be playing along, amping up the scenes with amazing music. There’s also lots of self-inflicted slapping, and I don’t go easy on myself. If anyone can bring me a bag of ice or frozen peas after the show, that would be great! Oh, and props, I won’t say more than that, but it’s really over the top and fun. Also, great cardio, I’ve lost 5 pounds since doing this show regularly. Thanks Solovela!

    For those of us unfamiliar with the genre, can you explain what a typical telenovela looks like? What are some of the standard tropes of the format. and what are some ways that you’ve found in your show to play with and riff on those tropes?

    DJ: Oh, where do I even begin? Telenovelas are very popular in Latin America. There’s so many different types of telenovelas: traditional poor naive girl meets rich man, teen-driven telenovelas, ones that take place on a ranch, supernatural ones, mystery ones, narco novelas, etc. but no space telenovelas?! I guess slap fights would be hard to do in zero G.

    If you’ve never seen a telenovela, first of all, definitely check out the video series Telenovelas are Hell from Funny or Die. The episodes are on YouTube. This is a series of videos that dissects the most iconic of telenovelas. It’s a very funny, Cliff Notes version of a telenovela. But this is how I see it: Imagine a daytime soap and multiply the melodrama by at least 1,000. The basic elements of a telenovela are melodrama and romance. Within that, there’s so many other elements that telenovelas are known for: long lost family, love triangles, star-crossed lovers, rags to riches stories, evil-ass villains, paranormal elements (psychics, ghosts), someone in the hospital with amnesia, incredible slap fights, praying to the Virgin Mary, leaving babies at orphanages with nuns and SO MUCH MORE. Let me put it to you this way: I have a two-page list of tropes that my friend Diana put together. If I list them all, this would make for a VERY long read.

    In terms of the elements I play and riff on, I really love the over-the-top acting and the melodrama. I love playing big characters. I love to turn everyday situations into the worst thing that could ever happen.  So, yes, I will be crying over spilled milk. I also like to defy stereotypes as well. For instance, there is a lot of machismo in telenovelas I saw growing up, and that is something I definitely flip on its head.

    What do you like most about genre-based improv? What do you find challenging about it?

    DJ: What I love about genre-based improv is the ability to really play with the elements of the genre and make them my own. I have so much fun playing with the telenovela genre. I don’t find this genre restrictive at all. Almost anything goes in telenovelas and I revel in that! I am a proud Latina and daughter of Cuban immigrants. I love that I get to share this piece of Latin culture with all sorts of audiences.

    I picked the telenovela genre specifically because these shows are such a part of my life. I have fond memories of sitting down in the living room after dinner to watch novelas with my grandmother and my mom. Every time I do Solovela, it takes me back to that living room with mami y abuela. In retrospect, I probably should have not been watching these as a child, but hey, I learned a lot of important life lessons. Like, always be on the lookout for a long lost twin, and how awesome hair looks blowing in the wind. Also, I am really familiar with the format since I work for a Spanish-language TV network during the day. So novelas are [kind of] my job also.

    I have three specific challenges with this specific genre. The first one is choosing what elements I will play with. Like I mentioned, there are so many!  Another challenge with the telenovela genre is that I want to have a balance of bringing in the tropes, but also modernizing them. I don’t want to just bring in the stereotypes without considering how far we’ve come when it comes to gender roles, what modern relationships look like, etc. We’re not perfect, but I think we’ve come a long way from when I was a kid. Finally, I have to pace myself. I am changing characters, I’m running around, I’m over the top. I always want to leave it all on the stage, but I gotta make sure I’m doing that at the end, not in the beginning of the piece.

    How did you first take the plunge into solo performance? And have you found that your solo improv work has influenced your ensemble work, or vice versa?

    DJ: Short answer: It took a long time for me to take the plunge, and it took a village for me to do it.

    Long answer: When I first took improv classes at Just the Funny (JTF) in Miami almost 13 years ago, LD Madera was actually my first improv teacher. I got to see the very beginning of what later became Together/By Myself (performing Saturday night of the festival on the main stage at 6:25 pm, by the way). I was wowed by his solo performances, and it always stayed in the back of my mind. I also saw tons of excellent solo shows during the Del Close Marathon many years ago. In fact, I saw TJ Mannix do his solo piece, and I was in awe of his show and his talent. So, when there was an opportunity to take a workshop with TJ Mannix at the Palm Beach Improv Festival (PBIF), I absolutely jumped on it. He helped me develop what we know as Solovela today. So one day, I signed up for a show at JTF called The Rumble, which gives two teams 20 minutes each to win the audience over. The winner goes on to defend the title the following week. It was so special because I got to perform vs. Together/By Myself in the first Solo Showdown of The Rumble. So, thanks to JTF, LD, TJ Mannix, Anthony Francis, Marisa Cutaia, and anyone that worked on PBIF in 2019!  

    Solo improv work has definitely made me appreciate the ensemble work so much more. Since I’ve been doing solo work, I always have to remind myself that there’s going to be someone who will be building the scene with me. To paraphrase something I’ve heard from Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto, I have to remember to bring a brick and not a cathedral. When it comes to improv, I’m definitely a pirate (based on Billy Merritt’s classification of improvisers as Pirates, Robots, or Ninjas). Argh matey, me don’t ‘ave t’ be a pirate all the time. Then again, solo work has challenged me when it comes to staying in character, which has helped me so much when I do ensemble shows now.

    In turn, the ensemble work reminds me of the importance of relationships between characters and how they feel about each other. When I do solo work, I want to make sure that the characters are grounded in emotion, even when I’m going over the top.

    You’re from the Fort Lauderdale area. Not being South Floridians ourselves, we’ve always wondered: Is there a rivalry between Fort Lauderdale and Miami? If not, how do we start one?

    DJ: I don’t know if there’s a rivalry per se. I am so conflicted because I was actually born and raised in Miami, but now live close to Ft. Lauderdale. In fact, I still go to Miami all the time to visit family and friends. I also perform down there a lot. Miami is sexy, sultry, and mentioned in rap and reggaeton songs. I’m sorry, but I haven’t heard Fort Lauderdale in a rap song.   

    A lot of people in Miami act like Ft. Lauderdale, and Broward county in general, is this far away land. Don’t start beef with Miami people, I just want them to come visit me in Broward once in a while. We have beaches and humidity too! 

    Finally, as you mentioned above, you work with our friend Tone Tata, whose father was inducted into the Countdown Improv Festival Hall of Fame in 2019 for some reason. (He won a raffle.) Do you have any guesses as to who will be inducted into the Countdown Improv Festival Hall of Fame this year?

    DJ: I love Tone Tata!! I know I call this a solo show, but he’s really another player in Solovela. He is a masterful musical director!  So I’m sure that his dad is totally Hall of Fame material. While I’m at it, attention everyone, I am in the running for the Countdown Improv Festival Hall of Fame 2021. I don’t know how this works, like who I’m supposed to bribe, but vote for me! 

  • Spotlight on: Steve Horton

    Spotlight on: Steve Horton

    Steve Horton is an improviser and comedian from Chicago, Ill. He will make his Countdown Improv Festival debut on the Commodore Stage on Saturday, Oct. 23 with his show Improvised Phone Calls with Steve Horton. In this spotlight interview, Horton talks about the genesis of his show, the differences between standup and improv, and exactly how much it would take to rig Atlas Improv Co.’s competition show “The Cut.”

    We’re super excited to have you with us this year, Steve! Can you tell us about your show? How did you come up with the concept, and what can audiences expect?

    Steve Horton: Oh hey, yeah, thanks. I’m excited too. Well, I’ve been exploring solo improv more lately. It’s fun to not have to listen to anyone else go on and on about what they think is funny. It’s like, hey! We get it! Ostriches are funny or whatever! I don’t know, I just feel like if my scene partner wants to keep doing scene about ostriches, I mean, after a while it gets old. I guess I just want to do improv that’s not about ostriches for once. Did I answer your question?

    The show seems to rely on people actually picking up their phones, right? Do you have contingency plans if no one picks up, or if the calls all go to voicemail?

    SH: Do you think that’s the case because it’s called “Improvised Phone Calls?” Because up til this point, it hadn’t occurred to me that I could actually call people with real phones. I guess that could work though. I’ll consider it.

    Your show sort of feels a little bit like it straddles the border of improv and standup, which is fitting, since you’ve got lots of experience doing both. How does your improv influence your standup, and vice versa? What do you find fulfilling about each?

    SH: Well, when I do stand up, I get frustrated that I can’t do emotional character work. And when I do improv, I get frustrated that I can’t do my witty observations about all the different books and DVDs on minimalism. Why are there all these books and DVDs on it? Seems kinda ironic, huh? (Pause for laughs.) Anyway, I guess the two art forms influence each other. To be honest, I’m also influenced by my ventures in screenwriting and even some clown work I’ve done. Heck, one time I was booked to walk around in a giant taco costume and hand out coupons for a taco shop. My point is my show is truly one of a kind. Did I answer your question?

    Do you have any pre-show rituals? How do you like to prepare for a show?

    SH: I really want this show to be good, so I think I’ll isolate myself pre-show and write out every line of dialogue and pantomime I plan on doing. This is my pre-show ritual for shows I want to do well at.

    You performed with Atlas Improv Co. in Madison, Wisconsin for a long time. Be honest with us: How much money would it take to rig The Cut? $50 per judge? $100? Everything has its price, Steve.

    SH: Are you suggesting I only won The Cut in 2014 because I bribed the judges? Because that’s actually the truth. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’ve hired a private detective to dig up dirt on every judge. And this dirt? It was dirty. Now the more astute among us might think I’m an idiot for confusing bribery with extortion. But, well, whatever.

    Finally, who do you think will be inducted into the Countdown Improv Festival Hall of Fame this year?

    SH: I just hope both teams have fun.

  • Spotlight On: Sweaty Dee

    Spotlight On: Sweaty Dee

    Sweaty Dee is a solo, character-based improv show featuring Randy Wood. In it, Wood portrays the character Jeremiah “Sweaty” Dee, a “clumsy, disheveled” attorney who is “a self-described ‘expert on most things.’” Based out of Seattle, Washington, Wood will perform in the 10:00 PM block on Saturday, August 15 at the 2020 Countdown Improv Festival. In this spotlight interview, Wood talks about solo improv, TikTok, and who Sweaty Dee will be voting for this November.

    Your real name is Randy Wood, but improv audiences know you best as the character Sweaty Dee — and soon, our audience will, too! How did Sweaty Dee come to be and what should people know about him?

    Randy Wood: I used to produce a monthly variety show called “Spectacular” at the now-closed Pocket Theater in Seattle. I would host the shows as various characters, and in between other acts, I’d do a short sketch. One of the characters I played was a super villain named “Skull Laytor.” In one one sketch, he finds that his castle is being repossessed by the bank so he hires the service of the worst lawyer of all time–Sweaty Dee. Sweaty evolved from that show into the character he is now: a clumsy, disheveled, and self described “expert on most things.”

    What do you love most about solo improv? What would you tell someone looking to try it for the very first time?

    RW: I got my start in performing by doing stand up comedy, so I got very used to performing solo. One thing I really love about stand up, and solo improv, is that you have total control of what’s going on in the act. If a bit is going south, it’s up to you to cut it short or take a new direction. It also forces you to be very in-tune with the audience because they are your scene partner. As for someone trying it for the first time — it can be very scary, but the wonderful thing is your voice, and your voice alone, is going to shine the whole set. If it seems daunting, but you want to try it, start with a super short set, like 3-5 min. And there’s lots of opportunities to explore this online right now, like FB or Instagram live. Go for it!

    You’re doing a lot of videos on TikTok. For those unfamiliar with the medium — like, for example, your festival producers — what is it, how does it work, and what do you like about performing on it?

    RW: TikTok is like a cross between Instagram and Youtube with an emphasis on trends. For instance, if a dance or piece of audio is trending, everyone finds a way to interpret it in their own way. There is an algorithm that helps connect users to your content (and you to other users). Also, I get feedback instantly (kind of like an open mic where people are constantly yelling out what they like or don’t about the act) from users in the comment sections of videos — which has really helped me hone my act. 

    Who is Sweaty Dee voting for this November? He seems like a guy who would never vote for a major party candidate. 

    RW: Sweaty Dee has been his own write-in candidate for every Presidential election since 88. 

    Finally, who do you think will be entered into the Countdown Improv Festival Hall of Fame this year?

    RW: Joe Exotic.

  • Spotlight On: I Win Improv

    Spotlight On: I Win Improv

    I Win Improv is a solo improvised game show featuring Jermaine Trice. Based out of Bethesda, Maryland, I Win Improv will perform in the 6:30 PM block on Friday, August 14 at the 2020 Countdown Improv Festival. In this spotlight interview, Trice talks about his format, the pleasures of running a virtual improv theater, and his favorite and least favorite game show hosts.

    I Win Improv is a super fun improvised game show, and we can’t wait for people to see it on Friday, August 14. How did you come up with the idea for the show?

    Jermaine Trice: I came up with the idea for I Win Improv in January of 2019. At the time, I was seeking a way to express myself creatively in a solo act while being interactive with the audience. Originally, I thought the show would be a cheesy, lounge singer bit that would not last longer than one or two shows. I likely would have continued down that path too. But, as fate would have it, I randomly saw a prize wheel while purchasing something completely different on Amazon. I knew immediately that this show had to be a game show. I purchased a small prize wheel and performed the 1st show a few weeks later.

    Was there a particular show or moment in a show when it all came together and the form just clicked for you? Or has it always worked from day one?

    JT: This format clicked for me when I watched some video clips from the first show. Everyone was so excited to come up and spin the wheel. I knew then that this was a show that I had to keep performing. So I bought a larger prize wheel and started giving out branded prizes.

    You’re a mainstay of the improv scene in Maryland and DC, having served on the board of the District Improv Festival, among other things. You recently founded your own space, The Improv Place, in Bethesda, Maryland. Tell us what makes improv audiences in your home region special, and how The Improv Place came to be.

    JT: I love to entertain people. I don’t feel comfortable in a large group unless I am on stage. My art is my voice. There are so many talented performers out there who go unseen and unheard. Their voices are silenced in the background and they never get a chance to perform and to be themselves. I was one of those people. I started The Improv Place as a stage for performers to express themselves creatively, without the need to pay for classes. The original concept was to have pop-up shows in different cities/countries with a “home” theater in DC. The virus obviously changed that. But honestly, having a virtual theater, I am reaching performers and audiences that I never would have reached in a physical space.  

    Do you have a favorite game show host? Alternatively, do you have a least favorite game show host?

    JT: Favorite: Bob Barker. I loved watching The Price is Right as a child. Least Favorite: Richard Dawson. How can you like a creepy guy who randomly kissed female contestants without consent? I mean, really? 

    Finally, I Win Improv is what all entrants in the Countdown Improv Festival Hall of Fame are looking to achieve. Who do you think will be entered into the Countdown Improv Festival Hall of Fame this year?

    JT: Cuzzins.

  • Spotlight On: Together/By Myself

    Spotlight On: Together/By Myself

    Together/By Myself: A Solo Improv Experience is a solo show featuring LD Madera. Based out of Coconut Creek, Florida, Madera will perform in the 7:20 pm block on Saturday night of the 2020 Countdown Improv Festival. In this spotlight interview, Madera discusses the genesis of his format, the link between improv and stage magic, and his choice for the 2020 Countdown Improv Festival Hall of Fame.

    We absolutely love your solo show, and we can’t wait for everyone to see it on Saturday, August 15. Tell us a little bit about how you conceived your solo format, and what you enjoy most about performing it.

    LD Madera: I became very fascinated with the concept of solo improv ever since I saw Jill Bernard’s Drum Machine. It was very inspiring to see, and since then I’ve always wanted to try it. It’s taken me some time to come up with a format I enjoy for this show. I tried it for the first time about five years ago, and in the beginning I had no format to it. I just kinda went into it with the attitude of “It’s improv, man! Whatever happens happens!” It turned out I needed to find something more structured, because I was feeling too lost. As the years went on, I educated myself more on what makes improv special. And so, I was able to conceive the show with the focus being more on the character’s emotions. I also had lots of help in creating this. It was thanks to many conversations with David Christopher and Mark Mochabee in Just The Funny Theater that I was able to create the format as it is today. It took a few times for me to lock in on what I feel works.  What I love about doing this show is that I feel surprised every single time. It really feels like being a kid and playing make-believe in my room creating different people. I also love the fact that I surprise myself every single time. The fact that things can happen that I could’ve never anticipated is such a thrill, and there’s a big rush that comes from doing solo improv. I always like to be adventurous when it comes to performing. I love trying new challenges.

    How did you come up with the title of your show?

    LDM: I had a few titles that I came up with. “Together/By Myself” came from the fact that when you see the show, you’re seeing people that are being brought together, yet the whole time I’m by myself. It’s a title that describes the show both artistically and literally. 

    Your improv philosophy is “Feel Honestly.” Can you tell our audiences a little bit about what that means to you?

    LDM: Certainly. To me, I find so much benefit to acknowledge what I am honestly feeling the moment I feel it. I once heard a quote that says “There’s nothing funnier than the truth.” And it’s so true!  You can either take time to process what just happened, figure out the best course of action, re-decide what your intentions are, etc., etc., etc… Or, you can just be honest with what it is you are feeling and let that guide you. I’ve adopted this phrase: Be less in your Head, Be more in your Heart. I can’t do anything in any scene until I know how I feel. And once my feeling changes, I can’t run from it. Even if it makes no sense. Improv is not a place of logic; it’s its own parallel universe where my emotions are in full control. All I have to do is let my heart tell me what to do, and as long as I allow myself to honor what I’m honestly feeling, I can never be wrong.

    What excites you most about performing online in this year’s festival?

    LDM: I’m very excited to be a part of this festival for a couple of reasons. First, I just love to be able to see friends again! I miss being with a community (any community!), and it’s so wonderful that this festival is bringing people together. I feel very excited to be among the great amount of talent that’s performing. All of this year’s performers are wonderful at what they do, and on top of that just all-round good people. I’m also thrilled with the challenge of doing the show online. How do you take a show where you’re on stage and active and in constant motion, and condense it all on a small frame in Zoom? I love the chance to do something new.  So I’m excited to see how I can make Together/By Myself into something that can be special for people, even on a computer screen.

    In addition to being a great improviser, you’re also a magician. We find this fascinating. How did you get into doing magic?

    LDM: When I was 5 years old, my mother took me to see David Copperfield when he came to town. I had never seen or heard of a magician before then. I became so captivated with that show, it left a huge impression on me. After that, it became a tradition every year to see David Copperfield when he came to town. For me, it was the big moment every year that I always looked forward to. It was more important than Christmas for me! I somehow knew this was something that was for me. So, since I was young I wanted to learn everything I could about magic. Performing magic naturally led me to want to be a stage performer. There’s nothing like the reaction you get from people when you do a great trick for them. I feel like improv is a great parallel to magic. In both performances, you amaze the audience with surprise and shock them with something unexpected.

    Finally, who do you think is going to be inducted into the Countdown Hall of Fame this year?

    LDM: Batman…….because why not!