We did a fun exercise last night. Probably something you can only do with somewhat experienced improvisors; not that it's not something that anyone's capable of, it's just that it requires a certain amount of telling the part of you that says "can't" to shut the fuck up, Donnie.
Partner prompts you with a single sentence on anything. It is then up to you to go on a high-speed rant on whatever they said. Faster than you can think. Just reflexively, emotionally spewing dialogue. And despite the circumvention of the majority of our higher reasoning faculties, I don't think there was a single thing said that didn't make at least some internal logical sense. And there were some real comedy gems. The instructor likened it to the difference between watching someone very slowly and deliberately place one for in front of the other and watching someone run headlong downhill towards some probable disaster. And since the #1 comment my team's coach gave me during The Circuit was "Stop thinking," it was good practice for me.
I've also started working on my own idea for a show. Everyone I've talked to, right up to the creative director for the theater, has been really interested in the idea. But it sounds like someone else did an "end of the world" show at UCB a few years back, so I need to look into that and make sure there's not too much overlap.
And hey, I'm going to Maine for a week of vacation next week. Some time to work on my own damn projects, at last.
