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It practically gallops!

Jam-A-Lama-Ding-Dong

The improv jam that closed out the first-ever Gatlinburg Improv Fest was a little more intimidating than I expected. I knew not to volunteer for “Alphabetical Shakespeare Should-Have-Said” but I did jump on-stage for the Irish Drinking Song alongside James Newport, Diane Harmon, Dan Buck, Tyler Langford and Chase Padgett.

Later, I went on-stage without knowing what I would be doing and found myself in a four-way dubbing scene with three others. We each provided the voice for someone else in the scene. I had to speak for a member of Shenanigans while also lip-syncing to whatever words were spoken by Chase Padgett.

We had another good Einstein Simplified show at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening. Obv-Prov and Shenanigans turned in solid long-form performances as well. For me, the highlight of the night was a show by Reasonably Priced Babies, a troupe from Asheville, North Carolina. The members have been doing improv for at least 20 years and their remarkable expertise was apparent the moment they took the stage. RPB performs at The Magnetic Field about once a month. I hope to catch their show the next time I’m in Asheville.

February 26, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

The Long and the Short of It

Einstein Simplified performs at Gatlinburg Improv Fest - 2/25/12 The performances at Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre during the second day of the Gatlinburg Improv Fest were very different from each other. The student-group Shenanigans used a theatrical style that included blackouts at the end of each scene. Obv-prov performed a long-form game known as a Harold. The group I’m in, Einstein Simplified, did short form comedy improv, sometimes referred to as “barprov.”

I was very impressed with Shenanigans, which consists of students from Lee University. They did a long-form scene that they called “Spork River,” in which each actor established a distinct character and a relationship to their fellow characters. Their coach, Dan Buck, is also a member of Obv-prov.

Before their Harold, Obv-prov did a game that generated a movie title and slugline followed by a scene from the imaginary film. To make it more interesting, two improvisers had to speak simultaneously to create the movie titles. Two other improvisers had to speak one word at a time to say the slugline. The remaining two had to act out a scene. They repeated the process several times, shuffling the pairings each time.

Einstein Simplified performs at Gatlinburg Improv Fest - 2/25/12 Einstein Simplified had the last show on Friday night. We perform again today, starting at 6:30 p.m. In a game called Rewind, Paul Simmons and Dave Fennell were fishing. I swam through as the fish they hooked. We repeated the scene twice, using different styles: science fiction and vaudeville.

February 25, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

And They’re Off!

The Suspenders of Disbelief made their debut performance at the Gatlinburg Improv Fest last night. The majority of the troupe members work at Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre, where their shows are mostly scripted. The cast seemed to revel in the freedom of improvisation, while competing in a style similar to ComedySportz.

James Newport served as emcee for the show. He is the creator and director of the Gatlinburg Improv Fest and had experience teaching and performing improv in Milwaukee, Orlando and Washington, D.C. His wife, Krisha Newport, is in the cast at Sweet Fanny Adams. She is the link that led to that venue hosting the new festival.

The four performers were divided into two teams of two. Chris MacPherson and Tim Coleman were called “Old School” while Krisha Newport and Jeremy Gregoire were called “New School.” The team names were a funny reference to the improvisors’ relative ages. After both teams had done a scene, James asked the audience to vote for the scene they preferred. The winning team received five points.

My wife suggested that the team format might be a good idea for Einstein Simplified to try at a corporate gig. I agree that it would be a good way to quickly engage an audience that isn’t already familiar with the players. We’ll stick with our regular format at our weekly Side Splitters gig and in our two shows this weekend at the Gatlinburg Improv Fest.

The Gatlinburg hospitality industry is being supportive of the festival. There are posts about in on the Space Needle’s website, on a cabin rental site and on the official City of Gatlinburg site.

February 24, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Samedi Gras

St. Joseph School Mardi Gras - Fr. Chris Michelson plays "Helping Hands" Today might be Mardi Gras but my wife and I celebrated on Saturday at St. Joseph School’s fundraiser gala. Fr. Chris Michelson asked me to serve as emcee. I made announcements about the silent auction items, the buffet line and the evening’s entertainment. A highlight of the night was when Fr. Chris played the improv game “Helping Hands.” Mary Jane Pitts, the parish secretary at St. Albert the Great, provided the hands that smeared shaving cream on Fr. Chris’ face.

St. Joseph School Mardi Gras - guitar autographed by The Band Perry My wife bought two items in the silent auction: a tub of Fr. Chris’ homemade chocolate-chip cookie dough and a package of Regal movie tickets and circus tickets. Fr. Chris conducted the live auction. Some of the items he auctioned off were dinner with Bishop Stika, a week at Waterside condos, and a guitar autographed by The Band Perry. They threw in tickets to see The Band Perry and Brad Paisley in concert next month. Jennifer Morgan, who is a host at Perry’s Estate Jewelry TV, donated an amethyst bracelet, which she modeled during the auction.

The recorded music during dinner included some great zydeco tunes. After the auction, the ChillBillies took the stage. One of the band members is Judge Tim Irwin, who mentioned that he is an alumnus of St. Joseph School.

February 21, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | 1 Comment 

Self-Improvment Seminar

James and Krisha Newport of the Gatlinburg Improv Fest and Laurence Evans of the Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre were my guests on the East Tennessee Report that airs this morning. You can listen to a podcast of the show by clicking on the play button below.

In addition to the who/what/when and where of the festival, we talked about the rules of improv and how they can be applied to everyday life. Parts of our conversation were inspired by the books “Truth in Comedy” and “Improv to Improve Your Business,” which includes the Ten Commandments of Improv.

The Gatlinburg Improv Festival runs Thursday through Saturday. I will be there to perform with Einstein Simplified on Friday, February 24 at 9:30 p.m. and on Saturday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. I am especially excited about performing in my first “improv jam” with members of the other groups attending the festival.

In other improv developments, both Einstein Simplified and our “home field,” Side Splitters Comedy Club, have been nominated for a 2012 Inny Award from the Improvisation News. Einstein Simplified is in category #4, short-form improv. Side Splitters is in category #14, best venue.

Frank Murphy Interviews James Newport, Krisha Newport and Laurence Evans of the Gatlinburg Improv Fest Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

February 19, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Take Your Valentine to Work Day

When Valerie Day, the CEO of Haven House, asked if Einstein Simplified could perform at the event she was planning, we couldn’t say no. By adding two part-time troupe members, we were able to field a team of five improvisers at Side Splitters for our regular gig and five more at the Capitol Theatre for “My Funny Valentine” to benefit Haven House.

Because it fell on St. Valentine’s Day, Valerie said we could bring our wives to the party. I knew that it would make for an odd date night since I would be on stage and my wife would be at the table but she was okay with it. Besides, we got to enjoy a delicious prime-rib dinner and my wife bought some raffle tickets to support the cause.

I did not anticipate that I would get drafted to make some announcements and to be the auctioneer. I was happy to help, since it raised another $1,400 for Haven House. One person bid $400 to have lunch with Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell. Another person bid $1,000 to be the personal guest of a family that has reservations to stay in the lodge atop Mount LeConte.

I wore a third hat as a correspondent for SMOMOtv. When I arrived, Taz Cable had our new mobile unit set up outside the theater. He interviewed several guests and participants, including Dave Fennell and Greg Huff of Einstein Simplified. Taz had me interview Valerie Day about Haven House. The footage will be online later today at SMOMOtv.com.

February 15, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Go for Purser

Kaihla Dailey introduced us to a new improv game last night at the Riverside Business & Events Center. “What’s in Your Purse” is a game that she played at the Ventura Improv Company in California.

The setup is fairly simple. Put two chairs on stage and then get two women in the audience to surrender their purses. Two improvisers sit with the purses in their lap and dig in. They base their characters on things they find in the purses. Dave Fennell and I played the game last night. He found sunglasses and lip gloss. I found reading glasses (a/k/a cheaters) and two types of headache medicine.

Kaihla and I plan to play “What’s in Your Purse” again on Tuesday. It will be an unusual night because half the troupe (Brad Bumgardner, Roy De La Rosa, Mike Richardson, Paul Simmons, Dave Snow)  will be at Side Splitters , which is offering a special $40 buffet package for Valentine’s Day. The rest of us (Kaihla Dailey, Dave Fennell, Greg Huff, Aaron Littleton, Frank Murphy) will be performing at the Capitol Theatre in Maryville for a charity event called “My Funny Valentine” that benefits Haven House.

February 11, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

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