Previous week here.

This week's concept: unifying principle is what I have written down, but I don't have too many notes on it. We played Mind Meld again, but I still hate that game.

Overall notes:
* If you repeat same beats on analogous 2nd hit-can do same pattern but use different logic, character
* Come out with justification and pattern at the same time
* Brian said, “I’m very satisfied with this class.” Yay for that.

The rest of the night was more Harold performance.

Group 1:
Monologue 1: kids weren't allowed to play on the nice lawn
Monologue 2: “He said that I have armpit fat.”
Monologue 3: In high school, one guy was in Cabaret playing a stripper and they had a very nice revolving set that they had to move in the dark. “On my hands and knees in the dark with the other strippers…” and then the curtain ripped. “High schoolers can’t be trusted with anything.”

Set 1A: We're not gonna sleep on the new bed. “There are no bed gods, only Gwyneth.”
Set 1B: She thinks her neck is too fat.
Set 1C: Dude at the gym says, “as long as I have the ambition I can do anything,” then does bad weightlifting.
Group Scene 1: various destroyed things on the lawn like the broken sprinkler speak, saying things like "my brothers of the lawn." Those foul children!
Set 2A: Don’t use the car, but make it look used.
Set 2B: Someone came into Foot Locker with too big feet, very dramatic difficult shoe removal involved the words "get a hacksaw, I can see why you’re concerned…"
Set 2C: Knights dueling, as long as he has the ambition...
Group Scene 2: the kids are gone for the summer and the lawn implements are fixed, "I'm a new gnome..." then the kid returns.
Set 3A: A meal we can’t eat now, we just take pictures on our phone. The guy says, If I live with you, I’m gonna die!
Set 3B: At the dentist: “What are you going to do with this picket fence?” “Nothing with these tools!”
Set 3C: Spider-Man on building, crashes.

Brian's notes:
* Focus on “this one time” stories in monologue
* Try not to argue in scenes. She’s been like this for years (the woman who won't use the bed).
* Shoe removal was a bit much, plus was supposed to be about covering up, too many unusual things
* We don’t want 2-hit Harolds-have at least 3-4 hits before you cut.
* “I can tell when someone has a great pattern because everyone wants to hit it at the same time.” The first group played like it was a war zone.

Someone asked when we'd be cut off on stage: either on the "crazy town" moment in scene 3 of the third beat regardless of the time, or just at the 25 minute mark if you're not close to that--they'll cut at the end of the scene.

My group (as usual, super sketchy recapping when I can't take notes on stage):

Monologue A: About knockoff shoe brands from Mexico being sold in San Diego.
Monologue B: Italian beef sandwiches as a gift
Monologue C: I did this one about my coworker making a racket all day long, especially while I was doing a demo for people and she wouldn't stop singing to herself and the people were laughing and not paying attention to what I was attempting to teach.
Scene A: Knockoff brands are the coolest! This required walkons in order to justify (I walked on to be a Beverly Hills snot but didn’t do so well because I don’t know any dang brands to care). “I think it was a smart move to walk on,” Brian said, but I took too long in that scene. Second beat lost the cool factor when they did knockoffs at Christmas , also played the same bad gifts being done in 3rd beat--but they did have a store named Skiffany’s.
Scene B: Late girl at funeral home gets what’s left over in the will. This one just kind of boiled down to a lot of fighting. “I had already committed to being kind of a douche,” the late girl said afterwards. You were arguing because you would be playing the reality, Brian said. In the second beat, they had a late drug dealer and were still arguing. Brian said, “Love each other!” Sometimes things don’t mesh and “f-it, we shoot that scene!”
Scene c: Two poor rednecks can’t afford gifts, so the son gets rocks and Bessie burgers -but the cow was my best friend! Second beat: he got a hay bale from the back yard and has leaf shoes. Third beat, he got $20 from the sale of the house and some advice-but I want a real gift! Good job!
Group Scene 1: I initiated this, I am a substitute teacher for orchestra but don’t know how to play, so screw it, let’s be an annoying orchestra making funny noises. Brian said it was a “fun choice” for me, but everyone else needed to come in one at a time. One guy decided to be a lone grounded player complaining about wanting to go to Harvard, and Brian told him to “play your b---hole next time” instead. I also appreciated the tip about where to stand in a situation like that-- next time, stand on one side and put the orchestra on the other side.
Group Scene 2: Annoying coworker meeting! Brian declared this a “clusterf---“ everyone was all, I know this pattern, everyone went in as loud as we could and not stop talking. We had a lottery guy, Kings fan, negative person (me), everyone had good ideas but all came in at once, that’s gonna happen sometimes. Brian suggests having board meetings and telling people not to be annoying so that they will be. “Let’s gangb--- the s--- outta this scene!”

One fellow pointed out the magic when both of you know the pattern and get where it’s going, throwing something out and having it be accepted.

In Brian's final lecture, he said this is fun most of the time and every once in a while it isn’t. We are all awkward people. “We are uniquely broken people,” we’re just willing to admit we have fatty armpits." We’re trying to do right by other people. Nobody here is ever trying to screw you. Treat each other like you want to be treated. Never take this too seriously.

He said he likes watching scenes, whether or not they're bad or if the magic is kicking in. Just keep plugging away and have a good time--it took him two years to get this many students (I think we had about 14 that night) in a room for a class, after all.

He also wants to start a 401 class, but it would be for established teams only. Darn it, that shoots me out. Oh well.

At Improv Jam that night, when one fellow was supposed to be at a sperm clinic, I went behind the curtain and faked it Harry Met Sally style, including calling out “Sheldon.” This led him to making jokes about “getting gas at the Shell station.” Yay.

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