Previous week here. Administrative note: I'm trying to get all these entries up months late and frankly, I don't remember all the details from the sketchy notes, so I'm leaving most of this in here without uh, any explanation.

Audition news: 16 showed up last time (I thought it was 30+?) and at least seven got cast. Only 4 slots are open now. Next auditions will be 3 months from now and they plan to expand heavily at that time. You can’t get on if you don’t show up. If you don’t make it, it’s not a reflection of your skills, just keep getting on stage (at Jam, whatever). He is getting some new rental space at the Clara performing arts collective/Capital Stage. They will offer us discounted acting classes soon.
If you want to retake another class, let Brian know and he will give you a discount. Wish I’d known that earlier (though I might be the reason for it), though I did get a discount on my third class for other reason.
They do 3 month reviews of performers and they made the guy who was doing Ma href="http://fullmoon.diaryland.com/072816.html">repeats a few weeks ago go back to training. They’re still letting new Gordon teams work things out, though.

Your default response to anything on stage should probably be yes.
Warmup: (a) count to 20, (b) I, you, we, because (people like this one).

Harold 1:
Monologue A: a shooting mechanical pencil staple gun staples at the sub. (“in 6th grade, you’re a dick.”)
Monologue B: making giant blow darts in the military. Hit a bird and stuck it in the wall. Killed it. “Watch where you aim shit.”
Monologue C: sister made a blow dart, field hockey camp stowaway. Bat flies in dorm room, she sneaks out and gets bat to slam into her metal sheet, takes it out. Outed.
Beat 1a: dude hides under desk giving wrong answers to other guy during test.
Beat 1b: old man senior in college stowaway. Prove you are a student.
Beat 1c: stowaway cruise
Group 1: cool tough substitutes who cuss and threaten violence
Beat 2a: stowaway guy behind him at wedding. I repeat myself. Backup guy runs out of what to say.
Beat 2b: same grandpa at Coachella (note: people are repeating mentions of Nixon). “Oh, the tiger finds another in the jungle!” he says upon finding a grandma there.
Beat 2c: first class experience as a stowaway in baggage claim
Group 2: redneck Olympics. Potato gun shot put, cousin kissing, can’t wait to tell our mom, pissing on liquor store.
Beat 3a: space stowaway
Beat 3b: “I know you young people love your anarchy, so I came to this riot.”
Beat 3c: cardboard casket with tinfoil.

Notes:
Don’t do cancer scenes
The teacher in beat 1 should have noticed something was wrong
Wedding should have had him messing up
3rd beat was all yelling
Too much space scenes in third beats (in general)
When writing plays: come in late, get out early. Senior should have started at the party.
Stowaway cleaned up nicer in plane. Funeral home got her out of being an entitled stowaway like in other two, made it unable to heighten.
Group 1 was good, but standing in line
Group 2: more commentating, “we always edit in group piss.”

Harold 2:
Monologue a: redneck paintball
Monologue b: teacher afraid of alien invasion had tons of locks on her closet
Monologue c: teacher told kids shoveling snow was a privilege-janitor says only bad or dumb kids do it.
Beat 1a: dad puts a chastity belt on his son for prom
Beat 2a: I date the son, grope him at prom around the ruler between us, shoot back at dad
Beat 3a: It’s our wedding day, give me the key to the chastity belt!

Beat 1b: guy thinks aliens do everything, like spend his money
Beat 2b: and his cigarettes. And set his trash can on fire.
Beat 3b: his car blows up

Beat 3a: guy talks kid into doing chores at school
Beat 3b: at grocery store
Beat 3c: clean swords and you won’t have to kill yourself!

Group 1: aliens at prom, I initiate and dance like the robot, i.e. Roomba
Group 2: alien infiltration goes horribly wrong, kinda went bad with a mention of chipotle and we just ended it.

Brian had to leave on time, no notes tonight, supposedly e-mailing them later.

Okay, here’s what he e-mailed:

Getting a suggestion: Take your time. Ask for the suggestion. Thank the suggestion giver. Take a breath. Turn. Talk to your team: "I heard..."

Editing: make sure that when you edit it is right after someone has made or attempted a hit on the pattern. Remember, scenes are usually 4-6 hits so don't edit really early.

Buzz words: Rape, Cancer, Aids. If your scene idea contains these words you should reconsider. Instead of, "I want to protect you from rape." Maybe, "I want to protect you from high school boys going through puberty." Rape is never funny.

Group Scenes: Remember that Group Scenes are scenes. If you put them in a location then you will be less likely to end up standing in a line or half circle just TALKING about the pattern.

Do the things you are talking about.

I think everyone is doing a good job. I would like to see everyone take their time initiating scenes.

Say your pattern and then play your pattern and make sure that we justify unusual. (Both players are responsible.)
Know each other.
Agree at the beginning of the scene. Avoid Conflict.
Play equal parts reality and unusual.

A pattern is just a person with laser like focus on one interest or belief. Be that character. Act like that character. Stick to that character.

At Improv Jam, I played a firefighter being trained to save houses, not people.

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