The Infusion Improv Explosion! is coming this Tuesday, August 26th, 2008, in London, England!

The evite is out. See it from my Future Events page, or simply click here.

And if you're in London, come on out!

 

 
August 24, 2008 (Sunday)

I am on the train back to London as I type this entry: I am coming back from a few days spent in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

I caught a number of comedy, improv, and theater shows, plus saw lots of people and even ended up in a couple shows. Of note, about 5 minutes after arriving on The Royal Mile, I started to film a clown-nosed street performer. Suddenly, he singled me out of the audience to join him in the ring he created on the street. I ended up being part of his act, and he paid me 5 Scottish pounds. I ended up giving it back to him as a donation, but it was quite shocking. Saying yes to it was all about getting immersed in this experience. It's been nice, and it makes me think about what needs to be done to bring improv out there.

As for the improv, I saw American improv and British improv. It's all pretty strong. One feature I saw different than how I do is in the solicitation of a suggestion. Both American and British improv groups were selective with the suggestions they got. They didn't go with the first suggestions they got from the audience. In some cases, they even refuted objectionable suggestions. One group would say "Ouch" to objectionable suggestions. Another group surprised me by objecting to the suggestion of "terrorism," which I figured would result in a brilliant scene.

I could use the words "filtered" and "unfiltered" to describe the two kinds of improv I saw. "Filtered" obviously refers to the kind of improv where you don't necessarily use the first suggestion you hear; "unfiltered" refers to the kind of improv where you go with the first suggestion you hear no matter what it is. I'm pretty much of the "unfiltered" camp, charged with the artistic responsibility of making amazing an improv show based on any suggestion. Being selective has its merits as well, but I'm not all that fond of the practice. It would be interesting to debate with improvisers of both camps about the merits of each approach.

 

Oh, the irony? Is that it?

The film I have a role in, The Accidental Husband, has already had its run in London, where I am now. Furthermore, I was in town when it was still playing, but since I didn't know London very well, I elected not to see the film.

It came out in London in February. It was supposed to come out in the USA in March. Then it got pushed back to July. Then August. Then, September. Now, I log on and it's been pushed back to MARCH 2009!!

Insane.

In case you want to keep track, bookmark this link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0809504/releaseinfo

 

 
August 26, 2008 (Tuesday)

Tonight I direct Infusion Improv for their debut public performance at The Clerkenwell Theatre in Islington, London.

The show is titled The Infusion Improv Explosion! See my Future Events section for more information.