HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SHOW TONIGHT?
JAMES: I don’t think we were quite on the same page for the Atlantic show. It might have had something to do with the fact that I got the suggestion while Griff was talking to someone else, and then refused to tell him what it was. We also played the reverse of what we usually do. I was the crazy one, and he was the one trying to justify the insane things coming out of my mouth.
Then we got the incredible opportunity to play with the Second City ETC cast in their set. And a huge thank you to those guys for letting us dress up in stupid costumes and run around on their stage. I’m not going to talk too much about the mechanics of the set because I was enjoying it too much to look at it with a critical eye. Those guys are so great at the unique form that is the Second City set. It’s not quite short form, not quite long form, but they have it all figured out. So, in conclusion, it was awesome.
GRIFF: Oh man I hated the first show we did tonight. Really over the top with the silly. The “flying farting space dog” I think Christy Bonstell calls it. Don’t do that. Just choose a thing you’ve said and play that out. We had very little emotional basis at the start of our set so I think we were kind of casting around for something that felt sturdy. HIGHLIGHT THOUGH! MY MOM SURPRISED ME!!!! She and my aunt sat silently in the back of the audience wearing spooky skeleton masks. James pointed them out when we took the stage and they still didn’t say anything. After the show one of them came up to me and said “did you say where’s my mother!!!???” and it was my mom. Oh, and our show was largely about me trying to figure out what happened to my mom. WOW! LIFE AND ART WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE!?!?!
Then the Second City’s etc cast was kind enough to let us play with them or their improv set. Holy balls it was weird. Very different from every show we’ve done this month. Those guys go hard and fast for the joke. I was a little overwhelmed and a lot in my head. I guess I was intimidated by the fact that I was performing with professionals who all know each other onstage very well. I kind of wish I had thrown myself out there more, but as a guy who hasn’t ever even auditioned at the Second City, I think I handled it fairly well.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT GRIFF / JAMES?
JAMES: He’s not afraid to go big with emotions, which is a great thing. There was a couple times that I said really off the wall things tonight, and even if he couldn’t think of anything to say, he would at least show me how he felt about what I had said. It’s a great instinct to have, and it makes playing with him so much easier.
GRIFF: James is very confident, or at least sure of who he is and how to operate. At the etc set his experience really showed. He wasn’t afraid to take the initiative and step out. I was thoroughly impressed. His brain doesn’t get snagged on “oh no what am I doing!?”. He spends very little energy on criticizing his contribution to a scene while in the scene. As someone who almost has an entire conversation with himself within the 10 seconds of a freeze scene, I am blown away by this. James is able to stay in the moment, while hearing everything and taking stock of it...usually. Our first show though, he played more like I usually do. Lots of wacky things that were unrelated but delivered with energy.
HOW DO YOU FEEL / WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT IMPROV?
JAMES: In our Atlantic set, we were real heavy on the plot and information about other people in the world. We just kept piling more and more info on top of the scene, when we should have just let it breathe a little more. There’s a balance that needs to be found between the banter and the emotion in improv, and we tipped too far in banter in this show. The thing that really makes me mad is that I did feel like I had an emotional connection to Griff’s character, but I didn’t say anything, even when he laid out the perfect opportunities for me.
GRIFF: Slow down and respond to what the other person said as honestly as you can without shutting them down. That is really tough to actually accomplish. You’ve got to remain present by not worrying about it all while still being aware of what has been said and the context. Also, it can take a lot of work to dig yourself out of your head. I’m slowly getting there, but it’s gonna be a little. I’ll update you when I’ve figured it out.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DINOSAUR?
JAMES: I think it’s called an Anklyosaurus. It’s the one that has the armored back and the big spike tail.
GRIFF: The Jurassic Park T-Rex. I used to run around elementary school roaring and snarling like it.
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