HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SHOW TONIGHT?
JAMES: We weren’t sure what we were going to do tonight. We didn’t have a show scheduled, but we took a shot and dropped in at the Underground Lounge to see if there were any slots open. Chris Fair, the Laser Man himself, swooped in and took us under his wing, letting us play with him. Now, four people (the delightful Michael Gau joined us as well) behind the canvas on the Underground Lounge stage can get a little crowded. I think that the show itself was fine, especially considering Griff and Michael had no idea they were going to be doing this and had never played the lasers before. There’s a lot that you can do with this form, I think if we ever do it again, we’ll let our imaginations run a little more wild.
GRIFF: Chris Fair’s Laser Improv Show is the most unique interaction between audience and performer I have ever been a part of. We stood behind a paint soaked curtain and drew the scenes and characters of the show. There were four of us tonight, (Michael Gau, Chris Fair, James, and myself) so it got kind of confusing. Sometimes one character would have three different voices. There are long pauses that feel like a problem if you’re used to seeing shows with just people and not laser drawings. I started to get a feel for the style right as the lights got pulled. I would love to the show again and take my time. There are some great chances for relationships to be built and pushed in this medium. I think we barely dipped into that tonight. I wish I had spent more time helping create other people’s stuff rather than trying to push the show forward. By design this show has to go slow and be allowed to breathe.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT GRIFF/JAMES?
JAMES:He needs to learn to trust his instincts. Of course with such a brand new and unusual form like this (for those unfamiliar, you stand behind a canvas and shine lasers on it. The canvas is treated with a chemical that causes the laser to leave a mark that fades slowly. So you literally draw the characters and scenery while voicing them from behind) you’re going to need some time to figure out what works and what doesn’t. But still. A lot of the time when we talk after a show he’ll say how he regrets certain moves, or he’ll ask if it was okay that he did other things in the show, or if he was being too heavy handed. He’s a funny guy, he just needs to believe it.
GRIFF: James is very confident and not overly self-critical. He knows when something could be better, but that never stops him from enjoying himself. He moves through a show like water in a creek, whereas I sometimes feel like I’m just running through the creek splashing water everywhere and killing fish. James handles that very well and I need to focus on getting there. I think it comes from his four years more of experience, but also just his general demeanor in life. He doesn’t struggle against things.
HOW DO YOU FEEL / WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT IMPROV?
JAMES: This is less about improv as an artform and more about the improv community, and it’s a little sappy. It was amazing that tonight we just wandered into a place, and were able to get onstage and do a show. We weren’t booked, we didn’t know who the other acts were going to be, we just kind of threw up a hail mary and hoped for the best. And it worked out. The Chicago Improv community has been so supportive and helpful through this month. I can’t imagine that you’d be able to do this 31 Day challenge in any other city.
GRIFF: For me, this show was an exercise in seeing what happens when you don’t commit fully. If you jump in and try to make a joke with laser drawings you are stuck with the consequences for at least three minutes while it fades. By the end of the show our canvass was filled with dim scribbles and the bold outlines of the last things said. It looked like Pollock…but if Pollock liked to draw penises, werewolves, and castles. It’s actually a great representation or metaphor for the audience’s experience and the show at large. If you can look back at the trails of the sub-layers of the laser drawings of your show and still understand what everything is, then you’ve probably had a very focused show. I need to do more shows that have like three great drawings rather than fifteen stick figures of me with muscles and a huge penis.
THREE WEEKS DOWN. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
JAMES: A nap and some peanut butter. No, peanut butter before the nap.
GRIFF: Acceptance and love and a spot on a Harold team and a TV writing job where everyone’s like “Yo that dude’s hilarious” and then they decide to fire the current cast and replace them with me. All of them. We can use split screen like in the Parent Trap. Then I win an Emmy for best guy in anything ever.
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