Cheerleader of the Damned

Cheerleader of the Damned

( 4:31 PM ) Megan Pedersen
THE FINCHES

Last night marked the one year anniversary of Atticus Finch, Mark's second Incubator team. They are far and away a much better group than my team (Mark's first Incubator team) ever was. This is partially because they all like each other and have fun. We had a harder time with that stuff.

Anyhow, they had a very funny, well-executed show and have come a long way since their first foray on the Playground stage. They're up for membership at the Playground. I wish them the best of luck and hope the jaded members of the Playground don't screw a talented, dedicated team out of a spot in regular rotation as they have been known to do.

IT'S NOT ME REDUX

Joe's show has two more Sunday nights shows before we take a brief break and return (cast members schedules permitting) for another seven or eight weeks at a prime time spot of Friday nights at 10:30pm in July and August. They're really fucking talented and I'm glad that the theater was able to support an extension of the show this summer. Hopefully a more attractive show time will attract more audience to come see it, or come see it again.

1000 MONKEYS

opens in less than a month. I'm planning on stopping by a rehearsal this week to check out how the process actually works. It's pretty fascinating to hear about. Jen had the cast take a field trip to go play pool, in character, at a local bar. They had to get themselves from WNEP to the bar in character as well. Nobody got into a fight or anything, though I understand Fuzzy caused some trouble.

IMPROV PROM

was a success. Pictures are up on the Playground website. If you weren't there or didn't hear the story, ask me about Doug Diefenbach's wild ride.

NANCY HOWLAND-WALKER

is the new director for the Fall Showcase. Nancy directed the ever popular Musical: The Musical! and will be using her skills to create a brand new dramatic improv show for us. Details on auditions will be coming soon. #

( 10:43 PM ) Megan Pedersen
HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today the Playground turns five years old. Happy Birthday to us. In honor of the event, a brief history of the Playground, according to Megan.

THE CUE CLUB

Before the Playground had its own theater space, it traveled from bar to bar. The first of these was the Cue Club (now known as Cherry Red, formerly Philsophur's - man, do bars turn over in this town or what?). Long before I ever set foot in an improv class or an improv theater, I went to see a Playground show at the Cue Club. I was living with my roommate Kamie at the time, in my first Chicago apartment on North and Halsted, directly across from the Steppenwolf. Kamie and I were always looking for something fun, and preferably free, to do. One day I noticed an ad in the Reader for free improv shows - the deal was, you got in for free if you would provide feedback or "review" the teams playing. Fine, whatever. Free is free. So we go to a Playground show one Friday night. I honestly do not remember the teams playing, but I do remember that they were all pretty god awful. Kam and I were at odds to come up with balanced "reviews" because there wasn't much to work with. One of the guys from the second team came over to ask us how we liked the shows. We lied, finished our beers and vowed never to see improv again, even for free.

CUT TO TWO YEARS LATER

I obviously broke that vow and enrolled myself in classes at Improv Olympic. Like most new improvisers in their first six months at a training center, I was pretty die hard IO. Spent a lot of time at the bar, spent a lot of time with the buddies from class at other bars, spent a lot of time at Allison Bills place when the buddies from class were tired of bars and wanted to chill. Billsy and I got put on a team together fresh out of level two. We were the Sidewalk Ends. We were also eager to play with just about any group that we could.

On to the fateful day. The Incubator Auditions.

It is interesting to look back at life and see some defining moment that inevitably altered the course of your life. Ironically, the Incubators were mine. Had I not gone, I'd probably still be a hanger on at IO, sitting in the Hamlet Lounge, or I'd be out of improv and theater entirely, sitting on my much larger ass in front of the TV watching crap Fox sitcoms in my studio apartment. I'd still probably be working the same job at Northwestern as well.

So. The Incubators. I signed up to audition, thinking it would be good experience to audition. I actually didn't make the connection between the Cue Club and the Playground until much later on, which is probably a good thing. I went, I auditioned, I walked myself over to Joe Bill's class at the Annoyance and didn't think much of it. Was pleased to be put on a team, even though my coach sounded like a bit of a dick. His name was Mark Henderson. I had sort of remembered seeing him around IO, but didn't think much of it. Found out that Jay O'Connor and George Dickson, two guys I knew from IO were on the team as well.

We meet at the Gingerman to have a team meeting. I realize that my coach not only sounds like a bit of a dick, but he IS a bit of a dick. Jay and I walk to IO to watch the end of some improv version of a game show that Jason Chin was doing. We mull over actually staying on the team, given that the coach is an asshole. But stage time is stage time.

Kissing George (aka Lecherous Retards, Cowboy Killers, and eventually Dirty Sweet) was born. We lasted a little over a year. We had good times, bad times and downright craptastic times. Long after IO dumped me from the Schedule (which wasn't a surprise since I stopped taking classes), Kissing George and The Playground were still around. That team is where I met Fuzzy Gerdes, who is a super nice person, good friend, and helped me find employment at the Big Bunny.

In the next few months, amidst the Incubator shows and guest spots we had, I found myself kind of sucked into the volunteering aspect of it. First as a house manager, then as part of the On Site Committee. Fuzzy and I put together Big Bowl Of... my first attempt at producing theater. I went to Board meetings, I ordered lamps for the lights, I cleaned the theater. I was a part of the Playground. One day I came up with an idea for the theater - The Director's Series. Simple little idea about giving new directors a space to put up original shows. It got approved by the Board and from that point forward, I've been working and producing for the theater pretty much nonstop.

A lot has happened over the three years I've been there. We've grown a lot, our programming has changed, teams have come and gone, people have come and gone. It's a pretty amazing place to be a part of. I know I'm biased, but honestly - so much of my time and my life is connected to the theater and the organization, how could I not be biased? I love it. All of it.

Oh - I also have the Playground to thank for a pretty major part of my life as well... I met this crazy guy there that I happen to love very much and now live with. He looks excellent in a beerhat. We caused a minor scandal at the theater because he was my coach at the time. Funny how that doesn't really seem like such a big deal almost three years later. Mark and Megan, a Playground love story. (*gack*, it's just so sweet *gack*... I kid. But seriously. I kid.)

Happy Birthday, Playground.
#

( 10:00 PM ) Megan Pedersen
And now for something only minutely related to improv. The Improv Prom.

For those of you that are not improvisers or are improvisers that live under a large rock and don't get out much, the Playground Theater will be turning five years old on May 8, 2002. We have a big weekend of special shows planned and it looks to be a good time. The weekend directly following it (because we have special shows all anniversary weekend and don't want people to be left out of the fun) we will be hosting our anniversary party, The Improv Prom.

Why a prom, you might ask, since we're all grown up and high school has passed? Well, we have a school theme going at the Playground, with our shows, our outreach programs, etc. And, hell, we thought it would be fun to have a big cheesy theme party, with a big cheesy cover band where we could all dress up in cheesy attire, drink, dance, reminisce and generally have a good time.

It seems there are some in the improv community that have a problem with the idea of a prom. Probably due in part to some horrible scarring experience when that special guy/girl didn't ask them/go with them to their junior/senior prom, or they lost prom king/prom queen to the bitchy girl/guy that sat behind them in AP History, or they were antisocial or they couldn't dance or they went with their mom/aunt/therapist or they got drunk and threw up in the limo or they had bad acne or they did/didn't lose their virginity that night or whatever. We've all had our insecure moments, our embarassing moments, our angst. I know I had mine, though not related to prom. So let's take a moment, please.

Has everyone had a moment of reflection? Good. Now get over yourselves. You're not seventeen anymore. You're an adult. Let it go already. The Improv Prom is not about you and your angst. It's about the Playground's anniversary. It's about having a good time with people you may or may not know. It's about celebrating a milestone in the improv community. Hell, maybe it's even about having a good, no pressure experience at a *gasp* prom.

Is your name not on the Prom Court ballot? Write yourself in and get your friends to vote the same way. Maybe you'll walk off with a cheap tiara and bragging rights. I think I might just vote for Dave Colan's bike, Valentine.

Do you not have a date? You don't need one. You really, really, really do not even slightly need one. But if you're that hung up on it, ask somebody to go with you. I think Dave Gilley posted some excellent dating instructions on the ImprovChicago.com board just the other day to reduce stress and increase success of nabbing that special someone.

The simple fact of the matter is that whatever kind of party we threw, somebody was going to have a problem with it. If it was a black tie dinner, people that couldn't afford it would complain. If it was a regular throwdown at the Playground with a keg, people would complain that it wasn't special enough for the anniversary. If it was a party where every guest was given copious amounts of money just for showing up, I can guarantee somebody would bitch about not having any pockets to put their cash in. C'est la vie.

I am a geek. I have always been a geek. I was not and am not part of the "popular" crowd. Even so, I like getting dressed up and having a good time, whether it be high school prom, or a sorority formal, or a wedding reception or a costume party or whatever. I know many of you out there are also geeks. The event will be filled with people that are geeks. It's the prom the you never went to but are assured, with such a high geek population in attendance, to enjoy yourself at. Plus, you don't have to spike the punch, since the beer's part of the deal.

I've been with the Playground for almost three years now. I've performed there, I've produced there, and God knows, I've worked my ass off there. The next two weekends are a celebration of all the people that have made the co-op and the theater a possibility, that formed a community and worked so hard to keep it together and growing, for the last five years. We are celebrating an experiment that on all accounts, probably shouldn't have succeeded, but did. To all of you that have decided to stop by from whatever part of the community you call home, I thank you in advance for coming out to celebrate our achievement with us.

To all those of you with a negative opinion of how we choose to celebrate, I'm sorry to hear you won't be there. To each his own, I guess.

Vote Valentine the Bicycle for Prom Queen! #

( 10:01 PM ) Megan Pedersen

So I started to write a CIF post about three weeks ago and then I just never got around to finishing it.

CIF

It came, it went. I worked the Sketch stage with Mark for pretty much the whole weekend. He wrote a pretty good account of it all on the IRC. Check that out if you want details. Special thanks to Speedy for helping us out on Friday and Sunday; Jenniffer for working the box; our interns Stephanie, Matt, Paul and Blair; Mick Napier and Jennifer Estlin for doing Psychic Improv; Mike Ross and Second Helping for being such nice people to work with; Ike Barinholtz & Josh Meyers for a great show and for getting so many industry people to walk through the doors of the Playground; Kelly Kreglow for stopping by to show her support; and, of course, Mr. Don Hall, for being an underfed, unrested, all-around crazy bastard.

IT'S NOT ME... IT'S ME

opened last week. The show is really, really good. I was supposed to go tonight, but I'm sick as a dog. Joe did a great job on the form and the cast is so damn talented. I'm very happy with their work. Go see this show.

BEDLAM

closed last night to a sold out audience. The last few weeks after CIF picked up nicely, and the cast enjoyed some good crowds. They were a little loose last night with the lines and some things came out in the improv that don't usually, but that's what closing nights are for. Andy is one of my favorite directors to work with and the cast is full of very kind, talented folks. Except that Pete Fitzsimmons. He's a maniac.

In case you were there, yes, the guy sitting in the back row was the skinny kid from such films as Road Trip and The New Guy. DJ (the skinny kid) went to school with Mandy Price (Bonnie) and just happened to be in town visiting this week. That's one of the things I love about theater - you never know who's going to be in the audience.

1000 MONKEYS

Jen Ellison's show is cast and the first meeting is tomorrow night for her and the cast. This is actually the most Playground heavy cast since Dinner for Six - Matt Elwell (The Union), Fuzzy Gerdes (Miss Hawaiian Tropic), Jeff Griggs (Plain Cake Donuts), Mark Henderson (Black Sheep), Steve Lund (who's not in the Playground), and Andrea Swanson (Black Sheep). Everyone that came out to the auditions was really good - Jen had a really rough time picking her cast because there were so many different energies and talents. She's really excited to be working with this group on this idea, and I can't wait to see what happens. Cholley Kuhaneck is stepping up as the AD, adding a little more experience to her directing credits.

FALL?

Unfortunately, due to scheduling and CCC commitments, Andy Eninger isn't going to be able to direct our fall Series show, so I've got to find a replacement for EPIC in our schedule. I have a few people to follow up with, but hopefully I'll have something fleshed out in the next few weeks. #

( 11:02 PM ) Megan Pedersen

HOLY SHIT! I haven't written in almost a month. Completely unforgivable.

First off, I kind of fell off the map due to the stars aligning for three different shows all at the same time, which was quite overwhelming. I've been so busy casting things, sewing costumes, making copies, finding rehearsal space, paying for things, trying to get paid back for paying things, doing creative accounting to not bounce checks while waiting for said payments, sewing costumes, opening shows and just generally running around like a chicken with no head.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

We got reviewed by the Reader and got a blurb in the Sun-Times after our opening night. It was nice to see two reviewers in house when at times we have to fight to get anyone to come out at all. The Reader called us "distractingly abstract" and "painfully human". Cholley wants to have shirts made with that quote. The cast is having fun and we've been getting good feedback from our audiences the past few weeks. It makes me happy to see people post nice things about the show and the cast on the Improv Chicago board or wherever.

JOE BILL'S ASS 2

I have no idea what Joe's show will be called, so in honor of the infamous US Improv Festival premiere (and finale) of a performance piece directed by Joe that came together basically by pulling the idea out of his ass several hours before the show took place, I've been calling the next Series show Joe Bill's Ass 2. We cast the show about two weeks ago, before Joe and a bunch of people from Chicago jetted on down to Orlando for the second FoolFest fringe festival. Damn, we had a tremendous group of talent come out for the audition. It was a really hard choice to even pair the group down for a callback, but we managed to cut things down from around 45-50 people to 16, and then to 10 at the callback. A lot of people I'd never seen before because I don't get out to the other theaters around town as much as I should, and I was pleasantly surprised at a few of the Playground folks that I've never had come out for a Series audition before.

Pause for a momentary rant.

IF YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY PLANNING ON GOING TO AN AUDITION, DON'T SIGN UP FOR AN AUDITION TIME. WE HAD A WAITING LIST TO AUDITION, AND YOU BASTARDS THAT DIDN'T SHOW FUCKED OVER YOUR FRIENDS. THIS IS MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE EVER. EVER. I HAVE A SPECIAL LIST FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU.

Rant mode off. Sorry. I just really hate that shit. You'd think people would learn by now.

Anyway, the show started rehearsing this week. We'll be trucking along twice a week until two weeks after CIF when we open. Yay.

MORE SERIES STUFF

Finally managed to get the rest of the Director's Series looked at and voted on for 2002 by the Playground Board. I wanted to present the whole year's worth of shows in January, but we didn't have a Board meeting due to the all-member meeting. The proposed season passed, so in addition to Cholley and Joe's shows, we have Jen Ellison directing a piece for this summer, Andy Eninger working on his "EPIC" idea and the annual bout of Sybilization. It's nice to have things planned in advance.

MIDNIGHTS AND THE KITTIES ARE SLEEPING

Bedlam opened last weekend. Yay... I'm so happy that I can now resume a semi-normal sleep schedule and not have to sew loincloths anymore...

First off, after producing a gazillion improv shows, I kind of forgot what tech week was like. Especially tech week for a prop and costume heavy show. Bedlam is nowhere near as bad costume-wise as several shows I did in college, but it was close enough from my long stretch of improv nothingness bliss. Amanda Cohen, our prop and costume goddess, had to leave town to be with her mom who was having surgery the week before tech hit. While we had a marathon shopping day and got a lot of the damage done at wonderful places like Unique Thrift and Metro Crafts, there was still a lot of stuff to do before dress rehearsal.

Now I can handle shopping for stuff, especially cheap stuff, but I'm retarded at sewing. I can whip stitch with the best of them and remember glimmers of the four weeks of home ec from junior high, but that's about where things stop making sense. Christine Sinacore was gracious enough to loan me her sewing machine and only laugh a little bit at me when I called her about ninety times with stupid questions on how to use it. In the week before opening night, I sewed a complete fat suit, three Egyptian costumes, several sets of curtains, a courtesan-esque hat, and a few other minor pieces. My apartment sort of looked like a small tornado hit a fabric store. Mark was very tolerant about the fabric scraps; my cats enjoyed all the string.

I spent every night for a week getting stuff ready. I didn't get much sleep, so when opening night rolled around and I was a bit of a walking zombie. All that stuff doesn't really matter though because the cast is great, the show looks and sounds wonderful - Andy did a really good job on it. I'm happy with Bedlam, the Playground has a great first effort at a late night show and the audience seemed to have fun.

TERRORSLIDE

is coming this summer. Mr. Fancypants presents all the suspense of a good mystery, wrapped in the bone chilling thrills of a horror flick, seasoned with good old fashioned bits. Terrorslide. Midnights. Coming soon.

TIRED

So much other stuff happened in the last few weeks, but I'm tired and I'll have to get to it later.

Oh, and my mom thinks I'm weird for writing on online journal. Well, sure. I'm weird, but there's a lot stranger things out there than an online journal... #

Welcome to my newest journal about experiences producing shows in the Improv Ghetto.

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