Coincidence Improv Offers New Teen Improv Class

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Registration is now open for Coincidence Improv's first class for teen students. This seven week class will meet Sundays from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and begins September 25th.  Junior high and high school students will learn the fundamentals of unscripted theatre in a fun and safe environment, and the final session will be a showcase for friends and family. . 

Instructor Colin Thornton has taught young actors for the past six years at Children's Theatre of Mason, as well as for the past two years at Dramakinetics. He has written and directed dozens of plays for children, most recently "Junie B. in Jingle Bells Batman Smells" at Center Stage Players. 

This is a perfect class for young actors who are funny, quirky, playful, and creative -- and for teens who aspire to strengthen those qualities in themselves. Sign up now!

Better Brain - Better Improv

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When I improvise, I like to be as alert and focused as possible. I know that my job on stage is to react to my scene partner with mindful awareness.. Anxiety, stress, fear, and daydreaming can all create major interference with living moment to moment. A performance can quickly be derailed by brain fog caused by anything from lack of sleep to stress from work. 

I'm sure there are many ways to give your brain a temporary tune-up, but here are the tools that have been helping me think clearly. Maybe one of these ideas could work for you...

1. Calm App - I'm a big believer in mindfulness, mostly because I'm a big believer in science. Among it's many benefits, Mindfulness Meditation has been proven to: reduce depression, increase focus, reduces stress, and enhance relationships. I prefer guided meditation, the best of which is Calm, an app that has all the free content a person could need for meditating.

2. Carlson's Fish Oil - This one might be a placebo because the science is mixed on the benefits of fish oil. All I can tell you is that I feel like a spoonful of Carlson's lemon-flavored fish oil makes my brain feel instantly lubricated. I love that Carlson's Fish Oil has been tested and found to be very low in mercury, which you can't say for the cheap capsules made in China. The taste is surprisingly delicious and fresh. If you decide that fish oil is right for you, consider the benefits of paying a bit more for a higher quality product.

3. Cardiovascular Exercise - No kidding. The evidence that exercise can reduce brain fog and increase cognitive ability is massive.  As a science advocate, I often have the benefit of meeting scientists who dedicate their lives to researching and understanding a given topic. Jamie Hale is one of those who knows exercise science backward and forward, which is why I hired him as my personal trainer. Check out Jamie's article on how exercise not only strengthens your body but also your mind.

What are you waiting for? Hop on that treadmill and exercise that brain! 

What are you waiting for? Hop on that treadmill and exercise that brain!

 

 

So, that's what works for me. What do you do to keep your brain in peak performance for a show? 

AJ Recommends Coincidence Improv Academy

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Thank you to Abdallah Jasim (AJ) for the kind words about Coincidence Improv. AJ is a stand-up comic who has earned himself quite a following on Instagram with videos that are filled with hilarious characters and insightful satire. He walked into our Fundamentals of Improv class and asked if he could test it out. By the end of that class, he was hooked!

Coincidence Improv Academy: Register Now for Fall Session!

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Good news! Registration is now open for fall improv classes:

Never taken an improv class? That's OK! Dip your toe in the water with Improv Fundamentals and learn how to improvise in a fun and safe environment. Students say this class is the "highlight" of their week. Add some joy to your week and register now!

Already have improv experience? Great! There are two excellent classes to help develop the foundation for scene work and to delve deeper into long form improv! Level 2A: Characters and Relationships is Coincidence's bread and butter. You'll complete this class knowing how to quickly establish a strong character and how to create dynamic, meaningful relationships. 

Some improv scenes are so good that they seem pre-scripted. This is often through the use of scene "game". Level 2B: Game of the Scene cultivates an improviser's awareness of these scene games and the ability to explore and heighten them. This class will not only help you improvise better, it will help your writing and comedy skills too. 

Parents will be happy to know Coincidence now offers a class just for teens. The class will develop the talent of young actors and improvisers, and enable them to learn and perform improv in a safe, fun environment. The teen class will utilize many of the same games and exercises as the adult class, and each session will have two teachers for extra support and guidance. 

Each of these classes will be held at the Dramakinetics classroom in Northside. Any questions? Contact coincidenceimprov@gmail.com. See you soon!

Don't Miss IF Cincy!

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Our friends at OTRimprov are once again producing an amazing improv festival featuring acts from all over the country: September 7th - 10th. We love the IF Cincy festival and showed our support by being a sponsor.  IF Cincy has been so popular in years past that every show has sold out. So, buy your tickets as soon as they become available. 



Wednesday September 7th features two teams that were incubated at Coincidence shows: What it Ain't and Killer B's. What it Ain't is the duo of Dylan Shelton and Erin Ward. They are playful, they are honest, and they have great chemistry. I worked with Dylan and Erin at Madcap Puppets one winter at the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights. It was apparent that they were both quick witted, genuine people. So happy to see them continue to play together.

Jon and I will perform on Thursday, September 8th at 7:30 as the Coincidence Improv house team! We will be doing the roadtrip form that had it's debut at Urban Artifact. Unfortunately, we will be missing Tatum who has an internship with Playhouse in the Park that takes priority. We're also excited to see our friend Chris Smyth perform with The Middle Child.

Friday September 9th is filled with headliners. Jon will be back on stage performing with all our friends in OTRimprov. You can expect OTRi to make joyful, high energy choices and to make the evening feel like a party. Friday will also be an evening of long-form improv. Several groups are visiting from Colin's alma mater iO in Chicago.

Saturday September 10th is going to be huge with workshops all day and performances at night. Brilliant improvisers Craig and Carla Cackowski will be performing as the duo Orange Tuxedo. You will want to see them. Also, I'm excited to see Stefan Gearhart, a friend from my college improv team (HappyGAS) who is performing with his Louisville team Damaged Goods. All you need to know about them is that you will be laughing during their show and smiling afterward. They are truly entertaining!

Coincidence Improv Jam at Esquire Theatre's "Don't Think Twice" Premiere

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Anyone who loves independent movies and/or improv comedy will want to see the new movie by comedian Mike Birbiglia (writer/director "Sleepwalk With Me"), which premieres locally at Esquire Theatre on Friday, August 19th.  Birbiglia's movie is all about the interpersonal dynamics of a fictional improv team. The movie stars (my buddy) Keegan Michael Key and features excellent improvisers like Second City veteran and Girls writer/producer Tami Sagher.

Coincidence Improv is excited to be hosting two improv jams at Esquire's showing of "Don't Think Twice" on Friday, August 19th at 7:30pm and 9:40pm. Improv jams are a great place to try improv in front of a kind and supportive audience. Anyone who arrives 30 minutes before either screening can sign up for a limited number of slots to play one of our fun improv games -- no experience necessary. Of course, participation is optional. You're always welcome to simply enjoy the fun as an audience member.

Mike Birbiglia's inspiration for creating "Don't Think Twice" was the idea that the art of improv is a great equalizer. You don't have to be on SNL to successfully play an improv game; you just need to have the spirit of a child. Hope to see you at the jam! 

The Killer B's: 5 Half-Truths About Yourself

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Brady

ONE - I'm a 12 foot tall woman.
TWO - I can juggle 6 balls
THREE - I've been to all 100 states
FOUR - Bobby and I once fought to the death.
FIVE - I have a LOVE/hate relationship with marijuana.

Bobby

ONE - I have not showered for 32 days at one point in my life.
TWO - I have a LOVE/hate relationship with Brady
THREE - I dressed as Tarzan for most of my third year on earth
FOUR - I can do a 360 dunk
FIVE - I make my own yogurt

THESE ARE FIVE THINGS!!!

The Killer B's: Five Drinks or Drinking Games That Don't Exist

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Bobby Moran and Brady Bunch are ready to unleash some unfiltered comedy on August 8th at Urban Artifact. All week we are asking them to improvise a list of five things in a category... today's category is "Drinks or Drinking Games (That Don't Exist)...

Bobby:
ONE - The Salty Dog (shots taken off of a dog)
TWO - Banana (Beers and Bananas 1 for 1, winner stays standing)
THREE - Hump the Stump**
FOUR - Santa's Friend (Shots of 151 with a Reese Egg)
FIVE - The Wizard (Someone is elected the wizard and they have to act like a Wizard while drinking)

Brady:
ONE - the flying pig (Whiskey shot with a bacon slice)
TWO - The big red machine (grenadine and tequila)
THREE - burning beer (Bacardi 151 & Beer)
FOUR - Cincinnati kid (Captain Morgan shots from a baby bottle)
FIVE - laughing leprechaun (THC infused Shamrock shake)

THESE ARE FIVE THINGS!!!

The Killer B's: Five Things You Love About Cincinnati

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Bobby Moran and Brady Bunch are teaming up for a killer show at Urban Artifact on August 8th. All this week, we are going to ask the Killer B's to play the "5 Things Game" where they list five things in a category. Today's category... "Name 5 Things You Love About Cincinnati"

Bobby:
ONE - The Reds
TWO - The Bengals
THREE - Skyline Chili
FOUR - Improv
FIVE - The Ohio River

Brady:
ONE - Pete Rose
TWO - Graeters
THREE - Neil Armstrong
FOUR - The Icky Shuffle
FIVE - Employment Opportunities

THESE ARE FIVE THINGS!!!

Remembering Improviser/Ghostbuster, Ryan Kemp

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In the years when my college improv team had dwindled to a handful of performers, one dedicated and passionate guy kept the torch alive and rekindled the group into an unstoppable juggernaut of success. Thanks to him the group continues to exist sixteen years after it's creation. That guy was Ryan Kemp (his friends call him just "Kemp") an indescribable character who seemed to live as if he knew he would die young.

Kemp's life ended suddenly in a car crash last year, and I'd like to take a moment to remember him. 

After college, Kemp spent summers studying longform at Second City under many respected improvisers, including Susan Messing. He was known for his generosity, passion, and irresistible friendly nature. He filled every moment with purpose and meaning, constantly sharing his passions with those he loved. But he was also a goofball. I remember smiling when I heard he convinced Second City veteran Scott Adsit to recreate a classic photo from the Second City mainstage review, Pinata Full of Bees at the Chicago Comic Expo (Recreated photo below). Typical Kemp.

In addition to improv, Kemp absolutely loved Ghostbusters. He ate, breathed, and slept Ghostbusters, and he thrived on attending conventions and community events in character. Now that he's passed, there are pages and pages of improvisers and Ghostbuster-community friends memorializing and remembering him on Facebook. Ben Hagan of HappyGAS writes:

"(I remember) the shows he'd come and perform with us and still be in his jump suit because he just traveled from another [Ghostbusters] convention or children's hospital. And he'd perform in his suit and kill it, then set around and talk for hours after the show about everything. Then he'd get maybe two hours of sleep and the go for a parade or some other thing."

Kemp was that kind of person.

He was so beloved that after his passing, many friends sent tweets and emails to director Paul Feig, imploring him to include Kemp in the credits of the new Ghostsbusters movie - which is how he recently found his way into my thoughts. My daughters and I went to the movie recently, and sure enough... 

Kemp would've been absolutely thrilled. 

The world didn't only lose a great improviser when it lost Ryan Kemp. It lost a great human being.

Happy trails, Kemp. You are missed.

Justified Biography: Erin Ward and Dylan Shelton

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Erin Ward and Dylan Shelton are half siblings, but don't remind them of that fact. At the mere mention that they had different fathers, they will threaten to break your pinky. Though wild in their mannerisms and unkempt in their grooming, both have a nobility of spirit that belies their lineage; their mother is a direct descendant of president James K. Polk. 

I'm riding in an RV with the siblings on a trip to find Erin's estranged father. Erin is wearing overalls and a yellow Care Bears t-shirt underneath. She looks like Emily Blunt if Emily Blunt was strung out on methamphetamines. She is perpetually shuffling cards, a habit she picked up from her boyfriend Ivan, a magician in the Circus of Siberia. I notice that one of Erin's arms is dischordant with the other. I don't dare ask her about it.

Dylan on the other hand, looks like a cross between Paul Rudd and Chuck Woolery. It should be no surprise that Dylan is wearing capri pants and a coral colored camisole; he is notorious for sharing a wardrobe with his sister. Dylan bops his head in rhythym to the beat of "Aaron Burr, sir" from the Hamilton soundtrack. "My father is descended from that dude," he says proudly and with no hint of dishonesty. I can't hep but wince as he drives through another red light.

These two misfits are as unconventional as you can get. There is something adorable about their matching smurf tattoos inscribed with the ironic statement "Blue Lives Matter". I tell Erin that her tattoo is hilarious. "Fuck Gargamel!" she spits back at me. I literally swallow my tongue out of fear. 

We finally meet Erin's father at the prearranged location, a Waffle House in Rowan County. Glenn Ward is every bit the oddball that you would hope with his handlebar mustache and biker gang swagger. Erin hasn't seen him since the days her and Dylan were trapeze artists in a Russian circus. The topics are wide-ranging but fascinating. He wastes no time reminiscing about Olga, the third sibling who died on the trapeze. He surprises us all by declaring that he too is descended from a founding father, Alexander Hamilton. Finally, as we are finishing our covered and smothered hash browns, he goes into a tall tale about Dylan receiving an arm transplant from Michael Jackson and Andre the Giant. With this family, I am unable to discern between fact and fiction, and to be honest, I don't really care.

We hop back into the RV. It's a long ride back to my hotel room. I start to drift off as I hear the familiar sound of a shuffling deck of cards and the same Hamilton soundtrack on repeat, only this time they are both singing along. Not too many people understand Erin and Dylan, but after spending a day in their shoes, I don't want to take them off. Just leave me in this RV and let me travel the world as a modern day gypsy.

Nope. I don't get to be so lucky. I have a wife and a boss and deadlines. We all can't be free-spirits like Erin and Dylan, but we can dream. We can dream.  

 

The Many Metaphors for Long Form Improv

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When I describe long-form improv, I always start with the idea that it is more of a theatrical experience, but that description is an insufficient explanation. I always try to find a comparison because, especially in Cincinnati, the artform of long-form is new to most audiences.

A music metaphor would compare long-form to an evening of jazz, sophisticated and complex with artistry. Short-form is more like an evening at a dueling piano bar, more concerned with entertaining and bringing joy to an audience. Another great comparison to long-form improv is the true storytelling phenomenon sweeping the nation, filled with raconteurs who are often funny but also captivating, surprising, and emotionally textured. That would mean that short-form is more like stand-up, primarily funny but also true.

The upcoming show on July 11th at Urban Artifact will be our third in that venue. UA is a place that supports jazz, true storytelling, and in our case, long-form improv. People who have been to these types of shows know that when they are good, they are jaw-droppingly good. On the flipside, when they are bad the bitter taste can stay in your mouth a while. Our goal is to bring you a burst of complex and tasty flavors.

There is one true storytelling event at UA that I attended and recommend: Brain Beans. I attended their first event to give them support and practice my skills at spinning an honest yarn to a captive audience. I put my name in their giant martini glass and was picked to speak. I told one of my favorite memories of visiting Japan.

It's nice to have a place where you can try something like storytelling or long-form improv. Not all the local true story events have a component where audience can participate. I applaud Brain Beans for opening their stage to amateurs. C.I. also tries to give amateurs a chance to try long-form with our free workshops. Without this important component, the community that we are trying to create can't blossom into the thriving atmoshpere that we intend. Art must be accessible. OTR Improv has been doing this for years, mostly with their short-form jams that are fun and safe for everyone.

If you want to get started with storytelling, you would be smart to attend a workshop by our freinds at Rebel Pilgrim. See how it's done by checking out this video by improviser and true story producer Joe Boyd...

Ultimately, the styles of long-form and short-form both have qualities that make them worthwhile and fun for an audience. One style is not inherently better than the other... just different. What matters is that as an audience member, you understand the context of the show you attend. Whether it's a jazz bar or a dueling piano bar, you will have a good time, but you need to give yourself permission to process both styles differently.  

If you are the type that appreciates jazz and true-story events, you will love Coincidence Improv and you will love Urban Artifact. Come check out the many shows they offer.

 

 

 

"I Got Your Back"

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Improvisers often say the words "I got your back" before a show, but what does that mean exactly? Is it just an arbitrary sentence? Do we say it out of habit without seriously considering why the phrase is helpful? 

Our workshop student Kevin Habich brought our attention to this video featuring Keegan Michael Key. No, not THAT video. This one...

Keegan is a hero of mine ever since he gave my college team a private improv workshop at Western Kentucky University. When I moved to Chicago, I purposefully found a job as a host at Second City where I was able to watch Keegan perform every night on the e.t.c. stage.

One night, Keegan asked me to help him move into a new house, which was a BIG DEAL to me then, even if it isn't now. You know what I said? "I got your back!"

Later, I felt comfortable enough with Keegan to ask him to give my new Chicago improv team a workshop. Do you know what he said? "I got your back!"

The improv mentality is that you say yes to your teammates' ideas and you support them (get their backs). But, back to the question. Is it helpful to say "I got your back." before a show? Yes, if you really mean it and think about it. No, if it's just a habit that you don't really process. Second City Toronto veteran Rob Norman, co-host of the Backline Podcast, is not a fan of the phrase because he calls it a superstition that performers don't take the time to process. Check out the 16:00 mark of this episode...

So, don't just go through the superstitious motions of slapping your teammates on the back with a throwaway "... got your back, dude". Actually mean it and live your life that way too.

"The Highlight of My Week"

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The end of our "Fundamentals of Improv" class marks the beginning of Coincidence Improv Academy (or the CIA). We now move to the next phase where we continue to develop our students as they transition into the "Scenic Improv: Character and Relationships" class, while we also welcome a batch of new students who will soon enter the halls of Dramakinetics.

Are you thinking about registering as one of those new students? Are you on the fence because you're unsure if this is the class for you? Our student Kari Kelly was kind of enough to share her thoughts about taking her first improv class. This is the first in a series of interviews provided by the recent Level 1 students. Take a look...