Blog, etc.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T18:10:00Z

Well, friends and fans, last night we closed the premiere run of "To Mock a Killing Bird" as we prepared to ring in the new year - and we had a house FULL of folks to join in the hilarious crime solving. Poor Les Miserables may be dead - but I have a sneaking suspicion we'll be killing him off again in the future with more laughter and clues. Stifled radio stars, unpleasant playboys, losing fighters, rock stars, caterers, biscuits, and a big giant bag of celery soup for the homeless... it was a lovely run indeed!

I also have to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to sleuth with us! I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of folks who came out, and I really appreciate everyone's support.

So - new year, blank slate... what's on the horizon? Well, our friends at BFT are staging a powerful drama in January - Kindertransport. Check out their website at www.BFTonline.org for all the details. After that show closes, we'll be bringing some of our classic short-form improv to the BFT stage with another run of "Project Codename: VULCAN'S UNDERPANTS"!!! So - mark your calendar now for February 20 and 21, 2009. Tickets will go on sale later this month.

And while we're on the subject - we'll be back at BFT for no less than TEN PERFORMANCES in 2009!!!! I'll be posting all the details soon.

I'm excited everybody - and I hope you are, too. 2009 is going to be a funny, funny year!

-D

Casts Posted for To Mock a Killing Bird

2008-12-18T04:13:00Z

Well, the cast lists are up! For those of you who've been holding off buying your tickets to see when your favorite player would be suspected of murder, click on over to the box office and see who's playing when. Remember - Advance Tickets are only sold online or by phone before show day. If Advance sales have closed, tickets will be available at the door unless we specifically post "SOLD OUT" on the box office page.

Also, congratulations to Anne Crawford, the winner of the pair of free tickets for the show!!! How can you win free tickets? Come to the show and join our mailing list. Already on the mailing list? Then you can enter at a show anyway!

And speaking of mailing list, I've finally finished the programming on our new, custom email distribution system. Despite one small hiccup in its inaugural run, it seems to be working like a dream! No, we won't flood your email inbox - but you will be first to know about shows and events if you sign up!

Oh - and for those who've been asking - yes, Virginia, we WILL be having an open audition this spring! More details on that will be forthcoming after the first of the year. If you're funny or know someone who's funny, tell 'em to start learning a 1-minute comic monologue now! (As always, previous theatrical and/or improv experience is preferred, but not required.)

So there ya go, peeps! Buy those tickets - for yourself or for a loved one! They make DANDY gifts for the 16 and up crowd on your list!

-D

I'm a Horrible Blogger...

2008-12-12T04:24:00Z

They're going to kick me out of the bloggers' union.

*sigh*

Anyway, in case you missed the front page of the website, WE HAVE SHOWS!!!!

ETC and BFT proudly present a murder mystery - "To Mock a Killing Bird!!!" Are you able to wade through the hilarity, find the clues, and bust the right suspect? I hope so - because it's up to you! Les Miserables is dead - avenge him by putting his murderer behind bars!

Go to the box office and buy your tickets NOW!

Mailing list peeps - we're upgrading our mail list functionality - so your email is coming soon! AND we still have yet to reveal the winner of the FREE tickets from the smash hit "Project Codename: Vulcan's Spookypants!"

Don't let the holidays get you down - come to our murder instead!

It's better than finding Matlock under your tree!

-D

Improv Meets 5am

2008-10-29T12:57:00Z

Hi everybody!

Well, it was an almost impossibly cold 5am today, but 5 of us braved it and showed up at the posh CBS 42 studios to appear live with the crew from Wake Up Alabama. There were sandwiches, villainy, and more zombies than you can shake the Mayor at.

Oy... horrible grammar.

Anyhow, click on over to the Wake Up website today, and I'll wager you'll be able to catch the clips if you were still a'snooze while we were making the funny. Many huge thanks to Alexa Jones and the fine folks over at 42 for letting us run loose in front of cameras.

...and, Mayor Langford, it was all in spooky, good fun.

-D

Columbus Day is for Lovers

2008-10-13T23:28:00Z

I hope Chris Davis won't mind - but he sent this out today. I feel like I should share it with the world.

Today is the 37th holiest day of the year. Columbus Day! The day we celebrate the much hallowed voyage of Christopher Columbus who sailed the ocean blue in 1492, to Discover America.

F**k Columbus! You can't wander into someone's backyard and start discovering s**t. I remember as a child, I tried to discover some apples from the tree in Mrs. Johnson's garden. After Mrs. Johnson told my mom, I discovered an ass beating that American historians still talk about to this day. They should put that s**t on a calendar!

He was looking for India and instead found what is known today as America, and just started calling the people there Indians. You don't go out on a blind date with Stephanie, show up at the wrong house, take out Shirley instead and keep calling her Stephanie all night. "Please stop calling me Stephanie, and how did you get into my house?" "Shut up Stephanie! I discovered this blind date and I'll call you whatever I please! Now, do you want to drive to the movies in the Nina, the Pinta or the Ford Taurus?"

So on October 13th, I will commemorate Columbus Day the same way I do every year. By making a bunch of wrong turns and giving some Native Americans smallpox.

Happy Holidays Everybody!
Love, Chris Davis

FRESH GROUND COMICS
SAFARI COFFEE CUP
300 RICHARD ARRINGTON BLVD.
(Richard Arrington Blvd. is also 21st Street)
205 326-0019

Fresh Ground Comics. We don’t just like you. We like like you.

Happy Holidays, indeed!

-D

Improv Meets Iambic Pentameter!

2008-10-07T20:56:00Z

Well, everybody, I am HUGELY excited to announce that the fine folks over at MUSE OF FIRE have graciously offered us the opportunity to collaborate with them on their 2009 Spring Festival production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"!!!

As you may know, several of our ETC cast and crew have worked with MUSE before, and I am delighted that we're going to be working together on one of my absolute favorite Shakespearean comedies!

So - many thanks to Elizabeth and the other fine folks at MUSE and Sloss Performing Arts! Want to see the whole cast list for "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?! Check out the latest MUSEblog on the MUSE MySpace Page!

Woo-hoo!

-D

Our Friends Keep You Laughing in October!

2008-10-01T16:02:00Z

Hi everybody!

Well, we're hoping to announce our next show in the next week or two - but in the meantime, your extemporaneous artisans are keeping the laughter going throughout town! This Friday, for example, you can catch the Fresh Ground Comics with ETC's Christopher Davis!

Good comedy, delicious wines, tasty beers and the finest bottle water this side of Niagara Falls!

That’s what you’ll find at Safari Coffee Cup this Friday night! Guess my weight, and I’ll buy you a beer. Guess my level of tolerance for pain and I’ll let you punch me in the face. Everybody wins!

FRESH GROUND COMICS
FRIDAY OCTOBER 3RD
SAFARI COFFEE CUP
300 RICHARD ARRINGTON BLVD.
(Richard Arrington Blvd. is also 21st Street)
205 326-0019
SHOW STARTS 8:00
ONLY$5 / $3 WITH STUDENT I.D.

Fresh Ground Comics. We don’t just like you. We like like you.

And, if you want to celebrate the Reason for the Season - Halloween Season, that is - why not check out the newest offering from our friends at Theatre Downtown? Our own Debbie Smith will be there adding to the funny!

OPENING THURSDAY OCTOBER 9, 2008:

THE 13TH FRIDAY:
READY, SET, DIE!

CALL (205) 306-1470 FOR TICKETS!
OR VISIT: www.theatredowntown.com

What if the characters from "Rent" all worked at a Summer camp when they were younger? What if that same camp was home to a psychotic serial killer hellbent on keeping his tradition of death alive? So goes "The 13th Friday", a parody of those cheesy slasher films from the 70's and 80's, films like "Friday the 13th" and "My Bloody Valentine'. Eight counselors arrive at Camp Crystal Meth(odist) for their annual training weekend, but start getting picked off, one at a time. Will Mark, Roger, Benny, Tom, Maureen, Joann, Mimi and Angel survive the weekend? Will Rhonda the Botanist find that missing finger? Will Cook control his anger management long enough to keep his tater tots from burning away into a fragile ash? Find these answers, and more, at the most adventurous comedy to ever come out of Alabama!

Running October 9-25, 2008, with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, with one midnight performance Saturday the 18th at 11:59 PM. Tickets are $17.00 for adults and $12.00 for seniors and students with the proper ID. Thursday nights and the midnight performance are HOBO NIGHTS, meaning you pay what you can with a $5.00 minimum. To order tickets, call (205) 306-1470 or you can order them online at: www.theatredowntown.com.

Starring: Franklin Slaton, Stephen Wade, Sylvester Little Jr, Rush Brunson, Gillian Puffer, Amanda Maddox, Ashley Culpepper, Michele Santiago, Lee J. Green, Debbie Smith, Bert R. Payne, Edward Gurney, Christoph Hooks and Chuck Duck as Camp Director.

And be sure to stay tuned for the latest info on our own upcoming shows!

-D

"Tuesdays with Morrie" Gets a FINE Review!

2008-09-17T14:29:00Z

Well, friends and fans, as most of you know, I'm currently appearing as Mitch Albom in BFT's production of "Tuesdays with Morrie." Today, Alec Harvey's review of the show was published in The Birmingham News - and I am honored and humbled. Not humbled enough not to stick it in the ol' blog, though!

Here it go:

Two-person drama is played perfectly

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
ALEC HARVEY
News staff writer

If you've ever read Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays with Morrie," the sportswriter's account of spending time with a former professor as he battled the final stages of Lou Gehrig's disease, your eyes are probably welling up already.

It's a tearjerker to be sure, but in its stage incarnation, it's also the opportunity for two actors to connect with an audience and give performances that resonate long after the show is over.

That's exactly what we get with Birmingham Festival Theatre's season opener, which brings us stage veteran Sam Chalker as Morrie and relative newcomer Douglas O'Neil Jr. as Mitch, both at the top of their games.

"Tuesdays with Morrie" is an intimate, two-person drama that covers a great deal in its 90 minutes. Mitch is a Brandeis student when the show starts, a fledgling musician whose favorite professor, Morrie, urges him to follow his dreams and makes him promise to keep in touch.

Sixteen years later, Mitch, a brash, successful sportswriter who has no time for anyone other than himself, sees his long-lost professor on "Nightline," where Ted Koppel is chronicling the elderly man's battle with the fatal Lou Gehrig's disease. He pays Morrie what he thinks will be a solitary visit, but ends up spending most every Tuesday with him, becoming a much better person in the process.

Sound sappy? Yep, it is. But Chalker, O'Neil and director John Batson manage to avoid letting this become a sob-fest from beginning to end, although tears are sure to come when appropriate.

This show - with its minimal set and lack of flashy costumes - is all about the acting, and that we have in spades. Chalker has done everything from "Hamlet" to "Macbeth" to "The Lion in Winter" on area stages, but it's hard to believe he'll be better suited to any role than that of Morrie. Morrie can be funny, wise and curmudgeonly, and Chalker handles them all with ease. He doesn't make us feel sorry for Morrie - he makes us wish we could have spent time with him.

O'Neil holds his own as Mitch. For "Tuesdays with Morrie" to work, we've got to see the young man's transformation from idealist to realist, from career-minded writer to family-minded man, and it's not the easiest thing in the world to pull off. O'Neil does.

"Tuesdays with Morrie" is one of those shows you may not think you want to see, but you'll be glad you did. Just be sure to bring some tissues.

AND we got a full FIVE STARS!!! Needless to say, I am thrilled.

So, come on out and see it - even Alec Harvey says you'll be glad you did.

-D

Miss Us Already?

2008-09-05T13:35:00Z

Well, gang, it's going to be a few minutes before we get another show up, but things are moving right along with the ETC! In the meantime, a couple of our folks are working on some other projects, so if you're missing us, why not check out one of these? You can find out all the details by clicking on the links.

I Do, I Do! at the Virginia Samford Theatre is being stage managed by our own Crew Chief, Laura Kilgore. The show runs from tonight through Sept. 14.

Fall Showcase Benefit for MUSE OF FIRE: Shakespeare at Sloss will be this Sunday (Sept. 7) at Sloss and will feature our own Nick Crawford in a scene from Twelfth Night. Plus, if you're lucky enough to go at the right time, you may be ushered by Crew woman Julie Meadows and yours truly. This show also comes with wine and hors d'oeuvers!

Tuesdays with Morrie at Birmingham Festival Theatre runs from Sept. 10-27, and features... well, me as half of the two-man cast, with Chris Burch's wife, Laurie, stage managing. (Chris helped out on props and stuff for us, too!) Please note that our performance on Sept. 10 is a benefit - all proceeds will be given to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Of course, you can also read J'Mel's column in the Birmingham Weekly. You can even find the old ones archived on the Birmingham Weekly website.

Hopefully, we'll be announcing new show dates in the next couple of weeks. Until then, keep laughing Birmingham!

-D

Inaugural Shows a Great Success!

2008-09-01T16:24:00Z

Well, the second of our inaugural "Project Codename: VULCAN'S UNDERPANTS" shows was an even bigger hit than the first! Despite the Labor Day holiday weekend and Alabama and Auburn playing their first games of the season, we had a fantastic crowd of folks join us at the BFT for a hilarious show. Thanks to all who came out and laughed with us - it was a total treat! I have beer to drink and barbeque to go eat - so I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

New Photos
The photos page is now updated with photos from the Democratic National Convention Show! Photos form the Labor Day Show should go up sometime this week, so if you missed out, you'll be able to look at them and curse your luck that you weren't there. We also had Jamie on hand with his trusty video camera for the Labor Day Show, so hopefully there will be some video clips coming to the site as well. I loves me some technology!

New Links
We've got some new friends on our "Links, etc." page. I know you're all busy liking the people whose links have been there all along, but sniff out some of our new friends, too. Such as Gnar. Gnar is good - that's why they both start with 'G'. It's the pomegranatiest!

New Winner
The winner of a pair of free tickets to our next show is George Atkinson!!! Thanks to all who joined our mailing list and entered for a chance to win the tickets.

New Cottle
That's right - Jamie Cottle and his charming wife Blakely have welcomed their daughter River into this world! The newest Cottle made a cameo appearance at our rehearsal this week - isn't she adorable? Many congratulations to the Cottles all!

I think that's all I know for Labor Day, 2008.

Thanks again for everybody who helped make our first two shows such a wild success! And get ready, Birmingham - there's more hilarity to come!

-D

Merch is Now On Sale!

2008-08-26T22:49:00Z

Well, the ETC logo merchandise you've seen us sport on stage and back stage is now available to you, our fans!

The T-shirts are available in a variety of colors - and the underpants make a fine ice breaker at even the swankiest parties! And don't forget the hat! A trifecta of fashion apparel for either sex!

Show photos will be up soon - so keep checking back! Thanks, everybody!

-D

Hey! There's a Blog Here!

2008-08-26T02:34:00Z

Wow. Okay, so I didn't even realize how long it had been since I updated the ol' ETC blog...

As many of you know, we had our big, big premiere last Saturday night... on one of the most miserable rainy Saturday nights I have seen in a while. Much to our delight, however, a great big, warm, wonderful audience of people showed up and (from what I could see, anyhow) enjoyed themselves immensely!

I can't say enough "thank you"s to all the people who helped make Saturday night's show such a rousing success!

And there's more fun to come!

THIS SATURDAY we're doing it all again with a (largely) different cast of improvisors - join Callie, Chris Davis, and me as we introduce two BRAND NEW PLAYERS: Nick Crawford and Arik Sokol! We rehearsed for this week's show on Sunday, and I gotta tell you, folks - you're in for a treat. Go on over to the Box Office page and snap your tickets up early with our online payment system through PayPal! Advance tickets are $12 with discounts available for students and groups - at the door, ALL tickets are $15 and we can accept cash only. So. Buy early and SAVE!

Also coming to the website, our swank ETC logo merchandise! Buy a t-shirt and/or hat, and show people you know what love is. I mean comedy! You know what comedy is. Also, we'll soon have pictures from the first show! Ideally, I would have coded these in today. Gimme one more day, and I think I'll have it done.

Oh! And here's your "heads up" - we're gonna be on TV Wednesday! Wednesday morning, tune in to CBS 42's "Wake Up, Alabama" between 5:00am and 7:00am to get a chuckle with your coffee. I wonder if they'd let me do the weather forecast... I've always wanted to be on a weather map...

Anyway - come on out and join us this weekend at Birmingham Festival Theatre, and be sure to watch us on Wednesday. Or TiVo it. Either way.

Thanks for your support, Birmingham! We look forward to seeing you Saturday!

-D

Debbie Does Downtown

2008-06-12T22:06:00Z

Theatre Downtown, that is! What did you think I meant?! Maybe I should let Debbie's own words explain for her:

So City Stages, Shmitty Shmages!! Where else can you see hot, steamy sex scenes for only $5??? (or $17 if you come Friday and/or Saturday for True Date Night). And, no, this time I am not involved in the sex scenes, thank you, so you can put away the Pepto. But don't miss the award-winning Torch Song Trilogy, because, seriously, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll do a dance and a pee a little in your pants. Without standing in a drunken crowd in horrendous heat, trying to see what's going on. Stage this, City!!!!

Theatre Downtown Presents

TORCH SONG TRILOGY

Written By Harvey Fierstein
Directed By J.J. Marrs

JUNE 12 - JUNE 28, 2008

Thursday, Friday & Saturday Nites @ 7:30 PM
$17.00 for adults
$12.00 for seniors/students
Thursday nights are HOBO NIGHTS, meaning you
pay what you can afford, with a $5.00 minimum

ORDER TICKETS BY CALLING:
(205) 306-1470
OR ORDER THEM ONLINE AT:
www.theatredowntown.com
Performing at PLAYHOUSE (1816 3rd Ave. N)
Across from The Alabama Theatre

You can't tell me it doesn't sound like a good time!
-D

Fresh and Funny

2008-06-09T20:36:00Z

Hiya, gang! Well, we're still plugging away behind the scenes here at ETC - but while you're waiting for us, let me share a nugget of entertainment news from our own Chris Davis:

HELLO ALL,

Normally, I’m figuratively tap dancing around things: Do I believe in an afterlife, Who did I vote for in the democratic primary, Do second cousins count?

This time I’m literally tap dancing. Yes, that’s right! My newest pursuit. TAP!!!

Join me as I embark on a new adventure with my All Tap Dance Review, WHAT’S TAPPENING! Watch as me, Chris Davis and my taptacular dance crew, The Tap’n Banshees wow you with our skillful moves, funky grooves and shiny shoes. I’ll be tap’n to oldies, tap’n to disco, and if there’s sexy tap groupies after the show, i’ll be tap’n dat ass. See what just happened? I turned a seemingly innocent phrase into something dirty. That’s the beauty of tap! So go to hell comedy! I’m all about tap now. Get in line for the best tap dancing since the last televised press conference with the White House press secretary.

WHAT’S TAPPENING... It’s Taptastic!

FRESH GROUND COMICS
SAFARI COFFEE CUP (DOWNTOWN)
300 RICHARD ARRINGTON BLVD. NORTH
(RICHARD ARRINGTON BLVD IS ALSO 21ST STREET)
FRIDAY, JUNE 20TH
SHOW STARTS 8:00
ONLY $5.00 ($3.00 with student I.D.)

So, if you're ready for some funny, check out Chris's antics on the 20th! I'll have to see if we can get a'hold of some of that tap dancin' footage...

-D

Post Audition Remarks

2008-05-31T21:29:00Z

Well. Let me just say this: I am blown away!

Despite the extremely short audition notice, a whole bunch of very talented folks showed up today and really put on some fine performances - even on the hard stuff we threw at them! For anybody who wasn't able to make it on our short schedule, fear not! We will be having more auditions later in the summer or fall. And, yes, we'll give you more than 5 days notice next time.

I am even more excited than I was before (if that's possible) about what's coming next for ETC.

Before I get back to conferring with the rest of cast & crew about our auditionees, I do want to shout out to some folks who pitched in and helped us out today. First, Carl Sosnin and the Birmingham Festival Theatre for the use of their venue for our auditions - a thousand giant thank yous! Second, to Kristen, the charming wife of our Instant Broadway director, Stephen, for being our hospitality door lady and greeter (as well as providing yet more laughter in response to our fine auditioners) - thank you very much, darlin'. Thanks also to Leonard Jowers, activeculture.info, BATA, and everyone else who helped to publicize our auditions. And, of course, to the cast and crew who made it out today to join in the madness and help me keep track of who did what - the ETC wouldn't be here without you.

So. I'm very tired, but very happy. And Birmingham - get ready to laugh. A lot.

-D

The All New! ETC Website... AND Auditions!

2008-05-27T01:46:00Z

After weeks and weeks of promising that the website would get more interesting, I finally have made good on it. The website still has a few holes in it here and there, but these will be filled in as soon as we have the material. So, please take a look around our home on the web, and find out more about who we are and what we're doing.

I suppose I should say "who we are so far." Auditions are coming - and FAST! Check the Auditions, etc. page for all the details. Be sure to reserve your audition slot so you don't miss out!

Thanks so much to everyone who has expressed an interest in our new company, as well as to all of the talented folks who have already signed on to be part of our team. I am thrilled to see this project coming to fruition!

-D

Education + Arts = Awesome

2008-05-12T22:53:00Z

Well, this weekend saw the kids from Mortimer Jordan High School perform their big, big spring musical, Bye Bye, Birdie. Since I had wrapped production on The Scottish Play (yep - back to being superstitious), I volunteered to be chief of the backstage set crew for the show.

My crew was not composed of the same folks at every performance, but all of them worked hard, had fun (or appeared to, anyhow), and reminded me of why I enjoyed theatre in high school as much as I did. The actors and singers acted and sang their hearts out, and really turned out a fine show - and my crew moved with almost surgical precision, and managed to keep the pace of the show rolling in spite of a full kitchen, a 4 piece dinette, PLUS separate second-level bedroom set coming on and off stage no fewer than three times per performance. I was really impressed by the whole thing. My high school shows were nowhere NEAR so involved, and I marveled at these guys' professional execution of the thing.

I am awfully proud to have been a part of this production - and I just want to say thanks to the cast, crew, and everybody else who put that show together for letting me come along for the ride.

...and for the record, "fine, upstanding, patriotic, healthy, normal American boy!" has been in my head all. day.

In Other News:

Now that the education stuff is finished up for a little bit, it's back to focusing totally on bringing the entertainments to you, the comedy improv lovers of this fine city. Keep peeping the site, yo. I promise - it will get more interesting soon.

And I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention that AUDITIONS are being planned as we speak. Think you're funny? Know somebody who's funny? Who cares if they have no theatre experience?! Not us! Keep watching for audition info. If you want to know the scoop BEFORE it gets to the site, simply email us at info@extemporaneoustheatre.com and opt-in on our mailing list. You'll know what's what before everybody else - and that means first pick of audition time slots...

I'm just sayin'...

-D

Sequences.

2008-04-29T22:22:00Z

One of my favorite humorists, Patrick F. McManus, wrote a story about sequences. You intend to go fishing after you fix that hole in the fence. But before you can do that, you need to borrow a posthole digger - and while you're out that way, deliver those books to that lady in the same area of town. Whoops! You loaned out your fence stretcher, so you gotta truck across town to retrieve it. THEN fix the fence. Fishing has long since gone out the window.

Such is life, I suppose, and such is trying to start an improv company while still being a Scottish nobleman out at Sloss Furnace 6 days a week. And don't even get me started on the day job! Mercy!

However, fear not, loyal site-lookers and blog-readers! It looks like we'll be making our big, big debut in June instead of May - but we ARE coming your way. Furthermore, every day new wacky surprises are being contemplated - meaning there'll be that much more to love once we finally take the stage.

So - hang on, and keep joining the mailing list! You'll be hearing more from us soon...

-D

A Simple Update

2008-04-10T22:33:00Z

Well, friends and fans, progress continues to be made toward bringing the ETC to life before your eyes!

Today I met with a very exciting person about potential venues and show schedules, and I am excited to report that I could be announcing the dates if our first show sometime next week! I wish I could say more now, but heaven forbid I jinx this thing.

The new website is coming along - slowly at this point - but it IS, in fact, happening. You're soon going to see some things changing around here - and, frankly, not a moment too soon!

Since I want to dangle something fun out there for you guys, here's a couple of samples of what we've got cooking:

Campaign-ful Comedy: What's the wackiest thing that could happen during a presidential campaign? We've seen some doozies in recent years, but nothing quite like this - a raucous caucus of candidates almost as outrageous as the real thing!
Musical in a Minute: You give us an hour and a handful of suggestions, we'll provide you with a toe-tapping, tear-jerking, mama-slapping musical.
The Miracle of Birth: A twisted tale of love, crime, and the irrational fear of barnyard animals.

What does it all mean?! I'm afraid you'll just have to keep tuning in, friends.

The payoff will be worth the wait.

-D

Once Upon a Time...

2008-03-29T04:39:00Z

Okay, so, this one time, I decided to start an improv troupe. Years later, I'm finally doing it.

The Extemporaneous Theatre Company is still in its formative stages, but things are beginning to happen, and it's very nearly high time to get the word out to the masses. As such, here's a little bit about what is planned for our immediate future.

People
You can't have improv without improvisers. Fortunately, I have worked with many fine improvisers throughout my years in the Birmingham theatre scene. For starters, I've called in some of my very good friends, and they have agreed to help me put up a couple of shows to get the ball rolling. We are hopeful you'll be seeing us in May - and after that, you may be joining us! After our initial performances, I will be announcing auditions for new troupe members.

So who's coming with me? Ahhh... I gotta save some surprises for later. But finding out what you can about the Feminist Debutante Guild wouldn't be a bad idea...

Shows
The ETC is going to be doing all kinds of improv - from the 'short form' style popularized by "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" to 'long form' shows where we'll make up a whole 2-hour play right there on the spot. I've also got some crazy ideas in the hopper for what I'm calling 'fusion form' shows. These entertainments will combine improv forms with musical guests, 'talent show' acts, pre-recorded video pieces of extemporaneous comedy, and anything else I can think of. Fresh, wacky, and always original, we're definitely going to be the only thing like us in town.

Education
That's right - I said education. I am working to establish a connection with our local educational community to bring the art and fun of improv to the classroom. In addition to its application as a comedic entertainment medium, improvisation is a valuable skill for non-actors in the professional world, as well as a fine exercise in opening and expanding the mind to new, creative ideas and possibilities. The high school workshop program is currently being piloted with the terrific young actors at Mortimer Jordan High School, and so far the results have been overwhelmingly positive.

Etc.
What else? Well, anything else I can think of. And afford. The full website is currently being created, and should be launched in its full form sometime in April. If you want to be notified when we've officially opened our doors on the web, drop a quick email to info@extemporaneoustheatre.com and you'll be added to our mailing list. Opt out anytime - no muss, no fuss - and your information, of course, will never be sold, given to, or shared with anyone.

So that's where we stand today! I am excited about the future of the Extemporaneous Theatre Company in Birmingham - and look forward to making you laugh for a long, long time.

-D