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<p>Entries in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary (249)</p>
<p>Thursday Aug 26 2010  INSIDE WITH: CHRIS GETHARD</p>
<p>Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 10:00AM Chris Gethard and his Magic Bus of GethTards | Photo: GLK Creative</p>

<p>By: Lucas Hazlett</p>

<p>Chris Gethard is one of the hardest-working men in the New York comedy scene. With a decade of performing and teaching at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre under his belt, Gethard has amassed an enviable resume of writing and performing that has led to a starring role in Comedy Central's "Big Lake," a regular spot in the theater’s flagship show, ASSSSCAT 3000, and his own popular variety hour, "The Chris Gethard Show."</p>

<p>This Saturday at midnight at the UCB Theatre, Gethard will host "The Telethon of Shame," a special edition of "The Chris Gethard Show," which he says will be a rare and noble confluence of weirdness, violence and good-hearted intentions. I spoke with Gethard about the telethon, what he champions in his students, and what he would do if he were ever imprisoned.</p>

<p>Most of the interviews you've been doing lately have -- for obvious reasons -- focused primarily on your new Comedy Central show "Big Lake." I would like to focus more on “The Chris Gethard Show." How did this show originate and what do you think it is that's made it so popular?</p>
<p>I think I started in 2007 doing a show called “Magic Box of Stories,” which was true stories from my life. Before that I had been doing a lot of storytelling at ASSSSCAT and “Nights of Our Lives” and that kind of built to the show, and that was the first show where I felt like I had any buzz. That show kind of led to me to doing this bus tour where I took 60 fans of the show all over New Jersey and showed them the sites where the stories took place. It was just this really weird thing to do, and over the years I have done a few weird things. I had done another show where improvisers did stand up, a tournament, and each loser was shot with paint balls. I did another show years ago where I organized a bunch of comedians who didn’t know what they were doing to box each other. So I have always been interested in doing these sort of out of the box things. The whole goal of the show is every month do something no one has seen before and probably won’t see again. And for better or worse, some have been really good, some have failed pretty hard.</p>

<p>With The Stepfathers | Photo: Melissa Gomez As far as why it’s popular, I think it’s just really weird, but we still put a lot of effort and try to make it feel really professional even though it’s strange and bizarre. I think that combination works. There have been so many comedians to come out of the city in the past few years who have gone on to great success and that’s a great thing, but I think it’s maybe made people walk a certain line who are being conscious of playing the game. I think this show is definitely not that. There’s a lot of things in here that could actually probably damage people’s reputations and careers. I think people appreciate seeing something that let’s its guard down.</p>

<p>The theme of the next Chris Gethard Show is “The Telethon of Shame." How did this show come about?</p>
<p>I had a friend who was a co-performer and student of mine and last year he lost a baby. You can imagine it’s one of the hardest things to watch someone go through, I can’t imagine going through it myself. My friend was so strong. There’s a lot of us who are close with him. He’s a big supporter of the March of Dimes now so I thought maybe we could design a show that will raise money and use the popularity of the show toward something more noble than us standing on stage and pissing our pants for a crowd to laugh at.</p>

<p>What we basically came up with as the structure is the show is free and because it’s for charity we’re going to try and stuff [the UCB theatre] full of people. we have a number of comedians who have said I will do a predetermined stunt for x-amount of dollars. I’m going to host the show naked if I can raise $750. My friend Don Fanelli is going to wax his whole body for $1000. Will Hines will smell anything for a dollar. A dude’s going to drink his own pee for $1000. I think people know that if you go to the Chris Gethard Show you’re going to see something crazy and this show you’re going to see more crazy things than ever with the extra bonus of knowing that your money is ultimately going toward something good.</p>

<p>A lot of the people you work with on the show are former students of yours. What do you look for or see in a student that makes you want to work with him/her outside of class?</p>
<p>I’ve taught for six or seven years now at UCB. I would say 99% of my students I really root for and want to see them succeed.</p>

<p>So many people are funny and dedicated as improvisers and what so many of us forget is that at the end of the day, taking all the skills you learn in a class and figuring out how to put your actual honest voice at the forefront of all that, using those skills as a platform for your voice, is a very important thing. We all learn from curriculums and we all learn the skills that different schools set out and those are all useful things that unlock comedy, but I wish we could put a little more priority in saying “now what do you have to say with it?” I see a little too much of people trying to erase what’s unique about them in order to get the skills right and I think they don’t have to be mutually exclusive.</p>

<p>I had a class where [a student] did a whole show for half an hour where he played a foot. He only played a foot. Other people were changing and editing and he managed to just play a foot. It was the weirdest thing and maybe in some ways counterproductive but it’s also I like anyone who thinks like that. If I can become someone who uses the fact that I’m a teacher to sort of encourage and protect a little bit those people who are weirdos then that I think is a pretty noble goal.</p>

<p>Gethard at Harold Night (March 14, 2002) | Photo: B.G. Johnson Are there any experiences you had while an improv student that informed your approach toward working with students and younger/beginning performers now?</p>
<p>I took my level one class just over 10 years ago now and I think one of the major differences I see now is that the stakes were ultimately lower in a way that might have been easier for me to feel like it was okay to take chances because there were less of us getting jobs, less people showing up in commercials, there was just less to screw up. I felt like I found longform and came to NYC and found UCB because there was really no other place where I felt like I fit in at all. Almost every other area of my daily life I felt really weird and out of place. It felt like [at UCB] you could go see shows like “Bogus Sting,” which was this open mic where people would just do the most bizarre stuff and it was like yes, this is a place for that.</p>

<p>I remember taking a bunch of classes with Michael Delaney that were all focused on sort of outside-the-box skills that you don’t normally think of in improv where he’d have us do an entire scene while moving in reverse motion just to sort of think about it in a different way. I also think taking classes with Ian Roberts. Ian was always a champion of whoever the weirdest person in the class was. The fact that I came up and was on my first two teams with [current Stepfathers and frequent ASSSSCAT co-performer] Shannon O’Neill. She’s another person who does really bizarre stuff and if we didn’t have each other I probably wouldn’t be as comfortable doing this stuff. If anything it was just easier to find the other weirdos back then.</p>

<p>According to your bio, you've put your eggs into a lot of baskets, having been a contributing writer and guest performer on a number of noteworthy projects. Which of those opportunities do you hope to have more of in the future? Do you want to write more? Appear on more shows?</p>
<p>I guess the most honest answer is I want the opportunity to do more things that will have the longest lasting effect on my ability to pay my rent consistently for the rest of my life, which I think sounds a little facetious. I hope I’m not trying to sound too much like an artist because I definitely want to pay my rent, but as long as it comes through being creative and comedy I want to make that a priority. I have felt like a failure for the majority of time I’ve been doing this. I have felt like I have not been able to figure it out. I’ve been running head first into a wall and the past few years that’s started to turn around, but I think one thing I look back on -- it’s very stressful and I had so much anxiety -- it’s that I learned there is no option I will ever cut myself off from.</p>

<p>I like asking improvisers/writers what they find funny because it's a great insight for students like me to understand what you're doing on stage and looking for in other comedians. What do you find funny?</p>
<p>I have always found sad people and tragedy funny. One of my favorite movies was always Planes, Trains and Automobiles. John Candy is such a sad sack in that movie. I come from an Irish family where my mom and my aunts used to tell these stories when I was a kid and they were always hilarious and I look back and I’m like those are miserable stories. If you take away all the laughs those are the stories of really rough times. I think I kind of just learned early that to me things that have sort of sadness or desperation or loneliness at their core can easily be converted to laughter. It all goes back to truth in comedy, right? If it seems honest it can make anyone laugh. It goes back to the question you asked me about what do I look for in students, why do I work with certain students and why do I champion certain people: if I see someone who seems to really believe what they’re saying, if it seems to really come from a place where their personal experiences dictated why they’re saying what they’re saying to me, then you can always find the way in which that is funny. I’m always impressed by people who can come up with premises on their feet. I’m always impressed by people who can play these larger than life characters at a drop of a hat, but my personal interests always tend to lean towards “that seems like that person is saying that thing because it relates to something they actually feel or have experienced.”</p>

<p>A running gag at the last ASSSSCAT show was the fact that the backstage area flooded due to rain. How does it make you feel knowing that two hundred people will gladly pack into a supermarket basement that drips shit and floods just to see you and your friends do comedy?</p>
<p>It’s really an honor. I remember when I first started coming to the city sitting in a former strip club to see comedy. The fact that now people will put up with us starting a show by saying “this theater is flooding and we may need to flee” and people stay really means a lot. In spite of how big the improv comedy scene here has gotten, it makes me feel good to realize that it still has this vibe of being like a very underground thing. People have compared UCB to being like CBGBs and to me, as a fan of punk rock music as a kid, that makes me feel good. People see that it’s okay this stuff takes place in this really shitty environment. It’s cool. It’s really cool.</p>

<p>Photo: Justin Purnell Last thing. There’s a famous story about Richard Pryor about how he once defused a perilous situation in jail by making everyone around him laugh. You are a brilliant improviser and a funny storyteller, but it’s also true you have a belt in jiu-jitsu.</p>
<p>A blue belt. The second worst belt.</p>

<p>Second worst belt? That kind of screws up the question a bit, but you’re in jail now and are surrounded by a bunch of roughnecks and you have to defuse the situation. Do you try and make them laugh or do you use your skills in jiu-jitsu?</p>
<p>What you’re describing sounds strikingly like my junior high school experience and I would say my strategy back then remains as it does today: try to make them laugh, but if they’re not in the mood to laugh I’m ready to choke someone out.</p>

<p>* THE PLUG: Don't miss "The Chris Gethard Show: Telethon of Shame," happening SAT, AUG 28 @ MIDNIGHT at The UCBT-NY | FREE (Advance reservations are sold out. There will be a stand-by line for this show).</p>

<p>-- Lucas Hazlett is a comedy geek who improvises with anyone he can. He can be followed at his blog telosandcontext.tumblr.com and can be seen performing with Nobody’s Token in the Soul Glo Project on SEPT 17 @ MIDNIGHT at The UCBT-NY.</p>

<p>keithhuang | Post a Comment | 26 References tagged Chris Gethard in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary Monday Aug 23 2010  Inside With: Mike Sacks, Writer and Co-Author of "Our Bodies, Our Junk"</p>
<p>Monday, August 23, 2010 at 3:51PM By: Nate Sloan</p>

<p>Perhaps a sex manual--even a hilarious one--isn't public reading material. I kept inadvertantly flashing neighboring straphangers with the graphic words (Masturbation!) and imagery (malformed penises!) contained within Our Bodies, Our Junk (Available in book stores August 24th!). I'm lucky someone didn't take a grainy cell phone photo of me and alert some editor of Newsday about a hapless subway perv on the loose. Anyways, I sent some q's over to Mike Sacks, who you may know from the pages of Vanity Fair or last year's stellar interview collection, And Here's the Kicker. He's one of the book's five esteemed co-authors and is a top researcher for The Association For the Betterment of Sex.</p>

<p>Since you purport to be a sexpert in Our Bodies, Our Junk, I assume you'll be pretty open to answering some erotic gotcha questions to start us off: tell us Mike, what is your darkest sexual fantasy? What is the exact # of partners you've had? And who is the 'biggest' expert amongst the 5 of you (if you know what I mean)?</p>

<p>That would be me. Among the group I'm known as "Doc." Not for my intelligence, but because I legally had my name changed to "Doc." My darkest sexual fantasy would involve duct tape, a used Futon and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" blasting in the background. You have to admit, that's very sexy. As for my number of partners, I don't remember. But I did use to live in New Orleans and I've been to about ten Mardi Gras. So maybe the answer could be "a lot of middle-aged women from Houston, Texas."</p>

<p>How did you come to team up with the other writers? Are you all friends from somewhere?</p>

<p>We've written together for a few magazines, such as Esquire, Radar and Vanity Fair. But we wanted to work on a larger project like a book, and sex seemed like a, burp, juicy enough topic to cover. Collectively we call ourselves The Pleasure Syndicate. Individually, Todd Levin writes for Conan O'Brien. Scott Jacobson's a four-time Emmy winner for The Daily Show. He's now working out in LA, writing for a very funny new FOX show called Bob's Burgers. It'll debut in September. Jason Roeder is a contributing writer for The Onion, and the author of a hilarious book called Oh, the Humanity. Ted Travelstead is on the editorial staff of Vanity Fair. And then there's me, "Doc."</p>

<p>We've just started work on our next project, another book, which should hopefully be out in 2011. It's going to be about the workplace. Sort of Dilbert meets GG Allin.</p>

<p>Since the writing style seems to have one unified voice, I'm curious--how was the writing split up? Was there a meeting where one of you would go, "Me me me! I want to write about masturbation! I'll take that section."</p>

<p>We came up with a pretty detailed outline for each chapter. Anyone could really write on any subject they wanted. We sort of just fell into this voice pretty easily. I think we've all written in this dry manner before, either for advertising, or for academic journals, or for associations. For the book, we wrote in a very authoritative style, but needless to say, we don't know what the hell we're talking about. For instance, we're absolutely convinced that the clitoris looks like a plum left overnight in the rain. Also, we're 100% convinced that there are exactly five acts of sexual intercourse that take place on a daily basis across the globe. This sounds about right.</p>

<p>Is there a release party or a tour happening in support of the book?</p>

<p>Yes! There will be a few readings, but the main reading will be at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn on September 23rd. Also, there will be a reading in Los Angeles on September 15th at Book Soup. Andy Richter and Sarah Thyre (the husband and wife team who wrote the book's forewords) will also be appearing with us. All of the information is listed on our site: http://hq.ourbodiesourjunk.com/press_events/</p>

<p>Have you had a chance to compare and contrast your work with Kristen Schaal's Sexy Book of Sexy Sex? According to Amazon, the two are frequently bought together. You know, you could have combined your efforts and created one mega-textbook. Any Spy vs. Spy antics around that?</p>

<p>I haven't heard of that other book; I'm not familiar with it. With that said, if you buy our book before October 1st, you will receive a free beaver shot of all five of us authors, posing in a parking lot of a northern Virginia Wal-Mart.</p>

<p>Your last book, And Here's the Kicker--a treasure trove of deep dive interviews with the most influential comedic artists and writers of our lifetimes--is a must-read. Thanks for writing it. Did you have any takeaways or lessons to share from that experience?</p>

<p>Thanks. Yes, I learned quite a few things. First of all, I was just happy to talk with a lot of authors I've always respected. A few have since passed away, and I feel lucky to have been able to speak with them. I mean, talking to Irv Brecher about the Marx Brothers was like talking to someone about Babe Ruth. It was a real bridge to another time and place, long since disappeared. Also, Larry Gelbart was a real class act, as well as a brilliant comedy writer. He's really missed. He was the gold standard.</p>

<p>The Apiary | 1 Comment | 4 References tagged Mike Sacks , Our Bodies Our Junk in Books , EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Tuesday Aug 10 2010  INSIDE WITH: CHRIS KELLY</p>
<p>Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 1:00PM Chris Kelly</p>

<p>By: Lucas Hazlett</p>

<p>Chris Kelly is the consummate comedic-renaissance man. He is a staff writer and director for The Onion News Network and is a contributing writer for The Onion's new show on IFC. He has penned and appeared in sketches for numerous sketch teams at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, and has delivered monologues for the theater's flagship improv showcase, ASSSSCAT, in New York and Los Angeles. His newest show, "Oh My God, I Heard You're Dying," opens tomorrow at the UCBT-NY. It's a dark comedy that explores the social awkwardness that often follows a tragedy. I spoke with Chris about his new show and his comedic philosophy.</p>

<p>Tell us a little bit about "Oh My God, I Heard You're Dying." What is it about and how did you come up with it?</p>
<p>I don't know how I came up with it. The show is just a series of character monologues about people saying their final goodbyes to this old man who is dying and they all just ruin it. It's mostly just people being self-involved, inappropriate or trying to be overly jokey around death. I had been thinking about death a lot, so I thought I'd just use death because it's a serious subject and I just wanted to make it funny.</p>

<p>What is your comedic philosophy and how does it influence your approach when creating darker content?</p>
<p>I think anything is funny. I think the funny stuff is just the way people talk. I just like hearing people's conversations when they're not trying to be funny. I like people who have one crazy, gigantic flaw that they don't realize. I like dark comedy a lot. At The Onion that's obviously what we do. I really like mean comedy. Not mean for the sake of being mean, not like being mean to the victim, but mean to someone who deserves it.</p>

<p>What's an example of a sketch you've written that was mean in this way?</p>
<p>Well, one thing I wrote [for The Onion] a while ago for the election, which was super dark and mean, was a story about a gunman in a mall who killed a bunch of people in a swing state and ONN was trying to figure out how many Democrats and Republicans were killed -- Did Obama or McCain win the massacre? I liked that a lot because it was mean but I felt it made a point. It was mean to how ridiculous the media is and how elections get and not mean to people who died in a mall getting shot.</p>

<p>So calling truth to power?</p>
<p>Sure. Put that in the headline. Chris Kelly calls truth to power [laughing]. If people say one thing about me it's that I call truth to power.</p>

<p>So, do you prefer this darker, meaner comedy to other types of comedy?</p>
<p>I do like weird, bizarre, crazy what-the-fuck-is-happening-on-stage-this-is-crazy-nonsense-but-it- works. I like that comedy, but I feel like it's never what I end up producing. I wrote a sketch a couple years ago that was sort of awkward, but I really liked this idea that people at work were doing this human knot, this trust exercise, and they were all getting together, all these coworkers, and as soon as it started one woman just had to get off her chest that she and the guy next to her were getting a divorce and so everybody had to work through this human knot slowly and awkwardly while slowly talking through "what are you going to do with the kids?" I like the idea of people bringing up things in awkward situations. I guess I like realistic comedy.</p>

<p>You've written a substantial amount of material for The Onion and UCB stage. What is your writing process?</p>
<p>90% not writing. 10% writing [laughs]. The process lately has been watching every single episode of television I can find, pacing around, eating everything in my apartment and being like "god damn I fucking hate writing!” and then finally writing. Sometimes I'll be motivated to do it. "Oh My God I Heard You're Dying” wasn't for anything. I had no deadline. I wrote the first draft of the script in a day, just finished it off. Obviously I punched it up and made everything better, but the format and all the characters stayed the same because I knew what I wanted. That was a rare example of "I have no deadline" and "I have the motivation to write 30 pages." Usually it's just that I wait until the last possible moment and then write in complete duress and intense anger.</p>

<p>Is there a book, movie, television show, etc. that you can look at throughout history and are just pissed that you weren't the one who came up with it? Or is there something that you find yourself constantly returning to?</p>
<p>Drama is usually the first thing I want to watch. Drama is oftentimes the first thing I want to write, too. I don't know. I love Six Feet Under [pauses] I'm getting so obvious! [mocks self] I really like that show about death that occasionally has comedy in it. I'm getting so cliche!</p>

<p>Writing and directing aside, you've also been an accomplished performer and even had the enviable opportunity of delivering monologues at ASSSSCAT in both LA and NY. Is this something you see yourself doing more of in the future?</p>
<p>Stand-up, monologues and storytelling. That's what I want my next show at UCB to be, which I'm starting to write now, but again, I have no deadline so I'm mostly watching TV. Yesterday, I was going to start writing my one-man show and then I downloaded season four of Friday Night Lights.</p>

<p>2011. UCBEast. The UCB4 said that the new theater would focus more on stand-up and storytelling. Maybe that's the opportunity you need to do more?</p>
<p>I need to make a point of doing that more. Because I like doing that. I feel comfortable doing that. I loved doing ASSSSCAT... and I'd love to do it again.</p>

<p>OTHER ONN VIDEOS WRITTEN BY CHRIS</p>

<p>* ONN: Police Slog Through 40,000 Insipid Party Pics To Find Cause Of Dorm Fire</p>
<p>* ONN: Vh1 Reality Show Bus Crushes In California Causing Major Slut Spill</p>
<p>* O-Span: President To Face Down Monster Attack, Own Demons In Action-Packed Schedule</p>

<p>Oh My God, I Heard You're Dying premieres Wednesday 8/11 and runs again on 8/18 at the UCBT-NY.</p>

<p>--Lucas Hazlett is a comedy geek who improvises with anyone he can. He can be seen THURS, AUG 12 @ 8PM at The Peoples Improv Theatre with improv team Herschel.</p>

<p>keithhuang | 3 Comments | 4 References tagged Chris Kelly , UCBT-NY , the onion in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Friday Jul 30 2010  Inside With: Will Luera, Artistic Director of ImprovBoston</p>
<p>Friday, July 30, 2010 at 11:41AM  By: Meghan O'Keefe</p>

<p>The Del Close Marathon not only showcases the best improv New York City has to offer, but also the best from the rest of the country. ImprovBoston will be represented by three teams this year. I spoke with Artistic Director and Mainstage Cast Member, Will Luera, about the theater’s history with the Del Close Marathon and why a Cambridge, Massachusetts theater is called "ImprovBoston."</p>

<p>Will, you've been involved with ImprovBoston since 1997. What brought you to the theater?</p>
<p>I graduated from Boston College in 1997 and my plan was to move back to Chicago or NYC. Before the move, I decided to take some improv classes in the area and I saw an ad for Marjorie Burren, an ImprovBoston alum. I took two levels and by the end of the second level she said I should audition for ImprovBoston. Luckily, they were having auditions a couple of months after classes and I got in! I left IB in 1999 to start my own improv company, Blue Screen Theater, and a year later I was hired again to be the Artistic Director of ImprovBoston.</p>

<p>How do you think ImprovBoston's approach to improv comedy differs from other theaters such as Second City, the UCB, the PIT, etc?</p>
<p>I am a big fan of Organic free-form improvisation. No structure, no form and sometimes no input. We teach our actors that every moment in a show, scene, offer can be deconstructed and can lead to another scene. We teach our actors tools on ways to deconstruct a scene and organically transition to a new one. I truly believe that every show can be entirely unique if you tune in to the sensibilities of the actors and the audience. We go with where the show takes you.</p>

<p>My biggest influence earlier in my career was Burn Manhattan. We did a workshop with them in 1999 and it completely shifted my perspective on improvisation and they're ultimately responsible for the Artistic vision of ImprovBoston today.</p>

<p>This year's marathon features three teams from ImprovBoston (ImprovBoston Mainstage, Marjean & Plan B). What should audience members expect from each of these three shows?</p>

<p>The ImprovBoston Mainstage will feature the style I just described. We have had three amazing years at DCM and we're looking forward to going back. Plan B and Marjean are Chicago-style Harold teams. Both are very talented Harold ensembles and would make Del proud.</p>

<p>How did your involvement with the Del Close Marathon begin?</p>
<p>Our first marathon was in 1999 when I took the old Sitcom Boston troupe. This was back when the festival was only 24 hours and in one space. I remember seeing the original UCB 4 all of the time as well as other - now famous - comedians.</p>

<p>Do you have a favorite Del Close Marathon memory?</p>
<p>My favorite memory was probably two years ago when I was in five different shows across three stages. I submitted all of the shows and they were all accepted. It was great to be so involved in the marathon and to get to perform so much. I also have fond memories of audience members who try to sit through the whole thing. That's just so wonderfully awesome.</p>

<p>ImprovBoston seems to have grown in the past few years. You've moved to a larger theater, organized a variety of festivals and have a growing presence on the national stage.What's next for the ImprovBoston community?</p>
<p>Artistically, I have a few things that I'm trying to focus on for this next season. I would expect more work to come out from our film team and to see us organize more scripted comedy projects. Our sketch department has grown significantly but I would also like to expand into 10-minute, one-act and full-length plays as well as screenwriting and writing for television.</p>

<p>Inquiring minds want to know--why is the theater called ImprovBoston if it is located in the city of Cambridge, MA?</p>
<p>Yes... great question! I think it's kind of how like the New York Jets actually play in Jersey. Actually, in the very early days of ImprovBoston, the group used to perform in and around Boston. Eventually, they landed a regular gig in Cambridge and soon after came a permanent home in Inman Square, Cambridge. Thus, we are stuck with the geographically incorrect description!</p>

<p>ImprovBoston Mainstage will be performing at the UCB Theatre, Saturday at 3 pm. Marjean will be performing at Hudson Guild Theatre Friday at 11:30 pm and Plan B at the Hudson Guild Theatre Saturday at 9:30 pm.</p>

<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment | 8 References tagged Del Close Marathon 12 , ImprovBoston , Will Leura in Boston , EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Tuesday Jul 27 2010  Inside With: John Lutz and Peter Grosz</p>
<p>Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 5:16PM</p>

<p>By: Paul Gale</p>

<p>In honor of the the last performance of "2 Square" at The UCBT-NY, before Peter Grosz moves to the Sunset Strip--or somewhere near there--I spoke with former Colbert Report writer Grosz and his "2 Square," partner in crime, 30 Rock's John Lutz, about their beginnings, their motivations, and, for a brief moment, pizza. The interview was conducted individually through email, so keep in mind that John didn't have the opportunity to retort. Enjoy!</p>

<p>When and where did you each start performing comedy?</p>

<p>John Lutz: I did a few plays in high school. The first big part I had was in "The Foreigner." For my audition, I had to tell the story of "The Three Little Pigs," in gibberish. It was really fun and I didn't have to memorize any lines.</p>

<p>Peter Grosz: I started in college. Took classes at iO starting in April of 1995, then that fall I was cast in the Mee-Ow show, Northwestern’s sketch and improv show. From that point on, no other career option had a chance. Also, I had stopped paying attention in class.</p>

<p>What were you looking for when you began studying improvisation?</p>

<p>Lutz: I saw an improv set at Second City and it looked like the most fun you could ever have. I wanted to learn how to be that funny right off the top of my head. Once I started, I thought I would be great at it right away. I was wrong. I found it very hard at first. I had to learn to do good improv and let the funny come, rather than trying for a quick laugh. Charna stopped me five or six times in my first scene because it was going so poorly.</p>

<p>Grosz: Attention. I really just wanted to be funny in front of an audience and had no idea what it took. I liked making jokes with my friends, and figured there wasn’t much of a difference. But I failed three times at my Mee-Ow auditions, so I asked someone how I could learn how to improvise. He told me to go to iO, and I realized there was way more to it than I thought.</p>

<p>When did you two first meet?</p>

<p>Lutz: I'm not 100% sure, but I think it was when I had to miss one of my level 3 classes and I sat in on the class Pete was in. I think Seth Meyers was also in that class.</p>

<p>Grosz: John (as he so rarely is) is right about that. It was in that class. Wow. I still can’t believe he got that right. I need to take a minute.</p>

<p>Did it take a while for you to hit it off creatively?</p>

<p>Lutz: We really didn't work together until "JTS Brown," which I joined after the group was already formed. What was that… 1998? 1999? I was also Pete's replacement in Greenco., a Second City Touring Company, and his understudy for his Second City ETC shows. The universe just kept throwing us together. Pete weighs less than me, so I think the universe kept throwing him a little farther ahead.</p>

<p>Grosz: I remember liking him a lot in that class, and liking what he did onstage with Valhalla, but JTS was the first place that we really got a chance to work together. And the reason John can’t remember when the show ran is because we started rehearsing in the fall of 1998, and didn’t put up shows until the spring of 2000 for only 6 months. Yeah. 18 months for a 6 month run. It was a little ridiculous, but I think the results were worth it.</p>

<p>I know you were both in "JTS Brown." Do you think that "2 Square" was more successful than "4 Square" and "JTS Brown" because of numbers, or experience? Does the intimacy of two players make it easier to stay on the same wavelength?</p>

<p>Lutz: Personally, "4 Square" was more successful than any of them. "JTS Brown" had twelve or thirteen people in it, which was too many, in my opinion (all great performers, but just too many!). "2 Square," keeps you on your toes because it's just the two of you. But when all four of the squares are together, there is nothing like it. We all bring something a little different. It really balances out the shows. All four of us got together in LA a few months back and put a show up at the Second City space out there. It was like we never stopped performing together. The only thing that was different was that we all got a little winded doing our warm up. We are old.</p>

<p>Grosz: "4 Square" is the most successful. "2 Square" is the most difficult and JTS was the most unpredictable. It was madness and genius, sometimes within the same show. But "4 Square" has the best chance of being really great and often was. A really tight, focused version of JTS – which was the reason for creating "4 Square" in the first place.</p>

<p>Click to read more ...</p>

<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment | 5 References tagged 30 Rock , Colbert Report , John Lutz , Peter Grosz in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Improv , Interviews Monday Jul 19 2010  The 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park, Chicago - 7.16.10</p>
<p>Monday, July 19, 2010 at 11:18AM Michael Showalter | Photo by Clay Adamczyk Festival-goers at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival were already ready to escape the 90 degree sun when comedy took the stage at 5:30 on Friday, the first day of the three day event. Kids with varying degrees of mustaches, baseball jerseys, feathers, and tattoos spread themselves out in the shaded, woodland area of Stage Balance, the smallest and furthest removed stage (yet situated closest to glorious beer). Tim Harrington, flamboyant lead singer of Les Savy Fav, 'hosted' the first ever comedy presentation at Pitchfork, mostly by throwing giveaways at kids sat closest to the stage and inviting contestants up to the stage for a marshmallow eating contest. The whole production ended up coming off as a hokey advertisement for Kraft, and ended with one contestant getting ‘sick’ (cue an absurd flood of multi-colored gag vomit). Harrington was amusing in and of himself, but his hosting didn’t do much to set up the showcase of some of the hottest comedians working right now.</p>

<p>Chicago’s own superstar Hannibal Buress opened as the first comedian to do Pitchfork, commanding the stage while also fighting the band playing simultaneously across the park. The opposing performers were dance punk trio The Liars, who at one point seemingly got louder at the exact time Buress was taking one of his signature pauses. This elicited one of the funnier quips about the perpetual sound bleed, as Buress asked the band, “What? You got a problem? That’s it! We got beef now. This is going to be one of most obscure beefs ever.” All in all, Buress commended the experience, saying, "I was really excited to be able to perform at Pitchfork; it was definitely fun to do a large outdoor event like that in my hometown."</p>

<p>Buress rumbles through his 45 minute set only slightly distracted from that point on, and the crowd is responding. However, their laughter kept drifting away in the wind, and the music across the way was sometimes the only answer the performer could hear. This was evident when Michael Showalter took the stage, first “competing” with his rock enemy, by faux-DJing on a laptop. He tried to get off some bits and stories, but soon was overcome with distractions, and became nearly hostile at suggestions from a few that he “do” some of his State characters. He attempted to address the situation of doing comedy in the out of doors at a music festival, saying you have to essentially be autistic to be able to perform in this setting, and luckily he has tendencies towards that condition. As he continued to meander and falter, the mostly supportive crowd began to drift, and at one point the singer on the opposing stage asked his crowd, “How we doing?” which elicited some cheers and whoops. It was getting increasingly surreal. Showalter mused, "All that’s missing is 400 people banging pots and pans together." He ended up leaving the stage approximately 15 minutes early.</p>

<p>Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac managed to smoothly incorporate his stories in a rhythmic overlap to Robyn’s sunny pop. More people were drifting over to the shaded area, spreading blankets and eating their festival dinners. Some napped.</p>

<p>The wind picked up and the temperature began cooling off. Eugene Mirman was the comedy closer for Pitchfork 2010, and he handled his business downright professional. The sound bleed was acknowledged, as he remarked that it sounded like a musical spaceship was landing in the field, and then soldiered on. At one point he was having so much fun and so was the crowd, both with his material and his asides about the weirdness of the venue, that he exclaimed, “This is actually fine!” And it was fine. Sure, it wasn’t 100 percent optimal conditions for a stand-up comedy set, but it ended up feeling like everyone was in it together, and it was a blessed reprieve for festival attendees who needed to take a sit-down-and-laugh break.</p>

<p>Mirman’s not a stranger to festivals, having performed in “ten or twenty” of them, he said. In reflecting on the Pitchfork experience the next day, Mirman said, “It went pretty good during my set. There were only a few moments that it was so loud that it was weird. With these things, often the audience is fine; the music is facing the comedians and the comedians can’t hear how loud they are through the sound… In general though this was fun; this is a very fun festival. The reason I come out is partially to see the bands and see friends and hang out.”</p>

<p>“I could see that people were laughing and that it was essentially going alright,” he added.</p>

<p>--Kristy Mangel</p>

<p>kristymangel | 2 Comments | 6 References tagged Eugene Mirman , Michael Showalter , chicago , hannibal buress , pitchfork music festival , show recap , wyatt cenac in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Show Recap Wednesday Jul 07 2010  Inside With: Dan Milano, Sean Baker, and Spencer Chinoy, creators of Warren the Ape</p>
<p>Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 11:51AM</p>

<p>By: Meredith Haggerty</p>

<p>MTV’s new documentary series Warren the Ape chronicles the trials and tribulations of the down-on-his-luck thespian and “Fabricated American” Warren as he struggles toward sobriety and attempts to regain the spotlight, with help from his therapist -- TV’s own Dr. Drew. I talked to creators Dan Milano, Sean Baker, and Spencer Chinoy about Warren’s Salvation Army beginnings, what it means to equip a drunken puppet with a camera crew, and what else we can expect to see this season (Corey Feldman!).</p>

<p>Warren the Ape, as both a TV show and a puppet, has had a long and storied history. Can you tell us about where and how you all started out?</p>

<p>Dan Milano: I'm so used to answering questions as Warren that I immediately bristled upon your use of the word "puppet," when his people clearly prefer "Fabricated American." Fortunately, I'm much more forgiving on the subject. Our creative partnership began a few years after we'd all graduated from NYU's Tisch School, which is where we'd all met. We were out of work and doing a show on public access television, where the Greg the Bunny character was created.</p>

<p>Before long, we started making interstitial material for movies that were airing on IFC, which included not only a short film starring Greg, but trivia segments that would educate the viewer on the weekly movie. Since Greg was a dim-witted and easily distracted character, we found it difficult for him to deliver trivial information. So it was for this purpose that the character of Warren was originally created. Warren's only job was to deliver trivia information to the camera in an efficient way, but Spencer and Sean would often make it very difficult for him.</p>

<p>As part of our long improv sessions in which I performed the puppet, they would tease or disrespect Warren, or scold him for having shown up to work unprepared. As you can imagine, this became the more entertaining aspect of our trivia segments - and the character of Warren was "found" over time. We established his desperation to be taken seriously, despite his being a puppet with a ridiculous helmet on his head. We saw him as a talented and well-trained thespian who would never be taken seriously, and so it drove him to drink. Warren was a natural foil for Greg the Bunny, so his</p>
<p>character eventually started appearing in our narrative films. It was a challenge for me to play both roles</p>
<p>simultaneously, but we managed it surprisingly often. I was literally working two-handed in those days, having improvised conversations with myself under Sean and Spencer's direction.</p>

<p>Eventually, both characters were featured on our FOX series, as well as on our return to IFC.</p>

<p>Spencer Chinoy: We started the original show back in the mid 90's. We were all bored with our day jobs and Manhattan public access was free and seemed like fun. We each had other projects we were working on, and Junktape was a hobby that soon became our main creative focus. When we started the show, we were shooting on VHS and editing between two VCRs.</p>

<p>Sean Baker: Warren's physical being was found one fateful day in a Salvation Army on 8th st. in NYC. He was just a monkey puppet. To make him our own, we attached a helmet and gave new eyes. Warren began as a very proper, married British gentleman who was down on his luck and stuck with a film trivia gig on Greg's show. This reserved, intelligent man is Warren in his sober state.... a state that we will rarely see on MTV.</p>

<p>In Greg’s show, there was one episode entitled "The 13th Step" which was the first episode to focus primarily on Warren. We follow him as he stays overnight in a seedy Times Square hotel following a separation from his wife. We actually killed him off at the end of the episode when he downs a bottle of pills. We came to like the character so much that in editing, we tacked on an epilogue in which he has his stomach pumped. From that point on, he became Greg's regular co-star.</p>

<p>Click to read more ...</p>

<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment tagged Dan Milano , Greg the Bunny , MTV , Sean Baker , Spencer Chinoy , Warren the Ape in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Wednesday Jun 23 2010  Inside With: Melissa Bowler, Producer of the Providence Improv Festival</p>
<p>Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 3:36PM</p>

<p>By: Brian Perry</p>

<p>Marking its seventh anniversary this week, the Providence Improv Festival will once again bring big improv fest atmosphere to the smallest state in the nation. With the launch of the festival lingering, producer Melissa Bowler gave us a sneak preview of what's new and exciting for this year.</p>

<p>How did you end up becoming the producer of the Providence Improv Festival?</p>

<p>This is my first year as producer, so I'm learning a lot. Delegation and follow up is huge. I had been on the committee organizing the festival for the past five years, which I initially got involved in through one of the local groups I was improvising with. I’ve also produced fundraisers and variety nights in the past and I teach theater in a variety of capacities in Rhode Island. So my involvement in the community led to the role rather than anything money related – it is a volunteer position and the festival operates year to year from a fund established from previous festivals.</p>

<p>How many years has the festival been running?</p>

<p>Seven years. It's kind of a stretch, but we've been going with a dog theme in our marketing since one year is seven dog years. To celebrate we're going to kick off the festival by reliving the first year. It was initially just local groups Unexpected Company, Improv Jones and Speed of Thought Players so that's the lineup we've got for our first show on Wednesday. It's all amazing and barely intentional symbolism.</p>

<p>Any shows or big events throughout the week that you're excited about?</p>

<p>Personally one of the groups I'm looking forward to the most is Grandma Hates Technology. It's a father and daughter duo from New York and the daughter is a middle school aged girl. Reading the description of the group I was worried it was going to be sketchy but their submission tape was really good improv. She holds her own. I'm excited to see them. I'm also excited for Never Have I(mprov) Ever. It's based on the drinking game - they play it truthfully with a rotating cast and then improvise based on what comes out during the drinking game. It works out well since this will also be our first year serving beer and wine at all of the venues. That show should flow seamlessly into our after party.</p>

<p>We're also doing a two by two tournament on Saturday. Any performer in the festival is encouraged to put their name into the hat an hour before the show. Then we'll randomly pull teams with the rule that you can only be paired with someone you don't currently perform with. We'll field eight two person teams for ten minute sets and the top two teams based on audience vote will get a twenty minute set on Sunday. It's hopefully a way to do something like an open jam without it being such a trainwreck.</p>

<p>Last year, the festival was only open to local groups, but this year you opened things up nationally, correct?</p>

<p>Although the fest is national this year, the bulk of the groups are mainly Rhode Island, Boston, and New York. We also have one group from LA and one group that's split between Boston and Maine but that's about it. I think there was a little confusion related to being local one year and national the next year. And we also ended up unintentionally scheduled at the same time as the Twin Cities Improv Festival.</p>

<p>Are you planning on keeping it national next year?</p>

<p>Yes. We heard from a few groups outside of the Northeast after submissions closed saying that they wish they knew the fest was open to national groups again. Hopefully that interest will continue to build for next year's festival.</p>

<p>The Providence Improv Festival runs from June 23rd to June 27th in Downtown Providence, Rhode Island and features 37 teams including Chet Watkins,ImprovBoston Mainstage,Junior Varsity, Neutrino Boston , Bastards Inc., Mrs Esterhouse, and 31 more.</p>

<p>The Apiary | 1 Comment tagged Melissa Bowler , Providence Improv Festival in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Page 1 ... 2 3 4 5 6 ... 32 Next 8 Entries » Copyright © 2011, [theapiary.org]. All rights reserved.</p>