For the final episode of our A New Play series, Julian interviews Hal about directing A New Play. 

Apologies for the upload delay, Hal was running the UnScripted Shakespeare Festival! We are right back at it debriefing the final two nights of A New Play! Our intro music by Sebastian Blue Hochman famously comes from night four!

Night Three watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y_G9zNJv3Q

Night four watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5lApi_65io

TW: Child abuse and sexual assault.

This episode is a rare LIVE interview with two of the most brilliant impro minds out there! Impro Amsterdam reliably curates the best improvised shows that I have seen anywhere in the world, and standing out from the pack this year was Festen. Based on the movie by the same title, Festen takes place over the course of a family dinner during which one member of the family reveals that they were abused by another as a child. The show is political, dramatic, healing, and unlike anything that I had ever seen improvised before. I was lucky enough to interview the show's creators, Aymeric Desjardin and Charlotte Méniére in a nearby wine store.

If you want to find more of their incredible work you can visit the website for their Théâtre de L'Esquive in Bordeaux or go to Aymeric's website. 

https://theatredelesquive.fr/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabYuhqmODz1i0pcBKLBWAB64tOHx8zpFHZXtifBzDgTiuNZaZ1v5w5KGnY_aem_sOb4FUCO-hLXv-1teDKzlw 

https://www.aymericdesjardin.com/ 

In practicing for A New Play we sought to expand the world of what is possible to improvise! To do this we broke away from the traditional "rules" of impro and rebuilt our own looser guidelines to play by. In this episode we also talk about how you can safely explore and expand the comfortable boundaries of of contact, combat, content, and intimacy. I you are interested in having your shows feel more like scripted theater, it is important to adapt the safety procedures from theater so that they work in an improvised setting!

In this episode we explore the subtle difference in thought process the separated A New Play improvisation from other types of improv. If you are wondering why this is such a challenging form, here is your answer, but the payoff for learning to play in this way is enormous :)

Sasha Sokolova joins the podcast to talk about the biggest innovation of A New Play: The Physical Improvisors. If you want some brilliant insights in to how to add movement, visual artistry, and technical elements to your improv, tune in to here what Sasha has to say!

To apply to take the 3 day workshop at the UnScripted Shakespeare Festival, got to https://www.thornandpetalstick.com/festival and fill out the individual application!

Read along with this one: https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/5/25851/files/2016/02/taoteching-Stephen-Mitchell-translation-v9deoq.pdf

or listen to the full text:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7sIyojwbx9eaKqkoPL3DDH?si=1dadcab6edf44c79 

At the far reaches of the possible, A New Play, is unlike any other improvised piece of theater. In this first episode we break down the vision for creating the show, and the ways in which we dreamed of expanding the the art form of improvisation. If you also have the dream of elevating improvisation into the realm of theater, tune in to this season to see how we tackled each problem and made this dream a reality!

Check out the visuals here:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=861yDZ1jwwk&t=186s 

Apologies to the Brave Little Toaster, which, as it turns out, was a book. 

Everyone's favorite award show :0

This one is a little self indulgent, but was delightful to make! Congrats to everyone who won a Mu-ie this year! 

Thanks to Limited Resources for inspiring this episode (and honestly the whole podcast) 

Also, I realized we missed the Tesuji of using the delayed Tesuji point to bring it to a tie... That is why it is such an important concept.

Goodbye Slasher, Hello reflections on what we learned! 

This show is fantastic! Improv people always warn you not to do transaction scenes but they don't give you the gory details about can happen if you don't follow their advice ;). The show starts out as a sort of normal silly improv show about pickles and arcs into something intense and amazing! Hal and Julian both think that it is the best audio show that we have done so far and if you make it to the end you will see why. A great lesson in breaking the form and the perfect finale to our Slasher season! 

Happy Holidays! A few days late but just in time to put our latest slasher into your Christmas Stocking. Gather round the fire and listen to our radio play, Azurite. 

We rewatched nights One and Two of A New Play and talked through how they went!If you haven't seen them go check them out!

A New Play Night One:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjeb4BI1o-0

A New Play Night Two:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2qDjmWah6g&t=19s 

Full slasher example #1. This one paced like the movies that we have been watching so it is a little longer than our normal shows! Gets pretty crazy once the action starts... We will have another full show next week!

Our GIGAspine episodes talk though all the thought processes that go into the narrative choices of a complete show! We think that this is one of the best ways to get insights into how you and you teammates actually make decisions, and to build up that skill separately from the actual improv.

New slasher episode on when/how to break the form in improv. Julian sings a song in this one!

On this episode we break down the plots of five slasher movies to create heat maps of the kills, and strengthen our understanding of narrative timing!

We learned a lot making this and are excited to begin experimenting with the new principles! 

In order to do a Slasher you must first learn to be a Slasher! I think that the second half of this episode when we talk about the slasher ordeal is really useful if you want to skip ahead to it!

What are some tropes that start to make your show feel like it is in the slasher genre? How do you engage with tropes in improv? Should you lean into them or play against them?

Sorry for the late post, I am editing them further in advance now and just forgot to post it Sunday night!

You have two days left to cast your ballot in the 2024 US election!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!! 

How do you depict and feel fear onstage? How can you scare your audience and stage partners? Is it okay to to actually feel afraid as the player? 

What an awesome episode! Like really this one has so much great stuff in it... So dang useful :) :| :0 80 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eV4aiAFsK4 (Video of the recent Thorn and Petalstick Tragedy)

Happy Halloween!!!! Muprov Musings is back with a frighting format that has been developed and directed by our Co-Host Julian Bernado, and he steps into the guest role on this episode to give you the full backstory of its evolution. The Improvised Slasher lets you play with a whole new side of improvisation. If you have not tried improvised horror before, you have to give this a listen!!!

We are making some structural changes! Tune back in on October 28th for the start of our new season! 

Sam Kamenetz founded the group Improvised DnD in NYC! He comes on the podcast to explain the ins and outs of the format. If you want to audition for the group or see one of their shows live in NYC, check out their instagram! 

https://www.instagram.com/improvised_dnd/

Zoom link for Muprov Musings democracy show at 1:15 am Monday 9/23 (The zoom is 24 hours and has tons of great speakers)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82475212895?pwd=Z5LJ3azE6bj3hAbsiIwLiGQRh8JdAq.1 

Our third episode about the physical improvisers gets deep into the specific techniques that we developed for A New Play. Many of these techniques never made it into the performances, so this is the first time they are available to the world!

Special thanks to Ahmad Koya, Anna Mistele, and John Mistele for coming on the podcast to perform a SuperScene! If you like mysteries, aliens, rodents, butterflies, and God, then you will love this SupersScene :)

As usual we got a little carried away with the practice run! It's a slow-rolling snowball that is pretty delightful in the end! 

Thank you Trey for teaching us the Hush little Baby warm up! 

Thank youHal for finding the perfect fossil to represent the spine of the story of Superscene. 

Directing is one of the most important improv skills because if you learn how to be a good director, you will also learn how to be a good Side-coach and Artistic Director! If you want to develop your own signature style and innovate in the world of improv, directing a SuperScene is a great place to start! 

Watch it here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciEg0W3PP7Y&t=114s

It wouldn't be Superscene without Terry Davis... Ahmad Koya, waterbender, world saver, wave maker, comes on the podcast to talk SUPERSCENE— the most fun format of all time. 25/30

Meet Ahmad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM19JJ1Ofuo 

Terry Davis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcFrsz2L5zQ 

The amazing Cleo DeOrio joins the podcast LIVE for the next stop of the adventure-–Dell'Arte International! In just two weeks studying here, Clio and the other instructors have taught me a whole new framework for understanding improvisation through the practice and metaphor of physical movement and momentum. Now you can get the concepts straight from Clio herself! 

Hal is flying solo as the host in this one, but with an amazing international guest, Charlotte Gittens! A live, late-night, interview after an incredible show! 

Dogpoodle Time Travel event 8/10:

https://fb.me/1OZjLNNOaw7YbnA 

This is a really special episode because Henry Kandel was the first person to teach Hal improv! Kandel was improvising in Chicago in the 90s and is an artist with and unique perspective on improv that has shaped a lot of the perspectives of your hosts! We are so happy to have them on the show, and I (Hal) am eternally grateful for the four years of wisdom and experimentation that launched me on this incredible journey! 

Nothing you hear on the episode is medical advice. The three of us each have different perspectives and methods of warming up for practices and shows and encourage you do what feels safe and best for you/your ensemble. 

Cindy Ong, architect and founder of RTW kids joins the program to talk about the impact that improv can have on young people! She has grown an large independent improv school that students stay enrolled in for over a decade! There is really nothing like it right now in the world of narrative improv! So cool!!!

RTW Kids: https://rtwkids.org/mission/ 

My Architect Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HxB9Iu3Hbc 

Live interviews with the cast of Taxi Tales from the Liverpool Improvisation Festival! Taxi tales was an incredible show created and directed by Dr. Mark Smith that tells the story of twelve taxi rides over the course of one night. An enormous thank you to everyone involved with LiF for making this such a magical experience! 

You can find out more by following @liverpool_improv_festival on instagram or visiting https://www.liverpoolimprovfestival.com/ 

Guests:

Josie Throup @josiemakesitup @Drunkclassicsmanchester

Adrià Lerma @adria.lerma

Samuel Pownall @samuelpownall

Anthony Saldana @anthonya.saldana

Diana Brown @dianalynnbrown3330

Shotgun Theater: https://thepit-nyc.com/events/shotgun-theater/ 

Diana's workshop:

https://www.thornandpetalstick.com/event-details/rogues-ruffians-and-wiley-wits-improvising-bawdy-characters-in-the-style-of-shakespeare 

Robert Greene joins the podcast to kick off our educators series! For any parents out there with young children, we hope this episode will open you up to the power of play in raising kids! Robert is a multi-hyphenate artist so the conversation touches everything under the sun and synthesizes it all together into some beautiful wise words! 

Our first live show!!! Full video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lec-vqzpKNo

Tune in to see Hal and Julian at their peak fun, joyously playing all the characters in an unscripted Shakespeare play!!! Check out those crazy costumes! Such a great show!!! The Midnight Dance will whisk you away on a whirlwind ride and show you the power of a pickled onion!

We forgot to post last week, but boy do we have a good reason!!! We just finished organizing the Unscripted Shakespeare Festival! My lord it was so much fun. Sadly, the event that you are about to here about has already concluded, but the good news is that it was amazing and will hopefully happen again next year! Get ready next week to hear the first ever LIVE Muprov Musings shows. (Spoiler alert: It's a real banger)

Happy MUthers Day! One of my all-time favorite episodes for sure! Tune in to hear a full length improv show demonstration! 

If anyone listening has an in with Coca-Cola or the Mormon Church, we are trying to get sponsored for this one :)

Calm vibes only on this episode as we chill our way through an invaluable improv tool. If you have never enjoyed a surgical run before, get ready for one of the best ways to get an inside scoop into our minds. It is half way between a practice run and a GIGASPINE and makes for great listening! 

We are going back to the basics! Shout out to Ken Adams and the storyspine. Lets platform some scenes! 

Most failed scenes are one side-coach away from being great. On this episode we talk through three simple coach lines that can save the day. If you practice it enough with a coach, the voice in your head will begin to remind you all by yourself! 

Improv is all about flexibility and change, so how does the way we teach it change over time as each generation gets to improve on the past? Enter Ness Arikan— who learned improv in this fundamentals curriculum, and now is the current instructor to this same workshop. She has reworked the whole curriculum and can give a rare inside look at the cutting edge of teaching fundamentals!

The next generation of improvisors are crazy :). 

Gosh this is like five episodes packed into one... Back in the day we taught a whole second version of this class where we deep dived each of them, but lets start with a fundamental understanding....

If you have strong opinions about acronyms then then you will love this episode. Let us know what team you are on in the comment ;)

#TeamCROW #TeameCROWE #COWREmpromise #hardCORE #CREWcrew

People talk a lot about supporting your partner in improv, but how do you actually make that happen? Well, everyone is different so it really depends on who your partner is! Here are some ways that we practice the meta-stuff and learn to tailor our support to the people that we play with!

Folk singer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDrKeGqV6qY

Time God:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnvYmgiqrt4 

Lana Tleimat, the assistant director, producer, stage manager, costume fabricator, and pain sink of A New Play puts on one final hat: podcast guest. 

Sometimes the best thing to do is be obvious. Why not take the path of least resistance? It can be hard to feel confident enough to do things the easy way but at the end of the day that is what fundamentals is all about!

Improv Wisdom, By Patricia Ryan Madson:

https://www.amazon.com/Improv-Wisdom-Dont-Prepare-Just/dp/1400081882 

A New Play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2qDjmWah6g&t=4306s 

Fundamentals go deep! This episode goes from 0 to 100 starting out with the familiar mirror exercises building from Blocking to Yes And, but then taking it two steps beyond the idea of "Yes, and." Experienced improvisers can skip over some of the initial steps but hopefully it is fun to see the whole trajectory laid out! 

Mirror Study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1108155108 

Hofstadters MU: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach 

Whether you are a total beginner or a veteran, if you want to reach the next level of improvisation the best way to do it is to go back to the fundamentals! Rather than going for a traditional intro series, we will pull back the curtain and talk about teaching muprov and how to design a course to teach these fundamentals. You may know some of the exercises, but I bet you will be surprised by the way we use them :). Trey is a wonderful guest and teacher and we are so happy to have him join us to kick off this series!!!

This episode is a short one ;). Hear our takes on Impro Amsterdam, Birthdays, running, and Tob/Bottom. Stick around to the end of the episode and you might win a prize! We have a lot of fun!

Join us next week for the first episode of our Muprov Fundamentals Series!