Improv Gig 4: Wow Impro @ Reckless Comedy – Monday 4th June 2012
Improv Gig : 4.
Date : Monday 4th June, 2012.
Company : Wow Impro.
Players : Rich Coad, Matt Dibbens, Rich Baldwin, Lorcan (Liam) Mullen and Myself.
Location : Reckless Comedy @ Robbins’ Well, 2 Victoria Terrace, Leamington Spa,Warwickshire CV31 3AB, UK.
Start time : 9pm.
Duration : 20 minutes.
Pre Gig Thoughts:
My last gig was back in May where we had one audience member, let's hope that this will have more. It should as it is a stand up Open Mic night. On a Bank Holiday it might not necessarily have a lot of people there, but it is on the final day of the Leamington Spa Comedy Festival. (Which as far as I can tell, Robbins' Well is the only venue for.) But the thing is, it is a Bank Holiday. I'm normally only in the Midlands for work. But there is no work today. Am I crazy to drive there for a 20 minute show and then drive back in the same night? Will the bank holiday traffic conspire against me? Who knows, but we'll find out the answer to both of those questions after the gig is over.
For my fourth gig, I'm back performing with Wow Impro again. The group that I did Gig 1 with. It'll be the second time I have performed with Wow Impro, so I must have done something right in the workshops and at the last gig as I didn't have to beg for a spot on the show. So I must be improving! The Matts and the Riches and Liam together again for the second time. At the same venue as our last triumph! Let's See What Happens!
The Gig Itself:
We were on 2nd after an established act tried out some new material. We took to the stage at about 9.30pm.
1st Game: We opened with a round of Questions Only. Seemed to be okay, but I do need to be better at this game. I bombed out several times. The initial location was a dentist office, but it really picked up when we got a new suggestion part way through, though I don't recall what that was.
2nd Game: ABC scene, played by Rich Baldwin and Lorcan. I think this was the best game of the night. Starting with the letter J, they really did an awesome job. Funny and an absorbing story. The plot was that Lorcan had murdered a child (students are great with suggestions) and he didn't want Rich to find out.
3rd Game: World's Worst featuring all players with Rich Coad taking suggestions. A walk forward game. Suggestions included Traffic Warden, Zoo Keeper, IT Programmer, and Counsellor. I stepped forward a few times and got a couple of laughs.
4th Game: Accents. A game for myself, Matt Dibbens and Rich Coad. Rich Baldwin asking for suggestions, and calling the accent switches. A Regular scene, set at a Venezuelan Post Office. A variety of accents were introduced including Leeds, Manchester, Welsh, Liverpool, Swedish, Dutch, South African. There were probably others, but I can't recall what they were. I am not good at this game. I can't do accents at all. I found myself not being fully in the game as I had to think about the accents too much.
5th Game: Party Quirks. Rich Coad as the host of the party. In order of entrance to the party: Lorcan was a wannabe Contortionist. Matt Dibbens acted like he was reading the news all the time. Rich Baldwin refused to keep eye contact with anyone. I had a Speaker Fetish. If you're ever wanted to see me make out with a Sub Woofer / speaker system, you should have been at the Leamington Spa Comedy Festival.
The Set List Decided Moments Before Taking The Stage
Post Gig Thoughts:
I wasn't working on Monday, which was good. But it meant that I was at home in Wigan, and the gig was in Leamington Spa. So for the first time ever I traveled over 242 miles (round trip) in a single day for a gig. Left my house at just after 4pm and returned just after midnight. 8 hours out and about, 4 of which was driving. Got to hang out and grab a bite to eat with the Riches, and Tom (workshop attendee and imported audience member for the night) until gig time. Then 20 minutes on stage. Then immediately back in the car once our set was over. It was a cool trip experience, but I'm glad I did it on a Bank Holiday, so I didn't have to do a days work first.
The gig itself was fun, and I enjoy working with the Wow Impro crew. I need more practice with Questions Only, World's Worst, and Accents (I just need to do an accent other than my own convincingly). Party Quirks was the best I've played it and it usually is my worst game. But it all depends on the quirk that you're given. And tonight I was given a fun one.
In all, I think I've made progress over the past few gigs. For instance, this was the biggest unknown audience I've played to (and by that I mean an audience made up entirely of people I didn't know) and I had no stage nerves. So that's a bonus. I have played to a bigger audience in improv showcases, but I knew most of those people.
I'm really looking forward to the gig on Thursday. It'll be a full length show to boot. Exciting!
