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Post by Nancy Howland Walker on Mar 11, 2013 17:35:20 GMT -6
Hello, All! Please let us know who you are, and where you're from (please include the country!) You can let us know your experience with musical improv and improv in general, your group/show name, and what kind of musical improv you do. And anything else you want to share with us, within reason. (It IS a public board, ya know!) I'm Nancy Howland Walker, currently living in Chicago, IL, USA. I'm the administrator of this board and author of "Instant Songwriting: Musical Improv from Dunce to Diva." Here's a short bio. (Sorry it's in third person - easier to cut and paste what I have...) If you want the long version, you can go to www.InstantSongwriting.com and go to the "about the author" page. *** Nancy Howland Walker is a SAG/AFTRA actor, writer, teacher, and trainer. She has appeared in hundreds of commercials, videos and live industrials, and has been performing, teaching, directing, and producing improv since 1989. She has performed thousands of comedy shows for businesses, schools and theaters, and has led trainings for major corporations, including McDonalds, Oxford Instruments, and Amoco/BP, on creativity, team building, and communication. Nancy's specialty is musical improv. She has performed short-form and long-form musical improv since 1990. She has sung short-form musical improv games with ImprovBoston, the International Improvisational Theater League, TheatreSports, Just For Laughs, and the Disney Cruise Line. Nancy has also sung in long-form improvised musicals with ImprovBoston and the Free Associates, and in 1998, Nancy created, produced, directed and performed in MUSICAL! the musical, the United States’ first completely improvised two act modern Broadway style musical. It was a critical success – The Chicago Tribune called it “quite remarkable,” the Sun Times called it improv’s “final frontier.” Nancy has taught musical improv for professional and student improvisational groups, at schools from elementary level to collegiate, and festivals all over the world since 1993. Her classes are often packed and are always well-received. She is also co-host of the popular Zenprov podcast. *** Your turn!
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Post by bobmann on Mar 12, 2013 9:49:31 GMT -6
Nancy,
Thanks so much for creating this venue for discussion of "The Final Frontier."
My name is Bob Mann and I'm fairly new to improv. I live in The Oklahoma City area (the one in the USA). I grew up in an entertainment biz family in the east coast, and when i was a teen, I talked myself out of going to Clown College in Florida. When I was in my 30's I talked myself out of doing standup and at the age of 57, went to an Oklahoma City Improv show, loved it and when they mentioned that they had improv classes, I thought " what the hell, why not"
The main teachers at Oklahoma City Improv (OKCI) are Clint and Buck Vrazel- who perform nerd rap improv as Twinprov. Their performances mesmerized me and I thought, I could never do musical improv, it's too scary.
Then a beginning musical improv workshop was offered during a festival. I'd decided that i wanted to do more things that scared me, so I took the workshop.
I was hooked.
I've taken my first full musical improv class and had a blast. I really enjoyed our class performance and can't wait to take the next class later this month!
I've even had musical improv dreams and they were about having fun performances!
Bob
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fad23
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Post by fad23 on Mar 12, 2013 11:57:15 GMT -6
I'm Neil. I'm an expatriate of Los Angeles currently living in Kansas City, MO.
I grew up avoiding music practice and danced a lot more. Spent the last decade and a half teaching swing dance and filtering that through my understanding of improv and vice versa. I recently finished the training program at iO West, where I saw weeks upon weeks of Opening Night, the Improvised Musical. It was there as well that I took the musical improv class with George Caleodis.
Before leaving Los Angeles I worked with a group to build the Stage Dive, a form that incorporated dance and music into long form improv. Now I'm hoping to grow a musical improv group here in Kansas City!
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Post by Monty Harper on Mar 12, 2013 12:17:46 GMT -6
I'm a children's songwriter and performer in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I've made a living that way for twenty years now. ( www.montyharper.com) I've always admired improv and thought it would be fun to do, but never had the opportunity until I learned about OKC improv in Oklahoma City this past November. I took the same intro to musical improv class that Bob Mann did (above - hey Bob!) and I am gobsmacked by the Vrazels' Twinprov performances. I have already started to incorporate musical improv elements into the songwriting workshops and residencies I do with elementary age kids. So that's very exciting for me and cool for the kids. Our second musical improv class begins this weekend. Sometimes I have these dreams where I've talked myself into the idea that it's OK to walk around naked in public. Then slowly I begin to realize that it's not really working out for the best, then I become very embarrassed and wake up all freaked out. That's kind of where I'm at right now with musical improv. I convinced myself once it was OK to walk on stage and make up songs in front of people. Now I'm going to do it again? Um.... my rational self says I must be mad. But it's a skill I very much want to develop and the fact that it terrifies me on some level just means I'm on the right track, right? Somebody tell me that made sense. In closing, I've been listening to the Zenprov podcast - lots of great stuff there! I can't wait to try putting it into practice. Thanks!
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aden
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Post by aden on Mar 12, 2013 19:57:25 GMT -6
Hi! My name is Aden Kirschner. I am an improviser, teacher and trainer in Austin, Texas (USA!). I perform with Girls Girls Girls Improvised Musicals, the Known Wizards and various short-run shows, some musical some not, as they come my way. I started in musical theater when I was six years old, added improv to the equation when I was twelve, and I've been teaching improv since I was in high school. Currently I teach for the Merlin Works Institute for Improvisation, and for the most part I'm the musical improv teacher lady. I teach all the stuff, but the majority of my classes are improv singing basics, improvised musical theater numbers, and full-length improvised musicals. I'll also be flying out to Oregon at the end of this month and teaching a lyrical intensive workshop that I think will be a lot of fun. Improv singing is the best! I often think of my classes as the quick trip down improv lane. All of the things that are required to be great improvisers are required in larger quantities for making up songs and sharing them with scene partners! LOVE IT!
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Post by Heather Urquhart on Mar 13, 2013 5:55:48 GMT -6
Hi Nancy and all. My name is Heather and I'm a musical improviser all the way from the UK. I improvise with a troupe called the Maydays. I also have a website and book about musical improv with our MD Joe Samuel. We have free podcasts on there too www.musicalimprovcomedy.co.uk - am I allowed to mention that?! We are flying the musical improv flag in the UK but we learnt everything we know from Nancy! There is even a podcast with some great songs we did. We spend alot of time teaching improvisers how to free up their voice but this year we have been doing the opposite by going into regular choirs and teaching them how to improvise which has been great fun.
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Post by bobmann on Mar 13, 2013 11:54:53 GMT -6
Heather,
I love your podcasts and have shared the link with fellow improvisers here in Oklahoma!
Bob
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Post by robbieellis on Mar 14, 2013 10:14:36 GMT -6
I'm kiiiind of in the wrong thread, but this seems more active than the accompanists' one. I'm here correctly on a technicality. Anyway!
Robbie Ellis from Auckland, New Zealand. I've also lived in Wellington and Dunedin. I started as a musician for improv theatre in 2001, expanding into improv acting in 2008. Currently I'm travelling in North America, and my life back home is between cities and between jobs.
I have been the musical director for Austen Found: The Undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen (sold out 2010 Adelaide Fringe Festival, 2010 STAMP Programme in Auckland); and Improv: The Secondary School Musical (sold out 2009 Wellington Fringe Festival, Best Comedy in the Fringe Awards that year). I've also been part of companies' debut musicals with Wellington Improvisation Troupe (WIT) and Improsaurus of Dunedin.
I've performed at every New Zealand Improv Festival to date, as well as the Hallowe'en Classic in Melbourne, Improvention in Canberra, and the Seattle Festival of Improvisational Theater in Guangzhou. (I lie, it's in Seattle.) I'll be in Chicago from next week, hoping to perform with groups before and in the Chicago Improv Festival... we shall see.
When I return home from my travels, I've got vague plans to start an improv musical theatre group.
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Post by Nancy Howland Walker on Mar 16, 2013 8:51:59 GMT -6
Hey All!
Thanks to all who have introduced themselves thus far!
Bob and Monty, I taught classes at a Bonner Springs improv festival and met Twinprov there - they are fantastic!! So glad that they turned you onto musical improv. Neil, I love that you're incorporating dance with musical improv - for my next run of MUSICAL! the musical, I want to bring in dancers to train the improvisers for as more legit look. Aden, I agree - I've always thought that musical improv is regular improv, but super concentrated, since you have to do it all within a certain amount of beats. (I'm diggin' the GGG YouTube videos.)
Heather and Robbie - great to see you on these boards! Of COURSE you can mention your fabulous podcast, Heather. (And Marshall wants everyone to know that he was quite sick during that podcast taping, so that's why his verses suck - his words!)
And for those of you who don't know, Robbie Ellis was one of my fabulous contributing musicians for my book Instant Songwriting. Hope to see you in Chicago, Robbie!
Love you all, Nancy
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Post by frazerrobb on Mar 17, 2013 0:38:53 GMT -6
Hi all My name is Frazer Robb and I'm from Belfast, Northern Ireland. My experience with musical improv doesn't extend past Doo Ron Ron with my short form team, Wonder Frog. We are currently the only (and therefore best!) improv team of any kind in Northern Ireland. 3 years ago I took classes with a local drama teacher who runs a comedy improv class which is focuses on short form games and having fun. The class puts on an end of term show which give a few of us the taste for performing improv and we started a team. Viola! Since then I discovered longform and after devouring as many books and podcasts as I could find I decided to head of to Chicago last summer for the iO Summer Intensive. It was the best decision I ever made and I say that as a 40 year old man. I would recommend taking the course or even just going and seeing shows in Chicago to anyone interested in longform, in fact I'll be at the Annoyance Intensive this summer. I bought the book to help Wonder Frog learn some new ways to improvise and after seeing shows like The Deltones and Showstoppers (UK based) with a long term view to trying a musical improv show. So that's me. Glad to be here.
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Post by tfish77 on Mar 18, 2013 9:19:58 GMT -6
Hi all, Jordan Hirsch here, typing in from sunny Brooklyn, NY. I've been performing, coaching, and teaching musical improv for around 8 years now, starting with my training in Washington DC with Washington Improv Theater (WIT). At WIT, I had the good fortune to be an original cast of DC's bedrock musical improv troupe, iMusical. After many wonderful years in DC, I moved to New York City in 2009, and soon found my musical improv home at the Magnet Theater. I currently perform there as part of the musical house team Legend as well as the Director's Series show "The Narrator." I'm also 1/2 of an indie musical improv duo called Vox Pop. Together with my co-star Karen Lange (who lives in DC and is still a cast member in iMusical) and musical accompanist Jaime Hazan, we perform an entirely sung musical improv show exploring the ins and outs of relationships. Vox Pop has performed at several improv festivals, including the Del Close Marathon, the New York Musical Improv Festival, the Philadelphia Improv Festival, and (for the first time this year) the Chicago Improv Festival. I love musical improv, and I love watching beginners and students progress on their musical improv journeys.
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Post by ranhound on Mar 19, 2013 8:52:02 GMT -6
Hello from Chicago! My name is Randy Craig and I have been improvising since 1988. I am an original ensemble member at The Comedy Shrine in Aurora, IL. I am an improviser, actor, writer, singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Before I met Nancy I hated musicals, musical improv, and musical numbers in sketch comedy revues. When she came up with this broadway musical parody MUSICAL! the musical and taught me HOW to improvise songs I was no longer afraid.
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Post by Nancy Howland Walker on Mar 20, 2013 16:19:08 GMT -6
Hi Randy!
Thanks for joining! Feel free to start a topic thread. Marshall started one, but when he posted/linked to it on the Improvisational Theater page on FaceBook, people had a lively discussion THERE!
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Post by Nancy Howland Walker on Mar 21, 2013 8:33:59 GMT -6
Welcome also to Frazer and Jordan! I love that we're getting all levels of musical improvisers on this site - that's fabulous!
Sidenote - I missed your posts at first and just saw Randy's last one because I didn't bookmark the thread. If anyone wants to get notices when someone responds to a thread you've written on, just bookmark it. (check the bookmark box right underneath the text box) In your profile, under bookmark, you can say whether you want to be notified by PM, email, or not at all...)
Frazer, did you meet some of the MayDays when you were doing the summer intensive? They are Brighton based, and I know at least one of them is coming over again this summer to study.
Jordan, I've never seen iMusical or Legend - if you have any clips, please post them on the video forum. I've heard great things about WIT and Magnet!
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Post by frazerrobb on Mar 23, 2013 1:41:38 GMT -6
Hi Nancy, Yes I did meet some but only really in passing. There were so many people on the course that I only really got to know my class which was a good thing as we got really close. The Maydays are facilitating a 2 day workshop with Rich and Rebecca Sohn in April that I am attending, so I'm sure I'll get to know them a bit better then. I'll be back in Chicago myself this summer at The Annoyance 1 week intensive
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