Summer is almost over

There’s been a lot going on since the start of summer and now summer is almost over.

I started rehearsals for Suburban Love Songs in June. It eventually ran as part of the Live Arts Festival in Philadelphia Sept 1-4 and was a huge success and there is talk that it is being picked up by Philadelphia based 1812 Productions.

I directed Once on This Island for a middle school summer camp in July.

Killer Pussy played the Philly SPARK festival in July and the Fringe Festival in September as did LunchLady Doris.

My friend and mentor Mike Young for whom I undertook the bike For Sight ride died in July.

I haven’t felt much like writing since then. Everything seems so petty and pointless.

I’m trying out a new world view or maybe I’m trying to pay more attention to what my therapist has been trying to tell me lo these many years.

Nothing in my nascent revamped world view is so unique or different that you can’t find it any check-out counter magazine or well cited psychological treatise. But after a lot of struggle and one more loss in my life it’s starting to seep through my thick head.

Here it is. Ready? I’m putting myself and my needs first. For any improvisers out there, I’m choosing to live the Annoyance philosophy in day to day life.

I also understand now, like really understand, that we always have choices. I used to think that “choice” meant either you get something really great OR you get something really awful. And it bugged me because I think I NEVER have a choice my back is against the wall in so many ways. But now I see it isn’t like that. In fact most times a choice is between something so-so and something “eh” or between horror number 1 and horror number 2, and on occasion it’s a choice between something good and something slightly better, and rarely is a choice between something good and something awful. Choice doesn’t make things better because of the choice. Choice makes things better because it allows you some control over a small portion of your life that is otherwise uncontrollable.

So today I discover I have a choice, between responding or not to an inflammatory remark made on a public message board about me but not to me. The remark is vehement and angry in it’s tone and indicates that either the poster did not read my post or read it with some agenda in mind. It has left me feeling very angry and wanting to hurt the poster. I’m choosing this blog post instead.

The inciting post in question refers to an announcement of an upcoming improv workshop being offered by a NYC improviser in Philly. I am not personally acquainted with the instructor nor have I heard his name mentioned in the “guru” circle (Mick Napier, Jill Bernard, Joe Bill, Armando Diaz, the UCB founders, that crew) I haven’t any opinion of this person’s ability to teach or inspire one way or the other. The instructor is being sponsored by Peoples Improv Theater (PIT) a large and well funded group (compared to many Philly based improv groups) with a decent reputation. And I have no issue with that. The original announcement was just that-a simple statement a bit arrogant “Start your improv career out right” but hey that’s marketing and I have no issue with that either. It is what followed after that irked me.

One or two posts of the kind that state ”I know him he’s good take a class with him” were followed by many more that practically made this guy seem like a walking god. And I thought whose posting these? And low and behold they are posts from NYC. Then came a few locals who appear eager to take the class—although it is allegedly an Intro class and I suspect the locals in question are not intro level students. Whatever, take intro 1000 times if you like. I felt angry because the sum total of the posts (before leaving my own) felt like “here Philadelphia you poor improv starved city we in NYC will send you one of our demi-gods to take care of you, you needn’t suffer for want of good instructors any longer.” FUCK YOU NYC. For all I know this guy is as fantastic as these people claim and if so hooray I welcome that with open arms but that doesn’t mean you can’t get great improv teachers in Philly already. I thought of several folks teaching right now who are struggling to even fill a class because Philly improvisers think NYC = good and Philly = sucks! I myself have had trouble getting people to take classes sponsored by my theater company from out of town guests like Jill Bernard—someone most improvisers have heard of so where were they? They weren’t ALL busy.

I posted a comment about the class. I said hooray if this guy is all that people say about him but don’t get so caught up in the hype that you forget that you can get the same thing right here at home. I never mentioned a specific class or company or even teacher. I’m not even teaching right now. What followed was a very angry accusation that I was attempting to “hijack” the thread followed by many aspersions to my character. As if my post will keep people from taking this class or I have damaged this man’s career in some fashion by stating that we have good teachers in Philly.

I don’t know why I feel so angry about this. In the end he isn’t worth it. If I died tomorrow my life would not be any better for addressing his stupidity. He has certainly confirmed my opinion of him.

I hope this NYC fellow is as wonderful as they all say. I hope those that take his class learn some good improv skills and take classes from many different people. I hope they don’t get caught up in the machine that is “you aren’t really an improviser until you’ve had Level X, Level X1, Level X2, Level Y, … improv “levels” aren’t regulated for quality or content they aren’t standard across the nation Level 1 in NYC may or may not be the same as Level 1 in LA or Chicago or Philly or Omaha—every company –improv or otherwise—makes money off of you taking classes. Beware the endless levels of learning—just make sure you are getting out of it what you want and not getting wrapped up in hype and please if you are in the Philly area don’t you believe it that anyone working in Philly sucks. Suckage exists as much in NYC and Chicago as it does here.

Frankly, I don’t see how setting up a NYC branch of an established NYC company brings the Philly improv community together. We have a new and younger group of people who have been working really hard to establish a Philly identity and this move seems to undermine all that. If you have the ability to study with someone you should do it, study as often as you can just don’t thumb your nose at the local talent available. This is Philadelphia for god’s sake not bumblefuck.