Dennis..
You probably don’t know me but I’ve seen and admired your work for a long time.. okay, enough flattery.. here’s the deal. I asked McCoy for the gutsiest actor in Springfield and your name popped out of his moustached mouth.
An idea I’ve had for some time and in some respects have experimented with it for years. .. the billing would be something like: “Jacksonville vs. Springfield! The Battle of the Millenium!” or… “A Neighborly War: Jacksonville takes on Springfield in mortal combat!” The gist of the thing: two Improv teams, one representing the theatre community of each town..say five person teams. Both teams have “trained together,” that is they’ve learned the same Improv games. The only real war is in the publicity. I’ve seen this done on several occasions and it’s a genuine hoot. We’ll hold it perhaps once in each city… like at the Guild office then at a venue in S’field, and perhaps eventually the outdoor theatre at New Salem (I’ve spoken with Bob Crowe and he’s enthused.) Each team has a choice of ..say… 25 games which are posted in plain view of the audience. Both teams are dressed as comfortably or as bizarre as desired..baseball caps, their “team” T-shirts, etc. There is a Chairman who introduces the evening and then begins the competition. One team challenges the other to one of the games. Again, the form of each game is rehearsed but the actual scenes remain strictly Improv. A team of “judges” has been chosen..some pre-arranged and some taken from the audience. Then the challenged team does the Improv, followed by the challenging team playing out the same form. Nearly all of the Improv games would involve some suggesting from the audience..the Chairman ask the audience for these. After each team does the Improv, the judges quickly declare a winner of that game. Our “planted” judge makes sure that the scores stay close and that the reasons for rating are purely ridiculous. There are certain minor rules, like “bagging.” If any Improver says something off-color, they must wear a bag over their head for the next game. Also, the judges may halt any particular Improv by shouting “Bo-Ring!” in unison. Of course to spice things up you’d have a man on the light switch to give us a blackout once the Chairman shouts “Curtain!” .. someone on the CD player to give us a musical tag to end each scene, a cheering section for each group, etc. It might take all of one night’s preparation. Anyway..that’s the guts of the thing. The proceeds for the night would be given to a cause we choose.
(I’ve emailed Rich and he is ready..with blood in his eyes for a J’ville victory.) Think about this and tell me your thoughts. I’d be willing to serve as Chairman since I’ve seen this form done several times. And if you think it’s an idea worth considering, think about possible S’field Improvers. You probably know already that most major cities have their own Improv teams. It’s not like I just discovered the wheel..but around here you can get the patent on the wheel forty years before anyone realizes it’s been done before. Talk to me sometime… And by the way, my fingers are still shaking a bit from sending an email to the IASB.. I’ve taught for 30 years and you guys really make me nervous! Happy New Year! Ken Bradbury