One Year Later

One year ago I enrolled in a summer intensive course with the Improv Conspiracy.  I didn’t know much about longform improv, and I was initially drawn to the course due to the fact that my family had gone to Europe without me and I was very bored. The prospect of spending my birthday alone was super, super depressing, so I thought it better to spend it with new improv pals!

The fact that I was able to do two 3-day courses over two weeks to complete the (then) entire course program also appealed to me, and most of all; the chance to perform in a class show at the conclusion of the workshops was a unique opportunity.

The intensives were aptly intense.  I found myself reeling each evening, trying to make sense of what we were discovering in class.  My fondest memory was of a scene in which my character was intent on keeping his partner's body organs after she passed away so he could create works of art in her memory.  After the two weeks of workshops I was placed in a team, and after a particularly painful first Harold the Elevator DJ’s were born.                                                                               

Over the course of this year I’ve made some great friends, had too many laughs to count (I’m unsure of how to collect the data anyway – do I count each "ha" or each burst of "hahahas"?), and had some great performance experiences – including the Melbourne Comedy Festival and Melbourne Fringe Festival.  My own performance journey is still evolving – we’re all learning on the job – we’re just lucky we’re not responsible for heavy machinery.                                                  

The greatest strength of the Improv Conspiracy is the community we’re creating, and I’m excited to see what the new year ahead holds for us! 

Weekly shows with new teams? Yep.

Interstate gigs? You bet. 

More festivals? Why not. 

Workshops aplenty? Of course. 

New formats? Totally. 

Me, becoming a father? What? Congratulations me! Perhaps now I’ll understand how Daddy Kangas feels about this motley bunch of make-em-uppers.