Five Questions With Daniel Pavatich

This is a post in our "Five Questions" series of interviews with Improv Conspiracy members.  We aim to publish one per week over the next few months!

What was the first improv show you saw that made you think "Wow, I'd like to do that!"?

Whose Line is it Anyway when I was 16. I then caught some Upright Citizens Brigade clips on YouTube and after watching more of their work, I was convinced that I had to be a part of it.

What aspects of the Harold do you find the most rewarding? The most challenging?

The most rewarding part is the genuine feeling of creating something as a group. The team aspect is absolutely unique to this form. Watching one of your team mates call back to a joke, line or idea of yours from earlier in the show is a wonderful feeling. 

The most challenging is not forgetting that we are all incredibly fortunate to be able to get on stage on do silly things with a team of people we genuinely admire.

What would you like your team to be capable of by Comedy Festival? A year from now?

Fundamentally, and more than anything else, I would like our team to still be capable of bringing positive energy and fun to our performances. More than that, I hope that we'll be able to more effectively draw connections across our work and create a more diverse array of scenes and games.

Which Conspiracy members do you have improv crushes on, and why? What do they do that inspires you? 

Every performer has something unique they bring to the stage. And I search for this in everyone I perform with, in fact, I actively look for qualities in players that I need to focus on. This is a list of people whose skills I wish to develop myself, or just outright steal.

Emmet Nichols for the intelligence he brings to his play.

Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd for the positive energy he brings to e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

Adam Kangas for being a pattern machine.

Andrew Strano for (and I know he will appreciate this) always going balls deep  every time - commitment wise, I mean. (Oh, behave!)

Ryan Patterson for the calmness he brings to the stage. A three minute scene with Ryan is worth at least two hours in a sauna.

How has your improv training helped your non-improv life?

I hate the concept of Improv as therapy, but I can tell you that I am having much more fun now. One thing Improv does is unlock the playfulness in all of us. There's also things like improved communication, listening and creativity. But above it all, life is more fun!