Final Showdown!

First, because I didn't take the time to write about the ninth Improv class on Thursday, I'm gonna give a bit of a prologue for the Improv Show that me and my sibs did today. Mostly on our last Improv class, we went through what the introduction of the show would be like. Charlie and Eric came up with something similar to what announcers at a basketball game do: "Ladieeeeeeeees aaaaand Gentlemen.....staaaaaaaand up. For the!.....Miamiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Heeeeeeeeeeeat!!!!!!"

Only instead of the Miami Heat, we would be the Improv group, so that was all that changed. Also, we were introduced to a few Improv veterans that decided to make a surprise visit to Robin, who remembered them from way back when she taught them. They looked about me and Bettina's age, and you could easily tell from the way they acted and spoke that they knew what to do when they don't know what to do (Improv 101). There was a boy named Orin, and a girl named Amy. They made the last class a lot of fun, and it made me confident that the show would not be a problem.

May 1, we got an email from Robin reminding us to be relaxed on the day of the show, and to remember to not be talking heads and to let people take their turn in the spotlight, etc, plus a link to a YouTube clip that showed how to play the "Harold" improv game.

Today, May 3rd, was the day we were waiting for, and despite any doubts and stomach-butterflies I may have had previously, this event went mostly without a hitch. Me, my sister, and my brother all had to be at B'nai Aviv at 1:15, so we had most of the morning to take it easy and come to terms with our preshow tension. I felt pretty confident overall that we would do well, but still...

When we got there, we were among the first ones to arrive, along with the usual early-birds, Ariel, Sam, Gabby, and Rebecca. Robin would later come at 3:15, but until then, the whole 12-18 year old 16 kid strong Improv Group had to go through all the games that we would play for the lovely audience that afternoon. We went through games like "Hitchhiker", "Die", "Harold", etc. At times, some of the group got so nervous that they would try and tell each other what to do and yell to make themselves heard, and get distracted by a dodgeball or petty whispering and such, and some of us would try and keep the peace and get focused. It was what I would call a minor catastrophe! 

Then Robin came, and I was relieved, becaue she would know how to sort through the mess of nerves we were in. She made us do a warm-up game where we start doing an action that implies a specific location, like balancing on a tightrope in a circus, or lifting something heavy at the gym, or writing at a desk. Then we would speak some lines that reveal more about the scene, and then we would step back and let the other performers have the spotlight. I think it calmed everyone down a lot.

After that, we had to wait what seemed to be a long time before 4:00, which was when the audience started showing up. A while later, the show started. I found that Adam, Bettina, and I were in 4 game each, so it could be said that we got approaching equal stage-time. I had a lot of fun, because Orin and Amy participated in a few of the games and made the show a lot more interesting and funny. I even got to do a few games with them. It was great, and the characters and situations that I improvised weren't too bad either!

After the show, everyone in the audience clapped. It was a very tame kind of stage experience for me, because I wasn't trying to impress anyone. The audience was mainly family of the performers, or people who visit the snygogue regularly. It was still stage experience, and so for that I am happy that I performed today.