Third Beat

The folks at the UCB have set the dates — and it’s the earliest they’ve done so in recent memory, much to the appreciation of out-of-towners who need to book days off from our fancy day jobs.

The 12th Annual Del Close Marathon will be held July 30-August 1, 2010

This is particularly great news for Canadian troupes looking to submit, because August 2nd is a civic holiday everywhere (except for Quebec). And if you’ve never done Marathon, trust me when I tell ya you’ll need the day to recover (or take the bus home, depending on your financial situation).

To get your troupe submitted, visit the website for details. You’d also be advised to look over this site’s interview with Artistic Director Anthony King from last year, where he shares some inside info about how troupes are selected (spoiler alert: competition is fierce).

The crowds at this year’s DCM seemed larger than ever before, and it was never so obvious as when I arrived at the UCBT on Sunday afternoon. 3 years ago, I arrived at 2pm and easily got a seat in the front row. This year? I arrived at 2pm and it was already standing-room only.

The second thing that hit me was the smell of… fermentation? It had only been 12 hours since I’d last experienced it, but how quickly we forget. I took a stroll through the backstage, which was free of all the insanity I’d fought my way through for a free beer the night (er… morning?) before. The theme of the day: standing water! There was lots of it back there, even though the concrete maze had been well-cleaned by the volunteers.

Unfortunately, the stage hadn’t been cleaned quite as well from the previous night’s Match Game watermelon fiasco, which is where I ended up having to sit for over. five. hours. with. no. back. support. in order to get good photos. I could stretch during that precious moment of blackout time between shows, and peel myself off the watermellon-y floor for a few seconds, but holy hell, I’m OLD. I felt this for a solid 48 hours afterwards.

Sticky buttcheeks aside, Sunday afternoon always presents my favourite shows of Marathon.

Scheer-McBrayer was genius as always. I can’t get enough of Paul and Jack, and could have watched this for another hour easily. Those who got to see the extended show at FIT were very fortunate.

Let’s Have a Ball is, in my opinion, the best regular show at UCBT. I was glad to see Becky Drysdale in this edition, but Laura Krafft and Christina Gausas were very missed.

Jason Mantzoukas filled in for Rob Riggle alongside Rob Huebel in Delta Force 2: Operation Stranglehold. Which makes perfect sense, since Huebel filled in for Riggle alongside Mantzoukas in Friday night’s Mantziggle (you follow?). The two ended up spitting some water at each other, which the improv-savvy audience heightened by instantly providing dozens more bottles of water. I obviously lack photos of this, as camera gear and litres of water do not mix. But what DOES mix is water and stage filth. While Huebel ran in place for about 3 minutes post-waterfight, he worked up what I can only describe as a “murky froth” on the surface of the stage. Yum!

Although a note to future volunteers: mopping the puddles of stage filth away from the middle of the stage doesn’t mean mopping it towards those of us sitting on the floor. Thanks.

Mantzoukas did apologize for the “wet t-shirt contest” when he returned for First Date, sans Jessica St. Clair. He had an audience volunteer be his “date”, and Pam Victor did a fantastic job of keeping things just awkward enough, while being open to whatever direction Manzoukas nudged her in. She blogged about the experience here.

Can anyone get enough Baby Wants Candy? Featuring 2 of my all-time favourite improvisors, Peter Gwinn and Becky Drysdale (the rest are no slouches either — Jack McBrayer, Thomas Middleditch, etc) BWC continually stands up as the best musical improv show I’ve ever seen. Try as I might to catch their semi-regular performances at the Barrow Street Theatre while I’m in town, I failed through the previous 52 weeks, so this was a very welcome fix. This particular story took place on a submarine, and almost immediately one of Gwinn’s castmates bestowed the profession of “ballet dancer” upon him. He replied pointedly that there would be no dancing, because “the floors of this submarine are very wet!” Loved it all. Was it as memorable as last year’s adventure at the Kit Kat Kaboodle? Not quite, but I don’t think anything could be!

Mmmmm… fooood! Walsh & Roberts actually cooked something appetizing this year! Matt and Ian put together what was essentially an elaborate quesadilla, complete with chicken and roasted veggies, and had no trouble finding audience volunteers to sample it. Maybe the biggest selling point was their admission that they couldn’t find soap backstage, and instead washed their hands with Comet. Owen Burke stole the show, as always, by playing the perfect lowbrow idiot stage manager while Matt and Ian berated him from the Moe/Larry perspectives.

Last year, I skipped the Sunday night Asssscat to catch a flight that never got off the ground (the first of three, thanks Air Canada). I did attend this year, but frankly I was burned out and not engaged by improv happening 50 feet away from me in a giant space at FIT. I can’t remember much other than the audience interactions, including a monologue from one girl who got fired from her temp job for opening a secret file and painting a unicorn and falling asleep (I’m not sure we ever got to the bottom of what that meant, to be honest). I do wish I’d taken advantage of a “free” evening in NYC to do something a little more productive (like nap, before my friend convinced me to go for Korean food after midnight when I had a 5:30am wake-up call) and will likely skip Asssscat next year.

Assorted additional thoughts from DCMXI:

-I had the privilege of attending special DCM workshops with Joe Wengert, Anthony King, and Chris Gethard. All I can say is that these guys confirmed to me why UCB’s training program is so highly regarded (in case I was in danger of forgetting?). I was initially intimidated to be in classes alongside a bunch of 501 grads (I only have my 201 from UCB) but it’s amazing how comfortable you can get in a class led by someone really passionate about what they’re teaching. Simply awesome.

-The crowds in past years were getting out of control, but now just are out of control. I read one report that someone waited 3 hours to get into the theatre in time for Lazy Man on Saturday evening, and didn’t make it in. My opinion: they should consider moving the theatre cleanings to prime times (seriously, like 11pm on Saturday). It may not be popular, but it would be fair to people waiting in line all evening.

-In a related issue, I mentioned this elsewhere, but I think it’s poor form for the lineup changes to not be reflected on the website. Riggle dropped out, Ed Helms missed the Friday show, Jessica St. Clair wasn’t in First Date… yet all their names still appeared on the schedule. And it wasn’t because of an inability to change it, because Mailer-Daemon was added just a few days before DCM. When audiences are forced to make difficult scheduling choices, doesn’t it seem fair to give them accurate information?

And since I’m on a complaining streak, this would be a good time for you to bring up photography.

“Hey Shar, where can I find all these photos you keep yakking about?”

Why thanks for asking. Here’s the situation:

Sample photos & lengthy explanation after the jump.

Make no mistake: sitting in the UCB Theatre for 7.5 hours straight on the Saturday night of the Del Close Marathon is a physical effort, especially for someone who normally has to be talked into leaving her apartment on a Saturday night. How those people who stayed through the entire Marathon did it, I have no idea.

I was drenched in sweat almost immediately. I drank 2 bottles of fruit smoothies and lots of water, and was still horribly dehydrated by the end of it. Holding a 2-pound weight infront of my face the entire time didn’t help the comfort level. At 30, I certainly felt I was at the older end of the late-night audience spectrum, I imagine because most people older than me have died in similar conditions at past Marathons, their corpses hidden behind the drywall (which would explain the smell).

One of my highlights Saturday night was seeing Improvised Shakespeare for the first time. I’d been meaning to for ages, and it never seemed to work out for me. Their following is totally justified.

Ian Roberts didn’t disappoint with Lazy Man. The hour flew by. The highlight was him reluctantly telling a story that had been an in-joke between he and his brother since they were kids, about Ian getting away with swearing during a family road trip, and his brother trying failing to get him in trouble. The story was told reluctantly because Mr. and Mrs. Roberts were sitting just feet away from their son, and Ian worried that the story won’t be special anymore now that they know about it. It was an oddly personal moment, something I didn’t expect to see during the Saturday night of DCM.

I was pleased to see Ed Helms perform in what would be his only show of Marathon, Seth & Ed’s Puppet Talk Show. Having left their “puppet theatre” back in LA, Helms and Seth Morris came out on stage with what appeared to be paper tablecloths covering their heads. Damn them, thought I with the camera. At this point, it would have been about 95 degrees in the theatre, plus the lights shining on them, so it only took about a minute before Helms commented on the heat and the fact that the makeshift human backdrops may have been a bad idea. I’d often wanted to yell “take it off!” at Helms, so I gave into that impulse and they subsequently removed their little paper barriers. Gentlemen, my camera thanks you.

Their celebrity guest, Sarah Silverman, also returned to the stage for the Benson Interruption (along with Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer). I sure have been getting my fill of Sarah lately, between this and Toronto in July! I definitely am not complaining. She was hilarious and interesting and WOW is that girl photogenic. The Comic’s Comic has video of her appearance with Seth & Ed, which is worth the watch.

After Doug Benson & friends, the true late-night insanity started. Smartest Panel of Experts (hilarious), Cracked Out (was NOT expecting this to turn into a bad rave!), Psychic Improv (strange change of pace), and then the coup de grasse…

In prior years, I had not stayed late enough for Match Game ‘76. It’s been described to me as “epic”, and I missed out on last year’s Brooke Shields appearance and subsequent bullshit retelling of it in the NY Daily News. I was determined and committed to seeing it this year, and I suppose it was worth sticking around about an hour past my “fed up” point.

I was in the absolute wrong place for viewing much of the Match Game insanity, but it was crazy and enjoyable and fun to catch glimpses of Jack McBrayer getting shit upon. But it’s definitely a frat-boy thing. Yes, let’s smash a watermelon on the stage… not caring that the girls sitting on the stage infront of you may have a differing opinion on how much fun that is. (Having photographed a lot of variety/sketch shows, this a bit of a sore point for me, as I’ve actually had asshole performers purposely try to get prop food/beverage on my camera gear. So this whole disregard-for-comfort-and-property thing gets me kinda pissy.)

I must admit I don’t remember half of what I witnessed during Match Game ‘76 — I couldn’t even properly answer my friend who asked me who all was in it — so I pray video surfaces at some point. Though I’m sure many of the performs pray that it doesn’t.

It was 2:30 am. I had made it as far as I had promised myself I would. After a run backstage to chug a Miller Lite (I was that desperate for liquids) I went back to the hotel and showered with my clothes on, as they had been rendered too disgusting to even contaminate my luggage with. And it was off to sleep and get ready to do it again the following afternoon.

1 photo from each show included after the jump.

View more photos

Ahh, Friday! Fresh faces, sanitary eating habits, and hydrated bodies. This was the way of life just days ago. It’s hard to believe now, after living in our own filth for the remainder of the weekend, that we were ever sober and possessed clean laundry.

I spent my time at the Del Close Marathon occupied with photography duties, so my recaps are brief (but pretty). Full sets of photos are not currently available, but I’ve chosen one from each show to tease y’all.

Favourite moments from Friday night:

-All of Press Conference, including Matt Besser choking up a little talking about Del’s final words to the UCB4.

-Chris Gethard as an unstoppable Andy Rooney during Stepfathers. Hilarious.

-Matt Walsh and Jon Glazer calling “time outs” during Apples & Oranges to explain improv technique to the crowd.

-Mark Sutton singing Dido during Bassprov. So out of context.

Wyatt Cenac sat in for Ed Helms in Satellites, the Dave Matthews Band inspired show. The ask-for was a favourite DMB lyric or song title, from a fan. The selected fan chose “Crash Into Me”. To which an actual douchey DMB fan responded “you’re not really a fan!”. Ok, I admit it, that d’bag was me. But no true DMB fan considers that song their favourite, and if they did they certainly wouldn’t publicly admit it. C’mon, fake DMB fans, leave Satellites alone! (I kid, of course. Sort of.)

Which does also bring up the point: when the (arguably) 2 biggest stars of DCM (Helms and Rob Riggle) bailed on shows, UCB’s lips were sealed. No changes were posted or made on the website. When everyone’s schedules are made so strategically (you can’t normally get BACK into a venue for hours after you’ve left), isn’t it kinda crappy to let people try to venue hop to see a specific person who isn’t even going to be there?

I’d had a long day so I turned in early, missing such epic performances as Yoda Hot Tub at 3am. But never fear — Sean over at The Comic’s Comic has the details of those shenanigans, including video of Brett Gelman’s backstage prep. Definitely worth checking out!

More to come re: Saturday’s shows, including my thoughts on staying awake long enough to witness my first-ever Match Game ‘76.

In the meantime, here are those shots from Friday night. Lots more under the jump.

View more photos

Throughout the week leading up to the 11th annual Del Close Marathon in New York, improv folks from all perspectives enlighten us with their expectations for this weekend’s 3-day improv extravaganza.

Today: Hey cool, it’s Matt Walsh, member of the Upright Citizens Brigade (and therefore co-founder of the UCB Theatre and of the Del Close Marathon), and all-around hero to a generation of young improvisors!

Does the popularity of Marathon make it more exciting now, or do you miss the past years? What do you consider the heyday of DCM?

The heyday of the DCM is now, I think it’s amazing that so many people care about improv. The more people at the DCM the better. The only thing I miss about the beginning years is that when it was small everyone got a free porterhouse steak and a one on one life coaching session with Amy Poehler.

What’s changed the most about Marathon since the beginning, aside from the attendance numbers?

I think the variety and the quality of shows has gotten better. Also, more babies are being born at the marathon every year. Last year three boys named Del were birthed in the audience.

What’s the most wonderful thing and the most horrifying thing you’ve ever witnessed during DCM?

Match Game, Drunken Sonic Assault, and Robot TV never fail to disappoint with lots of chaos. Also last year Paul Simon came down and did a two person show with Mayor Bloomberg, it was a little wordy but still so special.

There seems to be a very intense dedication to Marathon. Even guys who’ve gone off to success in LA come back New York for it. Aside from the free beer backstage, what makes Marathon so significant to people?

I think the camaraderie between performers is pretty strong. Lots of people come back to see their old friends. Also the freedom for the shows to go anywhere, the more bizarre or outrageous the better. There are no headliners, no ego trips (except Matt Besser needing his own weed trailer) everyone is there to do the work.

Any hints as to what you and Ian will be cooking on Sunday afternoon?

There’s a rumor that their might be a dish called bacon surprise(bacon wrapped in bacon covered in bacon) or maybe some stuffed french toast. Owen Burke and I usually figure it out the night before. We also like to do dishes with liquor in them so maybe some bourbon bread pudding.

Bonus question, because I want to be the first to ask: Where’s Amy?

There is a live satellite feed hooked up to Amy’s trailer on set in LA, she watches the shows live and if something doesn’t please her she has a button that can kill the stage lights immediately and then that group is asked to leave. She also sends one of the homeless men she owns to give the first suggestion to inspire the whole weekend. Last year the man said “Help me I’m a prisoner”.

Bad news, marathoners: Rob Riggle has confirmed that he is pulling out of this year’s Del Close Marathon.

From Twitter:

@RobRiggle I will not be @ the Del Close Marathon this year, so bummed out! Only missed two before; both because of war. Now, filming a movie. ROWYCO!

I can’t say I’m surprised – Riggle was tweeting heavily about his travel plans this month, without any mention of DCM until now – but I am deeply disappointed. Mantziggle was at the top of my list of shows to see (2-man improv with Jason Mantzoukas), as was Delta Force 2 (2-man with Rob Huebel) and Satellites. Perhaps the biggest loss is to the annual Respecto Montalban reunion.

Back in the spring, Riggle booked standup dates at Cobb’s in San Francisco — which disappeared from his calendar right after Marathon dates were confirmed for that same weekend. I assume that wasn’t a coincidence, and that Marathon remains a priority for him. You certainly can’t blame the guy for choosing a film career over a few improv shows.

No word yet on who will replace him in Delta Force or Mantziggle, but keep an eye on the schedule, as it should be updated soon.

BTW, that reference in Riggle’s tweet to “war” is because of his time serving in the Middle East while an active Marine. During all of his absences from Respecto, his teammates would hang his UMSC t-shirt on the back wall so he’d still have a presence. This year, one assumes they’ll nail a large sack of money to the wall.

Another absentee this year is Reuben Williams member Lennon Parham, who is also missing for positive reasons: her role in the new fall show Accidentally On Purpose, filming right now in LA. I spoke with her recently and she’s understandably pretty sad about missing DCM, so watch the show this fall so that her sacrifice isn’t in vain!

Throughout the week leading up to the 11th annual Del Close Marathon in New York, improv folks from all perspectives enlighten us with their expectations for this weekend’s 3-day improv extravaganza.

Today: Austin,TX group – and first-time DCM performers – Northshore Local prepare for their trek to New York.

Who the heck are you guys?

We’re a love-monkey of improvisers representing Austin to it’s fullest with the freshest Austinite attitude and a love for the nerdy. We like trains and beaches, and when we grow up we would like to be robots that shoot lasers from our eyes and make a mean set of pancakes.

How long has Marathon been on your radar as a group? When did you initially decide to submit?

We formed in August of 2008 and when we were setting goals for ourselves early on, we wanted to be ready and comfortable as a troupe to perform at the Del Close Marathon. I guess you can say it has been one of our goals from the beginning, something to look forward to. We were waiting for DCM to take submissions, and we are very excited to take part this year, just one year from when we began as a troupe.

Have any members of Northshore Local attended DCM, or the UCB, before this?

This is our first time as a troupe to attend DCM, and for most of us, if not all, this will be out first time individually experiencing the Marathon.

What kind of DCM survival tips have you gotten?

The advice we’ve been given by members of the Austin Improv Community that have been before are centered on the logistics of the Marathon, and Mom-and-Dad type advice… “Don’t forget to get your wristband the first day…Do as much as you can in the short amount of time you’re given…Relax and have a good time!…This is your chance to see the troupes you’ve been wanting to see since you began your improv career!…Workshops! Workshops! Workshops!”

Who are you most excited to watch perform during the weekend?

Some of us are really excited to see Horatio Sanz & The Kings of Improv, Baby Wants Candy, UCB, and of course we’d like to support all the other troupes from ColdTowne Theater and the Austin Improv Community by seeing their shows as well!

How do you expect this to be different from other improv festivals you’ve performed at?

This is our FIRST festival as a troupe! Some of us have been at other festivals as part of other troupes, but as a whole this will be out first. How exciting that our first festival is the DCM!

Northshore Local performs at the Del Close Marathon on Friday at 11:45pm, at Urban Stages.

Throughout the week leading up to the 11th annual Del Close Marathon in New York, improv folks from all perspectives enlighten us with their expectations for this weekend’s 3-day improv extravaganza.

Today, Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre house manager Chuck Dauble, who is taking care of anything and everything at DCM’s home base this weekend, efficiently answers those venue-specific questions.

How are the venue rules different for the 3 days? (ie. food, photos, etc)

I’ve only worked at UCB so I can’t answer the drink/food/photo question about the other locations. No food* or photos** at UCB.

On a scale of 1-10, how much does Gristedes hate DCM weekend? Any other neighbors require sucking up to?

Gristedes will love us as always. We will handle any crowds with the greatest respect for our neighbors. NO ONE will hate UCB Theatre.

Your opinion: will this be the year an out of town performer jumps up and swings from a ceiling pipe, breaks it, and floods the theatre?

Matt Walsh is the only out of town performer I can think of who swings from pipes, so probably him. Maybe Joe Wengert.

Who is updating the new UCB Tech Booth Twitter page?

Don’t like, or have Twitter… But I just found out on Justin Purnell’s Twitter page that the tech booth has a Twitter page. Cool! [ed: it remains a mystery!]

What’s the biggest logistical challenge you face for Marathon?

Biggest logistical problem is how to shove all this fun into 3 days! Yeah! Sorry Del.

[Ed. note:
*Wha?! Upon further investigation, while "no food" is technically the rule at UCBT even during Marathon, it's not really enforced. So don't panic and start carboloading just yet. Just take this as a reminder that bringing in a $50 order of Thai takeout from across the street will be frowned upon. Items from the McD's dollar menu, perhaps less so. For the sake of those sitting around you, try to keep your food items to the dry and non-smelly variety.

**Same thing. I've never seen anyone busted at Marathon, but use common sense. Keep the flash off, don't take video, and you'll probably be okay.]

While we’re on the subject of maneuvering through Marathon weekend…

There is no shortage of Del Close Marathon survival guides online: The Apiary and Improvoker have fantastic roundups of tips past and present. My rules are simple: get in line earlier than you think you’ll need to, drink lots of water, remember to eat, and if you aren’t absorbing what’s happening on stage that means it’s time to go home and sleep.

And make yourself a schedule to stick to! There still isn’t an iCal version of the schedule on the website like in previous years, but there’s nothing wrong with the good old paper-and-highlighter method. Be sure to check the website again before heading out each day, because occasionally things change (like Ed Helms not making it into town until Saturday last year, causing the Puppet Talk Show to get rescheduled).

As for staying connected? Afterwards, expect writeups here and on other blogs, and loads of photos on the DCM Flickr group. There’s a small crew of official photographers – including yours truly – who will be liberally snapping away at as many shows as we can get to, so for the greater good please be kind and let us maneuver around you. We’re not trying to take your spot, honest!

During the weekend, though, Twitter is key. Can you believe almost nobody was on Twitter at this time last year? I’ll be posting updates as much as I can (@sharilynj), using the agreed upon hashtag #dcm11 — which is already in heavy rotation! Volume of tweets through the weekend will depend partially on whether anyone can get a signal in the basement. Plus there’s the aforementioned Twitter account for the booth at the UCBT, which is @ucbtbooth

Also, for more instant photos, the DCM Tumblr is newly refreshed for this year and ready to feed your backstage photos. Take this opportunity to browse last year’s, and see how many people you spot who have since joined the cast of a network tv show.

Throughout the week leading up to the 11th annual Del Close Marathon in New York, improv folks from all perspectives enlighten us with their expectations for this weekend’s 3-day improv extravaganza.

Today, Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre NYC Artistic Director – and the man behind the DCM schedule – Anthony King.

Tell us about the selection process for groups submitting for the first time. How much competition is there, what do you look for in on a tape, and does being from out of town help significantly?

There is incredible competition for DCM shows. We got over 1000 submissions and could only admit just over 300. We do try to include as many groups as we can from all over the country – and the world (there’s a group from Finland this year!). When I watch tapes, I’m looking for, well, good improv. I also try to get recommendations from improv teachers and theatre directors I know in major improv cities that send lots of submissions (LA, Chicago, etc.). That’s incredibly helpful. We also try to include as many people as possible in the marathon, so two- and three-person groups have a tougher time getting accepted if they’re not mind-blowingly awesome.

Dealing almost exclusively with UCB-trained improvisors throughout the rest of the year, do the styles of non-UCB groups really jump out at you? Can you tell right away who has been UCB trained and who hasn’t?

I don’t know that I can tell if a group has been UCB-trained or not. I can usually tell if a group is good or not. All the improv theatres are doing, basically, the same thing – we just approach it a little differently. So I find that the good improv from almost every city and theatre looks very, very similar. It’s the bad improv that is radically different – and bad for different reasons. But most of the submissions I get are good. We just don’t have room for everything.

Ok, so spill it: why no Wicked Fuckin’ Queeyah this year? (and while we’re at it, why no Daily Show / Colbert Report Jam?)

No one submitted Wicked Fuckin’ Queeyah! Those knuckleheads were too busy punching pregnant women and throwing full cans of beer at Jeter. There’s no Daily Show/Colbert show this year because a lot of the regulars from that show are now busy in LA being famous. So we replaced it with the 30 Rock Jam. They’re also busy being famous – but they’re doing it in NYC.

The dates for Marathon have moved around the last few years, evolving from mid-July to now mid-August. Why the change, and what can we expect for next year?

We’re always looking for the sweet spot in between other festivals and conflicts. The end of July is the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal where the UCB Theatre had a stage this year. I’m not sure when the DCM will be next year. We may experiment with the beginning of July or we may leave it in August. We try to announce the date in late spring so people have lots of time to make plans.

With the second UCBT location opening in the East Village in November, has thought been given to whether it will be used as a DCM venue? Is there a chance this will be the last year people can venue-hop without a Metrocard?

I hope we’ll be able to open in November! We don’t have an official opening date yet since we’re still jumping through all the legal hoops you have to deal with in New York City. So until that becomes official, I honestly haven’t given much thought to the role that space will play in the marathon. We might just open the pipes and turn it into a turkish bath.

UCB THEATRE PANEL

Moderator: Paul Provenza

Panelists: Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Neil Campbell, Andy Daly, Lennon Parham, Horatio Sanz

Good turnout for this one, presumably from nerds like myself who enjoy anything and anything to do with the UCBT. Paul Provenza was absolutely the best choice possible to moderate this panel. He does standup at their Los Angeles theatre, and is incredibly passionate about sharing good comedy with people.

If you’ve ever attended the Press Conference that kicks off the annual Del Close Marathon at the UCB’s New York location, you’ll have a good idea of what was discussed in this panel. Lots of history of the theatre, the history of the UCB itself, and the general philosophy that they learned from Del Close and continue to teach today.

Provenza asked how they had the confidence to enter the teaching marketplace back in the late 90s, and Matt Walsh pointed out that nobody was doing longform in New York back then, never mind teaching it.

“I went through the Players Workshop in Chicago, for a year, and realized ‘oh, these guys don’t know what they’re talking about’,” said Matt Besser.

Ian Roberts noted that “we’re not a bilking organization” with endless levels of classes like a “9th Eagle level” or a “Silver Bear level”.

The discussion turned to the concept of the “game of the scene” which is the UCB’s focus above all else and sets them apart from other schools. Besser noted that this comes in very helpful for actors who are instructed to improvise with a script. They’ve been trained to immediately identify the “game” within the written scene and build upon it, which generally will improve a writer’s idea rather than take it in a completely different direction.

Provenza pointed out the unique business model of the theatre: nobody pays to do a show there, and nobody gets paid. Roberts confirmed that “the theatre, if you took away the classes, isn’t a money maker.”

“We have a really low [ticket] price and that’s a decision we made way back,” Roberts continued, saying that that goal was to be seen by as many people as possible, and keeping the price low accomplishes that. They would rather have a lot of people paying a little, than have half the number of people paying more.

Neil Campbell, Artistic Director of the UCBT-LA, said that there was no real place to do sketch in LA until UCBT opened its second location there in 2005. It was easy to gain a following in LA because everyone was “so happy to have a place to do it”.

Besser recalled opening their original theatre on 22nd St. in New York, a former porn theatre where they had to scrape condoms off the floor and throw bricks at the mirrors on the wall because they couldn’t get them down any other way.

He then mentioned going through a similar process (sans condoms) currently for their secondary New York location in the East Village, which will be opening in November of this year (“I think that’s news”). The new venue will feature mostly standup and sketch shows, while the main location on 26th street will continue to focus on improv.

Lennon Parham remembered her first time going to a show at the old space on 22nd, and feeling like an outcast because everyone seemed to know each other (of course, she became a part of the community, and is LA-bound for her role in the new CBS series Accidentally On Purpose).

She also spoke about the common vocabulary UCB performers have, so everyone knows how to play with each other. Also, “there are so many UCB people in the world, it’s inevitable you’re going to work with them,” she said.

An audience member asked about bailing on scenes that aren’t working. Andy Daly said that the back line can almost always bail you out, and Roberts said that “sometimes the only way to play a scene real is to walk off the stage, but it’s up to your scene partner to keep you there.” The don’t-kill-your-scene-partner lesson followed.

Daly confirmed that for a short period, the theatre experienced a “mild Robin Williams infestation.” When he would drop in for Asssscat, he would naturally start a scene at the very front of the stage, making it hard for the others to interact with him.

“Once he realized we were going to make whatever choice he made funny, he relaxed,” said Parham.

Horatio Sanz noted that despite the difference in styles, “he’s like the Pope. If he shows up, you have to invite him into your house.”