HAPPY HOUR IMPROV CLASS best idea I ever had!
To be clear I am not bragging. I am simply amazingly happy with tonight’s results. In many ways tonight’s success mirrors what so often makes Improv great. We make choices and then the final product far surpasses what anyone could imagine on their own. That team effort – as much or more than individual talents – is what leads to wondrous results.
Last year I started hosting Happy Hour showcases for NYC Teams. This led to a Happy Hour teambuilding program which is growing in popularity, especially after another “OMG THIS WAS GREAT” blog of mine following an event for Ernst & Young.
To be honest, this was a marketing ploy. I was just trying to fill slots in a class and hoped promise of beer and pizza might help. Tonight was fun but tn the last 15 minutes it really hit me.
I was watching 6 total strangers completely open up and share their life stories through various monologue and the all powerful park bench of truth. Now I have seen these games played with varied success. But somehow never like this.
Similarly how many times do you go out to bars, for the purpose of socializing with friends and to meet new friends. Once we arrive we throw up the walls to protect from the pain, guarding against jerks etc. Alcohol softens our resolve, but we still barely push out of our comforts zones, if at all.
Somehow combining food, drink and very basic Improv games reached exponentially greater levels one or the other could achieve alone. You can’t completely credit beer as only half of us consumed alcohol. The others drank bottled water. Perhaps it was Luigi’s pizza (best in midtown). Perhaps it was the amazing leadership of Maggie Lalley who was simply brilliant in creating a warm and welcoming place to play, followed by great teaching moments.
I can claim to have discovered the perfect recipe but that would be too arrogant by far. Perhaps this plays more into the psychological safety kick I have been on lately. EVERYONE had their walls and guards down. EVERYONE participated honestly and 100%. EVERYONE showed us who THEY really are. EVERYONE had fun and grew beyond themselves.
It was beautiful. Truly artistic. Not always funny, but always wonderfully genuin.
I feel like I really know who these people are and want to know more. I got to know my colleagues, Maggie, and our new intern, Colin. Thank you to all involved tonight. I have performed 5000+ Improv shows since 2002 and tonight ranked in the top 10 of my experiences because of all the above reasons.
So I welcome you to join us Mondays at 5:30. Drop by 15-30 minutes early. $20 cash at the door (OR REGISTER ONLINE) includes a beer and I will have snacks every week. Not a beer drinker, no worries, we have wine, soda, juice, bottled water as well as wine… Stick around after class for the 8pm ON THE SPOT Improv Show, which has a team of top notch players creating the book for an original musical based on guest cabaret singers. OUR STUDENTS always get FREE tickets to our shows. There is a 1-drink minimum but the $25 cover is on us. CLICK HERE for full schedule of classes and shows
We also have a more traditional class Sundays 12:45 with Thomas Burns Scully. Sitting on the first class yesterday was fun too. Again a great group of talented artists – most of which are not future professional performers, but a fun group of college students, HR, teacher, Lawyer etc. Along with our Intern, Steven Prestia (who has been in our teen classes for past 5 years and recently an adult of voting age), Thomas has a great 8-week class planned, but welcome drop ins the next few sessions. If you have a great time, talk to Thomas about pro-rating the rest of the session. We never let folks drop in the last 3 weeks as we are too focused on putting our final showcase together. Afte rthe Sunday class is our Sunday matinee of LMAO IMPROV – think WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY as an off-Broadway revue. CLICK HERE for full schedule of classes and shows
HAPPY HOUR IMPROV CLASS
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