I was wrong and I'm sorry...

So this past Friday March 20, 2009 was Improvisational Open Mic Night. Once again it was a packed house and we were split between regular open mic goers and some new faces in the crowd; which is always fun. I have been overworked here at The DC Improv so what that meant was I did not have time to come up with an opener. I felt after over 2 years running shows it was okay to not have something up front. Well, I was wrong and I am sorry. I guess embarrassing myself up front makes for a way better start to the show. To start, I had everyone scream to get warmed up. After that I decided to try something new. I had a list of the dumbest celebrity quotes and felt we can use those lines to create a scene. I thought there were multiple ways to approach this. You can make the scene about the person who said it, you can take the concept of the words, you can use the words verbatim...in my head I thought it would be a neat little experiment (again, in my head). I called up 10 improvisers and split them into two lines. My intention was that the lines themselves should get a laugh and that would be a fun way to start the show. Well, I was wrong again...and I am sorry. There were a few chuckles along the way but we definitely struggled to get the momentum going (my fault completely). We made it through the game and then I ventured into another short form game that I thought would be safe. The dating game. Once again, I was wrong and I'm sorry. Apparently, I am not the best at explaining the structure of the game and thought all the actors already knew how to play. It went dirty real fast and I did my best to pull out of it (no pun intended). We managed to make it through that game with some laughs. After that rocky start the night kept going uphill. Several times in the evening I apologized for not having an opening when things got "awkward". As a crowd we learned what Purim really is that night...I am not a good spokesperson for the Jews (sorry Mom). We played Ally Says along with some other usual short form games. I did try another new one called Before or After which I think was okay and I may bring back again at some point in the future. Four groups entered: The Unmentionables, Loser Josh, Gio with his one man improvised story and Stephanie and Matt did a 2 person act. Of course we ended with Lines From a Hat. In the end, it seemed like everyone had a good time despite the rough beginning. So thanks to the regulars and the newbies who came out last Friday. The next one is scheduled for Friday April 17. Sign-up from 7-7:30 and the show will begin at 8:05 pm. I'll have an opening...I promise.