Main | April 2005 »

March 31, 2005

Strange Realization

I have recently come to the realization that in my zealotesque rampage throughout the improv world, I may have made statements that could be considered inappropriate. I must admit, I am not perfect, and I do get caught up in the moment at times.

I have sometimes given unrequested criticism, and have sometimes given (what could be interpreted as hurtful) requested criticisms. I can also get caught up in the improv world and let my ego get the better of me, this is not an apology for these actions, purely a recognition that they exist. I have come to my senses as I've gotten older, and I no longer give criticism where it is unrequested. However if requested, I will extend an honest opinion.

If this opinion is one that you disagree with, I encourage you to email me here, and I will gladly discuss anything that you would like. It has never been my intention to hurt or destroy anyone. I only wish to push this art we call improvisation as far as possible.

I applaud anyone that enters this improv world we live in, but ask that if you ever have disagreements with me, whether they be with my actions off-stage or on, that you be considerate enough to confront me about them. As I would extend the same consideration to any fellow performer.

Posted by Clifton at 2:54 PM

March 22, 2005

Tourney Time!

The Michigan State Spartans are in the Sweet 16! The NCAA tourney is amazing. The way the emotions pour out of these kids is something that everyone can appreciate, even if your not a basketball fan, the field of 65 is something of beauty. If every show had the same level of emotion as the tournament, improv would have its' own cable channel.

Today's quote is an analogy for improv structure.
The motion offense is highly structured chaos that allows an individual player to become a star at any moment, while still encouraging team play and ball movement.

Posted by Clifton at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

March 8, 2005

PIF 2005

Men in Shirts will be performing at the Phoenix Improv Festival which runs April 14th through April 17th. We are also extremely excited that we will be playing as a combined group with Joe Rogan and Jesse Parent (aka JoKyR and Jesster) as the new Improv Rock Supergroup Hemi and the Buzz on Saturday night.

Our Performance Schedule looks like this:

Sunday from 1:00pm until 3:00pm we are teaching a class on physical based character development, so please come and check it out. Other instructors on the list include:

That's one hell of a line up, folks.

Posted by Chuck Charbeneau at 10:29 AM

March 4, 2005

Men in Shirts

ABOUT THE DUO

Men in Shirts is an improvised duo founded in 2001 by Clifton Highfield and Chuck Charbeneau, with artistic direction from Jim Nemeth. Often seen with special musical guest Jamey Rosen, “Men in Shirts” has performed over 100 shows to audiences across the Metro-Detroit area. With audience sizes ranging from 20 to 143, “Men in Shirts” rely only on their talent, each other and a single suggestion from the audience to create a 20-45 minute play.

Clifton and Chuck pride themselves on their use of different improv styles to create a comedic performance with a touch of realism that comes from the heart. Clifton, a 9 year veteran performer and graduate of Improv Olympic, is ADHD at its funniest. Chuck, a 14 year veteran performer, student of Paul Sills and the Improv Olympic and an accomplished mime and actor, always has the perfect reaction to split your sides. Together Clifton and Chuck create an honest character driven improvised play right before the audiences’ eyes.

Audiences may remember Men in Shirts from their famed “Confessional” seen at The Chicago Improv Festival, The Phoenix Improv Festival, and The Toronto International Improv Festival. Their form “The Abyss” inspired by Liz Allen & Jimmy Carrane, with artistic direction from Jim Nemeth, can be seen periodically on Thursday nights at the smash hit comedy lounge Improv Inferno in Ann Arbor, MI, and at festivals across the country throughout the year.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Men in Shirts present their deepest and darkest improv to date in “The Abyss”. Only by looking into the abyss of ourselves, do we reveal our true desires, fears and secrets. This deep, character based improv “dramedy” will leave you laughing, crying, and considering your own dark side. From a single suggestion the improv fists of fury will flail in comedic and dramatic madness.

Sorry kids, “The Abyss” is for adult audiences only, and is not for the easily offended. Whether you’re a librarian or a serial rapist, “The Abyss” will find enough darkness and enough light to make even the strangest lives seem normal.

After opening to record crowds at the Improv Inferno in Ann Arbor, MI, a standing ovation and the Miami Improv festival and rave reviews from the kind folks of PIF 2005, Men in Shirts is continuing the exploration at a festival or stage near you.

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
--Friedrich Nietzsche

Posted by Chuck Charbeneau at 7:24 AM

March 2, 2005

The First Days At The Miami Improv Festival

Miami Improv Festival
Aaaahhhh MIF. It started with a scramble to find a fill-in for Chuck Charbeneau (those of you who've seen him know how hard that would be), and it ended with a early morning drive from the bar to the airport. In between I forgot too many peoples names, killed too many brain cells with alcohol, and laughed more than any one man should be allowed to laugh. I made some friends, both professionally & personally, and I even found time to visit an Alzheimer’s patient. It was truly an amazing event.

Main Stage (Or The Art of "The Dean Martin")
The scramble to find a partner ended successfully with Jim Nemeth (Our Producer) agreeing to fly to Miami for the day. With only an hour & a half to get off the plane, into a cab, and onstage for opening night, I was a bit concerned that all of our extra planning, to put the show up, might end in an unfortunate disaster. Something involving a dead cabby, a stolen cab, and a stolen cab with a dead cabby in the front seat crashing through a planetarium wall just as the lights go up. Thank god my imagination is more wild than reality, I made the show with 10 whole minutes to spare. So I slammed a beer, warmed up the pipes, and went up. I'm so glad I work with my friends, we really do have fun when we're creating.

The audience was excellent. It's always tough to gauge the audience when the show has a dramatic edge. You can hear them laugh, you can't hear them just "watch". We felt it though, and between gasps and giggles (there were a few), we felt that they were engaged, and watching. Wow. An audience that wants to see something besides the wacky dancing baby with a firecracker fall down and fart. Welcome to Miami, and it's an audience full of improvisers, so that probably didn't hurt. We were happy with the show, we were happy to be in warm weather, and we were happy that the hard part was done. The getting there part, that part was done.

Mostly, the Wednesday audience was made up of Florida improv folk. We met most of the staff from the festival that night, including Stephanie Black, Justine Barron, Carlos Rivera, and David Christopher. We met Lori Diaz and Wendy Mateo (who have since become my definition of "Latina lovely"), a group from Jupiter (Gated Community?), the cast of Punch Sketch Comedy, Five Man Job, and MOD 27. Jim found out about a "jam", and not realizing it was a "South Florida" jam, asked if we could play. Tom O’Donnell said sure, and we did, thanks Tom.

Joe Bill did the monologue for Armando, and a series of make 'em ups followed each of his monologues. What else can be said about a jam. It was a jam, some great things, some less great things. It was a jam and since it was fun for many, I considered it a successful jam.

The only advice that I have for anyone EVER running a jam, this isn’t meant as a slam for anyone, but if you have been in a jam situation before you’ll understand. Once the jam starts, let it go, do not attempt to control it, unless of course you are performing short form and you are the host. In Armando, the person playing Armando has ALL Power, so that person would be the host. No one who is performing in the jam should be controlling the scenes from backstage, it just puts people in their head. Jams rarely work anyhow, so having “in the head” improvisers out there just adds more problems.

Wednesday ended at Flannigans. If your there ever, get black beans and rice. Not only was the food great but they had the most knowledgeable waiter I have ever met at 2am. We did some chatting with the local groups, but the long day made for an early night. We were in bed and asleep by 3:30am. It was the ONLY early night of the fest.

Grandma Dee
Somewhere before 10:00am I woke up to my phone ringing. It was work. So I worked for a few minutes on the way to the continental breakfast, and smoked, and shit, although not in that order. Cell phones really are wonderful. When work was done for the moment, I woke up Jim and went back downstairs to read about the State of The Union. Social Security was GBW's main focus, and 16% of Americans felt that Gay Marriage was the most important issue for the President to discuss. In my morning haze, those were the only details that I could retain, who knows how that work phone call went. Jim finally arrived and we discussed the travel plans ahead.

It became clear that the best way to visit my Grandmother would be for me to rent a car. This would allow me to pick up drive to and from West Palm Beach, drive to the karaoke party, and pick up Chuckles from the airport. Remember travelers, if your under 24, and you rent a vehicle, your rectum widens and entry is rough. I ended up with a van, money was rapidly disappearing, so I only kept it for 2 days, I'm glad I had it though. People reimbursed me for gas, and that cash came in handy later on.

Last year I visited my Grandmother once. Prior to that I hadn't seen her in two years, and didn't have any real idea what I would be seeing. When my father put her in the nursing home, she was still able to say my name, and walk around. Two years later she was immobile, and incoherent. Last year when I went I had no idea what to expect, I was naïve cried like a pussy, it really hurt to see her so very different than she really was. Since that visit she has deteriorated much further, so for this trip I was expecting the worst. I was given a gift. When I walked in she was having a good day.

It was amazing, I'd say all the names from her past that I knew, and for each one a different emotional grunt would exit her pouting lips. She never looked at me, same as before, but this time she responded to every stimulus. It was great. Alzheimer’s is so sad it's funny, and when you love someone its worse. I'd like to think I brought her a single moment to remember who she really is. Skitta-marink-ee-dink-ee-dink, skitta-marink-ee-dooo, I love you. I love you Grandma Dee, more than you will ever know.


Posted by Clifton at 9:02 AM

March 1, 2005

The Green Lantern Theory

This will be easy to understand for those of you who know whom The Green Lantern is. For those of you who don't, it may take a little research to make more sense.

"As a performer, the improv stage is your Power Ring. Only your lack of will or imagination can hold you back. Well, that and the color yellow."

This statement will always hold true, because the only bad shows that can be had, are those in which the performers fail to stretch their imagination or will. But most of all, those in which the performer is too afraid to follow thier choices.


Posted by Clifton at 4:31 PM

In the Beginning

There was snow. I was trapped in the great white north at Michigan Technological University studying Computer Science (CS). After a semester a friend convinced me to come out and meet a group that he was working with.

They were an improvisational and sketch ensemble that were tackling two one act plays that they had seen at ACTF the previous year (Dancing Lessons and Dogs-Do if you're wondering).

They needed a body to play a dogs reflection. I could do that. More importantly, they accepted me into their ensemble without me having to audition.

They were, and are, the single most important group of people that I have ever had the pleasure of gracing the stage with.

They were, and are, directed by the wonderful and talented Sue Stephens.

They were, and are, the Troupe.

Sue Stephens taught me how to listen, play, take a ride on my body, masks, and Commedia. She taught me who Paul Sills and Viola Spolin were. She made me think. Sue Stephens gave me the gift of improvisation, showed me how to plant it not just in myself, but in others, and, despite my best efforts, taught me how to make it grow.

While at MTU I also had the pleasure of meeting and working with Tim Hardy (RSC) on Peter Schaffer's Royal Hunt of the Sun, and watching a professional the like sof Tim work even a college ensemble of actors was life changing.

Also while at Tech, I met Pete Nowasad. A talented singer, songwriter, actor and (I think) civil engineer. We worked together on Scapino as actors, on A...My Name is Alice as Assitant Director and Stage Manager, in Royal Hunt and he also invited me to be his assisstant instructor for the Theatre Exploration in Tech's Summer Youth Programs, where, after our first year together, I coninued as head instructor for three more years (I also met my wife in the program, but that is a sordid tale for another day).

Sue had planted something in me that I couldn't avoid or deny. After my time at Tech, I moved back into troll country and got a job in the real world as a front end software programmer and technical support for a small software company. But the seed began to grow and I also matriculated at Oakland University and began to pursue a degree in theatre (with a minor in East Asian Studies). I had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented actors that I have met to-date while at Oakland, and the directors and instructors there are in-freaking-credible. Karen Sheridan can describe physically what might take paragraphs verbally and brought my understanding of my physicality to yet another level, Michael Gillespie has such an academic eye in his analysis of script(ure), and he can tell exactly what it means to be an actor, Kerro Knox III is a technical creative genius, and my fellow students there never failed to make my experience in the theatre interesting, challenging and unforgettable. I also continued my improv training, taking classes and seeking out shows and ensembles.

I went to Japan for a year in 1997-1998 and when I returned, I actively persued joining a troupe, which is when I found (all at one audition) Drinking Buddies (soon to be The Royal Oak Baking Comapany and then Big Fun Limo) and Mr. Rogers' Sweatshop.

Drinking Buddies was an ensemble that was a little loose in the strucutre, but they had a permanent space at the Wunderground and MRS, well, MRS was something completely different.

Drinking Buddies soon became The Royal Oak Baking Company and then, one night, a guy by the name of Jim Nemeth poked his head into our midst, brought up longform and changed my improv yet again.

Under his tutelage we became Big Fun Limo and we tackled the Harold. We went to Chicago and competed in a Cage Match at the Improv Olympic. We lost, but we only lost by one vote. At the time, it was a new record of the smallest loosing margin ever. It was that night, sitting in the hallowed halls of IO, that I decided.."This, this is what I want to do."

I, too, started the long commute from Detroit to Chicago to learn at the feet of the Guru. Up the stairs to Charna's class, through the curtain to Craig's and Liz's. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was to learn.

With Jim Nemeth and Planet Improv we have performed all over. Clif and I created this duo to accent two very different ways of attacking improvisation while proving that improv is just improv and it all works on the same stage. We have toured the country and gone to foreign countries, we have taken classes and workshops and philosophized with the great and small over coffee, beer, absynth and the dingy smell of the 'L' at 2am.

I know that I don't know everything I need to know about this art yet, so I continue. Sometimes I teach, sometimes I perform, but always, I am learning.

Posted by Chuck Charbeneau at 4:07 PM

In The Beginning

In a failing cybercafé (weren't they all?) that I frequented daily after school, there was an improv troupe. I was 14, and had seen the show all of twice. I was a fan of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (British Version), so I was already familiar with some of the games they were playing. I was quickly becoming a fan of this little indie troupe doing funny stuff in my hometown.

On their third performance, a senior member of the troupe (Lou Houchin) asked me and another audience member to play "Jeopardy" because one cast member was MIA after beating up an audience member at a different venue the week before, and another was MIA after an embarrassingly crude pick-up attempt went horribly wrong. I played "nervous", since I was, and the scene blew cock manure. However, Lou saw something in me and took me under his wing. We have been best friends ever since.

Over the next two years, we (mostly Lou at first) built a NEW troupe (everyone but two members were under 18 yrs old), to perform at the cybercafé under the name Experimental Theatre. Only the two eldest members had any improv experience. The rest of us got by with a book called "Improv Comedy” by Alan Goldberg and a LOT of ego. A handful of us began to play with the group that Lou had originally been playing with in the cybercafé. We would play as fill-ins when one of the cast was to busy, upset, or hung-over to make the show. Inevitably, the cybercafé went under and we began to search for new coffee houses to play in.

About a year later, we changed the name to Mr. Rogers Sweatshop (MRS) and began to play wherever we could find free space to charge a cover. When we met Chuck Charbeneau (who is my better half in “Men in Shirts”) we already had a massive following, and he was the missing piece of the pie. He brought structure speed & professionalism to this loose crew. The time commitments increased, we did a couple sketch shows in a 800 seat house, and although we didn’t fill it, we always made more money than we spent.

We found ourselves playing eight venues a week with that cast. We had two pizza parlors, many coffee houses, and even a soup shop. Wherever there was a struggling business you could find MRS bringing people in one night a week. We carried that schedule for about 8 months, it was brutal and wonderful. We started to break-up through-out the following six months or so. Some members went to college, some started working, one moved to L.A., one of ‘em found religion, and moved to a seminary. We still keep in touch, but it’ll never be like it was at the prime. Our last show had 400 people at it, and I received my first and only DUI, driving home from the after party. It was a crazy time.

After my court proceedings, I was 19 and had just begun commuting from Detroit to Chicago. I wanted to take classes at some place somebody told me about once. The place was called "Improv Olympic". The day I arrived in Chicago, I walked into that tiny black lobby, where the stairs are to the left, the crusty black curtain is to the right, and the empty ticket booth is between them both. That was the day I realized where the beginning really was….Upstairs, just follow the sound of celebrity stories being told by the nice lady with the blind dog…yeah that’s her, beneath the Urn and Godzilla statue…welcome to level 1.

I never looked back. Improv as I knew it was changed forever, I embraced it. It swallowed me, and then defecated so that I could continue to spread cock manure anywhere and everywhere. It took me five years to get to the beginning and another two to realize where the beginning is. The same place it’s always been, right in front of me.

Posted by Clifton at 3:37 PM