Rance Rizzutto

It happens every year. Did you know about it? Let’s go back a step, do you know about ComedySportz? Team based, family-friendly, competitive improv in over 20 cities across this fine planet.

Unfortunately, some in the Chicago community seem to look down on shortform improv, even though when it comes to doing corporate shows, every major theater in the city uses shortform in their shows.

ComedySportz is great not only because it keeps the pace quick, but because it incorporates the audience and keeps from getting blue. I’ve been performing in one city or another since ’99. One of the crown gems of performing for this institution is the yearly World Championship. Last year was in Philadelphia, this year was in Indianapolis…a scorching hot Indianapolis.

Let me take you behind the scenes.

MONDAY- Starting the Monday of Championship week, players slowly start arriving. Monday is usually managers and owners conducting business meetings.

TUESDAY- ComedySportz has plenty of games to choose from (well over 100), that doesn’t stop us from coming up with new ones. One of the main Tuesday events is the New Games Workshop: any cities with new games present their gem to the assembled ensemble members. A lot are fairly good, some are awful, and a few make every improvisor drool in anticipation of playing it in their city.

There will also usually be some hang time involving karaoke.

WEDNESDAY- I didn’t actually arrive until late in the day on Wednesday this year. I think the new games workshop might have even been on this day. Most of the players will have arrived by Tuesday night, with another small cluster of arrivals today. This is the first night of shows. Each night from here to Friday will have two shows, each of those shows having two teams in the first half, and two new teams in the second half. Saturday is a little different…more on that later.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY- There is an early morning meeting to go over any needed info about the day, and any newly arriving players get introduced. Then there are workshops in the morning and afternoon. The nice thing about having a lot of players from different cities is that there are plenty of veterans offering workshops. I have my Improv Rehab workshop that has become quite popular so I offered it twice.

SATURDAY- No one gets up for anything on this day. Generally, improvisors are getting about 7-20 hours of sleep total over the week from late nights of hanging out and games. The shows on this night are a little different in that the first show is earlier, and one half is the hosting team vs the All-Stars (players from random cities voted on by all players). Then another show. Then the late show being the hosting team vs the best team from the series.

That night is the closest thing an adult can experience to being a kid at summer camp on the last day. Lots of new friends bidding fond farewells. Hell, there was even a proposal at 2:00am.

Here are just a few highlights from my week:
-reffing for a fun crowd and having one of my bits repeated three times over the week.
-teaching my Improv Rehab workshop two times and watching everyone melt their brains and then pull it together.
-participating in Open Source.

Open Source was the highlight for me. It may not make a lot of sense, but I’ll give it a shot. In the Friday afternoon workshop slot there was only Open Source. There were various rooms reserved in two time blocks. When the leader explained it and said “go,” if you had an idea for a workshop you wrote the name down and where it would be, and your name. No one signed up for anything. You then took a few minutes to read all the offerings. From there, you would walk to where your feet took you. If you felt like it wasn’t for you, you simply followed your feet out to another thing. This is the rule of two feet.

If you were hosting a workshop and no one showed up, you were asked to wait 10 minutes in case people’s feet didn’t take them to the right place and your’s was next.

Why did I like this so much? A few reasons. I offered “Nappin’ of the Opera” where we would go up to one of the boxes in the theater and lie down. It was a jokey idea, but I was also a little tired and wouldn’t have minded just chillin’. I didn’t really expect anyone. 7 people showed up. A few more after them too, but the space was limited. We didn’t actually sleep, but it was fun to be in a pile and do bits. There were also some deeper scenework workshops, some philosophical discussions, and game specific workshops…all with attendance. The cool thing about it was that everyone who showed had no idea what would be offered, and yet the thing they needed was provided.

Round two I didn’t offer anything, but joined Minimally Intrusive Pranks On Other Groups…silly fun, and just what our group needed.

Way to go, Open Source!

It is always fun looking forward to the Championship, always sad to see it end.

You know what is nice about 2012 though? CSz Championship: Chicago. Be Ready!

ComedySportz is competitive, short-form improvisation at its finest! Two teams compete for points, laughs, and the glory of the CSz trophy. Suitable for all ages, and every show is different so you can to see it again and again, as most people do.

Thursday 7/7/11 at 8:00pm!

Ever heard of the Assassin’s Game? Years back there were a couple that were run amongst improvisors in Chicago.

I’m thinking about running one…soon.

Interested? Comment here (or on my facebook share of this link) so I know who is interested.

What is it? Listen to this Stupid Nerd podcast:
http://mysterycove.libsyn.com/stupid-nerd-23-assassins-

Here is a fun little summary as well (that I grabbed the photo from)
http://www.whatmightycontests.com/2011/03/assassins-game.html

Nearly two years ago I got to perform with an improv group in Istanbul. We were spending one night in Istanbul, and it all just seemed to work out that we got to perform with them.

Last weekend I got the second chance to do so, but on my home turf. Istanbulimpro was in Chicago for the Chicago Improv Festival and I got to play with them.

It was so great to see them again. It is amazing how much of a bond we made over one night in Istanbul. It felt like we hadn’t seen each other in just a few days.

Next time I’ll see them in Istanbul. It’s only fair, right?

Normally you’d have a fantastic chance of catching me at iO Chicago in the 8:00pm improvised musical The Deltones and with Chaos Theory at 10:30pm. However, I’ll be doing a private show in delightful Springfield, IL this weekend. Catch me next week!

Looking to improve your improv? Hopefully, if you’re an improvisor the answer is “yes.”

Most improvisors go through ebbs and flows of improv awesomeness. What helps me go through these almost biorhythmic phases? Coaching.

This may not be an easy option for everyone, but in Chicago there are plenty of “green” (as in “new” not “eco-friendly”), independent groups. And every group can use a coach.

Now, for the good and bad.

The good thing about coaching is you get an opportunity to see mistakes, weak moves, lack of commitment, whatever…as it happens. You also get the opportunity to solve those problems as they occur. Having that outside eye is what the team needs, but it also increases your awareness as an improvisor.

The bad thing is almost the same as the good. With that awareness comes, well, awareness…while you’re improvising. I find myself needing to shut off “coach-mode” during shows I’m performing in. BUT, shutting off coach-mode is a lot easier than getting out of a rut.

So, if you get the opportunity to coach, take it. Even if it is just a one time thing.

I’ve been performing for ComedySportz off and on for a while now. Since 1999.

Lately Deanna and I have been discussing different things about improv. Namely, why do people continue to perform in many various theaters around Chicago for next-to-no pay, and more than likely exactly-no pay? It’s a drug, that is why. The high you get from going into a situation where you have no memorized scripts, yet you have to sustain an audience’s interest for 20-90 minutes depending gives you a rush. Even more so if it goes over big.

So, why do I jump from talking about CSz to talking about drug addiction? Because once a year CSz has a World Championship where all the 20+ cities with CSz teams send representatives to a chosen location to battle it out for the Meaningless Cup™! AND…this is like traveling to a place that is Jamaica, Colombia, and Amsterdam wrapped together in that you get a huge improv high.

This year was in Philadelphia, PA and it was a huge rush.

It is always a special situation at the Championships because you’re not just performing, you’re hanging out with people who do the same type of show, people who are in your ensemble that you might not spend much time with in normal life, and everyone gets the opportunity to take workshops on various topics. Major hang-time means everyone is really close by the end. Family.

Also like drugs, getting torn away cold turkey kinda sucks.

So, to help with rehab, here is a list of bits that only a few people will get:

-Just think…tits.
-Rrrrrrrap Battle (?!)
-pyow pyow I’m
-I think I’m thinking of cockroaches
-I think I’m thinking of antelopes
-Gaudety gonna start
-”[the problem was] I was only dating locals.” boooooooo…”I’m from Jersey”…oh! yayyyY!

To everyone that saw me perform, liked what I did, and was kind enough to come up and introduce themselves, thanks. I’ve been doing this awhile and I appreciate the kind words. I try to keep it fresh for the people who’ve been doing it a lot…mostly for my own amusement.

To everyone who didn’t introduce yourself, you should have; who I didn’t introduce myself to, I’m sorry; who I HAD been introduced to and then reintroduced myself to after forgetting, whooa…sorry…I can only think of two people off hand.

And lastly, to the concept “quiet coyote”…I will hunt you.

Now it is time for rehab, then back to casual use. Hopefully I’ll be there when it all happens again next year.

I feel like I’m trying to get things rollin’ for when I get back…which is just under two months away.

One thing we’ve set up while we’re out here is a series of workshops with Laughtrack theater in Honolulu. They’re pretty stoked (does anyone say stoked anymore?) about having people from the mainland available as a resource to their improvisors, and we’re super pumped to be that resource.

I started off the series last Saturday with my Improv Rehab class. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. I love this workshop because it always melts brains no matter what the level of the improvisor.

Hopefully everyone had as much fun as they seemed to be having.

If you’re in Hawaii and want to take classes, contact info@laughtracktheater.com. I think there is still room in the morning classes.

This is the fourth time Deanna and I have worked out on the cruise ships. We’ll have logged over 16 months of cruise time by the time we get back to Chicago. If we have learned one thing about this lifestyle it is “Saved money spends fast.” Meaning, when we get back to Chicago there will be something that takes away the money we saved up. Whether it is car repair, first and last month’s rent on a new apartment…or more likely in this case, a new bed.

Luckily we are using our time wisely and getting ready to have the ball rolling before we get back so that we’re actually getting into the swing of things when we return.

One thing that we’re looking forward to doing is performing our two-person, award winning show The R&D Project present: Silent Treatment. “How can I find out more?” you are probably asking.

http://www.rnd-project.com is now up and running. We’ll be working on it as we cruise so check back often.