OCTOBER! A MONTH FOR ALL!

Tomorrow.. It's a beautiful month. 

Today's high is, like, mid80s... so we'll have snow for Halloween. 

September! All things started. 

School started! Both kids spent time sick, but seem to be generally OK with all of the changes. 

I started some programs for COMPAS with the Memory Café at Jewish Family and Children's Services and with Park View Day Program up in Buffalo. (Dear world, please know that the shiniest HyVee resides in Plymouth, MN AND NOW I'M DATING THE PLYMOUTH HYVEE. PROB'BLY GONNA MARRY IT.)

Classes started at HUGE and Strike. 

And planning started. Let us plan. 

I got to do a couple of wonderful one-offs: so many thanks to Mary Jo Pehl and her Garage for the Performing Arts! So many thanks to Sam for joining me! And so many thanks to Jim and Dennis of Tablesalt Productions, and letting me be a part of their "Love in the Time of Democracy" improv workshop. Just a dream. 

October... will be what it will be. 

HUGE closes at the end of this month. Going to teach there feels so.. tender, until the class actually starts. Then, it's just breathing and joy again. Still so sad. 

Bring Your Kids! will be at HUGE Saturday Oct. 12th at 4 p.m.... and then moving back to the Bryant Lake Bowl in November! This last show is stacked! Z Puppets Roseschnoz! Billy from the Jolly Pops! WHUT!? Tickets here! 

I get to play some original spooky songs at Melancholics Anonymous' S'More S'Melancholics: a Firelit Fundraiser on Saturday Oct. 19th at the Art House North in St Paul - - so excited!

I get to sing a song at Tablesalt Production's annual fundraiser on Wednesday Oct. 9th at the Black Forest Inn in Minneapolis. The theme is “Songs of POWER, PROTEST and JOY!" Lovely!

I turn 49 years on the 20th, which is the SAME DAY that Mike Birbiglia is performing in Minneapolis. My parasocial relationship continues, but in real time! I also (somehow) have tickets to Jay Jurden and Julio Torres!? GOOD LORD. (Also, Rita and I have tickets to be in the same room with children book author, artist, and Irishman Oliver Jeffers. This is honestly pretty lovely.) 

I also get to take a night fully off and go do a cabin thing. Just me and a ukulele. And maybe a drum machine. A book. A television program. WHO KNOWS. 

In news of THIS WAS THE 1990s, this movie turned 30?! years old. Priscilla Queen of the Desert (not without its problematic content, certainly.) was a family favorite. We were a Time Bandits family, a Northern Exposure family, a Newhart family, a Hill Street Blues family, and a Priscilla Queen of the Desert family. As my mom would say, "It's a neat flic." (Hugo Weaving! Guy Pearce! Terence Stamp! sigh.) 

I'll see you....

I've started this blog a couple of times. 

There's been some hard stuff: final decisions have been pushed through. HUGE Theater will close at the end of October. 

Not speaking for the whole community, but the folks I've connected with - - we're all in mourning. Stuck in the grief, AND so grateful for 2 more months of this very precious play space. In gratitude, and it's such a goddamn bummer. 

I keep telling myself, "This is the dirt... The flowers will grow." But oh man, we loved that dirt. Scrappy and lucky and we're all sad. 

August! 

 - Got to teach at HUGE's Summer Intensive and THEY WERE JUST INCREDIBLE! 

 - I played the Uptown Porchfest and it was goddamn dreamy. 

 - I was a guest at Pants on Fire at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Congrats to Sarah!

 - I went to my 30th High School Reunion. #bwahahahahah I am grateful for the smart, funny, and kind humans who talked to me, were kind enough to have dinner together before, who bought me a shot, and 'am utterly impressed on how those old social strata are still at play. (I'm learning that maybe the culture of I went to high school in was a scooch toxic? In the 90s?! WHA???) To the gentleman who told me, "Hey! You aged great!"... that charmed the heck out of me. :) <3 

 - I got written about in my hometown paper! 

 - My family went to Duluth and it was dreamy. Oh Duluth, your lake eats ships and your mansion murders people, but boy, you are a lovely place to visit. 

And September is here!

 - Bring Your Kids returns on Saturday September 14th!

 - I'm part of an Improv Workshop called Love in the Time of Democracy for TableSalt Productions on September 25th. What guidelines for improv are also 

 - I'm teaching a Low and Slow improv workshop at Strike Theater on Wednesday September 18th! 

 - Teaching begins at Strike, HUGE, maybe Children's Theatre Company, and a couple COMPAS projects begin. 

 - And maybe some teen improv?! If you have a teen who's curious about improv, come join us! Classes starting in October!

 - I'll be singing songs as Penny and the Bandits (joined by the incredible Samantha Baker Harris) at Mary Jo Pehl's Garage for the Performing Arts on September 28th! Email maryjopehl//gmail for tickets! :) 

And now planning planning planning... Future thinking and throwing fishing lines. What's a good fit, what sticks? Move forward with love. <3 

Doggy days

Lake Harriet and Chad's legs (he was very nice)

Somehow, it's almost August. July went for so long (and continues!) that hopefully we can swim in summer for just a bit more? 


Summer is that weird panic of "Oh please don't be too hot" and "Oh my god it's beautiful out do something now" and "Just please go to the summer camp situation we've provided for you" and "Do we have enough food to make lunches?"... 

But also, it's nice. The weather doesn't try to kill us like it does in the winter. There's patios and bunnies and birds. Our front yard has proclaimed its independence from the ways of man. 

Note the pinky.

Family travels were completed! We saw family in far away places and also got to spend some time next to an ocean. Only one flight was cancelled (booo), but the youngest and I got sat next to a 90 year old Cameroonian chieftain AND THAT IS BASICALLY A MIRACLE. We might have also seen the start of the torch running through Paris, or it might have been some offshoot of Bastille Day and people cheering for laughing young men on garbage trucks. There was a bagpiper; that's all I know. 

Gives no fucks.

Teaching-wise, I'm over with the wonderful folks at Opportunity Neighborhood through COMPAS for three session, and I got to do the silliest Intro to Improv for Little to Bigs for Hearts and Minds Learning Community. 

Performance stuff? No. Not really. There's some gentle prodding and planning for fall (Got into the studio! Yay! Did some auditions! Yay! Signed some contracts, have had some meetings. Reached out to Bring Your Kids! folks. Poke poke.) Just one teaching thing with the absolutely wonderful folks at Opportunity Neighborhood through COMPAS. 

EDIT! I'll be playing Uptown Porchfest! Woohoo! Info to come, probably here. 

I'm getting back on the writing music bus, as traveling with family does not lend itself to solitude. 

August in Minneapolis brings the chaotic good of the Fringe Festival! Cool people doin' weird stuff! Do I like my theater in 55 minute chunks? I DO! 

I'll also be going down to Sioux City, IA for East High School's Class of 1994 30 year reunion. (insert manic feels for the inexorable march of time.) I was not a socially successful high schooler; there were some amazing, talented, and funny folks who were kind to me. I hope to see them. 

The cool thing is that I'm from Sioux City, Iowa. Most everyone's pretty nice OR SHOULD BE. 

Hoping the rest of the summer is beautiful for you and yours. And that you don't get too stressed by it all.  

P.S. Apocalypse Disco is on Spotify / Apple Music / and Soundcloud! I gave a copy of the CD to the neighbor who's story inspired this song: I hope that's okay. 

Summer, 1/3 through. Onto July, who you once knew.

June embiggened. It got full and busy, but also, it was planned for (thank goodness). 

 

 - Bring Your Kids is now on summer break! The June show was a HOOT, and we're heading back in September. 

 - Nudge's run at HUGE was a dream of goodness. I am the luckiest jerk to play with these achingly funny and beautiful folks. I love to Nudge. Thank you to all who came out!!

 

 

 - Twin Cities Improv Festival!! I was not around for party time (which is bummer, as grown up party time is a rare thing. And grown up party time with improvisers is a delight!), but got to Adorable, Attenborough, and Give the Drummer Some. Oh man. <3 

 

I love watching different improv elements "trend" - - the community felt really into narrative for a while. I adore this dance-clown-adjacent-crawl-on-each-other delight. It takes care and trust and some deep silliness. 

 - I played Stone Arch Bridge Festival! Solo, as a tiny offshoot of Bring Your Kids. It was so lovely. Do I have 45 minutes of solo kids games and mostly-original music, to be played under a tent in the rain? I do! This was not really on my bingo card, but so happy for it. 

 - I also do birthday parties for 7-8 year olds! So many thanks to Sarah and happy birthday, Max! Playing improv and theater games with rising 8 year olds is hilarious, and good if we can run a race or two in the middle. 

 - Finished up co-teaching a Improv Summer Camp at Children's Theatre Company.

 - Finished up morning art and theater classes in Maplewood for their summer school program, through COMPAS. I had a lovely (early morning) time, with apologies to that one class of 5th graders who were far too cool for my business. 

 

The kids are alright and dear. The kids are funny. The kids have the coolest names, and made some cool stuff. 

Domestically-speaking, this was also the June that my oldest kiddo 'graduated' from elementary school and my youngest 'graduated' from Kindergarten. 

(Jojo Siwa's Karma made a terrible terrible impression on millions of preteens.)

I am weeding like mad, prepping things to get out of town for a bit, and then, weirdly, it all begins again?

There's currently a fair amount of space in August and September, which may change as they draw near. Besides, homygob, clearing the basement, I think there's space to ask things like, what can we self-create? What can be seeded? 'What sounds like fun' is a nice question. Also, is this a good time? (i.e. there is never a good time.) And maybe actually figure out how grant applications work. 

Also, realizing that I will be in town for the Fringe Festival: I think I'm going to see some Fringe shows. We'll see what happens. 

🧡

Juney June June

What a funny collection of days... 

There are three things I have NOT BEEN FINISHING as they seem untenable. Or I got exhausted. I need to either finish them or let them go. WHUF. 

Things of May:

 - Flowering trees

 - Allergies kicking everyone's assssss

 - The overwhelming grief of things that words don't, can't, even give definition to. 

 - And the gratitude for who and what is around. 

I am hating the compartmentalization of social media: as my counselor says, it's a tool (and a tool that I don't have to carry constantly. And, honestly, can't. The immediate squaring off of 3 seconds of ultimate tragedy followed by a funny frog video - - I can't.)

But.. things that have happened here... 

 - Nudge at HUGE Theater. We''ll be there Thursdays through the end of June, and we are having true true fun. If you're in the Twin Cities, please come see these dreams. We play things pretty close to 'real' life (think sitcom-ish)... "grounded".. but also, ridiculous. Like people. 

 - COMPAS: started facilitating a memoir series with an amazing group at Tasks Unlimited, and also got to do weekly MAKE THINGS sessions with Central Park Elementary in Roseville. The theater games were a struggle bus; we switched to making masks, helmets, and multiple puppets. I had so much fun. 

 - MILE/MLA conference! I LOVE LIBRARIANS. And what a joy to work with this incredible group. I faciliated their 'ice-breaking' session through a mix of improv exercises and flash memoir writing - - it truly was the most fun. 

 - Tablesalt's fundraiser was lovely!

 - Minneapolis Songwriter Rounds! So many thanks to Taylor for having me again! 

And now June. June gets choppy. School years finish up. Camps start. My family starts to travel to see far away family. 

 - COME SEE NUDGE! All Thursdays through June, except... 

 - THE TWIN CITIES IMPROV FESTIVAL! W000t!!!! IMPROV XMAS! XMAS JOY! I'll be performing with Give the Drummer Some, Attenborough, and Adorable. June 12th - 16th, all at HUGE Theater. 

 - And, of course, BRING YOUR KIDS on June 8th!

June also involves a bit of seeing other people perform: I get to see Choir! Choir! Choir! at First Avenue... Twin Cities Improv Festival... I get to see Madeleine Rowe's Knight Knight... this is good stuff. Last month, I was able to catch two (gasp!) live scripted shows, which is 200% more than the month before. Add in a live concert or two, and it all becomes very fancy very quick. 

I just finished chaperoning five fifth grade boys at the Minnesota Zoo for over 4 hours. 

I may need a bit of a moment.

xo!

well... that slipped by me. MAYYYYYY!

And indeed it did. 

I haven't been overwhelmed. 

There has been a lot going on. 

Through the cracks, these things. 

April/May is actually more of it's own little polycule, but things can be broken down. 

 - Got to write and read a short story for TableSalt Production's annual storytelling show. The theme this year was Fiction; it was so so lovely to play over in that field. Also, DID THE OTHER STORYTELLERS MAKE ME LAUGH CRY? They did. 

 - Got to perform with the Unnamed Jill Bernard Project at HUGE  a couple of times, and that truly was more fun than fun. DELIGHT! 

 - COMPAS: Memoir with Ecumen down in Mankato finished up, and I started (once a week) at an elementary school is Roseville. 

I'm finishing up two weeks up in Anoka with the Middle School for the Arts Center Base students, which has been filled with a lot of joy. I wrote a call-and-response story and song for the students, which we'll be either performing or recording for their annual arts festival in a week or so. Also, 8 bars from Ozzy's Crazy Train and 24 bars from the Greatest Showman. 

 - I taught a Spring Break Musical Theater camp at the Guthrie, and got to work with the amazing Amanda Weis. If you get a chance, always work with Amanda, and always take your lunch in the break room with understudies (understudies who are, by the very nature of the job, incredible folks.) 

 - Bring Your Kids was just lovely, and we were lucky enough to play with Z Puppets Rosenschnoz! Thank you to Chris and Shari for saying yes to the silliest of Saturdays!

 - Getting back into the ever-lovely Library Studio. <3 

 - Also got to workshop my solo musical improv 5 Music Videos with the incredible Katy Berry of Baby Wants Candy. That was a delight! 

 - I took the children to a stadium-style concert. AJR was great. The Australian opening for them declared the Goo Goo Dolls to be one of their favorite American bands, and my baby GenX eye rolls tore the ceiling off of the Xcel Center. AJR's visuals were great, and 12,000 audience members finding games with each other was the sweetest. Who knew? 

So what's up, MAYYYY?

 - Nudge is back at HUGE, Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.! We had a first performance last week, and it was so dang lovely. 

 - I'm truly excited to run an Intro to Improv workshop for the Minnesotan Librarians Association's annual conference! 

 - I'm playing music at “Friends Indeed: a fundraiser for the Centre for Expressive Psychotherapy in Bangladesh.” Wednesday May 15th at The Hive Collaborative. Comedy and loveliness!

 - I'm playing at the 331 as part of the Minneapolis Songwriter Rounds, 9:30 p.m. on Thursday May 23rd. So late! Looking forward to it. So sleepy!

 - BRING YOUR KIDS! Saturday May 11th, 4 p.m.! 

It's sort of domestically focused over here. School is accelerating to the end of the year as it must do - - Concerts! Graduation! Musicals! Testing! Popsicle Runs! It's a lot, but also, lucky and fun. How is it almost mid-May? How is it almost June? 

I went to my friend Ruth's Celebration of Life on Saturday, and she would have loved it. It turns out lovely, generous, blazingly smart, and funny Ruth of course had a family that is lovely, generous, blazingly smart, and also truly funny. (Jim's funny!) It was so so kind of them to offer to bring people in. And for them to bring the purple Neon. Oof. The event did what it was supposed to do; it means she's really actually 'gone'... or, she's still around, but just not accessible to us. Her legacy - her warmth and time and support - is, our memories of her. I'm so grateful. 

Literally woke up on Saturday, "Why am I sad?" Because you're going to a friend's funeral. Ah. 

If you have the means, HUGE is doing a fundraiser and oh boy, we could use your help. Details here! 

Grateful for all the Marsching, onward to April somehow

Releasing an album is very much like planning a wedding. 

Basically, "I spent a whole bunch of money on, and committed a bunch of time to, this thing. Now I'm having a party! And you, nice people, are invited!"

Nice people: "Yay!"

Me: "However, to come, you must pay $12 advance or $15 at the door."

Nice people, somehow, miraculously: "Yay!"

It was a dream of a night, and I'm so damned grateful for it all!

So many thanks to Felicia Cooper, Andy Caush, MJ Marsh, Matt Patrick, Josh Kaplan, Samantha Baker Harris, Jeffrey Nolan + Hawken Paul, Phantom Chorus Theatre, the Bryant Lake Bowl, Adam Iverson, Jeremy and Loanna, and you you you! Sometimes, it takes a village.

It was overwhelming and wonderful, and the most amazing folks were there. <3 =

Oh! And part of this album release video party is ACTUAL VIDEOS!

Here is Calico by Penny and the Bandits 
From the album Apocalypse Disco
Video concept, puppet creation, performance by Felicia Cooper

Edited by Jen Scott
Written and performed by Jen Scott
Drums by Josh Kaplan
Additional instrumentation and vocals by Matt Patrick and Jen Scott
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Patrick at the Library Studio in Minneapolis, MN.

Here is The Haunting of the Living by Penny and the Bandits 
From the album Apocalypse Disco
Video concept, creation, performance, and editing by Phantom Chorus Theatre

Written and performed by Jen Scott
Drums by Josh Kaplan
Additional instrumentation and vocals by Matt Patrick and Jen Scott
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Patrick at the Library Studio in Minneapolis, MN.

Here is Ghost of Whitman by Penny and the Bandits 
From the album Apocalypse Disco
Video concept and performance by Hawken Paul and Jeffrey Nolan.

Edited by Jen Scott
Written and performed by Jen Scott
Drums by Josh Kaplan
Additional instrumentation and vocals by Matt Patrick and Jen Scott
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Patrick at the Library Studio in Minneapolis, MN.

Part of all this releasing is making sure the captioned versions are also up, getting them in all the spaces, etc. I AM DOING IT. 

AND HERE'S THE ALBUM! (Adam Iverson is incredible. Please hire him. And Matt Patrick at the Library Studios. And Josh Kaplan. Good heavens.)

Here it is on Spotify. It's also on Soundcloud, Apple Music, and I'll send you a CD if you like!

I'm a very lucky jerk. 

Besides the PARTY, another highlight was playing for the PayGap Comedy Series. So dang lovely, and so many thanks to Carolyn Poole for being always an amazing charming dream. So grateful!

AND HEAR HER STORIES! It's the show's 3rd birthday; this year was so so so good. 

And so... April?

Oh man. 

I'm at the Guthrie teaching a spring break camp. Report to follow. 

I'm up with the Unnamed Jill Bernard Project at HUGE Theater, Thursdays April 11th & 18th. 

BRING YOUR KIDS! on April 13th, featuring special guests Z Puppets Rosenschnoz!

And Table Salt Production's Fiction, Sunday April 28th, 7 p.m. at the Bryant Lake Bowl. 

Whattayado with an album? Do you pass it to radio stations? (Check. I'll email some CDs too.) Do you contact music bloggers? Do you harass venues? Do you make more lyrics videos? Do you try and get a grip on your social media things? Do you figure out how to play your songs on guitar, so you're a fuller sound when you play out solo? Whattabout a backing track? To quote: 

Seriously, Trixie. 

But you you you. You're all great, and I'm so grateful for you.