May oui? (ehhh?)

 Hi! You're the best. 

April was a speedy demon of a month! Good heavens!

 - Taught a character workshop with some amazing students at Spring Lake Park High. So many thanks to Kevin for having me!

Cheesehead,
but make it fashion.

 - And then taught an Intro to Musical Improv workshop at the Twin Cities Teen Improv Festival at PiM! So many thanks to William and everyone involved! (Also, hire Emily for you improv piano needs!)

 - Teaching for COMPAS at MSS (fashion show!) and at Sunny Hollow Montessori (middle school improv!)

 - A couple of Bring Your Kids! and a lovely 3 person Nudge!

 - Teaching an awesome 101 for Very Good Improv. 

 - I've started teaching private beginning guitar, piano, and ukulele at MusicLab; it's taken a bit to get my feet under me. But when it works, it's really lovely. Hats off to my students: they are awesome and doing it!

MAY

You know that sound Lightning McQueen makes? It's a bit of that. 

 - Finishing up with MSS, Sunny Hollow, and now Mississippi Creative Arts Elementary through COMPAS. Finishing up the 101 with VGI. 

 - A four Bring Your Kids! month!? We were at Cadenza Music last weekend, will be at the Bryant Lake Bowl and Francis Burger Joint NE this weekend, and round it all off with a visit by the Zucker Family Suite at M Health Fairview. So lucky!

 - Nudge has its last show of the season, Monday May 18th!

 - I'll be playing music pre-show at Worm Teeth, Melancholics Anonymous' amazing new show, on Friday May 22nd. I love these humans and 'am so excited. 

 - I'll be telling at story at Fiasco, the latest iteration of Table Salt Production's annual storytelling show, Friday May 15th at the Bryant Lake Bowl! I also love these humans and thanks to Megan K. for awesome story pep talks. 

 - I'm working own a couple of Fringe shows, including my own. I'm swinging for a solo piece, with the amazing Levi Weinhagen directing me. <3

And then suddenly it's June and suddenly summer, Susan. The LegoTetris bricks are falling into place. 

Navel gazing!: it's a funny thing to be teaching music. It's technically what I went to school for... decades ago. I've been giggling over improv and theater exercises for the last 25 years, with music firmly, comfortably, on the side. 

I'm grateful to be playing this way, and also... I think there's some old tender stuff I'm squinting through. 

Live theater and performance is so much more forgiving than music. I've done shows with folks with masters in theater, and we made the same paycheck. Improv, you can be anything you like, and the metric is how much fun you had, how hard you played pretend. Comedy, you just take swings at, and nobody gets to say whether you get to have a show or not - it's your stuff.

Written music can feel like a crossword puzzle to me: you get it right or you don't. And there will always be someone 'better' than you, a better voice than you, faster fingers than you. (Stories of classical musicians taking beta blockers for auditions, etc.)

It's some real capitalistic shit, and we also know that that's not how all art works. There's certain musical competitive spaces, and most folks don't mess with those. 

(And those written pieces can be funsatisfyingbeautiful to play. Like a novel that can only be read out loud.)

Musical improv is one of the most thrilling and satisfying things I've ever done. I love writing my songs. I love when I get to perform them. I'm stupid proud of the number of guitar chords I now know, and will evangelize the ukulele forever. 

I stopped playing piano for improv years ago, as you'll get pigeon-holed so quick. 

I don't want to lose what I've built, what I put my 10,000 hours into. (Ego, and also, insecurity. I'm super proud of the stuff I've done: I love this shit.)

It's hard, and I feel like it's not supposed to be hard. 

Luckily, it's loveliest of low stakes: it's beginning private lessons, and I'll eventually be sending these students to folks with intermediate vibes. 

A thing! Anywhoo, don't send me anymore students until the fall. I love the ones I have, and sometimes we play Tom Petty together and laugh at the joy of it. Let's see what happens. 

Current vibe.

4/4

There is a Simon and Garfunkel song (a tune, if you will) that begins with the word April, and I feel like I've quoted it annually, so... here we are. 

Thank you to everyone!

March got chopped up, and was filled with a lot of good. Bring Your Kids! had two absolute banger shows PLUS 30 minutes at World Down Syndrome Day at the MOA!, friend Matt Kessen held his Monster Science Award Show, I Wrote This For You was just awesome, Nudge raised $495 for Rent Relief, Improv at Justice Page Middle School through COMPAS finished up, work at MSS through COMPAS started up, I've got, like, 5 private music students (thank you, Music Lab!) and we got to to the Southwest for a bit of Spring Break. ("I don't understand why any of this is fun," a quote by the 8 year old about the Vegas strip, and yeah man... However, outside of the strip, we ate our fool heads off and it was so good.)

Zion holds a million people per day.
This photo is a lie. 

April

... uh. WHAT IS HAPPENING? Maybe not much! Maybe a lot! WHO KNOWS! There's a lot of meetings and throwing cabbage and spaghetti into the air.. and that's exciting. Will it land? Where? WHAT AM I FORGETTING?

Bring Your Kids!

Nudge at Open Eye? 

I Wrote This For You?

VGI's spring session starts up and I get to yell at a 101 class again. :) 

Hey Dorks! (myself, Butch, and Angelique Lisboa) have one more performance at Improv A Go Go. 

MSS through COMPAS continues, I head back to Sunny Hollow Montessori and the JFCS through COMPAS (yay and yay!), doing a little work for CTC, a workshop for Spring Lake Park High School, and I got into Fringe! 

Even with the unknown, it's a busy month. But the unknown could be really cool. 

March 2026.. we really have no idea

Really. We don't. AND IT JUST DOESN'T STOP. 

February was a lot of teaching and a little bit performing on my side. 

Graceful Monsters finishes up this weekend! Good job, team! They opened last night, and did a great. 

My VGI class has it's last class Monday/March 2nd, and then are part of the showcase on Tuesday March 3rd. They are so so truly good, and I'm excited for them to continue to play. A dream!

I started teaching beginning guitar and ukulele at Music Lab, a music school in South Minneapolis. The students are awesome, the space is beautiful.. very lucky!

I did some admin stuff for friends (updated a website, created a bad website and some posters for an awesome fundraiser) and also made some meals. 

I Wrote This For You was just dreamy, and Bring Your Kids! was a Galentine's special. (And I laughed and laughed.)

MARCH

My twelves year old becomes a teenager! WHOAAa! What do you do for a 13 year old's birthday???

Rev. Matt's Monster Science Award Show happens, and I'm very excited. 

Here's picture from two years ago where the oldest child
guest-starred as a duck,
standing next to someone named Duck. 

Nudge's next performance is a rent relief fundraiser!

I Wrote This For You, Bring Your Kids!... Also, Bring Your Kids! will be at the Mall of America Rotunda on Saturday March 21st at 12:15 p.m. as part of the World Down Syndrome 

VGI starts up it's Spring session. And I get to go back to MSS through COMPAS! <3 

And THEN IT'S SPRING BREAK. AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE IS GOING TO HAPPEN? I GUESS NONE OF US KNOW OKAY. 

Love and love. 

February...uh.

Again, nothing like an occupation to distract to from keeping a blog. 

************************

It's February 21st. It's been pretty awful. 

The sun still rises and sets. The sunset is currently beautiful. And everything that could be said, has probably already. EXCEPT, we're moving onto the next part. 

It's not over. 

Want a protest song? Oh man, have we got protest songs now. 

Did I write a substack? I did!

Art still (f)arted, and very grateful for it. 

*****

Penguins! was a goddamn trip. Viva la Art Shanties! A very lucky series of silly: so many thanks to Art Shanties, to every penguin, and to Lisa for creating beautiful magic for us to be RIDICULOUS in. 

I Wrote This For You continues at Strike, and continues to be a balm! You dreams!

Bring Your Kids! still happens twice a month. A party!!

FEBRUARY!

The Twin Cities are still being surged. People are still in hiding. We're not seeing the 'draw down'. 

And here's stuff... moments where we came together did stuff. Again. Grateful. 

I got take part of a Story Slam at the Phipps in Hudson, WI, and sniffled and guffawed and man, it was a dreamy line up. Thanks to the Phipps and to Mike Fotis for wrangling us. 

I'm teaching for VGI; I've got a 101 full of dream humans. 

Graceful Monsters finishes up this month.

I started teaching at Music Lab! Beginning guitar and ukulele. I have 3 and a half students, and so far, so fun. Thank yous to Brian and Josie for having me!

I've been doing some website updating and fundraiser-poster-designing-and-printing for friends. There's a singing group that meets outside every Sunday for 30 minutes at a time, beautiful and cold. I go to BYOB guitar class (no one drinks). I love the word 'hyperlocal', and my 8 year old now knows too much about the water we swim in. Trying to follow up on what's good to do and ACTUALLY DO IT. 

MARCH IS LITERALLY AROUND THE CORNER. 

2026! HERE WE GO.

WHOA. This was started and never finished. AS A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENED. 

But here it is... 

******

Hi loves. It's the 1st: yesterday, I got to have friends over. And in response to having friends over and getting the house prepped for non-family is to WRITE A BLOG. 

 - I am enjoying all the Year End Book Lists other people have read. It's great! Someone's reading all the things, and I love it. 

 - I read a couple of books this year, as long as they weren't too sad. As, if looking for sad, *motions wildly*

 - I was thinking about yearly wrap ups, and this blog is literally A MONTHLY WRAP UP, so... How was the last month?

DECEMBER!

 - I Wrote This For You moved to Strike Theater, and we had the loviest time! Our next show is Thursday Feb. 8th, and I can't wait. (And I need to start the process!)

A dream. 

 - Will Schroeder wrote/cooked for/produced a cracking holiday show that made my eyeballs weep. So happy to have been a part of it, and also, just to witness the joy. 

 - Off Book at the Jungle Theater was a delight! Thanks to all who make that joy happen, and so happy to be a part of it again!

 - Bring Your Kids! continued with our silliness, PLUS a delightful birthday party. Your children are a dream, folks. 

We do birthdays!

- I got to yell at a number of Dakota County librarians in a workshop called "The Introverts Way: Navigating Customer Service through Improv". Librarians continue to be the best. So many thanks to COMPAS for the opportunity!

 - I drove down to Sioux City, picked up my mom, hopped a plane to Hartford CT, grabbed the rental car, drove to my sister's place, hung out in Vermont for five days, and did it in reverse. Vermont! New Hampshire! These are places! They call grocery carts carriages! Charmed.

JANUARY

 - An Art Shanties proposal got accepted! OH NO! Please watch for PENGUINS! We'll be roving on Jan. 17th and Feb. 1st in the afternoon. 

 - I get to continue Afterschool Improv at Justice Page Middle School through COMPAS! Bwahahah!

 - I start teaching for VGI!

 - Clockers play at the Buzz! Saturday Jan. 24th, 11 a.m.! 

 - I'm co-directing a show with Graceful Monsters! It's gonna be ridiculous!

 - Bring Your Kids! Twice a month!

 - Nudge at Open Eye! Monday Jan. 12th, 7 p.m.!  Cancelled! We were overwhelmed! We'll talk about that in the February blog, but it's mostly because stupid awful assholes with seemingly zero accountability are attacking our city and it's been awful. Abolish. 

I'll go update February, as it's now Feb. 22nd. 

Love. 

December! Snow and the whole thing

Hi loves. Hoping things are good by you and yours, and that care is being passed around. <3 

NOVEMBER

Finished up an almost year long residency with MSS through COMPAS. It was truly the loveliest, and so many thanks to Matt at MSS, Jesse at MSS, Jes at COMPAS, and every one of the participants. Cool things were made, we laughed a lot, and I'm so grateful. 

Adorable taught a workshop on Adorable for Stage Your Change, and it was just great. So many thanks to Mandi and Conduit Sound! (also, do a search for "Recording Studio Northeast Minneapolis" and.. that's a lot of recording studios.) We also got to get back on stage for Improv A Go Go and so grateful. 

Afterschool improv through COMPAS at Justice Page Middle School will finish up this month, and it's been great. Yesterday, unrelated to our class, auditions for the spring musical were happening and that's just about the best thing to peek at. 

Felt and Flesh (bwahahah) had it's first performance at Improvocation; so many thanks to genius dream Phoebe Bottoms for constructing the madness. 

I Wrote This For You had it's second performance, and man, is it the sweetest thing. Speaking of... 

DECEMBER 

I Wrote This For You - Holiday Edition! We're about to have our Strike Theater debut! Please join us Saturday Dec. 6th at 7:30 p.m. at Strike for holiday inspired valentines, from one performer to another. Featuring work from Alsa Bruno, Levi Weinhagen, Rachel Buhman, Holly Brooks, Mike Fotis, Felicia Cooper, and others!!

Bring Your Kids! Our monthly show at Cadenza Music, our monthly show at the Bryant Lake Bowl, and then a special FREE show at Francis Burger NE at 5 p.m. on Sunday Dec. 28th!!!

Nudge at Open Eye! An absolute dream. Please join us Monday Dec. 8th, 7 p.m. at Open Eye Theater for some grounded ridiculousness, featuring some of my favorite people, and funniest genies around. 

I'm doing Off Book! Two person scene: one person has memorized half of a script, the other person is making it up. Monday Dec. 15th, 7 p.m. show at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. 

I'm still Patreon-ing, if you'd like to join. A song a week, with some chatter. 

And then suddenly, EVERYTHING MUST STOP. School takes a break! Classes or programs pause! Your weekdays are done. Roll into the limbo of the end of the year. 

You're great. 

<3

 

November and then whewwww

HERE COMES HALLOWEEN HERE COMES HALLOWEEN ETC

It is cold and rainy and fantastically spooky outside. 

October was busy and fun and very lucky. Three Bring Your Kids! Monster Science with the Rev. Matt Kessen! Nudge at Open Eye! Some Improv A Go Go! I started facilitating an improv class at Justice Page Middle School through COMPAS! An album was released unto the world (thank you everyone who came!) I turned 50! AHHHH!

Mon Motha was there! Photo by Forrest Wasko!

November!

 - Finishing up a residency at MSS through COMPAS and oh mannnnnnnn... It's been awesome. Dammit. Last week, they had us work on their haunted house, and I'm here to say that decorating a haunted house for friends is truly delightful. 

- Finishing up a series of workshops through Washington County Libraries. These have been a dream! Thank you to everyone who came, who made them possible.. so grateful! The last one is online at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday November 11th. Sign up is here!

 - I Wrote This For You returns! Wednesday November 12th, 6 p.m. doors / 7 p.m. show! Bryant Lake Bowl Theater. 

 - Phoebe Buttons and I will be up at Improvacation on Thursday Nov. 20th at the Phoenix Arts Nest! It's gonna be dumb!

 - Two more Improv A Go Gos! One with Butch! One solo! Oh no! November 2nd and 9th, 7:30 p.m. show. 

Are we not?!

 - Butch and I are teaching an Adorable Workshop through Stage Your Change on Sunday November 16th!

 - Nudge is up at Open Eye on Monday Nov 3rd, 7 p.m. show!

 - I'll be at the Kingfield INDOOR Porchfest on Saturday Nov. 8th, 5 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. at the Meraki Building as Penny and the Bandits!

 - Bring Your Kids! Two shows! 

And then very suddenly it's December, which logistically is only 22 days long. 

I hope, if you celebrate Halloween, that it was an absolute banger. And if you chose to stay quiet, it was quiet and cozy and that someone inexplicably brought you a potato. We love a Halloween potato. 

Onward!