December into THE FUTURE

Hi friends! December decided to be only three weeks long. At least that's how it's felt. Right now, on the 24th, it sort of feels like some December-ish limbo, waiting for the beginning of the school year. Onward!

December closes... 

Family Dinner finishes up! Last performance this Saturday Dec. 28th, 8 p.m., HUGE Theater. This run has actually been the most selling-out-i-est of all shows for HUGE! YEAAA!! Please join us if you can!

(This is a still from last weekend's performance. The small person on the left is Oscar, in his stage debut as "Lance". Nice work, kiddo!)

I was lucky enough to join some of the T2P2 crew at the Bryant-Lake Bowl as a guest villain for their "An Unscripted Minnesota Holiday". OHHHHH, it was so much fun. Mambo with Josh Will fun.









Dr. Rocket finished up it's run at HUGE Wednesdays, and it was delightful. Thank you to all of Dr. Rocket for the weird, organic gooey goodness.

What's coming up?
Oh January. What will you be?

Off Book returns Saturdays in January, 8 p.m. at HUGE Theater! One actor with a script and one improviser with no clue makes for general hilarity.

I'll also be a part of "GA Great and Happy People: The Words of Civil Rights" at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, Monday Jan. 20th at 7 p.m. What is this? In their own words, "these are some of the speeches, letters, court opinions and essays from the Revolution to the Clinton Administration that are worth remembering—and rediscovering". I'm thrilled to be a part of this production. :)






And that's my story. I've teaching an awesome group of folks at the Brave New Workshop Student Union until January, and will continue to be an artist in residence at Pillsbury House + Theater until the end of March. So lucky. Stay Warm!

What is and what's about to..

Hi friends! How do you keep a blog updated? When things feel overwhelming, you don't.. You just sort of blankly stare at your computer OR watch the Hobbit trailer about 16 times. Because that makes sense.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW!

The Twin Cities Horror Festival is wrapping up! The  Four Humors show "The Murderer Did It" has two more performances! "An expert mix of humor and horror"! Four Humors are "relentless purveyors of well-made comedy" "Clowning slathered"! "Spiky"! (I'm rather proud of that one.) :)

Friday, November 8th, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 9th, 7 p.m.
At the Southern Theater, as part of the Twin Cities Horror Festival.


WHAT'S HAPPENING SOON!

Family Dinner! I'm giddy about this show. If you're being fancy, you can say things like "realistic, emotionally grounded improv". Or, in other terms, delightful beautiful awkward. Saturdays, 8 p.m. through December, HUGE Theater.

HUGE WEDNESDAYS! Dr. Rocket returns! Who's Dr. Rocket? Very long story, but expect weird gooey organic play. And silly. Very silly. 8 p.m., Wednesdays through December, HUGE Theater.

The Theater of Public Policy keeps doing it's amazing thing. It's great. And this coming Monday, RT Rybak takes the stage to talk with our beautiful Tane Danger. 6:30 p.m., Monday November 11th, HUGE Theater.

Chicago Avenue Project! It's coming!! So excited! Kid playwrights and professional theater makers come together and make beautiful hilarious things happen. And it's FREE! Monday November 18th at 7 p.m., Tuesday November 19th at 4 p.m. & 7 p.m.. Pillsbury House Theater. 

WHAT JUST HAPPENED!

I got to be a part of the Walker Art Center's First Free Saturdays. It was a ridiculous amount of fun.

I also just started as an artist in residence over at Pillsbury House. Still getting my bearing, but very excited to be there!

Spike-ily yours. 

Fall fall fall

It's almost fall. It's almost technically fall. My favorite season. Also, around here, the shortest. What happens when fall arrives?

FUN!

Creature Feature, the improvised horror movie, returns! It's 10th year! Hilarious and terrifying. Fridays, 8 p.m. HUGE Theater.

One of my favorite improv experiences ever returns. Star Trek: The Next Improvisation. Saturdays, 8 p.m. HUGE Theater.

Not only is Happy Indecisive (an improv duo featuring myself and Taj Ruler) up Sept. 8th, 15th & 22nd, but so is Dr. Rocket on the 8th & 15th! Egads! Sundays, 8 p.m., HUGE Theater.

Nice bit: I ended up getting featured on Park Square's website. Here's my fancy article. Note the look of sleepiness. So happy. So sleepy.

But Jen, you might be wondering, what about the future? The Twin Cities Horror Festival is creeping around the corner. Neat. Fun. Neat. :)

Thanks, friends! :) 

Umm.. things are a little busy.. :)

But we're doing good!
A student film I worked on last year is finished and lovely! Please feel free to check out!


Honors from Alec Schwandt on Vimeo.

Otherwise, go see some shows! Go laugh at some people! Yea! :)

Short film that I worked on - - Nominated for a Midwest Emmy!

Ohhh.. How cool is that?

Just received word from the director/producer/writer/editor of on the of the short student films I got to work on last fall - - they have been nominated for a Midwest Emmy! (under C-O6: Long Form: Fiction)

Here's the short again, just in case..

Congrats to all involved! Neat! :) 

Nifty neat!

Got to be a part of HUGE Theater's annual Fundraiser tonight, featuring the wonderful and talented Matt Donnelly. Good heavens, was that fun, money was raised, and giggling was pursued! WIN!!!

Also, a short sketch that I got to be in was recently posted on Funny or Die! YEA!

Here's the film...

Mad Men parody: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" - watch more funny videos

And now has been picked up by the Mary Sue and i09! Meeep! YEAAA!!!

Smock. Blue smock.

Very lucky. :)

The Theater of Public Policy starts up it's next season this coming Monday at HUGE Theater, showtime at 6:30 p.m.!

Onward! Welcome to March, friends.. :)

A huge THANK YOU to Table Salt Productions! And almost March...

Got the chance to finally see "After the Apple", a women's playwright festival produced by Table Salt Productions. What's neater than neat? Seeing something you wrote, said by other people. Brilliant, funny other people. Seeing what a director does with those words. (Wishing you had taken certain words out. No one uses the word "construct" in conversation.)

Seeing why we do plays/performances/pretend to be other people and things in costumes vs. read to ourselves. Got it. Got it. (IT MAKES EVERYTHING IMPORTANT. YOU BREATHE TOGETHER. AN AUDIENCE IS A PARTICIPANT, NOT JUST AN OBSERVER. IT'S AN ACT OF GENEROSITY ON BOTH SIDES. And then someone performs in such a way that you have to step back and marvel a little. You are a good actor, actor.) :)

Also, just great to see 10 other short plays by OTHER female playwrights. Interesting. Inspirational. Creative-inducing.

Very very lucky and so grateful to Table Salt for this opportunity. Nifty!

*****

I will be back at HUGE Theater this coming Saturday for Off Book! Very excited. Last Saturday was too much fun.

Also, coming up, the return of The Theater of Public Policy!! Making policy sexy for over a year. Mondays in March and April, 6:30 p.m. at HUGE Theater. (I'll be in the March 11th performance*, featuring Nancy Jost of the West Central Initiative, talking about the Case for Universal Pre-K. I would encourage everyone to check these shows out. These shows de-jargon policy in a beautiful way.)



Thanks, friends! Hoping to see you soon!

*Unless something very exciting happens. 

Off Book! and more.. :)

What's more fun than fun?

OffBook at HUGE Theater.

Tonight was the second time I've played - - once before as an improviser, and now as an actor. Lovely show, lovely peeps: so lucky!

Got to run tech (i.e. make the lights go up and down and THEN play a CD!) at the Brave New Workshop Student Union this last Thursday for "You're Making That Up!"

A very very nice and patient man let me give him a hug.

(He decided to look scared. I was told to look "HUGGIES!". THIS IS INCREDIBLY APPROPRIATE.)

Anywhoo, please keep your ears open for "You're Making That Up!" It's a incredibly fun show, filled with smart dead-FUNNY people, and it was an honor to be privy to such delight.

"After the Apple", a festival of women playwrights, produced by the amazing folk at Table Salt Productions, runs through Feb. 23rd at the Playwrights Center!

A lovely review here!









Hoping your February is treating you beautifully!

Oh yes...

More student shorts that I've been a part of (plus one non-student short) are getting edited and posted! W00t indeed!

You're welcome. 

(no really.. everyone's doing a really lovely job.. it's amazing what people can do in such a short amount of time.) 

And here's the second one!

******

SHOWS! 

Baby Game (kind of Brain Game, but different)

By the lovely folks at Tablesalt Productions

This Friday, January 18th, 7:30 p.m.

Lowry Lab Theater in beautiful St. Paul. 

Off Book

As HUGE Theater puts it, "Off Book pairs one actor that has learned (and will stick to) one half of a scripted scene with an improviser that has no idea what the script is and has to improvise along."

So much fun. So happy to be a part of this production again. 

This Saturday, January 19th, 8 p.m.

HUGE Theater in beautiful Minneapolis. 

HUGE Theater's 2nd Anniversary Show

Saturday January 26th, 8 p.m.

HUGE Theater in beautiful Minneapolis. 

Wait for it.. it'll be amazing. Promise. 

Thanks, friends.. Hoping your 2013 is treating you beautifully!

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!!!

Indeed! Hoping your 2012 closed beautifully, and that your 2013 is delightful!

What's up for January? .. erm.

Performance-wise, looking forward to HUGE THEATER'S 2nd ANNIVERSARY!!!! Performance details to come... January 26th, 2013.. Probably at 8 p.m.. Definitely at HUGE Theater. Watch for it, beautifuls.. :)

One of the student pilots I did has now posted..

The Skeeter & Benji Show! Pilot Episode from Raven Johnson on Vimeo.

And, goddamn, here's an improv set with the amazing Butch Roy, our duo known as Adorable. :)

Much love to you all, friends..