Wiseacres West Blog

Long form scared the poop out of me. But the loverly folk at Impro Theatre are breaking me of that.

In San Francisco I mostly performed BarProv with Too Many Larrys. With occasional RadioProv on Liberation Radio. And very occasional long-form with The Escape Artists.

If memory serves, The Escape Artists started strong at the very first San Francisco Theater Festival. We asked for a suggestion of a playwright and received "Tennessee Williams." Then we asked for a location where this playwright would NOT have placed a play, and we received "Internet Cafe." I don't remember much from that performance, except a love affair with the inimitable Fred Wickham. That's the last positive experience I remember with long-form, until my show with Tuesday night class performing a 50 minute play in the style of Jane Austen.

I liked performing Jane way more than I thought I would. I was chock full of dread. I never thought I'd be able to pull off the girlishness and the story line. And yet I (really "we" — me and my amazing class) did it much to my astonishment.