Six Degrees: Roving Reporter at the TDS/TCR Improv Jam at FIT

This account of the TDS/TCR Improv Jam is from our roving reporter, Vigwig, who was able to make the show. Thanks for the scoop, Vigwig!

Also, friend of the blog MadMoll (from FANBLA 2008) has posted her pics of the event – you can find them here (original link posted on the Colboards):
TDS/TCR Improv Jam Photo Album

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I attended the show last night at FIT in NYC. The queue for the sold out show was literally around the block, the average audience age looked to be around 25 with an equal distribution of men and women.

The theater is a small (capacity ~ 160?) L-shaped space with a simple wooden floor, concrete and wood walls and a very live acoustic which made it very very difficult to hear the dialogue from where I was sitting (upper right balcony). Despite good sight lines I was only able to hear about half of what they improv actors were saying, they were unmiked and tended to not “cheat out” to the upper rows and so much of what they said was, frustratingly, lost, especially over the laughing.

The crowd was VERY responsive and they all got a HUGE ovation when they came out. It felt like the audience was trying to vocally thank them for their work on TDS/TCR on behalf of the entire nation. The screaming and applause when on for several minutes when finally Rob Riggle said, thank you and something like “that was so much nicer than what we’re gonna give back to you tonight.”

They asked the audience for an improv topic and everyone screamed at once, so it was unaudible. Finally someone in the front row said “Iraq” and everyone groaned but they went with it. Rob Riggle (TDS) did a funny monologue about being in the Marines and the hardships of being awakened at 4 am by reveille. He described how they all had to line up in front of their racks (bunk beds) half asleep for role call, at attention, eyes right and since, these were all 19 year old guys, half awake, there was also a line of “boners” also at attention for the staff sergeant. ;)

Other highlights included Laura Krafft (writer: TCR) who described doing Navy USO shows in Chicago dive bars and how the girl’s outfits got skimpier and smaller as time when on, the female performers all turned into kittenish airheads in response to the roaring testosterone coming from the love starved sailors.

Peter Grosz did a funny bit about looking like a terrorist when his Jewfro grew in and how when he realized he would not be let into countries like Saudi Arabia as a Jew he put down “Christian” on his passport which got abbreviated to “Christ” and with his long hair and beard at the time, well…

The group improvs had men in battle, drunks in bars, fights over school turf (St Olafs vs…), bad theater productions, riffs on musical comedy, etc. They were too quick and too many to recall in detail but one classic moment was when Laura Krafft ask John Oliver if he were a “chimney sweep” – this totally cracked up both the audience and rest of the cast. Rob Riggle is a very big and beefy guy and John Oliver is very small, thin and slightly built so they worked on that with each other to good comic effect with Riggle coming to Oliver’s “rescue” in confrontations. Mark also played the sweet innocent to comic effect.

All the performers were dressed down in tees and jeans/shorts. Riggle announced that since they had been up through till 6 am that morning (whether they were partying or watching the all night Del Close sessions I have no idea) they weren’t going to guarantee anything. But it was a fun 1 1/2 hours (from what I could hear!) and everyone left happy.