Big Butt (No Shame) Theatre, 9/16/05
Big Butt Theatre, 9/16/05
Performed in David Thayer Theatre
Announcements:
2. "Seven Minutes in Heaven," by Patrick Ashcraft (monologue about boob-touching)
3. "Do Not Question the Depth of My Affection," by Evan Schenk (monologue: he loves her a lot)
4. "No Signal: A Brilliant Inaugural Novel," by Theobald Q. Rosenthal (sketch about Theobald goes to a weird motel with a weird staff, writes a novel, is an elephant)
5. "Bot 3000x" by G-Monkey Louis (Household chores robot turns to mom-sexing)
6. "Mathman Confessionals: Vol 2," by Jon Mentalo Roberts (monologue: spitballs and lupus)
7. "See-Through Mask," by Danielle Santangelo (Danielle's character has a mentally ill father and talks to a bag-headed "stranger" about it)
8. "The Immobility of Things," by John Leigh (the next installment in the Chile chronicles; Aprille breaks up with Denny and talks to Gomez on the phone)
9. "We're the Coolest Kids Ever!" by MC Rzlberry & the Hip Hop Kids (mean making fun of previous weeks' pieces)
10. "Parasites! Ouch!" by Bobby Evers (Bobby has a parasite, parasite has a host, other parasite finds host, fun and friendship ensue)
11. "My Girlfriend Stabbed My Cat," by Eric Landuyt (Guy makes sexist remark and his girlfriend stabs his cat. Homeless man listens.)
12. "The Call," by Kevin "Triscuit" Burke (monologue)
12.5. "Whales!" by real whales and Tom (guys make whale noises with growing tension)
13. "Actual Questions from a Sex-Ed Website with Hilarious Answers," by Aprille Clarke and contributors to that website (Aprille reads terrible questions and gives terrible answers)
14. "Adventures with Dori & Greg: Today's Episode: Dori & Greg Get Ready fro Bed," by Machlin/Wisoff (man and woman engage in gross and hilarious pre-bed rituals)
15. "Masturbatory Skit for Our Friends to Laugh At & You to be Confused By," by Know No Supertonic Triads (people eat, drink, play violin, dance, decide what movie to watch)
16. "Twenty-Minute Macbeth, Act II," by Willian Shakespeare and Adam Hahn (King is stabbed, birthday cake is consumed, stabbing is discovered)
16.5. "Ball Cap Follies," by Bernice Wells Carlson (a guy's hat won't get the right size. Also, bad color and itchy)
17. "A Bunch of Skribbles," by Timm Sitzmann (an argument about the point of things, or lack thereof, then some metatheatrical discussion)
Performed in David Thayer Theatre
Announcements:
- Don't mess up the pretty blue stage stuff.
- Yes Shame Theatre is back! Tuesday night at 8 (7:30 to get in the order) at City High. All are welcome.
- Danielle raised about $130 for hurricane relief last week. Thanks.
- Thanks to donations at the door tonight, we got an additional $276 for hurricane relief. Very thanks.
2. "Seven Minutes in Heaven," by Patrick Ashcraft (monologue about boob-touching)
3. "Do Not Question the Depth of My Affection," by Evan Schenk (monologue: he loves her a lot)
4. "No Signal: A Brilliant Inaugural Novel," by Theobald Q. Rosenthal (sketch about Theobald goes to a weird motel with a weird staff, writes a novel, is an elephant)
5. "Bot 3000x" by G-Monkey Louis (Household chores robot turns to mom-sexing)
6. "Mathman Confessionals: Vol 2," by Jon Mentalo Roberts (monologue: spitballs and lupus)
7. "See-Through Mask," by Danielle Santangelo (Danielle's character has a mentally ill father and talks to a bag-headed "stranger" about it)
8. "The Immobility of Things," by John Leigh (the next installment in the Chile chronicles; Aprille breaks up with Denny and talks to Gomez on the phone)
9. "We're the Coolest Kids Ever!" by MC Rzlberry & the Hip Hop Kids (mean making fun of previous weeks' pieces)
10. "Parasites! Ouch!" by Bobby Evers (Bobby has a parasite, parasite has a host, other parasite finds host, fun and friendship ensue)
11. "My Girlfriend Stabbed My Cat," by Eric Landuyt (Guy makes sexist remark and his girlfriend stabs his cat. Homeless man listens.)
12. "The Call," by Kevin "Triscuit" Burke (monologue)
12.5. "Whales!" by real whales and Tom (guys make whale noises with growing tension)
13. "Actual Questions from a Sex-Ed Website with Hilarious Answers," by Aprille Clarke and contributors to that website (Aprille reads terrible questions and gives terrible answers)
14. "Adventures with Dori & Greg: Today's Episode: Dori & Greg Get Ready fro Bed," by Machlin/Wisoff (man and woman engage in gross and hilarious pre-bed rituals)
15. "Masturbatory Skit for Our Friends to Laugh At & You to be Confused By," by Know No Supertonic Triads (people eat, drink, play violin, dance, decide what movie to watch)
16. "Twenty-Minute Macbeth, Act II," by Willian Shakespeare and Adam Hahn (King is stabbed, birthday cake is consumed, stabbing is discovered)
16.5. "Ball Cap Follies," by Bernice Wells Carlson (a guy's hat won't get the right size. Also, bad color and itchy)
17. "A Bunch of Skribbles," by Timm Sitzmann (an argument about the point of things, or lack thereof, then some metatheatrical discussion)
posted by Anonymous at 10:22 AM
15 Comments:
I’ll get the Rosenball rolling…
1. "Mao, Mao, Mao," by the Michael Tabors
The Michael Tabors are great. This is a fact. Three very creative gentlemen who understand how to make quirky and fun music. The self-discovered audience participation was awesome. Not even kidding.
2. "Seven Minutes in Heaven," by Patrick Ashcraft
I really liked this and the J-Conn monologue Patrick did two weeks ago. The physicality in this piece was really superb… I still don’t know how he conveyed two people boob-touching WHILE holding a script. And it was a funny, though slightly uncomfortable, scene.
3. "Do Not Question the Depth of My Affection," by Evan Schenk
This was very sweet! My only suggestion would be to work on comic timing. Maybe read it out loud to a friend first and see when he laughs, so that you can expect it. And when the audience does laugh, give them a second to enjoy it, and go into the next line when they start to come down.
4. "No Signal: A Brilliant Inaugural Novel," by Theobald Q. Rosenthal
Come on, guys. “The Shining” was just ASKING to be rewritten… again…
5. "Bot 3000x" by G-Monkey Louis
Louie! Very quick, clever, and smooth. So many puns! How does one come up with so many puns! Good thing you know how, because this was a very entertaining skit. It was more than just a premise: it had a place and individual characters. Fun and gross. Awesome.
6. "Mathman Confessionals: Vol 2," by Jon Mentalo Roberts
An interesting and bizarre first-time writer! Admittedly, I missed the premise on this one a little bit. I was confused by who this character was, but I do know that he said individual funny things. And I totally appreciated the bandana and glasses. Interesting stuff.
7. "See-Through Mask," by Danielle Santangelo
I liked this one a lot. It’s not the kind of thing you generally see at No Shame which was neat. The audience wasn’t quite sure what to make of it… a lot of uncomfortable laughter I think. I also think the acting in this piece was really nice. Adam and Danielle have a nice and polished dynamic.
8. "The Immobility of Things," by John Leigh
Listening to Aprille talk in Spanish is one of the most captivating things I’ve ever heard. But I am confused as to why these pieces are in the show while the writer is no especially when we’re so tight on space for writers…? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve liked John’s pieces in the past and am interested to see where these are going, but in the meantime it seems somewhat unfair.
9. "We're the Coolest Kids Ever!" by MC Rzlberry & the Hip Hop Kids
A totally different piece for Jesse. His most accessible? Kind of mean. Kind of funny.
10. "Parasites! Ouch!" by Bobby Evers
I loved this piece. It was very sweet, bizarre looking, and creative. Go Bobby Go!
11. "My Girlfriend Stabbed My Cat," by Eric Landuyt
Either Eric has one structure that he writes every time, or he is ingeniously making fun of himself. I can’t tell.
12. "The Call," by Kevin "Triscuit" Burke
Another first-time writer, and a very talented and engaging performer. I wasn’t sure what was happening in the piece, but it was quick and fun.
12.5. "Whales!" by real whales and Tom
This very well might have been my favorite piece of the night. It was so weird.
13. "Actual Questions from a Sex-Ed Website with Hilarious Answers," by Aprille Clarke and contributors to that website
A really funny and cool idea, with really funny and cool results. I think there might have been three questions too many, but Aprille is funny and engaging enough to keep it going.
14. "Adventures with Dori & Greg: Today's Episode: Dori & Greg Get Ready fro Bed," by Machlin/Wisoff
Cute and very natural feeling. I liked the humor in the mundane-ness of things.
15. "Masturbatory Skit for Our Friends to Laugh At & You to be Confused By," by Know No Supertonic Triads
Delivered. I could watch James Farley dance all day.
16. "Twenty-Minute Macbeth, Act II," by Willian Shakespeare and Adam Hahn
Adam wasn’t kidding; that Will WAS a good writer. Is Adam a better one for making Macbeth finally enjoyable?
16.5. "Ball Cap Follies," by Bernice Wells Carlson
Absolutely delightful. Another one of my favorites from the evening. A topnotch performance from Jamall. I smiled during the whole piece.
17. "A Bunch of Skribbles," by Timm Sitzmann
A weird –or perhaps perfect- ending to the show. An interesting premise with fun character dynamics. It successfully lost me at the end.
All-in-all, I think the night was made rougher by the space, especially the lights being on the audience and not the actors. It gave the night an odd tone, but regardless, the performances and writing are getting stronger and more enjoyable each week. AND again thanks to the writers who took their pieces out of the show. I really appreciated it and thought it was incredibly kind. I'll make sure to get you back in future performances. And I can’t wait till next week to see them!
I interpreted Eric Landuyt's last piece as being about us No Shame people being offended by his rape/gay jokes, No Shame being represented by the girlfriend character. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Or maybe just enough. Anyway, the last line struck me as more self-referential than anything, and I found the piece funny.
I really like Duncan portrayed by Saddy in a paper crown. I've never read Macbeth, but now I don't think I need to. Adam Hahn's pieces are like Cliff's Notes except they're not for pussies.
Alisa, how do you remember how every piece went? I can only remember maybe half when the night is through. Were you taking extensive notes back there??
Bobby showed me a tape of an old No Shame where Chris Stangl read a found story some child wrote about Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse spending the day together, and Paul Rust sprinted around the theater while telling a story of rejection. 'Twas good.
If Chris Stangl was a murderer, he'd be the Boston STANGLer! If he was a sportsman, he'd go stANGLER fishing! If he had done a very good piece with Adam Hahn last night, he'd be Danielle STANGLello! I think I like Danielle's piece better in Theater A than if it had been in the regular one. It was like like THEATER theater, the kind of thing that needs a platform, ifyouknowwhatimean.
In response to Alisa--
I did actually read this to my roommate Travis when we were timing it, and he laughed in entirely the wrong places so maybe that threw off my timing. Also, I was afraid I would not make it in 5 minutes. The final timing was about 4 1/2 minutes and that was after substantial cuts, so I rushed through the laughter so as to not anger the lightperson.
Reviewing appears to be cool and stuff, but, like K-Baggz, I can't remember all of them. So I'll just say things that stuck out.
#4-"No Signal: A Brilliant Inaugural Novel" by Theobald Q. Rosenthal
The revelation that Theobald was actually an elephant was hilarious. Even if that had been the only joke in the piece, it would have justified the other 4 minutes 50 seconds.
#5-"Bot 3000X" by G-Monkey Louis
I think Louis is funny and could do very well but this was just one joke repeated several times. Yes, the puns were funny and I did laugh, but it didn't really register to me as anything but a vehicle for the puns.
#11-"My Girlfriend Stabbed my Cat" by Eric Landuyt
I, too, thought that this piece was an attempted self-justification. My suggestion to Eric is to not get caught up by people taking offense, because the best way to justify yourself would be to soldier on and then do an unrelated but totally awesome piece that so stuns everybody with the awesomeness that they can't be angry at you. So, yeah, give that plan a shot.
And if it wasn't an attempt at self-justification, then I'm confused as to what it was about.
#16.5.-"Ball Cap Follies" by Bernice Wells Carlson
The comic chemistry between Michael Tabor and Jamal is so tangible that someday soon it will manifest physically in the form of a giant dragon and destroy the theatre.
Finally I'm going to review the space for 9/16/05:
It was total balls except for one aspect which was cool. The lighting was focused on the audience and was too dim on the stage (I could scarcely read my script when standing at certain angles), the acoustics were poor, and something else (the semicircular layout?) really reduced the audience's feeling of personal involvement in the action. Also it looked like a gigantic cage so I was afraid that we were being imprisoned by giants.
The good thing was the blue stage, which I liked.
Sorry the space sucked, guys. We're at the mercy of the theatre department on that one, and the light booth was locked, so we couldn't use the real stage lights.
I like Theatre B better, too, but I like Theatre A better than Mabie. Mabie is cold and impersonal. B is warm and juicy. A is confusing and juicy.
I'm not sure where the show this week will be, but I'll call the Theatre Dept. stage manager and ask him. I'll post here when I know.
Evan-
Got it. I didn't mean to sound condescending, which I'm sure I in effect did.
and Katy-
You know I have one of the worst memories known to man, and I definitely don't take notes, but it's funny: when I read through the little sentence description, I remember what it's about. Kudos to Aprille and Adam for apt descriptions.
Alisa said:
>8. "The Immobility of Things,"
>by John Leigh
>Listening to Aprille talk in Spanish
>is one of the most captivating things
>I’ve ever heard. But I am confused as
>to why these pieces are in the show
>while the writer is no especially
>when we’re so tight on space for
>writers…?
The getting-into-the-order bylaws work like this: By showing up in the lounge before other people, you get one space in the order for a piece you wrote or represent in some way. The author himself need not be present if an actor or director is.
If Sean, Michael, and Jamal were all there earlier enough to get pieces in, Sean saved a spot for the Michael Tabors song, Michael saved a spot for John Leigh's piece, and Jamal saved a spot for Bernice Wells Carlson*. It's all legal as long as no single author writes more than one piece (though it's fine to submit one piece of your own and have fourteen friends bring pieces on which you collaborated), and no individual stands in line with more than one piece.
Not that we HAVE to do it that way. If you disagree with the rules, make your case and we'll hear you out. If you agree with the rules but don't like the way any individuals are playing the game, it's up to those individuals to listen or ignore you.
*A blatant violation of No Shame rule 1.
1. "Mao, Mao, Mao," by the Michael Tabors (musical performance)
Wonderful. I love the idea that a song eats you from the inside.
2. "Seven Minutes in Heaven," by Patrick Ashcraft (monologue about boob-touching)
Patrick's reaction to having the lights dimmed during his J-Conn monologue is commendable: he shortened that piece as he concluded, then he did the more important thing and learned from the experience. J-Conn wasn't just long, it was clunky: the same story could have been told in half the time. Seven Minutes was lean: there wasn't one unnecessary paragraph in the monologue. Patrick was delightful with a performance married to his writing, and he finished before we wanted him to.
3. "Do Not Question the Depth of My Affection," by Evan Schenk (monologue: he loves her a lot)
Fun.
4. "No Signal: A Brilliant Inaugural Novel," by Theobald Q. Rosenthal (sketch about Theobald goes to a weird motel with a weird staff, writes a novel, is an elephant)
Too long. Too slow. I feel like a lot of the components (the cell phone, Alisa is an elephant) would have worked much better in a faster piece.
5. "Bot 3000x" by G-Monkey Louis (Household chores robot turns to mom-sexing)
Was sold completely by the performance of the robot, who kept moving through good and bad puns.
As this piece took the stage, someone behind me who must have been familiar with the author/actors said, "Wow, they got Aprille," to play the mother. This struck me, though Aprille is a wonderful performer, because she has always been so approachable and I've so rarely seen her refuse roles. I hope new writers and performers understand that board members/old people will take roles or otherwise assist in pretty much any way you ask us to. (though see my comments on #15)
6. "Mathman Confessionals: Vol 2," by Jon Mentalo Roberts (monologue: spitballs and lupus)
Who this character was supposed to be and how the timeline of his journal entries fit together were never clear. The vignettes, especially the spitball at the funeral, worked very well.
7. "See-Through Mask," by Danielle Santangelo (Danielle's character has a mentally ill father and talks to a bag-headed "stranger" about it)
I'll talk about Danielle and Timm's pieces at the same time. I was in both, and I got the impression that the authors were less pleased than everyone else with the product. Both used a situation a No Shame audience would expect to see exploited for flat-out comedy (Danielle as an adorable child with a troubled home life, Timm and Adam arguing about fast food employment), then delivered something that was not exactly a punchline. Both of these benefitted from our temporary home in A: Danielle's because of our exit path, and Timm's because no one was ever really sure when the lights were up and when they were down. Neither piece ended in big laughs or thunderous applause, which I take to mean that at least a few audience members were thinking much harder than they did after other pieces: Was Danielle's piece comedy or tragedy? What will become of the poor girl? Are we witnessing a family supporting each other in difficult times or a young woman yoked to her father's untreated medical problems? Are Adam and Timm trying to make money or discuss art? Is this really metatheatrical commentary, or is it a joke about metatheatrical commentary? Are comedic punchlines and dramatic revelations the goal of all drama, or are they cheap concessions to stupid audiences? Why is Adam so mean? Is the piece over yet?
I want to thank both authors for involving me. I hope I gave them what they wanted.
8. "The Immobility of Things," by John Leigh (the next installment in the Chile chronicles; Aprille breaks up with Denny and talks to Gomez on the phone)
Did Aprille and I perform this as John intended? I have no idea. These pieces are either the best or the worst that John has submitted to No Shame.
9. "We're the Coolest Kids Ever!" by MC Rzlberry & the Hip Hop Kids (mean making fun of previous weeks' pieces)
Jesse went after new people and pieces that didn't do particularly well. Why pick on easy targets? I hope the the parodied performers were able to laugh and will eventually get their onstage revenge.
The performers in this piece used the space well, entering from all angles and moving over the whole blue stage.
10. "Parasites! Ouch!" by Bobby Evers (Bobby has a parasite, parasite has a host, other parasite finds host, fun and friendship ensue)
Fun and truth. It's always fun to see girls on top of boys.
11. "My Girlfriend Stabbed My Cat," by Eric Landuyt (Guy makes sexist remark and his girlfriend stabs his cat. Homeless man listens.)
Was this more enjoyable than Eric's previous pieces because we got to see the insensitive male suffer? Because he was forced to learn something about female sensitivity? Because the idea of stabbing a cat is funny?
The ending could have used some work. It didn't need the shouted punchline the way that the piece about touching people did, so the audience thought the scene was over as Eric and Jamal were still trying to set up the final line.
12. "The Call," by Kevin "Triscuit" Burke (monologue)
I remember a blur of images before Burke left the stage, but I didn't figure out enough of what was going on to remember any of them. I hope he stays up a little longer next time.
12.5. "Whales!" by real whales and Tom (guys make whale noises with growing tension)
Good whale noises.
13. "Actual Questions from a Sex-Ed Website with Hilarious Answers," by Aprille Clarke and contributors to that website (Aprille reads terrible questions and gives terrible answers)
Funny. If this happens again, I hope we get another fictional contextualization of the questions.
14. "Adventures with Dori & Greg: Today's Episode: Dori & Greg Get Ready fro Bed," by Machlin/Wisoff (man and woman engage in gross and hilarious pre-bed rituals)
This one was in a gray area between cute yet honest character development and sitcom-type "let's be in love while making light of but not really addressing our differences". It at least seemed like very good sitcom writing. I hope this is part of something larger that will give the relationship more depth.
Also, I spent the entire piece wondering if Greg could be Arlen Lawson's little brother (head slightly smaller, voice slightly less funny).
15. "Masturbatory Skit for Our Friends to Laugh At & You to be Confused By," by Know No Supertonic Triads (people eat, drink, play violin, dance, decide what movie to watch)
I have to agree with the title. We were watching in-jokes we couldn't get, but there were a few things we could all enjoy. Among them: a violin, a group of unfamiliar performers (this was also one of the joys of "Trustlessly" a couple of weeks ago: someone wrote a bunch of jokes that would be funny when their friends delivered them instead of thinking "this sketch will give Michael Tabor an extra chance to be charming on stage"), any mention of Eddie Izzard.
16. "Twenty-Minute Macbeth, Act II," by Willian Shakespeare and Adam Hahn (King is stabbed, birthday cake is consumed, stabbing is discovered)
16.5. "Ball Cap Follies," by Bernice Wells Carlson (a guy's hat won't get the right size. Also, bad color and itchy)
17. "A Bunch of Skribbles," by Timm Sitzmann (an argument about the point of things, or lack thereof, then some metatheatrical discussion)
See #7
One thing to think about regarding the entirety of Friday's show: How did everyone adjust to the layout of A? The lighting situation sucked, but the physical arrangement allowed for more variety in position, movement, entry/exit, etc. I feel like I did a bad job of performing to the whole audience, particularly the group at stage right. Was anyone reading this sitting on one of the sides? How did the show look to you?
It's easy to forget about staging, projecting, etc. when we perform somewhere as small and intimate as B, which always hurts Best Of shows in Mabie Cavern. We should spend time thinking about how our pieces look and how they might be adjusted for different spaces.
I do have this to say about the space: There was no shortage of seating. That seems like a huge advantage to me, considering the first show I went to this year I couldn't get to the stage without stepping over a grillion people seated in the aisles. It seems to me like all the other problems with Theater A could be solved if we knew ahead of time that that was there we were going to be. We could ask for the key to the lighting booth (couldn't we?) and we could think about how our pieces could be adapted to be performed to the entire audience, or maybe just perform them a bit farther upstage. I also think that the versatility in exits and entrances was fun to play with. So all in all, I don't think Theater A is that bad, in fact if it was announced ahead of time that one week we were going to be in Theater A rather than B again, I would actually be kinda excited.
And yeah. Aprille's piece had me rolling on the floor. And I don't masturbate in the oven anymore.
Hey y'all. I finally figured this "blog" thing out. Weird... But anyway I figured I post my overall review a bit late. Over all: 8.425/10. Some pieces were funny, others dragged. Some I just thought were silly (which isn't bad) like the whale piece, but others were more serious. Like Eric's. I consider Eric a friend, even though I've only known him for a few weeks. He kind of reminds me of me. Now some people found his skit to be funny, but I too saw it as an attempt to say that he is hurt from some of the negativity some have given him... you know I felt the same way last year and somewhat this year. I felt like everyone hated me last year... and to a point, I still do with certain people... You ppl could just tell me so I can stop guessing... kidding.
We all just got to remember that people have different senses of humor. Like mine, I prefer to either just be plain silly or very offensive and just try to entertain the majority, not the few or the self. But I feel he just needs to pick up on what groups of people to joke about / offend. The obvious big one is Republicans, duh... In other places his offensiveness would've been received alot better. But I do like that he, like me with cancer patients, is taking risks. It's just that the risks are subjects that in a college town, aren't great to make fun of. But that can be a challenge to ppl, taking things that shouldn't be funny, funny... (without breaking too many laws)... (and even though some ppl might not like them)
1. "Mao, Mao, Mao," by the Michael Tabors
Catchy, audience particapatory, good volume levels on the accordian. great.
2. "Seven Minutes in Heaven," by Patrick Ashcraft
Very Good. one of the best monologues of the year, so far. It's silly, but I felt that there was an underlying theme of romantic awkwardness of the beginning of teenage years which I think could have been explored more. I like pieces that walk the line between sillyness/emotional-surriousness.
3. "Do Not Question the Depth of My Affection," by Evan Schenk
I enjoyed it, but I found the ending confusing. I don't remember it well anymore, but... was the character actually in love with the dog? was he just schizophrenic? I just remember the monologue being vague about who "she" was, and the ending not clarifying it too well. I thought the delivery was good, but it should have been louder. Theatre A is biiiiiig.
4. "No Signal: A Brilliant Inaugural Novel," by Theobald Q. Rosenthal
I liked the use of many offstage voices/noises. Expanding the audiences focus helps them (at least me) get into the piece more. Although for some reason it was hard for me to follow, I felt that the plot was being rushed at the same time that there was too much unnecessary dialogue that neither foreshadowed events to come nor contained jokes. Although some of the unnecessary dialogue might have been a dig at how obviously not-subtle movies like the Shining can be at times.
5. "Bot 3000x" by G-Monkey Louis
Good delivery. Quick and to the point. What's funny? Mom sex jokes. They are always crowd pleasers.
6. "Mathman Confessionals: Vol 2," by Jon Mentalo Roberts
The spitwad stories were great. so so great. The scene/character could have been established better. I didn't feel like I was listening to a diary as much a couple funny stories. There isn't really a functional difference between the two, but I would enjoyed the piece if I had known the character. The way it was worded i just laughed at it... does that even make sense? no.
7. "See-Through Mask," by Danielle Santangelo
How good was this? SO GOOD. Not just because it was different. The girl character was developed very well. I enjoyed that even though the piece was written with the ending in mind, the monologue was still written with a child-like innocence - there wasn't sarcasm or complaining.
8. "The Immobility of Things," by John Leigh
I am confused about the purpose of these pieces. What I want to know though, is who will end up playing Gomez and will he have a moustache?
9. "We're the Coolest Kids Ever!" by MC Rzlberry & the Hip Hop Kids
Funny. but mean? maybe. Satirical? Quite possibly. I hope noone took it personally though. Even if it seems mean, it is still criticism. and i think valid.
10. "Parasites! Ouch!" by Bobby Evers
Sean/Bobby together = magic. Also, too many pieces rely on absurdity, offensiveness, and pop culture references. This was just a funny piece. Very well written/edited. there wasn't any filler or unrelated jokes. so good.
11. "My Girlfriend Stabbed My Cat," by Eric Landuyt
I also had the feeling that this piece was about people either people being offended at past pieces. I try not to dwell on it though because this was a great piece whether or not there is some sort of real life parallel. I thought it was performed quite well. It seemed well written and edited to near perfection. I enjoyed the idea of the listener turning out to be a homeless guy because it confronts the character with someone who he has hurt/offended (the homeless heckling) but also as a comedic device.
Aside from that, I don't think anyone's criticism of no shame pieces are meant to be taken personally. each audience member sees the pieces through their own personal experiences. Anyone who does offensive humor (satirically, obnoxiously, or for other reasons) should expect that someone will be offended - whether it is justified or not or even if they are offended because they didnt understand the piece.
12. "The Call," by Kevin "Triscuit" Burke
I don't remember much of this piece and the script i have is just the titled and the first and last line... so... sorry.
12.5. "Whales!" by real whales and Tom
Entertaining. That's all i've got though.
13. "Actual Questions from a Sex-Ed Website with Hilarious Answers," by Aprille Clarke and contributors to that website
I love the sex-ed website pieces. The questions are funny enough on their own, but what I really appreciate is that Aprille doesn't always use the same type of punchline - it isn't always just sarcasm or an absurd suggestion.
14. "Adventures with Dori & Greg: Today's Episode: Dori & Greg Get Ready for Bed," by Machlin/Wisoff
I liked it. It was slow, but it didn't drag. it was a nice change of pace. i wait impatiently for a new episode.
15. "Masturbatory Skit for Our Friends to Laugh At & You to be Confused By," by Know No Supertonic Triads
It had its moments. But if it was meant to be more than just inside jokes than the problems were this: i coudn't follow where these people were. i was confused about it. they were possibly at my house because i live with one of the performers, so i really wanted to know. it also seemed to go a little too long. but... did i laugh? yes.
16. "Twenty-Minute Macbeth, Act II," by William Shakespeare and Adam Hahn
A few gems from this piece: the dagger joke and "Also, kill king" I like the irreverent approach to classic literature.
16.5. "Ball Cap Follies," by Bernice Wells Carlson
I have a feeling Bernice had some help from Jamal and Michael on this one. I'm not sure if anyone else could pull it off - i think the minute of "let me resize it" would have been dragging and seemed very slow. but i wanted it to keep going.
17. "A Bunch of Skribbles," by Timm Sitzmann
Okay... now other talk.
The theatre: I was at the lights so i didn't have the same experience. I was frustrated with the lighting, but that was my only issue. It is bigger, which is good and I really like the audience on three different sides. I think it makes it more personal and allows a more dynamic performance.
Fun show, big crowd, good pieces, hot eats, cool treats.
see you all next friday.
"Aside from that, I don't think anyone's criticism of no shame pieces are meant to be taken personally. each audience member sees the pieces through their own personal experiences. Anyone who does offensive humor (satirically, obnoxiously, or for other reasons) should expect that someone will be offended - whether it is justified or not or even if they are offended because they didnt understand the piece."
I have never... ever met an audience member at No Shame Theatre who would describe herself as "offended." I have never... ever met an audience member who walked away feeling "insulted." The Offended-Audience-Member is a rhetorical creation that lives on some mythic plane with the Militant-Feminist and Compassionate-Conservative. The very atmosphere of No Shame that seems to foment "offensive" pieces is equally active in undercutting those pieces' potency--eating fake fetuses: SHOCKING AT: Carnegie Hall... NOT SCHOCKIG AT: Theatre B of the University of Iowa. What's ultimately shocking at No Shame is when an author writes something thoughtfully provocative; something that isn't weighed down the self-aware excesses of young writers.
>I have never... ever met an audience
>member at No Shame Theatre who would
>describe herself as "offended." I
>have never... ever met an audience
>member who walked away feeling
>"insulted."
There have been times I would have described myself as offended. There have been nights I've walked away feeling insulted. These were generally not the same times I was shocked.
... Which is my point.
The very atmosphere of No Shame that seems to foment "offensive" pieces is equally active in undercutting those pieces' potency--eating fake fetuses: SHOCKING AT: Carnegie Hall... NOT SCHOCKIG AT: Theatre B of the University of Iowa.
I think this is true that theatre does undercut the potential for "offensiveness" and "shock value" the fact that is a performance and/or fictional stories makes it difficult. and also that a bunch of 20 somethings and not James Lipton from the Actor's Studio.
But people can be offended. I know that at least two people left in the middle of the first show theexplicitly stated reason of being offended.
I don't think performers or actors should ever not do something for fear of offending people. I just think actors obviously know there is potential for insulting or offending people and if that happens, they shouldn't let it affect them.
Also, there are differences between being (a) shocking (b) offensive (c) insulting and (d) thoughtfully provacative.
But ultimately the diference between these all relies in the delivery/performance, the actual writing of the piece, but ultimately in the eyes of each individual audience member. What's my point? I don't know.
It's a two way street. I would argue that most of the regular No Shame audience-rs have pretty well steeled themselves against being affected by No Shame itself beyond laughter. If there are people out there that are being affected to action by what they're seeing, they're probably either first-timers or are brave enough to allow themselves to be honestly and emotionally invested in the action on stage, which isn't easy because most of the performers are as equally detached and supercilious as the audience.
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