IC, Sept. 8, 2006
We had a show. Follow the comments link to read about it and respond.
posted by AdamEggHahn at 3:36 PM
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posted by AdamEggHahn at 3:36 PM
9 Comments:
The Order:
1. "Doctor Adventure and the Cockblocking Ninjas" by Evan Schenck
2. "Snakes" by Alan Strait (animal control problems)
2.5 "You're Watching She-Man and He-Ra" by Eric Landuyt (parenting advice from Patrick Swayze)
3. "The Grandeur and Riveting Tragedy of Mr. Flippy" by Mirri (monologues: drowning fish and Satan)
4. "Fucked Up or Gods Amongst Men?" by Eli Wilkinson (stalking via Facebook)
5. "A Song for Lovers: A Ballad for the Banjo in 6 Short Verses and 1 Unnecessarily Long One" by Alisa Rosenthal
6. "Last Words" by The Artist Formerly Known as King Sophie (note left by girl joining circus)
7. "No Shame is Brought to You By . . . " by Greg Machlin (the world's first useful perfume)
7.5 "Leaving the Disease Behind" by Jacob Zawa (dagger suicide)
8. "An Adventure of Epic Proportions" by Tim Sitzmann (Mark and Tim on a treasure hunt)
9. "First Time at the Post Office" by Eric Landuyt
10. "Dangerous Minds 2" by Mortimer Snert (preparation for live-action Warcraft battle)
10.5 "Who Hates Who?" by Mirri (Mirri makes nice with Patrick)
11. "and I why do I feel so sad when I get hit by my dad . . . by A dog, a top hat, an iron, a shoe, a thimble, a car, a guy on a horse rearing up, a battleship, 2 hotels, a house, and Spanielle Specter Santangelo Your Mom Rex" by Jesse Blaine (Jesse reads and smokes)
12. "The Viking Skit: One Year Later" by Jonathan Shelton (Viking and others seek new moral)
12.5 "One Way in Which I Am Like Clarence Thomas" by Katy Baggs (pubes and a spit-take)
13. "Outbox" by Adam Hahn (conversation with computer, dictating e-mail to the DI)
14. "MY SO-CALLED teenaged-LIFE" by Patrick Ashcraft and Danielle Slutangelo (Patrick introduces Sheila)
14.5 "A Murder Mystery" by Rock 'N' Roll Norris (six mysteries in rapid succession)
15. "Who's This Lot Think They Are?" by Chris Okerberg (monologue: faux-British, sex, violence, candy, MySpace)
Announcements:
1. Patrick Ashcraft is the newest member of the No Shame Iowa City board. The board now comprises Patrick, Alyssa, Tim, and Adam.
2. Website: www.noshame.org Go there!
3. No Shame 20th Anniversary
-Oct 9-14: 5 nights of regular shows, then BOBONS on Saturday
-BOBONS nominations must be made THIS WEEK
-Frank Albrecht (coming from Virginia Wed-Sat) wants to do pieces about global warming. If you have ideas for sketches, songs, poems, etc. on climate change get Frank's contact info from Adam
4. Yes Shame Theatre, City High Little Theatre
-Tuesday nights at 8, every other week (not this coming week, but the week after)
5. Venuto's World Bistro
-Wants to be a venue for music, comedy, perhaps a play?
-Will feed performers.
-Talk to Connor Drexler. Adam has his contact info.
6. This Machine
-Improv troupe: Emily Meyer, Adam Hahn, Danielle Santangelo, Cara Clonch, Amelia Oliver
-See them next Saturday, Sept 16 at Venuto's, 11 PM. The show is apparently free.
7. Paperback Rhino ??
8. Cornfed Radio Theatre
-KRUI on Sunday nights, 11PM-1AM
-Theatre and related topics, hosted by Alan Strait, featuring Danielle, Greg, Eli, Shelton, Adam, etc.
-Alan wants your (not primarily visual) No Shame pieces on the show, either live or pre-recorded.
-You're allowed to swear.
9. Iowa Desk and Couch
-Eric's TV show on UITV, Sundays at 8 PM
10. Bloody Lies
-The weekend before Halloween
-Written by Greg Machlin, directed by Danielle Santangelo, featuring Adam doing gross things.
-Vampires!
1. "Doctor Adventure and the Cockblocking Ninjas" by Evan Schenck
This went better than I thought it would.
2. "Snakes" by Alan Strait (animal control problems)
Interesting story made so by the fact that it was apparently true. Danielle put a phone in her mouth, which was funny.
2.5 "You're Watching She-Man and He-Ra" by Eric Landuyt (parenting advice from Patrick Swayze)
As a .5 I think I'd call this merely alright; it was basically just an excuse to make fun of Patrick Swayze worst line in any movie ever.
3. "The Grandeur and Riveting Tragedy of Mr. Flippy" by Mirri (monologues: drowning fish and Satan)
Good use of two intertwining plotlines, and the ending was sad and poignant. I thought this was excellent.
4. "Fucked Up or Gods Amongst Men?" by Eli Wilkinson (stalking via Facebook)
Eli is the master of dialogue so horrifying that you can't even believe he said it. Also very topical.
5. "A Song for Lovers: A Ballad for the Banjo in 6 Short Verses and 1 Unnecessarily Long One" by Alisa Rosenthal
Fantastic song piece. The song itself was good but I think the Alisa delivered it and the way she acted between verses is what really made it.
6. "Last Words" by The Artist Formerly Known as King Sophie (note left by girl joining circus)
Good piece which went in a direction I wasn't expecting.
7. "No Shame is Brought to You By . . . " by Greg Machlin (the world's first useful perfume)
Danielle Santangelo died a horrible, horrible death and Adam Hahn is a cat-killing son of a bitch.
7.5 "Leaving the Disease Behind" by Jacob Zawa (dagger suicide)
Don't really know what to make of this piece.
8. "An Adventure of Epic Proportions" by Tim Sitzmann (Mark and Tim on a treasure hunt)
This is one of Tim's cute and funny pieces, to be contrasted with his funny but not cute pieces (Argentina stories) and his funny pieces where he hates David Schwimmer. Since Norris was not present last year I didn't see a lot of him but I think he and Tim have some good stage chemistry.
9. "First Time at the Post Office" by Eric Landuyt
This was a really good piece by Eric.
10. "Dangerous Minds 2" by Mortimer Snert (preparation for live-action Warcraft battle)
I found this piece hilarious. My favorite part was the Comet Cleaner in the eyes.
10.5 "Who Hates Who?" by Mirri (Mirri makes nice with Patrick)
Cute; also, it had to be done. As I told (shouted to across the theater) to Patrick, he is inscrutable and there's no way of telling how he really feels. Mirri's hug certainly looked way less awkward than the one I got.
11. "and I why do I feel so sad when I get hit by my dad . . . by A dog, a top hat, an iron, a shoe, a thimble, a car, a guy on a horse rearing up, a battleship, 2 hotels, a house, and Spanielle Specter Santangelo Your Mom Rex" by Jesse Blaine (Jesse reads and smokes)
I maintain that it is impossible to review a Jesse Blaine piece, one can only watch it and hope to understand.
12. "The Viking Skit: One Year Later" by Jonathan Shelton (Viking and others seek new moral)
... I think this was a pretty mediocre piece for Shelton and I question whether it was really necessary to resurrect the memory of The Worst Piece Ever (as far as Evan knows).
12.5 "One Way in Which I Am Like Clarence Thomas" by Katy Baggs (pubes and a spit-take)
Wow. Very funny and again Katy Baggs proves to be maybe the most fearless performer.
13. "Outbox" by Adam Hahn (conversation with computer, dictating e-mail to the DI)
It's funny because it's true.
14. "MY SO-CALLED teenaged-LIFE" by Patrick Ashcraft and Danielle Slutangelo (Patrick introduces Sheila)
There was less Danielle Slutangelo in this piece that I expected from the byline. That aside, it was good to see Shiela again and to know that Patrick really respects her as a woman.
14.5 "A Murder Mystery" by Rock 'N' Roll Norris (six mysteries in rapid succession)
Who really cares about your stupid dead father anyway? Tell me about the Coca-Cola.
15. "Who's This Lot Think They Are?" by Chris Okerberg (monologue: faux-British, sex, violence, candy, MySpace)
This was a really funny piece; my only question would be whether or not the girl he was badgering was in on it or not.
Apparently I am stuck at home in Urbandale on a rainy night and unable to go to a faraway birthday party. Add some pierogies and too many cigarettes and I've got myself my first No Shame review in four years.
1. "Doctor Adventure and the Cockblocking Ninjas" by Evan Schenck
It amuses me that Evan's cocky-smooth delivery style may be the most distincitve cocky-smooth delivery style No Shame has seen since Arlen Lawson. That being said, I liked this piece better than last week's (I used to run into the trouble of too much pop-cultural name-dropping myself, in some of my old pieces; one time I wrote a piece about a delusional girl who meets Connor Oberst and no one will listen to her excitement. Then it turns out she was crazy and Connor raped her in the woods or something. It went unperformed). I'd like to see Evan try some more monologues like he did at the beginning of last year. Also, some of his lines are so dead-pan that it would be interesting to see how it would be done with different staging, like using the entire theatre for his space.
2. "Snakes" by Alan Strait (animal control problems)
I enjoyed being in this piece but didn't know--except for a couple lines in the middle--if people were supposed to laugh or not (I'm bad at reading scripts before I perform them). The original set-up turned out to not really be a set-up at all, which puzzled me a bit. The piece itself could've worked a little better I think if perhaps the first part of the scene was cut out. Also if Alan was a really big dick. It was fun putting a phone in my mouth, and what I learned from that part not being in the script but doing it anyway is putting foreign objects into your mouth on a No Shame stage is always good.
2.5 "You're Watching She-Man and He-Ra" by Eric Landuyt (parenting advice from Patrick Swayze)
I don't remember this one too much. I like it when people come out with signs on their shirt, though. Always a good move.
3. "The Grandeur and Riveting Tragedy of Mr. Flippy" by Mirri
I got a little lost here and there but I think that was ok to do in this piece. Lovely flow of language, great fish story. Also it was cute when Mirri and Travis (who apparently pronounces his nane "Ha-lee" and not "Ho-lee," like I thought) were both holding their scripts the same way and both had their hands in their pockets the same way.
4. "Fucked Up or Gods Amongst Men?" by Eli Wilkinson (stalking via Facebook)
Though I feel I would have been alienated during this piece if I wasn't such a facebookhead, I LOVED it. The ending was a little predictable, and the end of eli's monologue got a little violently weird, but the facebook-specific super-current stalking details were very nice. For the record, I am a little weirded out now that my high school classmates know when I take a shit before I do, but I kind of like knowing that Stephanie Gutshall whom I knew in middle school has recently gone from "engaged" to "single," and that Liz Steele has recently dropped out of the group "Hancher Auditorium." Yay Liz Hancher blows.
5. "A Song for Lovers: A Ballad for the Banjo in 6 Short Verses and 1 Unnecessarily Long One" by Alisa Rosenthal
I heard on Alisa's KRUI show yesterday that she really wanted people to call in and request banjo-involved songs. Now I understand that it was because Alisa had banjo-bangin on the BRAIN. I loved every second of this. Beautiful melodic tune, cute twee-ish lyrics. Like the Moldy Peaches but less profanity and a better voice. Also an impeccable mug delivery.
6. "Last Words" by The Artist Formerly Known as King Sophie (note left by girl joining circus)
In the beginning I was a little shocked by this, and wondered if Sophie needed someone to talk to about her problems. And then she revealed she was joining the circus, and I was just as worried. I love Sophie's writing in that it always encapsulates this unabridged innocence that used to be a trademark at No Shame and has somehow been lost over the last couple years. I think that (like Eli sometimes) Sophie's pieces could use a little confidence in delivery. I always enjoy a piece more (or the way it was meant to be enjoyed) if the performer gives his or her all into performance. If they seem scared of judgement, or show some unrelaxed tension with the language itself, the mood or the point the piece is trying to convey falls flat. Overall, I think Sophie and all her crazy friends have some of the most bizarre, original ideas at No Shame.
7. "No Shame is Brought to You By . . . " by Greg Machlin (the world's first useful perfume)
When I started to die people weren't laughing and so I died more. It was fun and thanks to Eli my glasses were safe. Thanks Eli. This was a fun piece. Nice and short, to the point. Infomercial-style pieces have suffered in the past from being too long.
7.5 "Leaving the Disease Behind" by Jacob Zawa (dagger suicide)
Yay Jacob. This was mesmerizing to watch. No shame needs some more drama, less silly.
8. "An Adventure of Epic Proportions" by Tim Sitzmann (Mark and Tim on a treasure hunt)
Is Timm going by the single-m these days? I liked him better when his first name had two m's. I accidently stole Mark Norris's copy of the script (I think he PURPOSELY put it in my bag maaaarrrrrrrk) and when I read it I found that almost everything was improvised, even Timm's explanation that he "knows languages," which tickled me elmo. I liked it when they made the bad joke about Jennifer Lopez and made a big song-and-dance about going there. More improvised song-and-dance at No Shame, please. Also I like Mark's singing voice.
9. "First Time at the Post Office" by Eric Landuyt
This is my favorite Eric piece yet. The same joke went on so long that it went from funny joke to this is going on toolong to this is going on so ridiulously long that its funny all over again. Patrick's performance was great. The ending needed a little work, though. I would've loved some sort of final stand-off between the postal worker and the guy, but it instead ended with an almost wishy-washy story about mama bear. Sometimes the non-ending is better than an ending, but int his case there was too much fabulous build up to end it that way.
10. "Dangerous Minds 2" by Mortimer Snert (preparation for live-action Warcraft battle)
I liked how it was book-marked by the Coolio (aren't you kids too young to be listening to that old-school mainstream clear channel radio grammy-award-winning movie soundtrack hip hop?). But as I haven't seen the movie, I was lost for the duration of the piece.
10.5 "Who Hates Who?" by Mirri (Mirri makes nice with Patrick)
I love how Mirri chooses No Shame to overcome certain obstacles in her life, like eating weird things and auto-bio-picing her romantic spiderweb. I like watching Patrick feel awkward. Patrick hates everybody, its not just you.
11. "and I why do I feel so sad when I get hit by my dad . . . by A dog, a top hat, an iron, a shoe, a thimble, a car, a guy on a horse rearing up, a battleship, 2 hotels, a house, and Spanielle Specter Santangelo Your Mom Rex" by Jesse Blaine (Jesse reads and smokes)
Jesse told me about his original idea for his piece later on (the one that involved everyone), and why he decided to do a different one instead (he wanted to do a non-comedic piece since most of the previous pieces had been going for laughs). I liked his original one better. I love his style. I love his writing. I love his awkward-unstructured-geniusness. And good staging. But left little for the audience to think about, since most of his piece was highly emotional nonsensical non-sequiturs. Also Jesse is funny when he is drunk, but I dig his stuff more when he is not.
12. "The Viking Skit: One Year Later" by Jonathan Shelton (Viking and others seek new moral)
I liked having one line. One liner-entances-exits are fun. My friend David, who is a new student and hadn't seen the original viking piece and had no clue what kind of punchliner Eric is, was at the show last night and understood that this was a sequel to a previously-done misogynistic piece. So no real worries about alienation. I'm just not sure that there was any real reconciliation.
12.5 "One Way in Which I Am Like Clarence Thomas" by Katy Baggs (pubes and a spit-take)
I've always wanted to expose my pubes on the No Shame stage in the absolute perfect way possible, and had JUST THOUGHT OF this great piece involving Clarence Thomas and putting my pubes in someone's can of coke...when motherfuckin KATY BAGGS does it first. What an asshole.
13. "Outbox" by Adam Hahn (conversation with computer, dictating e-mail to the DI)
I wasn't so sure if I should be moving around or not, so I did. I loved the point this was trying to convey (I mean it was pretty brilliantly passive-aggressively put out there, wasn't it?) but I thought it could've moved a little faster. I thought it was so funny when Adam asked Katy to read back that last line, and all she had on her paper were a bunch of scribbles and she kind of half-assed the line as best as she could. Priceless.
14. "MY SO-CALLED teenaged-LIFE" by Patrick Ashcraft and Danielle Slutangelo (Patrick introduces Sheila)
There was less Danielle Slutangelo in this piece than Evan expected from the by-line because I had nothing to do with this piece. Patrick said he was gonna run home and write a piece for both of us, and then he didn't and I was *disappointed*. I was sad that he didn't introduce me to Sheila. Also this would've lost most people who weren't here last week. But my friend David said afterwards that he loves watching performers stick by their piece and give it their all until the very end even if its not going over very well. I agree. But wait---I thought there was more to this piece? I thought the Sheila bit was only a preliminary to the rest of his piece, which presumably would've been about his teen years (ahh classic pash). Whatev.
14.5 "A Murder Mystery" by Rock 'N' Roll Norris (six mysteries in rapid succession)
I don't know how it looked to the audience but from my point of veiw it was very funny and all of the actors were hot hot hot.
15. "Who's This Lot Think They Are?" by Chris Okerberg (monologue: faux-British, sex, violence, candy, MySpace)
I want more Chris Okerberg. He's one of the best actors I've ever worked with and his improvisational skills are immensely entertaining. Brilliant piece.
It was a lot of fun being in peoples pieces. Thanks for the mammories.
Half-assed review of a few pieces by Katy Baggs:
Nobody's ever called me fearless before! Thanks, Evan! I still have problems mingling and socializing at parties, but for some reason I have no qualms about exposing my mons pubis to the world.
Danielle, you could still do your Clarence Thomas idea and we could have a pube-off. Or a...um, is the word "clitfight" allowed on this board?
Good banjowork from Alisa, and to my delight she also has a nice voice!
I agree that King Sophie is perennially amusing in that charming and sweet way, and I saw the same adorableness in Tim(m)'s piece. Treasure hunts!
Somehow I thought there was a piece between mine and Adam's so I wasn't down there when I should have been. I'm not that good at improvisation, so beforehand I made up something to say at the end, and when Adam kept going all I could think to say was, "...NO NO NO NO NO NO!"
Mortimer Snert's piece spoke to me in a profoundly nerdy way. I've never played Warcraft, but I knew of the incident he was referencing. I laughed when he said, "Someone's going to get pwned," but when he said he stole some guy's cloudsong, I LOST IT. I wanted to congratulate him after the show, but he was on the phone.
Zawa's in a difficult position here. He's obviously a good and confident performer, but serious pieces sandwiched between a bunch of funny pieces don't fare that well. So let's bring some more real feelings into pieces more often? Adam does it, Mirri does it, Eric does it, Danielle, etc. I tried being a bit more serious last week but I don't it came off that way, and I respect those who do it well.
Anyway, good show all around, you guys!
I was impressed with both of Jacob Zawa's pieces (more so with the homeless man from last week, which was very well-written; this one--Jacob commits seppuku--may have been comic?). To my mind, he & Katy tie for "most fearless performer." My rundown--(pieces 2.5, 9 & 10 were all very funny, but I have nothing else to say about 'em.)
1: ninjas--slice about a minute out of it & it'll be perfect.
2: snakes--good in a low-key "Clerks" way--could have used a bit more exaggeration.
3: This was nicely ambitious & I liked the way the monologues intersected thematically.
4: The best closing line of the evening.
5: Very enjoyable; one of the best of the evening.
6: Good twist; well-performed.
7: I didn't actually think this worked as well as my last piece on paper, but Danielle really sold it.
8: I didn't enjoy this one as much of some of Tim's other pieces. Maybe a bit flabby, though the going into the audience was well-staged.
10.5: Pleasantly awkward.
11: I've seen Jesse do work that you can actually sort of follow--and it was ridiculously entertaining--so, while I admire his willingness to be "out there," I'd like to see more of that from him and less of being obscure for the sake of being obscure.
12: Well, it could have been worse.
12.5: Brilliant, but I had to explain to the person sitting next to me who Clarence Thomas was.
13: The script was good, but Adam needed to read it quicker.
14: Not bad, but it needed a bit more structure.
14.5: Beautiful.
15: One of my favorites of the night.
Here's Eli's review. THE REAL ELI!
1. "Doctor Adventure and the Cockblocking Ninjas" by Evan Schenck
I loved it soo much. Evan is a great as a angry cock blocked man. Plus things about ninja rock.
2. "Snakes" by Alan Strait (animal control problems)
I think it needed more movement and punchlines. I think people didnt know if they were supposed to laugh or not.
2.5 "You're Watching She-Man and He-Ra" by Eric Landuyt (parenting advice from Patrick Swayze)
Pop culture references can be fun but if you havent seen Dirty Dancing would be lost.
3. "The Grandeur and Riveting Tragedy of Mr. Flippy" by Mirri (monologues: drowning fish and Satan)
Good writing. I liked the contrast of fish and satan.
4. "Fucked Up or Gods Amongst Men?" by Eli Wilkinson (stalking via Facebook)
I wrote it at 9:45 pm.
5. "A Song for Lovers: A Ballad for the Banjo in 6 Short Verses and 1 Unnecessarily Long One" by Alisa Rosenthal
hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe.
6. "Last Words" by The Artist Formerly Known as King Sophie (note left by girl joining circus)
Circus people are hilarious. but when they make it sound like a suicide note, I realize circus cronies are empty people.
7. "No Shame is Brought to You By . . . " by Greg Machlin (the world's first useful perfume)
Omg. At first I was wondering where this was going but once Greg said "Curiousity" I literally lost it. Danielle... great death scene.
7.5 "Leaving the Disease Behind" by Jacob Zawa (dagger suicide)
I really liked the seriousness of this piece and was really confused why people were laughing. Jacob... keep it up man. It's all good.
8. "An Adventure of Epic Proportions" by Tim Sitzmann (Mark and Tim on a treasure hunt)
Silly silly fun. Reminded me of Shelton's "The treasure hunter kids" minus the pirates. Timm is really cute when he is acting hyper.
9. "First Time at the Post Office" by Eric Landuyt
A tad slow at times but Patrick made this piece. Great choice in casting Eric. Funny writing.
10. "Dangerous Minds 2" by Mortimer Snert (preparation for live-action Warcraft battle)
I got a majority of the jokes but people not familiar with WoW would be beyond lost. like Danielle.
10.5 "Who Hates Who?" by Mirri (Mirri makes nice with Patrick)
11. "and I why do I feel so sad when I get hit by my dad . . . by A dog, a top hat, an iron, a shoe, a thimble, a car, a guy on a horse rearing up, a battleship, 2 hotels, a house, and Spanielle Specter Santangelo Your Mom Rex" by Jesse Blaine (Jesse reads and smokes)
I was really sad that I wasn't in this afterall. Infact I was so sad that I couldn;t remember much of this.
12. "The Viking Skit: One Year Later" by Jonathan Shelton (Viking and others seek new moral)
Could've been funnier if more people knew the original Viking sketch. But for those who did, it was pretty good.
12.5 "One Way in Which I Am Like Clarence Thomas" by Katy Baggs (pubes and a spit-take)
I loved how the punchline had nothing to do with the set up.
13. "Outbox" by Adam Hahn (conversation with computer, dictating e-mail to the DI)
Fuck the DI.End of story.
14. "MY SO-CALLED teenaged-LIFE" by Patrick Ashcraft and Danielle Slutangelo (Patrick introduces Sheila)
Last weeks topped this one... but how did patrick break the jaw??!
14.5 "A Murder Mystery" by Rock 'N' Roll Norris (six mysteries in rapid succession)
It didn't float my boat as much as previous Rock'N'Roll pieces.
15. "Who's This Lot Think They Are?" by Chris Okerberg (monologue: faux-British, sex, violence, candy, MySpace)
Great.
Sorry This was a bad review but I'm tired and on a radio show at the moment. See you all next week.
1. "Doctor Adventure and the Cockblocking Ninjas" by Evan Schenck
My favorite part of this piece was that neither character thought any part of the happenings seemed strange. The deadpan delivery helped, but maybe there was too much deadpan? I mean this: acting as if it isn't weird - FUNNY, but it wasn't only deadpan it felt a little strict, or stuffy - to me, evan seemed uncomfortable on stage. which made me feel a little uncomfortable. More movement/vocal variety would have made it perfect, without taking away from the idea that ninjas attacking you isn't out of the ordinary, at least not for dr. adventure.
2. "Snakes" by Alan Strait (animal control problems)
Here's something that most no shame pieces don't rely on: good writing. no crazy twists, no attempt to shock the audience... just a humorous situation with well defined characters. Welcome to No Shame, Alan! Complements aside, it could have been better had Alan been... louder or more emotive... i'm not sure what, i just thought something was missing from it. I think Eli's character was an unnecessary distraction - a simple phone call informing him of the snake's escape would have been enough and may have led to a humorous exchange by speaking to the person about the wrong snake.
2.5 "You're Watching She-Man and He-Ra" by Eric Landuyt (parenting advice from Patrick Swayze)
i've only seen dirty dancing once... so to me what was funny was the patrick swayzee sign. it was a point five. it got some quick laughs from most of the audience.
3. "The Grandeur and Riveting Tragedy of Mr. Flippy" by Mirri (monologues: drowning fish and Satan)
hmm.. good. i liked the writing, the satan one a lot and the mr. flippy one alright. i am undecided whether Mirri's delivery as Mirri talking about Mirri's life is effective or distracting. on the one hand, it's very believeable. on the other hand, it occasionally felt like rambling. i really liked the satan monologue though. satan as a regular guy that we ignore = really funny image.
4. "Fucked Up or Gods Amongst Men?" by Eli Wilkinson (stalking via Facebook)
Facebook... i just... what an interesting creation. it's a dynasty already... it's... hm. okay. As far as the piece goes... Eli plays the part of a creepster very well (is that a compliment? yes.)
5. "A Song for Lovers: A Ballad for the Banjo in 6 Short Verses and 1 Unnecessarily Long One" by Alisa Rosenthal
AMAZING. on my list for BONS 06.
Alisa, i could stare at your face making faces while playing the banjo for 4-5 minutes quite easily.
6. "Last Words" by The Artist Formerly Known as King Sophie (note left by girl joining circus)
Okay.. so i'm not the only one who knew that it wasn't a suicide note, right? I'm not saying that it didn't work or that it was bad - but the contrary. The way she avoided "the reason" or avoiding the issue at hand all seemed clear to me - but that just brought me closer to the edge of my seat! SOPHIE OH SOPHIE, when WILL you tell us what you are ACTUALY doing????? THE CIRCUS!@ ha. (i'm not patronizing either) the whole time i just kept smiling and waiting and smiling and waiting. good job. good job on length - not too drawn out. what could make it better? i don't know.... cartwheel off the stage?
7. "No Shame is Brought to You By . . . " by Greg Machlin (the world's first useful perfume)
I too didn't know where this was headed, but ha. you word player. i guffawed. i really did guffaw. i like to guffaw. no real criticism though.
7.5 "Leaving the Disease Behind" by Jacob Zawa (dagger suicide)
Jacob Zawa has metaphorically ended his prior style/medium that he uses at no shame. He'll be back, but with something new. That's my interp of this piece that i made up 15 seconds ago.
Great physical actions, nice and ambivalent. it wasn't over the top to the point of humor, but it was also, to me, too abstract to be the literal/realistic way one might kill themselves... hmmm. touche jacob, i know not how to interperet your piece. you win this round.
8. "An Adventure of Epic Proportions" by Tim Sitzmann (Mark and Tim on a treasure hunt)
i just like to run and jump on stage with mark, now that he is back from iceland.
9. "First Time at the Post Office" by Eric Landuyt
eric gets a prize for best casting choice of patrick as this guy. you have an eye, sir. a good one. i will simply second the idea that this went past the point of "okay it's old now" arriving to "damnit, it's even more hillarious, now"
10. "Dangerous Minds 2" by Mortimer Snert (preparation for live-action Warcraft battle)
i dont' believe i've seen a mortimer snert piece before, but by golly if there as good as this was i missed out. i like niche (sp?) pieces; whether it be based in a time period, a location, or sub-culture. it works well for the no shame format. shelton plays a video gamer quite well, it must be the beard.... comet is invisible powder? possibly one of the funniest jokes i've heard in a while.
10.5 "Who Hates Who?" by Mirri (Mirri makes nice with Patrick)
i'm glad we got that out of the way.
11. "and I why do I feel so sad when I get hit by my dad . . . by A dog, a top hat, an iron, a shoe, a thimble, a car, a guy on a horse rearing up, a battleship, 2 hotels, a house, and Spanielle Specter Santangelo Your Mom Rex" by Jesse Blaine (Jesse reads and smokes)
what was main part of this? The piece or the actor? every performance is subject to this question but... well, for some reason it seems more relevant here. could jesse have been reading anything and still have been entertaining? i want to say no because that would seem to belittle the writing, but... isn't also a compliment to jesse's natural asthetic? haha. i'm a douche.
12. "The Viking Skit: One Year Later" by Jonathan Shelton (Viking and others seek new moral)
you didn't need to see the orginial to enjoy this piece, which is good. (granted i was on stage so i can't say for sure) but it seemed to get mediocre to alright feedback. i think it's because we expect more from you shelton. a bunch of pretty funny jokes, but no knee slappers. WHERE ARE THE KNEE SLAPPERS SHELTON????
12.5 "One Way in Which I Am Like Clarence Thomas" by Katy Baggs (pubes and a spit-take)
i think no shame needs someone to expose themselves somehow. i feel like it's part of its identity. i really liked how (i can't remember who it was, but the other girl not katy) tried very hard to awkwardly fake drink the can without drinking the pube.
13. "Outbox" by Adam Hahn (conversation with computer, dictating e-mail to the DI)
read that back to me ms. baggs. hillarious. a little too long, possibly because adam memorized most of it - adam, do you feel obligated to memorize your pieces? we won't think less of you if you read from a script.
14. "MY SO-CALLED teenaged-LIFE" by Patrick Ashcraft and Danielle Slutangelo (Patrick introduces Sheila)
sorry, nothing constructive/destructive to say.
14.5 "A Murder Mystery" by Rock 'N' Roll Norris (six mysteries in rapid succession)
i'm developing a great affinity towards fast, energetic, writing/performance. i want to join a vaudeville troupe.
add with that the hillarious notion that pancakes are more important than a father and you get the perfect formula for a point 5ive.
15. "Who's This Lot Think They Are?" by Chris Okerberg (monologue: faux-British, sex, violence, candy, MySpace)
great acting. did he really give up on the british accent? did he plan on doing it? is that his girlfriend or a random audience member? we all knew the answers to these questions, but we played along anyway.
i like character monologues. i would like to see someone develop one over a semester. sorry, i am burnt out. i can't offer anything, sir except a "good show, ol chap."
1. "Doctor Adventure and the Cockblocking Ninjas" by Evan Schenck
I celebrate the return of Doctor Adventure.
2. "Snakes" by Alan Strait
Pacing could have been snappier, but I liked it.
2.5 "You're Watching She-Man and He-Ra" by Eric Landuyt
Better received than I expected.
3. "The Grandeur and Riveting Tragedy of Mr. Flippy" by Mirri
Poignant and funny.
4. "Fucked Up or Gods Amongst Men?" by Eli Wilkinson
Hilarious! Great writing by Eli. One of the funniest punchlines I have ever heard.
5. "A Song for Lovers: A Ballad for the Banjo in 6 Short Verses and 1 Unnecessarily Long One" by Alisa Rosenthal
Sweet and fun.
6. "Last Words" by The Artist Formerly Known as King Sophie
The faux suicide note wasn't a surprise, but making it about an acrobat was funny. I liked the image of standing on the policeman's head.
7. "No Shame is Brought to You By . . . " by Greg Machlin
Great piece. Good writing by Greg and an uninhibited cat death from Danielle.
7.5 "Leaving the Disease Behind" by Jacob Zawa
Once again, I felt bad for Jacob when people laughed, although this time I did wonder whether he was trying to be deadpan funny. I admire his stage presence.
8. "An Adventure of Epic Proportions" by Tim Sitzmann
Silly silly silly. I liked it.
9. "First Time at the Post Office" by Eric Landuyt
I thought about writing really specific stage directions, but then I decided to just let Patrick and Danielle do what they would with it. I liked the way it turned out.
10. "Dangerous Minds 2" by Mortimer Snert
Very funny. The fact I know people who are almost that obsessive about Warcraft makes it funnier.
10.5 "Who Hates Who?" by Mirri
Cute.
11. "and I why do I feel so sad when I get hit by my dad . . . by A dog, a top hat, an iron, a shoe, a thimble, a car, a guy on a horse rearing up, a battleship, 2 hotels, a house, and Spanielle Specter Santangelo Your Mom Rex" by Jesse Blaine
I like the fact we are never sure what to expect from Jesse.
12. "The Viking Skit: One Year Later" by Jonathan Shelton
I enjoyed it, but it would have helped if two-thirds of the audience had been here last year so they understood the context.
12.5 "One Way in Which I Am Like Clarence Thomas" by Katy Baggs
Highlight of the night. Instant classic. Although I also had to explain who Clarence Thomas was, which made me feel kind of old.
13. "Outbox" by Adam Hahn
So true, so true.
14. "MY SO-CALLED teenaged-LIFE" by Patrick Ashcraft and Danielle Slutangelo
I actually felt kind of slighted that Patrick didn't introduce her to me. Am I not good enough to meet Sheila, Patrick? You think I'm too low-class and she's something special? Huh?
14.5 "A Murder Mystery" by Rock 'N' Roll Norris
I wish Mark would go back to writing full pieces. He has funny ideas, and I wish he would develop them further.
15. "Who's This Lot Think They Are?" by Chris Okerberg
An Andy Kaufman-esque monologue that was performed quite well. I liked the way each reference came back later on.
I like poop? Why no poop in this show? Huh?
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