This Year, I Gave Up On Christmas -- Or, How We Started Publishing Comic Pieces for Our Readers' Amusement by Liz McKeon Saturday, December 24, 2011 - 1

My neighbors really went all out with
their rooftop decorating this year. - Liz

By WICF Editor Liz McKeon


Happy holidays, y'all! In the coming year, we're going to start running comedy pieces on the site, along with our regular interviews and columns. Email me at editor@womenincomedyfestival.com if you're interested in seeing your writing featured!

In the spirit of the season, I'd like to share some song lyrics I wrote a few years ago. This was performed during a Latchkey Kids show in 2009, at ImprovBoston. What I love about working with the same sketch troupe repeatedly is that, over time, you really get to learn each other's voices. This was written with the dulcet tones of the wonderful Ken Breese in mind, and I thought he killed it.


This Year, I Gave Up On Christmas 
With Apologies to Meredith Willson
By Liz McKeon. Written for Ken Breese.

(to the tune of "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas)

It quit trying to look at all like Christmas
It's the same thing ev'ry year;
Take a look at the crowd outside dazed and hollow-eyed
With three more months of fuckin' cold to fear.

No one's smiling, all they can do is bitch 'cause
Rel'tives were a bore
Their gifts were all full of crap, they won't get off your fuckin' back
Behind your own damn door.

A nice dinner a few laughs really all that I asked
From my god damn family;
Shit's what I got and an ulcer on top
Of the ajita they gave me;


Quit askin' me when I'll be married with three kids for Christ's sake Jesus fuckin' SHUT UP.


Pause to compose yourself.


I'm really tired of trying to give a shit 'cause
Weather sucks like a 'ho;
Nothing 'til Valentine's Day, which is a made up holiday,
On Presidents' Day I've got nowhere to go.

On a diet to get rid of holiday bitch tits
'Cause I've got one foot out the door,
And I'm just getting my ass in gear knowing that next year
I'll move somewhere warm.

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Geeking Out With ... Jet Eveleth by Unknown Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - 0

By Contributor Pam Victor

“Geeking Out with … ”

is a series of interviews with well-known, highly experienced improvisers. It’s a chance to talk about stuff that might interest hardcore, improv dorkwads like me. For an extended, full-frontal geek-out version of this interview, please visit my blog, My Nephew is a Poodle.



If you have seen Jet Eveleth perform improv, you remember her. Not only does she have crackerjack improv skills, but Jet Eveleth pops on stage. Your eye follows her as she flows from character to character with a bendy physicality that often defies gravity.


Eveleth swims in a sea of improv delights in Chicago. She currently performs at iO with The Armando Diaz Experience, The Reckoning, The Deltones and The Collectibles. Additionally, she is looking forward to a possible mini-tour with Paul Brittan (Saturday Night Live) of the created-from-improv scripted show Ted and Melanie. She is also working “with some really cool film guys from MN” on the development of a pilot that, according to Eveleth, “is very inspired by my favorite documentaries (Billy the Kid, Anvil! The Story of Anvil) and Chris Lilley's work.” And that’s not counting recent forays into movies, her stand-up experience, her previous work with The Chi-Town Clown Revue, and her stint as artistic director for The Chicago Improv Festival … And I have a feeling this is Eveleth on a slow day.

Pam Victor: So how did you get into improv?

Jet Eveleth: In college at UMASS Amherst, I walked by a short-form audition and some guys called me in. I guess my first "yes and" was walking into that audition at that moment.

Pam Victor: So was that Mission: IMPROVable?

Jet Eveleth: Yes, I was in Mission: IMPROVable. It was the MI guys that convinced me to move to Chicago to do improv. I read [Charna Halpern’s book] Truth in Comedy before I moved to Chicago and I remember the first time I set eyes on the entrance of iO. I connected to the book, the philosophies, and once I saw John Lutz and Stephanie Weir do a scene my mind was blown. It was so funny and so beautiful at the same time, and all made up in the moment. I sat in the audience and thought to myself, "This is all I want to do."

Pam Victor: So you came out to Chicago and right away went through the levels at iO?

Jet Eveleth: iO was my first destination. I saw a show the first night I arrived, three days after graduating from college. I went through classes there and also [The] Second City and The Annoyance Theatre.

Pam Victor: Wow. You were really driven.

Jet Eveleth: Compelled.

Pam Victor: I had a lengthy discussion with Chris Gethard about the "game" being at the heart of the UCB philosophy. What is at the heart of your improv philosophy?

Jet Eveleth: I love analogies. So here we go ... For a while, everyone thought atoms were the smallest you could go, the building blocks, right? But then they discovered the nucleus and then the protons and neutrons ... and who knows what we will discover next?

So right now (and this will change), I think that perhaps the game (the series of actions in a unique pattern) is the atom. And perhaps the character is the nucleus, and within that is the POV [point of view] born of the moment, in this space. We can still break it down smaller ...

But it becomes very Zen-like.

Jet Eveleth, Up Close and Personal

Pam Victor: Hahaha. I have this theory that there is a hardcore science geek inside almost every improviser. You are proving the rule.

So, really? The game, rather than relationship and character, is your go-to? Having watched you improvise, that surprises me.

Jet Eveleth: I guess when I say game I don't mean it like many in the improv world. Game has a history in all performing arts. So in Commedia [dell’Arte] and clowning, there is game. In dance, there is game. But its foundation is in action and pattern. I don't separate character, relationship and game. I play as honest as I can and all three are born how they see fit. Game can be developed first; I just don't play that way. I play character-driven, and when you have wants they lead to actions falling into patterns — game is born. But without the heavy fist.

Pam Victor: You are an amazing character actress. I love Barb. Can you talk about where your basic stock of characters comes from and how you nourish them?

Jet Eveleth: Thank you. Nourishing is a great word. I think we have to nourish ourselves as people if we want all this cool art to come out of us. Or perhaps, by nourish, I mean be close to ourselves. I feel that sometimes we run away from ourselves, especially in high stakes situations, like let's say on stage for example. I mean, everyone has their comedic voice, mine tends to live in character and physical work. That is what tickles me the most to watch and to play.

I remember the first time I set eyes on the entrance of iO.

Improv has been an amazing tool for me to find out I love playing POV's far from my own. I learned early on, the more humanity these characters have, the more the room connects to them. At the end of the day we have to balance skill with joy and risk, and we have to do it effortlessly. So practice is the only answer.

And when I say brave I don't mean putting on a brave face. I mean being out of control, losing your shit because that is what is required of your character in the moment. The willingness to be flawed. I think we can get lost in the idea that we are supposed to be the prettiest, smartest, most put together person in the room because we are on stage. When, indeed, it is the opposite.

Pam Victor: Your physicality is truly unique and immensely engaging. Is that something that comes naturally to you, or have you had certain training that allows your personal physicality to really shine?

Jet Eveleth: I have a background in dance, but I think when it comes down to it I like moving around. I also study yoga and clown, but I think I'm drawn to that for the same reasons. It feels like everything comes full circle if you just do what you love. Then one day, someone asks you this question. br />
I also love being physical because it means I never have to "think" and god knows there are so many cops that live in the mind. I much prefer to fall, roll, climb and hump. It is all so lovely and primal. I guess I'm like a local saying, "Let's take the back roads, there are way too many state troopers on the highway." Besides, the back roads are prettier and everyone is taking the highway.

I mean life is short, fall.

When I say brave, I don't mean putting on a brave face. I mean being out of control, losing your shit because that is what is required of your character in the moment. The willingness to be flawed.

Pam Victor: In your job as artistic director of the Chicago Improv Festival, I would imagine you really got an insider’s view of the global approach to improv. What have you noticed about interesting cultural differences and similarities in improv?

Jet Eveleth: That is a great question. It is fun to see how right on Joseph Campbell is about the universal consciousness in the evolution of art. Even though we are thousands of miles apart we are stumbling upon the same concepts and techniques within the art form. And yet, because we have such unique histories we also grow apart, some grounded in Commedia, some storytelling and others political theater. For example, I love the way Mexico City's troupe ImproTOP becomes their world rather than just gesturing to it. This comes from a heritage of physical storytelling and clown, and their show becomes instantly physical and playful in a way we rarely see in the states.

Pam Victor: At the improv forum at CIF, I saw four of you perform what I consider to be a “Perfect Set” from an improviser's point of view. Can you tell me about the structure The Reckoning follows? Can you break it down a little for me? It’s so naturally organic that as a viewer, it looks somewhat magical to me. So much so, I want to drink it because I think it will make me more powerful.

Jet Eveleth: Don't drink it! Don't drink it!

Pam Victor: BUT I HAVE TO!!!! (I tried to lick the back of Jake Schneider's head when he was turned away. I almost got caught. Really embarrassing.)

Jet Eveleth: In a nutshell, I can tell you that most of our shows have moments that are scenic and moments that are non-scenic (anything that isn't a scene). The edits are part of the show rather than a necessary evil. So we make them cool and experimental, which lead to scenes that are truly improvised. I find I always have more fun when I believe that I do the best work in the moment and not thinking on the sides. Then we let patterns happen. We look for characters, locations, objects, stage pictures, edits or anything else that want to come back, and we are receptive to them when they appear. I rarely speak the language of beats and games because that language can become handcuffs if they become demands. Who can demand the moment?

I think I just heard God laugh.

Edited to add: Jonathan Pitts, Executive Director of Chicago Improv Festival Productions and Co-Founder/Producer of the Chicago Improv Festival, has been booking all the international teams for CIF since its inception and continues to do so today. Much to my delight, it was Jonathan who brought ImproTOP to CIF 2011, and I was blown away by their performance there. I'm looking forward to interviewing Jonathan for this series, so he can share his perspective as someone who works with improvisers around the world as well as his other unique insights from deep inside in the Chicago improv scene.

Read the rest of Pam's interview with Jet Eveleth at My Nephew is a Poodle.

Photo credit: Jeff Hausthor

Pam Victor is the founding member of The Ha-Ha’s, and she produces The Happier Valley Comedy Shows. Pam directs, produces and performs in the hot, new comic soap opera web series "Silent H, Deadly H". Pam also writes mostly humorous, mostly true essays and reviews of books, movies and tea on her blog, "My Nephew is a Poodle."

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Bullish: Thinking More Productively About Money by Unknown Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - 0

By Contributor Jen Dziura

This article originally appeared on TheGrindstone.

When I was nine-years-old, I discovered that my allowance was the lowest of all the girls in my class (embarrassing!) and sometime later, started a small business making friendship bracelets and also reselling all the best (i.e., grossest) Garbage Pail Kids trading cards.

My classmate Crystal was rifling though my wares, which I kept in a Ziploc bag in my backpack. She questioned my business model – how come I was selling the good cards for more than they would cost in the store? (Seriously, don’t people’s parents explain these things to them?)

I said that, obviously, when you buy a pack of Garbage Pail Kids in the store, you don’t know which ones you’re getting, and also that marking things up was how all businesses operate. Stores, of course, buy things and then sell those things for more than they paid.

“That’s not true!” she said, incensed.

“Of course it is,” I said. “How else would they pay the rent and the people who work there?”

“You’re stupid,” she said, leaving without Harry Carrie, Adam Bomb, or Babbling Brooke.

Read the rest at TheGrindstone.

Jennifer Dziura (jenniferdziura.com) writes career and life coaching advice for young women at TheGrindstone and TheGloss. She believes you can make money without being a douchebag. She believes in working harder and smarter now so you can have "balance" when you're wrinkly and covered in diamonds. She believes in starting businesses on zero dollars, selling expensive things to rich people, and laughing very hard at people who try to "manifest their dreams" without learning any real skills or shaping the fuck up. She likes to help. Jennifer also performs (sort of) educational one-woman shows about philosophy and punctuation. Her "The History of Women in 30 Minutes" is appearing in the Women in Comedy Festival.

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Good Books by Funny Women! by Unknown Monday, December 19, 2011 - 4

By Contributor Barbara Holm


I love books so much that, when I was a kid, the only thing I wanted more than “to be a Monty Python” (Source: Me, Age ten) was to work at a bookstore. Funny books are usually my favorite, because I am a human and humans like laughing. Here are just a few of my favorite books by women in comedy:

***

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

A few weeks ago someone asked me what my favorite book was, and I said it was this one without hesitation. My friend said, "That doesn’t count because your favorite book is always the last book you’ve read." However, I have since read a few books and this is still my favorite! It's a charming collection of essays ranging stylistically from true-life memoir stories to adorable anecdotes and lists.

I identified with a lot of the awkward stories of her childhood and was inspired by her work ethic. My favorite part was when she discussed writing the Off-Broadway play Matt and Ben, which turned out to be the door that led to The Office. I think this chapter humbly downplays how talented, creative, and driven she and her friend were to write, produce, direct, promote and star in a comedy play. Mindy writes, “Because no one would hire us to act or write, Brenda and I decided to create something to perform in ourselves.” It also showed me that if you have a dream (for example, to write for TV), don't wait for the dream job to fall in your lap, start working at it now, because if you don't, it might never happen.

***

Bossypants by Tina Fey 

I've read a few books about SNL and a many that were autobiographies of comedians, but few that were this laugh out loud funny, thoughtful and charismatic. The different stories weave together to depict the amazing life of a woman who is passionate, ambitious, strong and hilarious.

My favorite part of the book was the chapter "I don't care if you like it." The story is about Jimmy Fallon telling Amy Poehler one of her jokes wasn't "cute," and she said, "I don't fucking care if you like it." Fey says this embodies her outlook on sexism in comedy: If old, unfunny men tell the media that women aren't funny, she doesn’t care if they like it. Fey writes, "Is this person in between me and what I want to do? If the answer is no, ignore it and move on." It’s wonderful advice for anyone (not just women) in an artistic profession.

***

I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, and Other Guys I've Dated by Julie Klausner 

This dating memoir cracked me up, and I'm usually bored by dating memoirs. The stories are as ridiculous, loud and funny as Julie Klausner herself. While I don't take everything she preaches as gospel, I love the main theme of the book. Throughout so many dating horror stories, Klausner consistently insists that women should be confident, strong and not bend to a man's wishes. She encourages against girls who infantalize themselves for men, and girls like Miss Piggy who beg and plead for an indifferent Kermit. It’s a fast, funny read calling on women to unabashedly be themselves. (Klausner is a WICF alumna).

***

I Totally Meant to Do That by Jane Borden 

I had the pleasure of meeting Jane Borden (a Women in Comedy Festival alumna!) a few times, and I always thought she was genuinely kind and I really liked her. When her book came out, my admiration grew into: “holy crap this girl is funny and awesome.” The book is a collection of memoir-style stories about a southern girl moving to New York. It’s hilarious and well written, with a distinct voice. “I totally meant to do that” is charming and quirky and reminds me of David Sedaris, or a happier Augusten Burroughs.

***

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman

I didn't expect this book to affect me the way it did. Sarah's stand-up is slightly impersonal, fiction-based and relies on a character. So when I picked up her book to casually browse through it, I was surprised when a full hour later I was fully engrossed and so touched I was fighting back tears. While hilarious, the memoir is nakedly sincere and honest, employing a courage that many comedy books lack. I loved learning about her early forays into stand-up and was impressed with the way she threw herself wholeheartedly into the craft at a young age. One part I liked was the chapter "Make it a treat," where Sarah says if something is incredibly special she tries not to overuse it, which is a strategy I then applied to my own comedy writing.

***

All of these books are wonderful and changed my life in tiny ways through giving me comedy or life advice. I think it’s important as an artist to read as much as possible, to fill oneself with creative input. More than anything, reading all these hilarious books by women just inspires me to one day hope to write my own.



Barbara Holm is a stand-up comedian from Seattle, Washington. She has performed at Bridgetown Comedy Festival, The Women in Comedy Festival, and Bumbershoot Festival. She has been described as clever, creative and unique.

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