Thursday, May 29, 2014

It Takes 2

Hi All,

Well, we did it.  We opened on Friday, May 23rd and it was great.  We had a full house, a great cast, a wonderful staff and we hired a photographer to document the whole thing.  I'll post those photos next blog.  The opening weekend was very busy and a lot of fun.

Now we are in the "after Memorial Day" pause which means that it's gotten very quiet on the island.  The streets are pretty much empty after 8pm.  Our houses are much smaller like much, much, much smaller.  Tuesday we had 12 people and last night?  2.  2 people. It's very odd to go from a super busy weekend to super non-busy but it happens every year.  It will start building next week until we are at fever pitch by the end of June and then it doesn't stop until Labor Day.  Then another dip and then it builds to Columbus Day weekend.

But let's talk about the 2 people who came last night.  We've done shows for 2 people before and we also canceled shows because we only had 2 people.  Why the different reactions?  A few years ago we only had two people (during this exact week) but they let Larrance know they were at ImprovAcadia because it was their anniversary.  They had driven down from Bangor (an 1.15 hour drive) and were so excited to see the show.  We did an anniversary show just for them. They came back the next year and we had a crowd.  They volunteered for the interview and told the whole crowd about their private performance.  It was real nice.

Other times we cancel because the 2 people are uncomfortable or they can come back the next night.  We take it on a case by case basis.  We talk to them, see what they want and adjust accordingly.

Last night, as I mentioned, we had only 2 audience members.  Larrance got to chatting with them about what they wanted to do - come back the next night or have us do a show - and they asked if we could do a workshop.   A workshop.  They asked if we would teach them the basics of improvisation, let them try it and maybe perform a little.  So, we did!  It was great. They were naturals.  They grasped "yes, and..." immediately and asked very astute questions.  We ended the workshop performing a Larrance's Choice for them.

In all my years working here, I've never taught a workshop instead of doing a show.  It was a really fun and so very rewarding.  We got a chance to interact with them and they got a chance to try something completely new to them in a safe environment.

They're coming back tonight to see the show with the improv-ized eyes.  I can't wait to hear what they have to say!

~J


1 comment:

Pam Victor said...

Good for them for taking the initiative! And for you for yes-anding their request. How absolutely marvelous. I will be praying for a slow night next time I'm in town. I want a workshop with you guys too!