Stephanie Streisand

nicolemarietherese:

stephaniestreisand:

halphillips:

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I suspect lots of new students simply don’t know the norms.  I think interviewing people is silly, but I’m sure it’s not silly to someone who knows literally nothing about how practice groups are formed.

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I think you are all like, “Interviews?! What the fuck?” so quickly. But I agree with Hal. I probably would have gone to an interview in 2006. I probably would have thought you had to audition to be in a practice group that performs. If I was starting a practice group that performs back then, I wouldn’t have known anyone and done auditions. Sure, I met people from my classes but after the classes were over those practice sessions were over. And I was basically a ghost anyway so it’s not like a person could talk to me to ask me or I could go up to a person and ask them, or they would even remember me.

I think it’s completely understandable how that situation happened.

I wasn’t going to post again but it’s Friday and slow at work and something about this gets me.

I totally hear what you guys are saying. In those early days, you’re really out there without a handbook. (True confessions: I think I paid our first coaches with a check because it seemed more professional.) And I personally agonized over every small decision.

I have a lot of affection for those early days in improv because I’m a real awkward kid who’d been in New York for a year without forming a social life and suddenly every interaction was an opportunity to make a new best friend. Because - it felt at least - like every person you met was carrying over that non-judgment stuff from class and wanted to like each other. And I think unless we were projecting our own self-loathing onto other people, that was the case.

But something about the instinct to formalize this crazy, organic process makes me really sad. And some of my favorite people (well, Miles) are people I never would have met if it wasn’t for being randomly invited to groups without previous knowledge. I discovered Kat T. because somebody from my 201 told me I would love the girl who looked a little like Helena Bonham Carter and organized everything. I miss thirteen person practice groups with Hiller because no one knew how to say no. The heartbreaking decisions come later. This is the easiest time. I hate to hear that people are so overcomplicating it.

I really like the way the school has 201 practice sessions now. But I didn’t really go through the new school system.

I think the teachers should educate the students on practice groups and stuff. I think they are now. But, I wish I had a teacher that informed me about it much, much earlier than 2007.

halphillips:

nicolemarietherese:

benzado:

So, this happened on Twitter yesterday:

I think those of us who are already “plugged in” take for granted how hard it is for someone new to the scene to get a group together. If I want to, I’m spoiled for choice, but it took some time to get here. Most of the people I started practicing with were not classmates. You would likely never have heard of me if I hadn’t been a regular at Improdome. I never would have been a regular if I didn’t used to live so close to the PIT; I had a day job.

If “interviewing” isn’t acceptable, what’s the right way to do it? Sitting in for a practice is great, if you can afford to spend the time and money. What’s wrong with wanting to talk to the person first, to get an idea if you get along or not?

I know it’s just Twitter, where the goal is to fit as much snark as you can in 140 characters or fewer. But it’s unfair pass judgment on interviewing, or any idea, if you don’t have a better idea to offer.

Because an interview - by its nature - involves judgment. Not the “comfort-level” judgment involved with seeing how you feel playing with someone but a cold, calculated, impersonal judgment born from a created situation that bears almost NO resemblance to what the improv experience is like.

I miss the sloppy, inclusive, coming-of-age, coming-into-our-own that should automatically come with PRACTICE groups. You’re not forming a team. You’re leaning together. Not cool.

I suspect lots of new students simply don’t know the norms.  I think interviewing people is silly, but I’m sure it’s not silly to someone who knows literally nothing about how practice groups are formed.

I didn’t even know about practice groups until 401.  My first “practice group” was more like open practice sessions: everyone could invite anyone, all our classes got open invitations, and we assumed most people would show up sporadically.  And nobody knew that wasn’t the norm.  When some of us talked about starting a “real” group and maybe performing someday, it seemed like a HUGE step— like it was time to stop dicking around and start taking things seriously.

There’s no handbook.  Interviews would be obnoxious coming from people who know better, but if they don’t, I guess it’s as good a guess as any.

 I knew about practice groups when I first started out. You practiced with your class in between classes. That’s what it used to be.

I don’t remember knowing about performance teams until 2007? And I was taking classes at UCB since 2004. And it was two years after my first 600. I didn’t hang out at McManus at all. I used to go to the class then leave, watch a show and then leave, or do my show at UCB and leave. Ask Pat Baer. Pat was the only person who knew me because of a 600 we did together and I knew I could find him working in the booth and say hi or he would find me and say hi. It wasn’t until I started interning that I hung out and then through that found out about indie teams. I swear I didn’t know the names of any harold team or weekend team performers until I hung out (Besides the teachers I had).

I think you are all like, “Interviews?! What the fuck?” so quickly. But I agree with Hal. I probably would have gone to an interview in 2006. I probably would have thought you had to audition to be in a practice group that performs. If I was starting a practice group that performs back then, I wouldn’t have known anyone and done auditions. Sure, I met people from my classes but after the classes were over those practice sessions were over. And I was basically a ghost anyway so it’s not like a person could talk to me to ask me or I could go up to a person and ask them, or they would even remember me.

I think it’s completely understandable how that situation happened.

Not to be over sensitive...

frankhejl:

But if you post anything of a defenseless animal getting hurt I’m going to tell you to fuck right off! There is NO EXCUSE for that bullshit! I don’t care if you don’t like cats or dogs. You can hate them for all I care, but when harm is intentionally done to animals like that it infuriates me to no end! Seriously. Even if you don’t agree with it, DON’T POST THAT SHIT. I have to see that shit on my dashboard. It’s a quick way to get unfollowed.

It’s CRUEL and UNNECESSARY. If you EVER harm an animal in front of me like that, god help me, I will develop a mother’s strength of incredible proportions and go wild on your ass. I will not let up until you feel the immense pain that poor animal did.

Fuck, people. Seriously!

I’m in a terrible mood now.

 I don’t know what this is in response to. I must not be following the tumblr you are talking about. But it’s a good thing I saw this post before I posted the full movie of Cannibal Holocaust. <—-Link to Wiki page.