Saturday, December 19, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
NCT: We got something for you...
Pilgrimpalooza was magnificent, lots of FREE POPCORN given out and eaten up... i guess nobody filled up on cranberry sauce this year.
THIS weekend it's HA HA Hanukkah: The Festival of Laughs (12/11 & 12)
We are going to be giving away 8 FREE tickets at each show... so join us! The Menorah the merrier! I promise you never knew how funny a dreidel could be.
On the 18th & 19th we are bringing out The Holiday Show: Christmas Comedy
FREE tickets and Gifts will be given out at each show to wish our fans a happy X-mass. Bring the whole family, including those crazy relatives you only see once a year. Let us entertain them for you and you wont have to hear any of their stories for at least 90 minutes.
We're taking the night off Dec. 25th and then coming back strong on the 26th- a little fatter, a lot funnier and ready to rock your warm wool socks off.
at 7:30 & 9:45 we're busting out the Christmas Comedy and then, at 11:45pm we give you the gift of the Midnight Show... where you can let us know how you REALLY feel about those holidays with no fear of the Brown Bag.
We save the very best thing for last, however.
On December 31st we will be having the best party in town.
I know its pretty exciting. Alot to take in. Pretty overwhelming with awesomeness... but there is more to tell. Not only are we giving all these gifts to you for the holidays, we are also giving you stuff to give other people. I know, its pretty generous.
We have a limited number of Gift Packs available through the holiday season, and they're selling like hotcakes. You can save a ton of cash, give out tickets as awesome, creative gifts that will last alot longer than anything you bought at wal-mart on black friday and- best part ever- Gift Tickets don't expire. They can be used in any combination and they're good at ANY weekly competitive comedy show.
Get 2 Tickets for $18 (Save $6), 4 Tickets for $36 (Save $12), 8 Tickers for only $64 (Save $32)* this is the most popular package and only a few remain, and 10 tickets for $80 (Save $40!)
There are also Gift Certificates available for our 2010 Improv Workshops.
For only $150 (between $50-$25 savings) the Gift Cards can be used at any 2010 Workshop offered at NCT.
Also Limited time/limited quantity offer. So jump on board and give the gift of Laughs this year!
THIS weekend it's HA HA Hanukkah: The Festival of Laughs (12/11 & 12)
On the 18th & 19th we are bringing out The Holiday Show: Christmas Comedy
FREE tickets and Gifts will be given out at each show to wish our fans a happy X-mass. Bring the whole family, including those crazy relatives you only see once a year. Let us entertain them for you and you wont have to hear any of their stories for at least 90 minutes.
We're taking the night off Dec. 25th and then coming back strong on the 26th- a little fatter, a lot funnier and ready to rock your warm wool socks off. We save the very best thing for last, however.
On December 31st we will be having the best party in town.
The New Years Eve Extravaganza! is pretty much the best thing we do all year. Awesome competitive comedy show, followed by really fancy and delicious catered dinner. You party with the cast of NCT and we give you lots of cool party favors and prizes then cap it all off with a classy Midnight Champagne (and Cider) toast! The EXTRAVAGANZA is ALL AGES. The EXTRAVAGANZA is affordable at only $49 per person. The EXTRAVAGANZA will SELL OUT, last year's show was full to the last seat and tickets are already selling for this year... get tickets online today!
I know its pretty exciting. Alot to take in. Pretty overwhelming with awesomeness... but there is more to tell. Not only are we giving all these gifts to you for the holidays, we are also giving you stuff to give other people. I know, its pretty generous.
We have a limited number of Gift Packs available through the holiday season, and they're selling like hotcakes. You can save a ton of cash, give out tickets as awesome, creative gifts that will last alot longer than anything you bought at wal-mart on black friday and- best part ever- Gift Tickets don't expire. They can be used in any combination and they're good at ANY weekly competitive comedy show.
Get 2 Tickets for $18 (Save $6), 4 Tickets for $36 (Save $12), 8 Tickers for only $64 (Save $32)* this is the most popular package and only a few remain, and 10 tickets for $80 (Save $40!)
There are also Gift Certificates available for our 2010 Improv Workshops.
For only $150 (between $50-$25 savings) the Gift Cards can be used at any 2010 Workshop offered at NCT.
Also Limited time/limited quantity offer. So jump on board and give the gift of Laughs this year!
Lets us entertain you and even perhaps wine and dine you this December at NCT.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
its coming...
only a few days away from Spooktacular!
spent the day at NCT on sunday spookin it up
spent the day at NCT on sunday spookin it up
some changes from last year, additions. we created a crazy spiders lair, stage dungeon, graveyard and camp crystal lake is now half freddy's boiler room.
cant wait for everyone to see this years set up.
ooh, and watch for us on the news this saturday... showup.com is going to feature us in their halloween special!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Whats Coming Up Now?
Time to get Spooky!
This weekend an audience member won herself a $30 Gift Card by tagging NCT Phoenix in this spooky photo:
This weekend an audience member won herself a $30 Gift Card by tagging NCT Phoenix in this spooky photo:
The Spooktacular! goes live 10/30 and 10/31. things are about to get alot spookier...
Shortly after that you should look forward to the first of our holiday shows- Pilgrimpalooza!
wow.
Oh man, so much has happened in the last two weekends.
#1- we drove out and played in NCT San Diego's 10 year anniversary 'Old Timers' show... where Gary Kramer (owner and 'big cheese') was given a proclamation from the city. what did it proclaim? why, that October 9th would be forever known as National Comedy Theatre Day in San Diego, of course
(Gary Kramer, Tom Hart, Krissy Lenz, Dave George, Councilman Todd Gloria, Jonah Weinberg, Mike McFarland, Andrew Kircher, Becky Tennant, a Proclaimation, Matt McDonald, Jamie Fox-Rice, and Greg Lastnamestein. Photograph taken on National Comedy Theatre Day in San Diego)
#1- we drove out and played in NCT San Diego's 10 year anniversary 'Old Timers' show... where Gary Kramer (owner and 'big cheese') was given a proclamation from the city. what did it proclaim? why, that October 9th would be forever known as National Comedy Theatre Day in San Diego, of course
(Gary Kramer, Tom Hart, Krissy Lenz, Dave George, Councilman Todd Gloria, Jonah Weinberg, Mike McFarland, Andrew Kircher, Becky Tennant, a Proclaimation, Matt McDonald, Jamie Fox-Rice, and Greg Lastnamestein. Photograph taken on National Comedy Theatre Day in San Diego)It was a very exciting, emotional and well deserved moment. really, ten years is quite an accomplishment.
(NCT Phoenix Directors Dorian and Krissy play in the 'Old Timers' show in San Diego)
#2. the very next weekend Krissy, Scott Berger and Jacob 'Chico' Talbert hiked back out to San Diego to represent Phoenix in another anniversary event: San Diego vs. Phoenix and San Diego vs. New York
nobody proclaimed anything, but it was still an exciting weekend of shows out by the sea.
#3. back here in the desert, Show 63 rocked our socks off on Sunday night. Much hilarity was witnessed by those in attendance that included some very funny songs, a sketch and a plethora of stand-up comedy. Michael Sanchez left the theatre $63 richer for making us laugh.
Plans are in the works for Show 64! Stay alert---
-nct phx
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
10 years!
NCT phoenix is about 5 months away from our two year anniversary. i know, i still count the time like we're a baby.... NCT is 19 months old today! soon we will be potty trained.
two years. it seems like a big deal... to us.
but ten years? holy cow. my ten year high school reunion is this year, gross. i KNOW thats a long time. my nephew is 10 years old, and even though he cant tie his shoes, he's still pretty old. ten years.
something else you might have heard us mention is our roots in NCT san diego. have we told you that once or twice? maybe. i might have said something about it.
NCT SD is our comedy theatre equivalent of a hero. we hope to grow up to be just like them someday and NCT san diego is ten. years. old.
for serious.
longest running comedy show in san diego. (take that, tripple espresso!)
in the month of october they shall celebrate, and rightly so.
some of that celebration is going to float on over to you! so dont tune out just because youre not one of those people who is happy for other peoples good fortune, you'll get some too.
October 9/10 NCT San Diego will welcome back some of their original players who have been part of the team for the last decade as well as beloved veterans who have gone on to other things... like Dorian and Krissy Lenz!
October 10 NCT PHX will congratulate our sea-side sister team by helping YOU (the audience) save money! 10/10 EVERYONE can get tickets for $10!
October 16/17 NCT San Diego will put their best players up against visiting teams from NCT Phoenix and NCT New York. Yep, we're sending a team out there!
very exciting. and we're happy to be part of the hubub. and im still not going to my high school reunion.
two years. it seems like a big deal... to us.
but ten years? holy cow. my ten year high school reunion is this year, gross. i KNOW thats a long time. my nephew is 10 years old, and even though he cant tie his shoes, he's still pretty old. ten years.
something else you might have heard us mention is our roots in NCT san diego. have we told you that once or twice? maybe. i might have said something about it.
NCT SD is our comedy theatre equivalent of a hero. we hope to grow up to be just like them someday and NCT san diego is ten. years. old.
for serious.
longest running comedy show in san diego. (take that, tripple espresso!)
in the month of october they shall celebrate, and rightly so.
some of that celebration is going to float on over to you! so dont tune out just because youre not one of those people who is happy for other peoples good fortune, you'll get some too.
October 9/10 NCT San Diego will welcome back some of their original players who have been part of the team for the last decade as well as beloved veterans who have gone on to other things... like Dorian and Krissy Lenz!
October 10 NCT PHX will congratulate our sea-side sister team by helping YOU (the audience) save money! 10/10 EVERYONE can get tickets for $10!
October 16/17 NCT San Diego will put their best players up against visiting teams from NCT Phoenix and NCT New York. Yep, we're sending a team out there!
very exciting. and we're happy to be part of the hubub. and im still not going to my high school reunion.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Theres no place like HomePage!
well. wouldnt you know it, one of our videos, "Two Guys at the end of Grease" is currently nominated in a facebook poll put up by the Funny or Die guys.
so.... if we win this poll they are going to put our "Guys from the end of Grease" on the HOME PAGE at funnyordie.com as a featured video. which is AWESOME and will go a long way towards helping us win the competition.
voting is actually pretty intense and we are, currently, neck and neck with one of the other videos.
what can you do? please go online to www.facebook.com/funnyordie and vote for "guys at the end of grease" in the poll on the left side of the page.
voting ends tomorrow!
Thank you, as ever, for your support.
oh, and if you decide to watch the video be advised it is Brown Bag language heavy.
-NCT
so.... if we win this poll they are going to put our "Guys from the end of Grease" on the HOME PAGE at funnyordie.com as a featured video. which is AWESOME and will go a long way towards helping us win the competition.
voting is actually pretty intense and we are, currently, neck and neck with one of the other videos.
what can you do? please go online to www.facebook.com/funnyordie and vote for "guys at the end of grease" in the poll on the left side of the page.
voting ends tomorrow!
Thank you, as ever, for your support.
oh, and if you decide to watch the video be advised it is Brown Bag language heavy.
-NCT
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
half price workshop offer
National Comedy Theatre is offering a limited time class:
Level 1 & 2 Accelerated Combo Improv Comedy Workshop
This class will combine the beginners level 1 and 2 workshops into one 6 week session. Its like taking two workshops in half the time for about half the cost.
At the completion of the session participants will be eligible to join our Minor League Team program.
Open for a limited time:
Mondays 7:30-9:30pm at NCT (1111 S Longmore Mesa, AZ 85202)
$200 Class Fee
Call us 602-374-5638 or email info@nctphoenix.com
Level 1 & 2 Accelerated Combo Improv Comedy Workshop
This class will combine the beginners level 1 and 2 workshops into one 6 week session. Its like taking two workshops in half the time for about half the cost.
At the completion of the session participants will be eligible to join our Minor League Team program.
Open for a limited time:
Mondays 7:30-9:30pm at NCT (1111 S Longmore Mesa, AZ 85202)
$200 Class Fee
Call us 602-374-5638 or email info@nctphoenix.com
Monday, September 21, 2009
Funny or Die
Funnyordie.com is a pretty awesome website. i recomend it, if you like to laugh at funny things.
FOD is hosting a Viral Video contest and the winner gets to make a video with Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Judd Apatow... i know, right?
( i actually wonder if i could just meet Leslie Mann, because i love her ) ((shes judd apatow's wife... in case you didnt make the connection))
NCT is getting in on this action by entering videos made by some of our cast and crew.
you can help the cause by viewing, voting "funny" using the little dial at the bottom when the video completes, making our video a favorite or sharing it online with your friends.
Neil Diamond Sings Songs about Movies he Likes Neil Diamond likes movies, he likes to sing about movies, and he doesnt care.
*warning, An Open Letter to Schick contains possibly risque material but very subtley and with no bad language*
An Open Letter to Schick: A woman has issues with confusing advertisement
**warning, the "Two Guys" videos contain bad language, total Brown Bag territory, so dont click to view if you dont like bad words...**
Two Guys at the End of Grease: What was everyone else doing while Sandy, Danny and the gang danced away?
Two Guys from the end of Grease in Terminator: The Two guys are back and this time they're stuck in a scary situation with Kyle, Sarah Connor and the Terminator.
Two Guys from the end of Grease in Buffalo Bill's Well from Silence of the Lambs:
Uh oh, the Two Guys have been captured by a serial killer...
Thank you, hope you vote Funny and i promise to say hi to will, judd and adam for you.
FOD is hosting a Viral Video contest and the winner gets to make a video with Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Judd Apatow... i know, right?
( i actually wonder if i could just meet Leslie Mann, because i love her ) ((shes judd apatow's wife... in case you didnt make the connection))
NCT is getting in on this action by entering videos made by some of our cast and crew.
you can help the cause by viewing, voting "funny" using the little dial at the bottom when the video completes, making our video a favorite or sharing it online with your friends.
Neil Diamond Sings Songs about Movies he Likes Neil Diamond likes movies, he likes to sing about movies, and he doesnt care.
*warning, An Open Letter to Schick contains possibly risque material but very subtley and with no bad language*
An Open Letter to Schick: A woman has issues with confusing advertisement
An Open Letter to Schick - watch more funny videos
**warning, the "Two Guys" videos contain bad language, total Brown Bag territory, so dont click to view if you dont like bad words...**
Two Guys at the End of Grease: What was everyone else doing while Sandy, Danny and the gang danced away?
Two Guys at the End of Grease - watch more funny videos
Two Guys from the end of Grease in Terminator: The Two guys are back and this time they're stuck in a scary situation with Kyle, Sarah Connor and the Terminator.
Two Guys from "Two Guys at the End of Grease" in the final scene from The Terminator - watch more funny videos
Two Guys from the end of Grease in Buffalo Bill's Well from Silence of the Lambs:
Uh oh, the Two Guys have been captured by a serial killer...
Two Guys from "Two Guys at the End of Grease" Trapped in Buffalo Bill's Well in Silence of the Lambs - watch more funny videos
Thank you, hope you vote Funny and i promise to say hi to will, judd and adam for you.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Expo a-go-go
Saturday from 10-3 National Comedy Theatre will be at the GetOut Performing Arts Expo.
Its probably going to be pretty awesome and its FREE. you should come down and see us, as well as a whole bundle of other great arts groups and performances.
NCT will have discount tickets on sale, $30 gift card drawings and a bingo game to win: FREE tickets, $30 Gift Cards, $50 off Workshops, FREE popcorn and $2.00 off coupons.
fairly fantastic, i think.
also, you get to see our smilin mugs onstage at 11:15am to play 5 things!
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/144137
-nct
Its probably going to be pretty awesome and its FREE. you should come down and see us, as well as a whole bundle of other great arts groups and performances.
NCT will have discount tickets on sale, $30 gift card drawings and a bingo game to win: FREE tickets, $30 Gift Cards, $50 off Workshops, FREE popcorn and $2.00 off coupons.
fairly fantastic, i think.
also, you get to see our smilin mugs onstage at 11:15am to play 5 things!
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/144137
-nct
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
your last chance to be heard!
its down to the wire.
the next 4 days are the last 4 days for you to cast your vote and register your official opinion in the New Times Best of Phoenix Readers Poll.
i think it would be a worthwhile endeavor, particularly when you arrive at category #79: Best Place to see a Comedy Show. i think you might find that, among the choices you see there, your friends at National Comedy Theatre are indeed, the best place to see a comedy show.
act now, or the world may never know you think so.
and remember, NCT loves you and wishes you the best and, by the way, we think you look really nice today. love what you've done with your hair and gosh, doesnt it seem like you've lost weight?
#79: Best Place to see a Comedy Show
-nct
the next 4 days are the last 4 days for you to cast your vote and register your official opinion in the New Times Best of Phoenix Readers Poll.
i think it would be a worthwhile endeavor, particularly when you arrive at category #79: Best Place to see a Comedy Show. i think you might find that, among the choices you see there, your friends at National Comedy Theatre are indeed, the best place to see a comedy show.
act now, or the world may never know you think so.
and remember, NCT loves you and wishes you the best and, by the way, we think you look really nice today. love what you've done with your hair and gosh, doesnt it seem like you've lost weight?
#79: Best Place to see a Comedy Show
-nct
gives you wiiiiiiings.
so there i was, standing lazily behind the NCT concession counter discussing sign flippers and public service announcements with mark and george when, all of a sudden, two tiny blonde fairies appeared at our curb. they came in a little blue and grey car adorned with a giant blue and grey can. they came with blue and grey back packs full of cool and refreshing elixer of life. an offering they made to us of this magical potion, and asked, indeed, for nothing in return. yea, unto the evening sky we laughed and laughed at our merry good fortune as we floated away upon wings of free caffeine...
a dream, perhaps?
no, no. that. just. happened.
Red Bull is a staple at the National Comedy Theatre, at least for me. I have often done the math on how much money i could save just by forgoing my red bull habbit- a 4 pack is required on show nights and a 12 ouncer will do for rehearsals and workshops. honestly, the caffeine probably doesnt even effect me anymore. i think i have a proper immunity built up. but its like a ritual, like a baseball player never changing their lucky socks or something... except my little ritual isnt un-hygenic... and im not an actual athelete. still, i have to have that cold little can in my hand as i warm up for a show or i just dont feel ready.
so tonight, just as rehearsal was ending, the Red Bull girls pull up in their little Red Bull mobile with a giant Red Bull can affixed to the top. They reached into their Red Bull shaped backpacks and gave us each a free can of Red Bull and a fancy new Red Bull shot to try out. I was so excited to see them... people who show up and give you Red Bull for FREE? what a wonderful thing. what a kind and helpful public service to perform. only in America, the land of opportunity, would such an amazing and magical thing take place.
maybe im overdoing it a bit. but imagine you really like muffins and the one day, just as you are thinking to yourself about how a nice muffin would really hit the spot, a muffin truck pulls up with a giant muffin on top and two pretty girls hop out and lavish you with all the muffins you can carry. you'd be pleased, i imagine. well, i dont care for muffins. but i do like energy drinks.
so there i was, hopping up and down on the sidewalk like a kid on christmas waiting to see what the two little blonde santas would pull out of their magical sacks next... and i hadnt even had any Red Bull yet.
They came inside and took pictures with us on stage, hopefully that will turn up on facebook. i asked them to come by on Saturday night after the early show ended to spread more joy and jitters with us and our audience.
i hope they come. and i sincerely hope to become their best friend.
extra lucky for me is that most of the players who happened to be there at the time werent the Red Bull type, but the sneaky enough type to graciously accept their gifts and then turn their free Red Bull cans and shots over to me.
i happily drove home with a purse full of blue and grey canned happiness, singing a bit louder than was strictly necessary and shaking like an excited chihuahua.
-nct
a dream, perhaps?
no, no. that. just. happened.
Red Bull is a staple at the National Comedy Theatre, at least for me. I have often done the math on how much money i could save just by forgoing my red bull habbit- a 4 pack is required on show nights and a 12 ouncer will do for rehearsals and workshops. honestly, the caffeine probably doesnt even effect me anymore. i think i have a proper immunity built up. but its like a ritual, like a baseball player never changing their lucky socks or something... except my little ritual isnt un-hygenic... and im not an actual athelete. still, i have to have that cold little can in my hand as i warm up for a show or i just dont feel ready.
so tonight, just as rehearsal was ending, the Red Bull girls pull up in their little Red Bull mobile with a giant Red Bull can affixed to the top. They reached into their Red Bull shaped backpacks and gave us each a free can of Red Bull and a fancy new Red Bull shot to try out. I was so excited to see them... people who show up and give you Red Bull for FREE? what a wonderful thing. what a kind and helpful public service to perform. only in America, the land of opportunity, would such an amazing and magical thing take place.
maybe im overdoing it a bit. but imagine you really like muffins and the one day, just as you are thinking to yourself about how a nice muffin would really hit the spot, a muffin truck pulls up with a giant muffin on top and two pretty girls hop out and lavish you with all the muffins you can carry. you'd be pleased, i imagine. well, i dont care for muffins. but i do like energy drinks.
so there i was, hopping up and down on the sidewalk like a kid on christmas waiting to see what the two little blonde santas would pull out of their magical sacks next... and i hadnt even had any Red Bull yet.
They came inside and took pictures with us on stage, hopefully that will turn up on facebook. i asked them to come by on Saturday night after the early show ended to spread more joy and jitters with us and our audience.
i hope they come. and i sincerely hope to become their best friend.
extra lucky for me is that most of the players who happened to be there at the time werent the Red Bull type, but the sneaky enough type to graciously accept their gifts and then turn their free Red Bull cans and shots over to me.
i happily drove home with a purse full of blue and grey canned happiness, singing a bit louder than was strictly necessary and shaking like an excited chihuahua.
-nct
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Show 63 Auditions: We Need Your Act!
National Comedy Theatre is excited to present (da da da dun...) Show 63, a comedy variety show with a $63 cash prize for the audience's favorite act!
We need YOUR 5-10 minute act.
NCT is looking for comedy acts of all types: Stand-up, sketch, comedy music acts, dramatic readings, one act plays, one man/woman shows... anything comedic is elligible to perform.
you MUST have an appointment to audition.
Auditions times between 12-6pm on Sunday September 27
call 602-374-5638 or email info@nctphoenix.com
Show 63 performance: Sunday October 18 6:00pm
We need YOUR 5-10 minute act.
NCT is looking for comedy acts of all types: Stand-up, sketch, comedy music acts, dramatic readings, one act plays, one man/woman shows... anything comedic is elligible to perform.
you MUST have an appointment to audition.
Auditions times between 12-6pm on Sunday September 27
call 602-374-5638 or email info@nctphoenix.com
Show 63 performance: Sunday October 18 6:00pm
Monday, September 7, 2009
NCT vs. The Room: The Revenge
so i found out that dorian found out a bit more about our alleged screening of The Room.
aparantly someone here in the valley IS screening The Room, at the MadCap Theatre in tempe. but, they DO have permission to screen it and, thankfully, arent infringing on mr.mumbles-mc-angry-pants's copyrights.
what IS slightly dissapointing is that our inside source said it probably wasnt tommy wisseau screaming at me in inaudible murmurings but rather his equally hard to understand agent whose name is still unknown to anyone, although he has probably said it a dozen times.
so there it is.
p.s. i would really really like to go see this film.
-nct
aparantly someone here in the valley IS screening The Room, at the MadCap Theatre in tempe. but, they DO have permission to screen it and, thankfully, arent infringing on mr.mumbles-mc-angry-pants's copyrights.
what IS slightly dissapointing is that our inside source said it probably wasnt tommy wisseau screaming at me in inaudible murmurings but rather his equally hard to understand agent whose name is still unknown to anyone, although he has probably said it a dozen times.
so there it is.
p.s. i would really really like to go see this film.
-nct
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Groupon and on and on and on
a while back we talked with a lady from groupon.com about featuring NCT sometime after their Phoenix site launched...
groupon.com is kind of like woot.com, every day they offer a different discount deal on something, usually entertainment related like restaurants, shows, spa treatments and the like. the deals are always really good, and they only last one day.
we discussed, deliberated, waffled and went back and fourth over what kind of deal we should offer and finally decided on a $6.00 ticket. the cheapest ticket ever.
we also got to decide on a minimum number (like, if we set the minimum at 10 and only 8 people wanted the tickets, the deal wouldnt go through) and a maximum.
really, there were alot of choices to make.
and finally the day came that our groupon would go live.
the minimum was set at 25 and, to be honest, i was wondering if we would top it by much. the maximum was 500, which i thought was a ridiculously high number. suzanne, from groupon, had warned me to stick close to the phones on the day our groupon went out for sale because people would be calling with questions.
the first call i got was at 8:00am, from her.
"good morning, this is suzanne with groupon.com, how is it going today?"
"good. everythings good. no problems, no calls yet."
"have you looked at the website?"
"yeah... i did. first thing this morning, it looks really good. we're very happy with the ad and the layout and the whole thing."
"you havent looked at it in a while."
"no." i said, now wondering if i should feel guilty for some reason?
"ok. no problem. right now you're at 68 tickets sold, so the deal is definitely going to go through. give me a call if you need anything!"
i think i actually said, holy cow.
there i was wondering if we would hit 25 the whole day and we were well over 60 after a few hours.
after that we were pretty much glued to the phone and the computer for the rest of the day. constantly hitting 'refresh' and delighting as the number went up and up. people started calling to make reservations with the groupons they had just purchased. we had to tell them to wait till the next day because we hadnt gotten any information back from groupon yet. man alive. it was kind of exciting, if you get excited about things that aren't really, on the whole, exciting... which i DO!
when the 24 hours of our groupon ended we were at 469 tickets sold.
the next day our phone started ringing at 8am with people wanting to make their reservations. i took over 40 reservations, just for groupon members, before 6:00pm.
and i took more than a few phone calls from people wanting to know how they could buy the $6.00 tickets... totally missing the general idea of the thing.
and i took a whole bunch of phone calls from people in a panic and a huff that the groupon expired on september 4... till i pointed out that they expire on september 4 2010.
and i took at least one call from someone looking for a guy named rodney, but i dont think that was anyhow related.
it seems like alot of groupons were used and in the audience this weekend, until i remind myself that there are still somewhere around 400 out there waiting for us.
viva la groupon.
-nct.
groupon.com is kind of like woot.com, every day they offer a different discount deal on something, usually entertainment related like restaurants, shows, spa treatments and the like. the deals are always really good, and they only last one day.
we discussed, deliberated, waffled and went back and fourth over what kind of deal we should offer and finally decided on a $6.00 ticket. the cheapest ticket ever.
we also got to decide on a minimum number (like, if we set the minimum at 10 and only 8 people wanted the tickets, the deal wouldnt go through) and a maximum.
really, there were alot of choices to make.
and finally the day came that our groupon would go live.
the minimum was set at 25 and, to be honest, i was wondering if we would top it by much. the maximum was 500, which i thought was a ridiculously high number. suzanne, from groupon, had warned me to stick close to the phones on the day our groupon went out for sale because people would be calling with questions.
the first call i got was at 8:00am, from her.
"good morning, this is suzanne with groupon.com, how is it going today?"
"good. everythings good. no problems, no calls yet."
"have you looked at the website?"
"yeah... i did. first thing this morning, it looks really good. we're very happy with the ad and the layout and the whole thing."
"you havent looked at it in a while."
"no." i said, now wondering if i should feel guilty for some reason?
"ok. no problem. right now you're at 68 tickets sold, so the deal is definitely going to go through. give me a call if you need anything!"
i think i actually said, holy cow.
there i was wondering if we would hit 25 the whole day and we were well over 60 after a few hours.
after that we were pretty much glued to the phone and the computer for the rest of the day. constantly hitting 'refresh' and delighting as the number went up and up. people started calling to make reservations with the groupons they had just purchased. we had to tell them to wait till the next day because we hadnt gotten any information back from groupon yet. man alive. it was kind of exciting, if you get excited about things that aren't really, on the whole, exciting... which i DO!
when the 24 hours of our groupon ended we were at 469 tickets sold.
the next day our phone started ringing at 8am with people wanting to make their reservations. i took over 40 reservations, just for groupon members, before 6:00pm.
and i took more than a few phone calls from people wanting to know how they could buy the $6.00 tickets... totally missing the general idea of the thing.
and i took a whole bunch of phone calls from people in a panic and a huff that the groupon expired on september 4... till i pointed out that they expire on september 4 2010.
and i took at least one call from someone looking for a guy named rodney, but i dont think that was anyhow related.
it seems like alot of groupons were used and in the audience this weekend, until i remind myself that there are still somewhere around 400 out there waiting for us.
viva la groupon.
-nct.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
sorry, wrong number.
our phone rang at 3:00am.
obviously, we didn't answer.
in the morning (i realize that 3am is, technically, the morning. but i mean the real morning. the one where the sun is on our side of the earth) i checked the message.
"hello. this is (inaudible-grumble) calling you from (inaudible-grumble) productions. We need to speak to someone right away about a screening of our film, the (inaudible-grumble). You are infringing on our copy rights and can not screen our film without permission..."
**keep in mind that the National Comedy Theatre has never screened a film and has no plans to do so in the future.**
the message continues:
"You have to get permission to screen (inaudible-mumble). You dont have permission to screen (inaudible-mumble). obviously you need permission or you are infringing on our copy rights."
**keep in mind that this man is leaving a message. he is not speaking at anyone at all, yet, slowly becomes more agitated and belligerent as he explains to our voicemail that, once again, we do not have permission to screen the film whose name we can not understand without first acquiring the rights from the production company whose name we can not understand... which we arent doing in the first place.
the message continues:
"so you need to have someone call us right away (quickly mumbles a series of numbers). because you are infringing on our copy rights. and really, you should know that. i mean, if you dont know that you are infringing on our copy rights then thats just ridiculous. i mean, come on. so you need to have someone call us right away." click.
around 3:00 in the afternoon, a far more appropriate time to call a place of business, our phone rang again. this time i answered.
"National Comedy Theatre, this is Krissy." said krissy in a pleasant voice, as though you could hear her smiling at you over the phone.
"Yes, this is inaudible murmur calling from inaudible murmur productions." said the man whose name still could not be understood.
"Ah... yes. I believe you left me a message at 3 o'clock this morning." said Krissy
"Yes, well. You are infringing on our copy rights and you can not screen our film, inaudible mutter." said the angry man.
** but this time i think i understood what he was saying and i think he said that his film was called The Room. and this is where krissy starts to get suspicious because, you see, i have heard of The Room**
BACK STORY.....
The Room is now considered to be the worst movie of all time. its a cult phenomenon and, in the style of "Rocky Horror Picture Show," people who attend screenings throw things and shout at the screen as the movie plays. it actually sounds pretty awesome and i would really like to see it. the director, writer, star and producer is a very strange man with a very strange accent... i start wondering if the name that i couldnt understand this man shouting at me was tommy wiseau.
"Ok. Yes." I reply, "I gathered from your message that you left at 3am that you are under the impression that we are screening your film."
"You dont have the rights to screen our film, it infringes on our copy rights." he says in his weird accent, as if i hadnt heard him the first ten thousand times he mentioned the copy rights.
"Right." I continue, "We arent screening your film. We never were screening your film. We dont screen films. We do a live comedy show."
"It says right here that you are screening The Room(?)tonight, August 28th." he says
"Ok. Where does it say that?"
"Right here."
"Sir, I dont know what you are looking at."
"Its right here in front of me on the page."
"We arent screening your film."
"Good. But it says right here on the page that you are."
"Ok. Well, we arent. And i dont know what you are looking at, but i doubt that it says that we are screening anything, because we dont have the capability to screen a film at our theatre. we do a LIVE comedy show."
"It says here on this page that you are and you are infringing on our copy rights." the angry man is now angry again and more difficult to understand.
"obviously you are either reading it wrong or its a mistake. i dont even know what you are looking at... is it a page in a news paper? a book? are you on a web page?"
"It said so on the internet"
"the internet is a pretty big thing. can you tell me the name of the website?"
"its on the internet"
"where on the internet?"
"it says here A.S.U."
"Sir, ASU is a college. we have performed at ASU. in fact, we performed there very recently. LIVE. we do a LIVE comedy show at our theatre. we dont screen movies. we have never screened movies. we dont plan to screen movies."
"its not that hard to screen a movie" he says.
"No? its not that hard to screen a movie? i imagine it probably helps to have a projector, which we dont because we are a LIVE comedy show. and you might want to show it on a screen, which we dont have because we do a LIVE comedy show. and it would be a little weird for us to screen a film in the middle of what we are actually scheduled to do tonight, which is a LIVE comedy show." i say, taking over the angry position but speaking clearly.
"you dont have to get nasty, lady"
"you called me at 3 in the morning."
"i dont care what time i called you, you are infringing on my copy rights and you have no permission to screen my film!"
"Look, man. i dont know what you would like me to tell you. we arent screening your film, as i think i have explained. i dont know what it is that you are looking at, because you cant tell me the name of the web page you see this listing on."
"1111 S Longmore Mesa, AZ" he says.
"yes, that is our adress."
"thats what it says on this page."
arrgh! krissy thinks to herself. "super. you have the adress, why dont you swing on by and if we are infringing on your copy rights you can go ahead and stop us. but i think you might be dissapointed because, as i said, we will be doing a live comedy show tonight and not screening a film."
"well, im going to keep looking into it." he says, or at least thats what i think he said.
"good." says krissy and then she hangs up.
i did a little looking into of my own and searched for anything online that listed us screening anything, or screening the room, or anything at asu or with asu. i looked up asu screening the room or screening anything. i looked up any screening of the room and could find nothing.
so now im thinking one of two things.
1) prank call. if so, you got me. well done. i look forward to seeing a puppet version of myself on the next crank yankers.
2) tommy wiseau actually called to yell at me because he thought we were screening the Room. awesome.
my sincerest apologies to anyone who showed up at the national comedy theatre expecting to see a screening of the room and instead ended up seeing awesome competitive improv comedy. probably, though, you're better off.
obviously, we didn't answer.
in the morning (i realize that 3am is, technically, the morning. but i mean the real morning. the one where the sun is on our side of the earth) i checked the message.
"hello. this is (inaudible-grumble) calling you from (inaudible-grumble) productions. We need to speak to someone right away about a screening of our film, the (inaudible-grumble). You are infringing on our copy rights and can not screen our film without permission..."
**keep in mind that the National Comedy Theatre has never screened a film and has no plans to do so in the future.**
the message continues:
"You have to get permission to screen (inaudible-mumble). You dont have permission to screen (inaudible-mumble). obviously you need permission or you are infringing on our copy rights."
**keep in mind that this man is leaving a message. he is not speaking at anyone at all, yet, slowly becomes more agitated and belligerent as he explains to our voicemail that, once again, we do not have permission to screen the film whose name we can not understand without first acquiring the rights from the production company whose name we can not understand... which we arent doing in the first place.
the message continues:
"so you need to have someone call us right away (quickly mumbles a series of numbers). because you are infringing on our copy rights. and really, you should know that. i mean, if you dont know that you are infringing on our copy rights then thats just ridiculous. i mean, come on. so you need to have someone call us right away." click.
around 3:00 in the afternoon, a far more appropriate time to call a place of business, our phone rang again. this time i answered.
"National Comedy Theatre, this is Krissy." said krissy in a pleasant voice, as though you could hear her smiling at you over the phone.
"Yes, this is inaudible murmur calling from inaudible murmur productions." said the man whose name still could not be understood.
"Ah... yes. I believe you left me a message at 3 o'clock this morning." said Krissy
"Yes, well. You are infringing on our copy rights and you can not screen our film, inaudible mutter." said the angry man.
** but this time i think i understood what he was saying and i think he said that his film was called The Room. and this is where krissy starts to get suspicious because, you see, i have heard of The Room**
BACK STORY.....
The Room is now considered to be the worst movie of all time. its a cult phenomenon and, in the style of "Rocky Horror Picture Show," people who attend screenings throw things and shout at the screen as the movie plays. it actually sounds pretty awesome and i would really like to see it. the director, writer, star and producer is a very strange man with a very strange accent... i start wondering if the name that i couldnt understand this man shouting at me was tommy wiseau.
"Ok. Yes." I reply, "I gathered from your message that you left at 3am that you are under the impression that we are screening your film."
"You dont have the rights to screen our film, it infringes on our copy rights." he says in his weird accent, as if i hadnt heard him the first ten thousand times he mentioned the copy rights.
"Right." I continue, "We arent screening your film. We never were screening your film. We dont screen films. We do a live comedy show."
"It says right here that you are screening The Room(?)tonight, August 28th." he says
"Ok. Where does it say that?"
"Right here."
"Sir, I dont know what you are looking at."
"Its right here in front of me on the page."
"We arent screening your film."
"Good. But it says right here on the page that you are."
"Ok. Well, we arent. And i dont know what you are looking at, but i doubt that it says that we are screening anything, because we dont have the capability to screen a film at our theatre. we do a LIVE comedy show."
"It says here on this page that you are and you are infringing on our copy rights." the angry man is now angry again and more difficult to understand.
"obviously you are either reading it wrong or its a mistake. i dont even know what you are looking at... is it a page in a news paper? a book? are you on a web page?"
"It said so on the internet"
"the internet is a pretty big thing. can you tell me the name of the website?"
"its on the internet"
"where on the internet?"
"it says here A.S.U."
"Sir, ASU is a college. we have performed at ASU. in fact, we performed there very recently. LIVE. we do a LIVE comedy show at our theatre. we dont screen movies. we have never screened movies. we dont plan to screen movies."
"its not that hard to screen a movie" he says.
"No? its not that hard to screen a movie? i imagine it probably helps to have a projector, which we dont because we are a LIVE comedy show. and you might want to show it on a screen, which we dont have because we do a LIVE comedy show. and it would be a little weird for us to screen a film in the middle of what we are actually scheduled to do tonight, which is a LIVE comedy show." i say, taking over the angry position but speaking clearly.
"you dont have to get nasty, lady"
"you called me at 3 in the morning."
"i dont care what time i called you, you are infringing on my copy rights and you have no permission to screen my film!"
"Look, man. i dont know what you would like me to tell you. we arent screening your film, as i think i have explained. i dont know what it is that you are looking at, because you cant tell me the name of the web page you see this listing on."
"1111 S Longmore Mesa, AZ" he says.
"yes, that is our adress."
"thats what it says on this page."
arrgh! krissy thinks to herself. "super. you have the adress, why dont you swing on by and if we are infringing on your copy rights you can go ahead and stop us. but i think you might be dissapointed because, as i said, we will be doing a live comedy show tonight and not screening a film."
"well, im going to keep looking into it." he says, or at least thats what i think he said.
"good." says krissy and then she hangs up.
i did a little looking into of my own and searched for anything online that listed us screening anything, or screening the room, or anything at asu or with asu. i looked up asu screening the room or screening anything. i looked up any screening of the room and could find nothing.
so now im thinking one of two things.
1) prank call. if so, you got me. well done. i look forward to seeing a puppet version of myself on the next crank yankers.
2) tommy wiseau actually called to yell at me because he thought we were screening the Room. awesome.
my sincerest apologies to anyone who showed up at the national comedy theatre expecting to see a screening of the room and instead ended up seeing awesome competitive improv comedy. probably, though, you're better off.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
#79- Best Place to see a Comedy Show!
National Comedy Theatre is nominated for Best of Phoenix by the New Times. Please vote for us!
we cant win without YOU (the audience!)andi think its pretty special that we're nominated, up against the Tempe Improv and the Comedy Spot- big places that have been around for a long long time... and here we are, our little mom & pop improv theatre already getting nominated for Best of Phoenix!
it just goes to show that NCT has the best fans and the best team ever.
killer shows tonight, by the way.
so good to see the horizon team at NCT! Can't wait for the high school league to start again.
tonight we are expecting a large group from the Vegetarian Society, and i think we all know how hilarious vegetarians can be! So dont miss the show and...
Vote for National Comedy Theatre! #79- Best Place to see a Comedy Show!
Friday, August 14, 2009
blog clog.
im trying to figure out how to get my blog to post to my website at the same time it posts here. i know it can be done, but i have no idea how.
any web smartypantses wana help me?
-nct
any web smartypantses wana help me?
-nct
Thursday, August 6, 2009
newbies.
auditions last sunday were gangbusters.
its kind of funny that we ended up with a TON of great new players when we didnt really need to add big numbers and in the past we have taken 2 players when we really needed a million. murphys law? i hate that guy. but i like all our newbies.
tonight im at new player practice with dorian and our 6 newbies: Matt, James, Christina, Travis, Andy & Jilyn.
its week one. everyone is doing really well. it takes 6 weeks to teach someone to play 5 things. and then 6 more months of playing it to learn to do it well. our newbies from the last round of audiions are just now starting to get it rock and/or rolling.
5 things and scenework, its our bread and butter.
next tuesday we have 7 additional players starting in the Minor League... very exciting. not so much about teaching the specific games and more about developing the ins and the outs and the what nots.
we did a remote show & workshop today for YMCA summer camp kids. weekday remotes are hard to do as a general rule, but boy did the team come through for us.
awesome all around.
-nct
its kind of funny that we ended up with a TON of great new players when we didnt really need to add big numbers and in the past we have taken 2 players when we really needed a million. murphys law? i hate that guy. but i like all our newbies.
tonight im at new player practice with dorian and our 6 newbies: Matt, James, Christina, Travis, Andy & Jilyn.
its week one. everyone is doing really well. it takes 6 weeks to teach someone to play 5 things. and then 6 more months of playing it to learn to do it well. our newbies from the last round of audiions are just now starting to get it rock and/or rolling.
5 things and scenework, its our bread and butter.
next tuesday we have 7 additional players starting in the Minor League... very exciting. not so much about teaching the specific games and more about developing the ins and the outs and the what nots.
we did a remote show & workshop today for YMCA summer camp kids. weekday remotes are hard to do as a general rule, but boy did the team come through for us.
awesome all around.
-nct
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Zombie on the March.
Behold- the newest and best of NCT video entertainment... the It's That Funny series.
lets start with a simple question: is NCT so funny that the living dead would abandon their persuit of delicious humans in order to better enjoy some top notch competitive improv?
yes. its THAT funny.
is NCT so funny that a zombie guest would actually pay for his admission rather than decapitate and ingest our helpless box office staff?
yes. its THAT funny.
it so so funny that the sneaky 'people' who bring in outside food and beverages will be so distracted by contagious laughter that they dont even get a chance to enjoy the contraband outside food?
yes. it IS that funny.
now, you know some people come to the show thinking theyre too shy to shout out suggestions, but usually everyone comes around...
(the careful observer will note that our box office staff often sneaks into the show after selling tickets)
you may even be persueded to join us up on stage, its that funny.
the message that we want you to take away from this is, of course, if you happen to be at our show and you find yourself beside a rotting possesed shell of a former living human please take a moment to consider their feelings... even zombies just want to have fun on a Friday or Saturday night, at 7:30 or 9:45pm. and besides, you can rest easy, because the show is so funny they wont even try to bite your skull open.
-nct
lets start with a simple question: is NCT so funny that the living dead would abandon their persuit of delicious humans in order to better enjoy some top notch competitive improv?
yes. its THAT funny.
is NCT so funny that a zombie guest would actually pay for his admission rather than decapitate and ingest our helpless box office staff?
yes. its THAT funny.
it so so funny that the sneaky 'people' who bring in outside food and beverages will be so distracted by contagious laughter that they dont even get a chance to enjoy the contraband outside food?
yes. it IS that funny.
now, you know some people come to the show thinking theyre too shy to shout out suggestions, but usually everyone comes around...
(the careful observer will note that our box office staff often sneaks into the show after selling tickets)
you may even be persueded to join us up on stage, its that funny.
the message that we want you to take away from this is, of course, if you happen to be at our show and you find yourself beside a rotting possesed shell of a former living human please take a moment to consider their feelings... even zombies just want to have fun on a Friday or Saturday night, at 7:30 or 9:45pm. and besides, you can rest easy, because the show is so funny they wont even try to bite your skull open.
-nct
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Harry Potter and the Show & Tell
im a big harry potter fan. last night i went to see the premier of harry potter and the half blood prince... you'll see how i tie it into improv...
first of all, as an improviser it is our job to know something about everything, particularly HUGE pop culture phenominon like harry potter. sometimes educating ourselves on these things is a pleasure, i.e. harry potter, and sometimes its a chore, i.e. sex and the city...
last nights midnight show experience was certianly an education on harry potter and an excellent people watching opportunity. at a midnight harry potter premiers you'll expect to see the obvious kid in wizzard outfit... most often composed of a graduation robe and witch hat, but sometimes you see a full on hogwarts get up. however, at past premiers i have been surprised to see such costumes as a leprechaun, wendy from wendys, catwoman and a storm trooper. why? i dont know. i saw most of the movies in san diego so its possible that these people got lost on their way to comic con.
at last nights show there were the requisite witches hats and sweater vests but there were also a large number of girls with character names scrawled on their arms in marker... i dont get that. and felt kinda bad for the one who got stuck with 'dobby' written on her biceps in sharpie. clearly she is not the leader of that pack.
anyway, the movie was fantastic.
in my opinion, the best of the series so far. hands down.
for once i didnt mind the obvious omissions and changes (with one exception). and now here is how i tie this in to improv........
this was the first harry potter film to really run with the idea of 'show, dont tell,' an incredibly important concept in improv comedy. the benefit of human performance, as opposed to the written word, is that a look can tell us so much. body language, facial expression, delivery of the lines and the things that AREN'T being said... its as if one picture is worth alot of words. i dont want to put a number on how many words, but a good number. lets say 999. a picture is worth 999 words, that has a nice ring to it.
anyway.
how much time can we save if we allow ourselves to show the audience what we mean without telling them, and it means so much more when the wathcers feel like they are in on a secret and not just sitting idly by being told what to think. am i right? think what i tell you to think!
-nct
first of all, as an improviser it is our job to know something about everything, particularly HUGE pop culture phenominon like harry potter. sometimes educating ourselves on these things is a pleasure, i.e. harry potter, and sometimes its a chore, i.e. sex and the city...
last nights midnight show experience was certianly an education on harry potter and an excellent people watching opportunity. at a midnight harry potter premiers you'll expect to see the obvious kid in wizzard outfit... most often composed of a graduation robe and witch hat, but sometimes you see a full on hogwarts get up. however, at past premiers i have been surprised to see such costumes as a leprechaun, wendy from wendys, catwoman and a storm trooper. why? i dont know. i saw most of the movies in san diego so its possible that these people got lost on their way to comic con.
at last nights show there were the requisite witches hats and sweater vests but there were also a large number of girls with character names scrawled on their arms in marker... i dont get that. and felt kinda bad for the one who got stuck with 'dobby' written on her biceps in sharpie. clearly she is not the leader of that pack.
anyway, the movie was fantastic.
in my opinion, the best of the series so far. hands down.
for once i didnt mind the obvious omissions and changes (with one exception). and now here is how i tie this in to improv........
this was the first harry potter film to really run with the idea of 'show, dont tell,' an incredibly important concept in improv comedy. the benefit of human performance, as opposed to the written word, is that a look can tell us so much. body language, facial expression, delivery of the lines and the things that AREN'T being said... its as if one picture is worth alot of words. i dont want to put a number on how many words, but a good number. lets say 999. a picture is worth 999 words, that has a nice ring to it.
anyway.
how much time can we save if we allow ourselves to show the audience what we mean without telling them, and it means so much more when the wathcers feel like they are in on a secret and not just sitting idly by being told what to think. am i right? think what i tell you to think!
-nct
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
launch
things dont always go smoothly. this years patriotapalooza is a good example of something that didnt go smoothly...
unfortunatly a giant diet coke-splosion soaked the rocket launcher and, thuswise, neither rocket launched.
so there we all were on the sidewalk, taking in a confetti and aspertame-a-riffic lame replacement fireworks show, anticipating the grand finally and... "three- two- one-" nothing!
the lauch pad was so wet there was nothing we could do. in spite of several more attempts, we had to send our audience away with a very anti-climatic... "sorry about that... happy 4th of july!"
i certianly hope that the city of mesa is willing to pony up for the real thing next year.
unfortunatly a giant diet coke-splosion soaked the rocket launcher and, thuswise, neither rocket launched.
so there we all were on the sidewalk, taking in a confetti and aspertame-a-riffic lame replacement fireworks show, anticipating the grand finally and... "three- two- one-" nothing!
the lauch pad was so wet there was nothing we could do. in spite of several more attempts, we had to send our audience away with a very anti-climatic... "sorry about that... happy 4th of july!"
i certianly hope that the city of mesa is willing to pony up for the real thing next year.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
lamerworks
currently packing wadding and engines into our rockets in preperation for a launch tonight and simultaniously trying to edit the music on sound byte and put some more variety in there.
shows last night were very funny and looking forward to a good one tonight, expecting players to arrive early to go over the beats of the lamerworks show...
not too late to partake.
shows last night were very funny and looking forward to a good one tonight, expecting players to arrive early to go over the beats of the lamerworks show...
not too late to partake.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
socially awkward networking
Its a full time job to maintain all the profiles and postings we have floating around in this crazy series of tubes we call the internets...
theres just so many places to update my status.
**roll your eyes now- because this is the part where i go on and on about how it was when i was a kid... no i did not have to walk up hill in show both ways to school without shoes (im an az native and, as such, have never even seen snow) but i did have to survive my entire teenage life without a cell phone. take that.**
i had a friendster account back before most of the players on our team graduated (or started) high school. i have an actual friendster, its true. someone i actually found on friendster, who i didnt already know, that i met in person and became very good friends with. so, it CAN happen.
ten years ago, when i was in high school (reunion this year, lets go Firebirds!)- im not sure al gore had even invented the internets yet. i had a pager. and my friend and i wrote and distributed an underground newspaper which contained, basically, what you would now make up most of your social networking bulletins. only we printed it on actual paper. made of actual dead trees. and there was no copy and paste option, we had no choice but to think of it ourselves in our easily distracted and internetless teenage brains- based only on the 'viral networking' of passing notes between class (also printed on vintage dead trees.)
then i had AIM, then i had friendster (like i said), then i had to haul all that information over to myspace. to her credit, myspace hung in there a good long while. reluctantly i moved all that information again to facebook. Now i have to tweet my twitter as well as updating yelp, going, azcentral (who i love for awarding us 2 best of phoenix titles this year), azfamily, stumbleupon, linkedin, digg, etc etc etc
the truth is that my status update should always read 'nct phoenix is currently updating her status'
big picture results? many more trees survive and many more people have access to paperless teenage babbling angst. youre welcome, rainforest. told you we'd save you.
-nct
p.s. i dont have to see snow to know i wouldnt like it. give me flaming hot sand over frozen flakes any day.
theres just so many places to update my status.
**roll your eyes now- because this is the part where i go on and on about how it was when i was a kid... no i did not have to walk up hill in show both ways to school without shoes (im an az native and, as such, have never even seen snow) but i did have to survive my entire teenage life without a cell phone. take that.**
i had a friendster account back before most of the players on our team graduated (or started) high school. i have an actual friendster, its true. someone i actually found on friendster, who i didnt already know, that i met in person and became very good friends with. so, it CAN happen.
ten years ago, when i was in high school (reunion this year, lets go Firebirds!)- im not sure al gore had even invented the internets yet. i had a pager. and my friend and i wrote and distributed an underground newspaper which contained, basically, what you would now make up most of your social networking bulletins. only we printed it on actual paper. made of actual dead trees. and there was no copy and paste option, we had no choice but to think of it ourselves in our easily distracted and internetless teenage brains- based only on the 'viral networking' of passing notes between class (also printed on vintage dead trees.)
then i had AIM, then i had friendster (like i said), then i had to haul all that information over to myspace. to her credit, myspace hung in there a good long while. reluctantly i moved all that information again to facebook. Now i have to tweet my twitter as well as updating yelp, going, azcentral (who i love for awarding us 2 best of phoenix titles this year), azfamily, stumbleupon, linkedin, digg, etc etc etc
the truth is that my status update should always read 'nct phoenix is currently updating her status'
big picture results? many more trees survive and many more people have access to paperless teenage babbling angst. youre welcome, rainforest. told you we'd save you.
-nct
p.s. i dont have to see snow to know i wouldnt like it. give me flaming hot sand over frozen flakes any day.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
fireworks...
We came up with a plan.
faced with the sad absence of fireworks this year we had to find an alternative means of 4th of july merriment...
and i think we may have a good plan.
a 3 level display of all things lame and fire-worky...
poppers! exploding diet coke and mentos! Rocket Lauch!
its going to be lame and awesome... dont miss it.
faced with the sad absence of fireworks this year we had to find an alternative means of 4th of july merriment...
and i think we may have a good plan.
a 3 level display of all things lame and fire-worky...
poppers! exploding diet coke and mentos! Rocket Lauch!
its going to be lame and awesome... dont miss it.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
T.i.T.S. give you the tools!
T.i.T.S. Training - watch more funny videos
Or, in case it doesnt work...
Some of the team are working on a webseries (coming soon) please to enjoy this peek into the working world of Training Instruction and Teambuilding Seminars Incorporated.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
fire safe.
today i had to come down to NCT early in order to meet the fire inspector for fire inspection part deux: the reckoning. this i knew ahead of time. i also had to pay the fees before the final inspection or they would be counted against us as a fire safety violation... as though not yet paying for the inspection of my fire safety is equivalent to setting off fireworks in a room full of inflamable curtains. this i did not know in advance.
im a child of the modern age, so i usually assume that every entity that exists has a website and that all of my needs can be taken care of online. this is sometimes a tragic flaw. you can not make payments to the city of mesa over the phone, via the internet or even with a credit card by mail. one wishing to make a payment of fees must take ones check to the actual city of mesa customer service office.
for a city that equates payment of fees to the safety of lives... they sure dont make it easy for you to get those fees paid conveniently.
by the way, aparantly in order to get our $15.00 fire safety permit we had to pay for a TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLAR inspection.
so. i assure you that NCT is as safe from fire as it is from alien attack and opossum infestation- which is to say, very safe. however, it isnt the creation of that safety that costs us, its the verification.
sigh. till next year...
-nct
im a child of the modern age, so i usually assume that every entity that exists has a website and that all of my needs can be taken care of online. this is sometimes a tragic flaw. you can not make payments to the city of mesa over the phone, via the internet or even with a credit card by mail. one wishing to make a payment of fees must take ones check to the actual city of mesa customer service office.
for a city that equates payment of fees to the safety of lives... they sure dont make it easy for you to get those fees paid conveniently.
by the way, aparantly in order to get our $15.00 fire safety permit we had to pay for a TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLAR inspection.
so. i assure you that NCT is as safe from fire as it is from alien attack and opossum infestation- which is to say, very safe. however, it isnt the creation of that safety that costs us, its the verification.
sigh. till next year...
-nct
Workshopping the night away.
tonight is the level 2 workshop show and IM pretty excited.
however, my level two-bies decided not to invite anyone to watch their show. im a little bit baffled, but maybe that is just because i invite people to watch me do just about everything and i would never let a performance go by unwatched by everyone i had an email adress or phone number for... but thats just me.
while this is not something that has ever happened before, i dont think that theres anything i can do, really. its their show and if they want me to be the only one who sees it... thats up to them. i can teach them to perform but i cant make em want someone to watch it.
but, just so you know, i think they're great.
-nct
however, my level two-bies decided not to invite anyone to watch their show. im a little bit baffled, but maybe that is just because i invite people to watch me do just about everything and i would never let a performance go by unwatched by everyone i had an email adress or phone number for... but thats just me.
while this is not something that has ever happened before, i dont think that theres anything i can do, really. its their show and if they want me to be the only one who sees it... thats up to them. i can teach them to perform but i cant make em want someone to watch it.
but, just so you know, i think they're great.
-nct
Review your reviews
I'm a fan of all things floating around on this series of tubes we call the internet.
and theres about one million sites that list NCT and her exciting events and they all have some type of review function. i like this idea and im all for making lists and touting the merits of something or someone i like... i can almost never think of anything to review. i might need someone to remind me of all the things i either complain about or love. so far- heres what i have covered:
and i just added another one because as i was writing this i thought of an excelent customer service experience that i experienced at a batteries plus.
i would like more people to review NCT, but im unsure of how to entice fans to do so aside from the posters i put up at the theatre, the links i put on facebook myspace and twitter and the constant asking and asking...
ill figure it out. perhaps its like karma and the more i review others the more i will be reviewed. or perhaps it is like the secret and if i go around telling people we have 137 5 star reviews... they will appear.
trust me, im working on both.
-nct
and theres about one million sites that list NCT and her exciting events and they all have some type of review function. i like this idea and im all for making lists and touting the merits of something or someone i like... i can almost never think of anything to review. i might need someone to remind me of all the things i either complain about or love. so far- heres what i have covered:
and i just added another one because as i was writing this i thought of an excelent customer service experience that i experienced at a batteries plus.
i would like more people to review NCT, but im unsure of how to entice fans to do so aside from the posters i put up at the theatre, the links i put on facebook myspace and twitter and the constant asking and asking...
ill figure it out. perhaps its like karma and the more i review others the more i will be reviewed. or perhaps it is like the secret and if i go around telling people we have 137 5 star reviews... they will appear.
trust me, im working on both.
-nct
Friday, June 5, 2009
this weeks weekly
if you happen to find your way to an az weekly entertainment magazine this week you should flip on over to NCT's feature on page 26.
-nt
-nt
twitter tweets a treat.
so. theres this new fad called twitter and i dont know if you have heard the kids talking about it or not but its one of these new fangled 'social networking' websites...
never one to get behind on the times or be outdone by ashton kutcher, NCT Phoenix figured that the BEST Live Theatre Company and BEST Live Theatre Venue in Phoenix should be getting on the twitter bandwagon and will be tweeting a discount offer every friday at 5:00pm.
if you jump on the wagon with us and follow NCT then you too can claim these awesome discount offers.
how do i do this?
go to www.twitter.com and find us, our username is nctphoenix (of all things) follow us and each week the bounty of fantastic discounts can be yours!!
-nct
never one to get behind on the times or be outdone by ashton kutcher, NCT Phoenix figured that the BEST Live Theatre Company and BEST Live Theatre Venue in Phoenix should be getting on the twitter bandwagon and will be tweeting a discount offer every friday at 5:00pm.
if you jump on the wagon with us and follow NCT then you too can claim these awesome discount offers.
how do i do this?
go to www.twitter.com and find us, our username is nctphoenix (of all things) follow us and each week the bounty of fantastic discounts can be yours!!
-nct
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
not a plank of wood at all, really.
id also have you know that i did not receive ONE plaque from azcentral.com for our TWO best of phoenix wins, but rather two framed certificates that are not plaques at all.
so. there you have it.
-nct
turn. turn. turn.
its the nature of what we do that people come and go.
from house staff to players, some are short timers and some are in it for the long haul. but its also the nature of what we do that, short timer or long hauler, you get attached to every wayward soul that comes through your door... like a puppy mill.
im like that lady who has 18 kids and counting, i love all my trouble makers equally but for different reasons.
some players i love because they think like i do. those players are great to perform with because you can move a scene forward effortlessly, you could finish each other's sentences or run a whole scene without saying a word. its creepy, in an awesome way.
some players i love because they keep me guessing. i dont know what they're going to say or do next but it will certianly be something i would never have thought of. its good to play with people who keep you on your toes. they test your comfort levels, they make you work to do all that adapting and agreeing you practice all the time.
there are some players i just enjoy watching. they make me laugh. and yes, i spend alot of time laughing. its a beneficial side effect of owning a comedy theatre. still, some laughs are better than others. when it catches you off guard and you cant stop the completely un-cute and un-attractive cakles from flying out of you and you really get the sore cheeks from laughing, those are the ones that keep you coming back.
and there are players, whether they are my type or my opposite, that i just like to work with. its the genius of improv comedy that, when its going well, you arent using your brain in any intentional way- you just flow and move forward. you find yourself pulling out information you forgot you had tucked away and leaning on instincts that happen on their own. those are the best scenes, you know its terrific and then when its over you cant remember how or why.
there arent many professions when you do best by zoning your mind out. im glad to be in one.
in any case, the day always eventually arrives when one of my puppy mill improvisers needs to move on to greener pastures, bigger opportunities, or cleveland.
and im always sad to see one go.
maybe one day i'll end up a bitter old thing that refuses to love anymore because, in the end, the more you love em the more you get hurt when they leave- like that lady who has 18 kids.
but for now, i'm sad to say goodbye. im not without my bitterness though, im willing to put off being happy for the upward mobility of my improvisers and focus only on how this effects me. and im going to miss steve and jared.
in other news, i now have openings in my small-sized heart for two improvisers... takers??
-nct.
friendship.
from house staff to players, some are short timers and some are in it for the long haul. but its also the nature of what we do that, short timer or long hauler, you get attached to every wayward soul that comes through your door... like a puppy mill.
im like that lady who has 18 kids and counting, i love all my trouble makers equally but for different reasons.
some players i love because they think like i do. those players are great to perform with because you can move a scene forward effortlessly, you could finish each other's sentences or run a whole scene without saying a word. its creepy, in an awesome way.
some players i love because they keep me guessing. i dont know what they're going to say or do next but it will certianly be something i would never have thought of. its good to play with people who keep you on your toes. they test your comfort levels, they make you work to do all that adapting and agreeing you practice all the time.
there are some players i just enjoy watching. they make me laugh. and yes, i spend alot of time laughing. its a beneficial side effect of owning a comedy theatre. still, some laughs are better than others. when it catches you off guard and you cant stop the completely un-cute and un-attractive cakles from flying out of you and you really get the sore cheeks from laughing, those are the ones that keep you coming back.
and there are players, whether they are my type or my opposite, that i just like to work with. its the genius of improv comedy that, when its going well, you arent using your brain in any intentional way- you just flow and move forward. you find yourself pulling out information you forgot you had tucked away and leaning on instincts that happen on their own. those are the best scenes, you know its terrific and then when its over you cant remember how or why.
there arent many professions when you do best by zoning your mind out. im glad to be in one.
in any case, the day always eventually arrives when one of my puppy mill improvisers needs to move on to greener pastures, bigger opportunities, or cleveland.
and im always sad to see one go.
maybe one day i'll end up a bitter old thing that refuses to love anymore because, in the end, the more you love em the more you get hurt when they leave- like that lady who has 18 kids.
but for now, i'm sad to say goodbye. im not without my bitterness though, im willing to put off being happy for the upward mobility of my improvisers and focus only on how this effects me. and im going to miss steve and jared.
in other news, i now have openings in my small-sized heart for two improvisers... takers??
-nct.
friendship.
its all about the plank of wood.
Click here to watch NCT get a glowing review on News Channel 3...
i cant figure out how to embed the video here. but ill figure it out before too long. for now, click the link to hear how awesome we are... on the NEWS! and if you can tell me how to embed the video, im all ears.
furthermore, someone from the AZ Republic is swinging by today to drop off our BEST of Phoenix Plaque. very cool.
although, we did win TWO categories and i want TWO planks of wood.
in these tough economic times i guess i understand.
oh. and. we are embraking on a new endeavor, to post discounts every friday at 5:00pm on twitter. so if you follow us on twitter, look for a discount offer friday at 5.
if you dont, then you should. twitter username: nctphoenix
i DID write up a whole review of the NCT vs. HSL show and its coming soon... i like to do things UN-chronologically.
-nct
i cant figure out how to embed the video here. but ill figure it out before too long. for now, click the link to hear how awesome we are... on the NEWS! and if you can tell me how to embed the video, im all ears.
furthermore, someone from the AZ Republic is swinging by today to drop off our BEST of Phoenix Plaque. very cool.
although, we did win TWO categories and i want TWO planks of wood.
in these tough economic times i guess i understand.
oh. and. we are embraking on a new endeavor, to post discounts every friday at 5:00pm on twitter. so if you follow us on twitter, look for a discount offer friday at 5.
if you dont, then you should. twitter username: nctphoenix
i DID write up a whole review of the NCT vs. HSL show and its coming soon... i like to do things UN-chronologically.
-nct
Monday, May 25, 2009
azcentral.com
this here is a link to the article on azcentral.com for our win as BEST Theatre Company and BEST Live Theatre Venue.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tournament of Champions
This is going to be one of my classic blogs that begins... back in san diego.
ah hem.
back in san diego, where the weather is nice and the sand comes with oceans and not gila monsters, the high school league tournament is a well oiled machine with ten years under its belt. its a big deal. its the highlight of the year and the perfect kick off of the summer season. its a roller coaster of emotions between the dozen or so schools in their long running league and their coaches, all of whom have been teaching at their particular school for years.
here in phoenix, as in many things, this is year one. our first year for the league, our first tournament. and, in the absence of an army of coaches... i instructed both of our teams this year... and put together the tournament... and hosted the tournament... and attempted to explain how things work to everyone involved, none of whom has ever seen or been part of the High School League or Tournament at all.
whats this all about? they asked.
well, you see, its a bit complicated this year. tournament is the opportunity for HSL teams to shine. to show off what they know and see how far they have come. this year, even though our league consisted of two schools, there was as much to consider as though we had 20 or 30 different schools. yes, basha and horizon are equal to about 15 schools apiece. basha and horizon came in with different personalities and priorities and abilities and talents on each team, they couldn't have been further from each other geographically, but both schools had an intense drive to win.
(to be fair, the trophies were pretty nice. i kinda wanted to win one too.)
at tournament both teams presented an individual showcase, hosted by their own players and laid out to show off the best of their abilities. basha's was a team effort, co-hosted by danielle and dylan, and showing off the best of what they have learned from NCT this year. Horizon's was tailored and fast paced, hosted by Bo and showcasing the library of games in Horizon's repetoire not played by NCT.
after that was the main event, a competitive show between the two teams and evaluated by 7 impartial NCT judges and 1 guest judge from Arizona's Independant Film Project. They kept score based- not on the show score- but on the criteria of teamwork, scene work, execution of the games and the rules, sportsmanship and showmanship.
after the show the judges deliberated and discussed their scores and finally decided on a tournament winner and awarded individual awards to many of the players.
i have to say, im glad that i was not in on the judging. i think that, on top of the stress of the tournament itself, having to decide between the two teams- my two teams- my brain may have melted and then leaked out my ears and you know who would have had to mop that up? me. best to leave the judging to the impartial who didn't know the kids in advance and didnt already have a fondness for each crazy character. i thought they were all funny, smart, good at improv, great at working together and i was really impressed. to me, it was pretty even and i wished we could have sawed the trophy in half and given it to both schools... which is WHY i wasnt in on the judging.
it came down to a two point game and, in the end, Horizon High School took home the Tournament Champions Trophy and Basha High School took home the one-of-a-kind runner up FrankenTrophy.
after the tournament both teams chose new captains for next years teams. Brittany from Basha's Sudden Impact passed her torch to Dylan and Danielle as co-captains and Bo of Horizon's 56th Street Players handed off the title to Harrison.
We already have several schools inquiring about next year's League, and I predict that we will more than double the League's size. We will need to get some more coaches in there, and im looking forward to expanding the Phoenix HSL until the san diego starts a blog and begins all their posts with the phrase, "see, how they do it in Phoenix is..."
however, i hope to continue coaching Horizon and Basha. my teams. tournament champions!
k.
nct.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
BEST.
today is going to be a better than average wednesday. i am so happy to tell you that NCT Phoenix WON azcentral.com's BEST poll in BOTH categories we were nominated in...
including Best Theatre Company
and Best Live Theatre Venue
fantastic! i really hope we get a sticker to put up in our window. a sticker would really mean that we have arrived.
thank yous all around to everyone who voted for NCT all of the numerous times we badgered you to do so, see... it paid off!
sincerely,
nct.
(BEST)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
oscilisope.
tonight was a festival of screw ups. almost entirely all my fault. thats the thng about improv... sometimes the train comes off the rails.
i sort of rushed out of the house because... the screw ups actually began yesterday.
we bought otter pops to give out as treats at the end of the show, one of the special things included in the anniversary show celebrations. but... they did not get put in a freezer. they got put on a table. a table with very little cooling or freezing capabilities. leaving them, of course, still 100% liquid. at nct we dont even have a freezer to put them into. really, the table was the best we could do.
so, i had the brilliant idea of getting some dry ice and burying them in it hoping that the 209 degrees below zero would freeze them in time for the end of the show.
so, i rushed out the door to make sure i had enough time to get them into some dry ice to freeze. which meant i had to go get dry ice.
i had a crap ton of stuff loaded into the car to take to the show including a table, a computer monitor and pants. i knew i had to stop to get dry ice... to be fair, theres really alot of stuff banging aroud in my brain. not all of it useful, in fact, alot of the useless stuff (like all the words to the theme song from greatest american hero and the names of every character from buffy the vampire slayer) pushes the important stuff right out the door. as i was pulling out of the smart and final parking lot i realized... i forgot the computer. no way to sell tikets without a computer. not a big deal, unless you plan to sell tickets... panic.
i thought seriously of having dorian drive the 30+ miles out to the theatre to bring the computer, sick or not. but lucky for me, my dad was coming to the show anyway and was willing to come early with a laptop. thank jeebs that all of our programs are on the internet so that any computer will do. thank you, series of tubes. crisis 1 averted.
i also forgot my shoes. yep. i wore flip flops. and did not bring other actual shoes. lucky again that dorian has such petit feet... he had a spare pair of shoes at the theatre that i wore. and they were these super dorky old man white orthopedic numbers, i dont even know why he has them at all they are so terrible- but a man who wears crocs almost constantly cant be expected to make good footwear choices. they were only a little bit clown like on me. crisis 2 averted.
on to the show. major screw up number one came during 3 impossible things when i said one of the suggestions out loud right in front of the player guessing.
i reffed the show, so i was getting suggestions. let me go back a step though... another thing we did for the anniversary shows was put together little gift bags of candy and stuff to give randomy to the audience for good suggestions or whatever. so. getting suggestions for 3 impossible things and someone shouts out 'osciliscope' which is some kind of electronic device, i dont know, the guy explained it. but, it was a totally random and really difficult suggestion and i thought it was great. i noted to myself that i should give him a gift bag, but i got so caught up in whatever else that i forgot.
so im explaining the game and simultaneously thinking of when i should give the guy a gift bag without slowing down the flow of the game. ah, i think to myself, right after the audience volunteer comes back in with bobby (the guesser) i'll grab two gift bags while they are coming back in and give one to the audience volunteer and one to the osciliscope guy. good plan.
so i call them back in and get two gift bags and give one to the guy who has just come back in with bobby and toss one to the other guy saying "heres a gift bag for you for volunteering, give him a round of applause! and heres a gift bag for osciliscope guy."
beat.
grumblings.
i realize that i just said the suggestion out loud. in front of the guesser. oh my god. worst possible thing a ref could do. so stupid. everone laughs. i laugh. and i may have accidentally let a bad word slip out, i dont really know. i was so embarassed and shocked at my own stupiditiy. hey, its improv. anything can happen, including totally screwing up a game... anyway. he didnt get it right. even after all that.
bobby either didnt hear what i said exactly or just didnt know what the thing was because he guessed calidescope and couldnt remember what i had actually said.
so. well done all around.
to everyones credit we kept right on rolling. then i screwed up again.
hey, heres another fun idea of something to do for the anniversary shows... lets make up a totally new game by combining two games that already exist! we will put all the games in a bucket and let the audience choose two of them and we will combine those somehow to make a new game! what a fun idea. how spontaneous and improvy! so for this show, the audience drew lie detector and chameleon. not too difficult to mash up. it was great, except i screwed up reffing it.
as the team was saying all the lines and throwing out red herrings i accidentally crossed off a line that they didnt say instead of the one that they did say. so, there i was thinking that they still had a line to use and lo and behold, they had already said them all... there i am saying, theres still one more line. theres still one more line. and everyones like... wha?
to our credit again, they just went with it and repeated the line again that i was waiting for. yippee.
way to make 13+ years of improv training and 3+ years of reffing shows work for you, krissy contact lenz.
you'll be pleased to know that it was not a total disaster... the otter pops did freeze. at least the ones in direct contact with the dry ice. which was enough for me.
sigh.
what a long night.
its lucky for me that we have a great team and that improv is the sort of profession where screwing up is practically unavoidable. it was memorable, to say the least.
i didnt screw up anything in the second show. but, then again, i didnt ref.
tickets are still available for saturdays anniversary shows. who knows what will happen?
k.
believe it or not, im walking on air.
i never thought i could feel so free-ee-ee.
flying away on a wing and a prayer.
who could it be??
believe it or not, its just me!
i sort of rushed out of the house because... the screw ups actually began yesterday.
we bought otter pops to give out as treats at the end of the show, one of the special things included in the anniversary show celebrations. but... they did not get put in a freezer. they got put on a table. a table with very little cooling or freezing capabilities. leaving them, of course, still 100% liquid. at nct we dont even have a freezer to put them into. really, the table was the best we could do.
so, i had the brilliant idea of getting some dry ice and burying them in it hoping that the 209 degrees below zero would freeze them in time for the end of the show.
so, i rushed out the door to make sure i had enough time to get them into some dry ice to freeze. which meant i had to go get dry ice.
i had a crap ton of stuff loaded into the car to take to the show including a table, a computer monitor and pants. i knew i had to stop to get dry ice... to be fair, theres really alot of stuff banging aroud in my brain. not all of it useful, in fact, alot of the useless stuff (like all the words to the theme song from greatest american hero and the names of every character from buffy the vampire slayer) pushes the important stuff right out the door. as i was pulling out of the smart and final parking lot i realized... i forgot the computer. no way to sell tikets without a computer. not a big deal, unless you plan to sell tickets... panic.
i thought seriously of having dorian drive the 30+ miles out to the theatre to bring the computer, sick or not. but lucky for me, my dad was coming to the show anyway and was willing to come early with a laptop. thank jeebs that all of our programs are on the internet so that any computer will do. thank you, series of tubes. crisis 1 averted.
i also forgot my shoes. yep. i wore flip flops. and did not bring other actual shoes. lucky again that dorian has such petit feet... he had a spare pair of shoes at the theatre that i wore. and they were these super dorky old man white orthopedic numbers, i dont even know why he has them at all they are so terrible- but a man who wears crocs almost constantly cant be expected to make good footwear choices. they were only a little bit clown like on me. crisis 2 averted.
on to the show. major screw up number one came during 3 impossible things when i said one of the suggestions out loud right in front of the player guessing.
i reffed the show, so i was getting suggestions. let me go back a step though... another thing we did for the anniversary shows was put together little gift bags of candy and stuff to give randomy to the audience for good suggestions or whatever. so. getting suggestions for 3 impossible things and someone shouts out 'osciliscope' which is some kind of electronic device, i dont know, the guy explained it. but, it was a totally random and really difficult suggestion and i thought it was great. i noted to myself that i should give him a gift bag, but i got so caught up in whatever else that i forgot.
so im explaining the game and simultaneously thinking of when i should give the guy a gift bag without slowing down the flow of the game. ah, i think to myself, right after the audience volunteer comes back in with bobby (the guesser) i'll grab two gift bags while they are coming back in and give one to the audience volunteer and one to the osciliscope guy. good plan.
so i call them back in and get two gift bags and give one to the guy who has just come back in with bobby and toss one to the other guy saying "heres a gift bag for you for volunteering, give him a round of applause! and heres a gift bag for osciliscope guy."
beat.
grumblings.
i realize that i just said the suggestion out loud. in front of the guesser. oh my god. worst possible thing a ref could do. so stupid. everone laughs. i laugh. and i may have accidentally let a bad word slip out, i dont really know. i was so embarassed and shocked at my own stupiditiy. hey, its improv. anything can happen, including totally screwing up a game... anyway. he didnt get it right. even after all that.
bobby either didnt hear what i said exactly or just didnt know what the thing was because he guessed calidescope and couldnt remember what i had actually said.
so. well done all around.
to everyones credit we kept right on rolling. then i screwed up again.
hey, heres another fun idea of something to do for the anniversary shows... lets make up a totally new game by combining two games that already exist! we will put all the games in a bucket and let the audience choose two of them and we will combine those somehow to make a new game! what a fun idea. how spontaneous and improvy! so for this show, the audience drew lie detector and chameleon. not too difficult to mash up. it was great, except i screwed up reffing it.
as the team was saying all the lines and throwing out red herrings i accidentally crossed off a line that they didnt say instead of the one that they did say. so, there i was thinking that they still had a line to use and lo and behold, they had already said them all... there i am saying, theres still one more line. theres still one more line. and everyones like... wha?
to our credit again, they just went with it and repeated the line again that i was waiting for. yippee.
way to make 13+ years of improv training and 3+ years of reffing shows work for you, krissy contact lenz.
you'll be pleased to know that it was not a total disaster... the otter pops did freeze. at least the ones in direct contact with the dry ice. which was enough for me.
sigh.
what a long night.
its lucky for me that we have a great team and that improv is the sort of profession where screwing up is practically unavoidable. it was memorable, to say the least.
i didnt screw up anything in the second show. but, then again, i didnt ref.
tickets are still available for saturdays anniversary shows. who knows what will happen?
k.
believe it or not, im walking on air.
i never thought i could feel so free-ee-ee.
flying away on a wing and a prayer.
who could it be??
believe it or not, its just me!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
happy birthday to you.
the anniversary shows are coming up at the beginning of the month.
i am seriously considering giving everyone in the audience cupcakes. i also wish that we could have ordered 2009 NCT clappers, but i was not allowed... what with these trying economic times and all. clappers are a luxury item.
also thinking of what games could be the most fun to play in the special anniversary shows. i am open to suggestions.
-nct
i am seriously considering giving everyone in the audience cupcakes. i also wish that we could have ordered 2009 NCT clappers, but i was not allowed... what with these trying economic times and all. clappers are a luxury item.
also thinking of what games could be the most fun to play in the special anniversary shows. i am open to suggestions.
-nct
Friday, April 17, 2009
phoenix improv festival
pif was fun.
tursday night is 'arizona showcase' night, so all of the arizona teams get to play. dorian and i got there right at 5 and posed for an awkward picture. there were lanyards. we got our own little dressing room with our name on the door and a basket of goodies contaning, among other things, tampons and goldfish crackers. a nice touch.
we didnt go on for a long long time so we hung around and wached alot of the other troupes perform. when we did go on there was a misunderstanding of some kind and we thought we had 45 minutes when we only had 30. which made it weird when we got yanked off the stage while we thought we had another 15 minutes to kill with awesome improv comedy. not a big deal, but we surely would have planned differently if we knew better. poor dorian barely even got to play.
but that was the only shaky thing that happened. it was a fun time. the folks who put that thing together really do a good job. i wish i was able to see some of the other shows this weekend, weirdass in particular. i met stephanie weir really breifly when i was working at mad tv and she was very cool.
p.s. i will re write this tomorrow and it will be better because i will not be stupid tired.
k.
tursday night is 'arizona showcase' night, so all of the arizona teams get to play. dorian and i got there right at 5 and posed for an awkward picture. there were lanyards. we got our own little dressing room with our name on the door and a basket of goodies contaning, among other things, tampons and goldfish crackers. a nice touch.
we didnt go on for a long long time so we hung around and wached alot of the other troupes perform. when we did go on there was a misunderstanding of some kind and we thought we had 45 minutes when we only had 30. which made it weird when we got yanked off the stage while we thought we had another 15 minutes to kill with awesome improv comedy. not a big deal, but we surely would have planned differently if we knew better. poor dorian barely even got to play.
but that was the only shaky thing that happened. it was a fun time. the folks who put that thing together really do a good job. i wish i was able to see some of the other shows this weekend, weirdass in particular. i met stephanie weir really breifly when i was working at mad tv and she was very cool.
p.s. i will re write this tomorrow and it will be better because i will not be stupid tired.
k.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
neck and neck
we have been nominated in two categories on azcentral.com's BEST poll: Best Live Theatre Venue and Best Theatre Company.
in the Best Theatre Company race we have been neck and neck with the Valley Youth Theatre, we'd gain a point and then they gain a point. its maddening. but i've been doing my best to encourage everyone i know to vote for us in both categories, but in Best Theatre Company in particular.
everyone knows who Valley Youth Theatre are. they are well established and they have nothing to lose if they dont win this category in this poll. NCT, on the other hand, is up and coming. we are new. we are young. we are still scratching our way in there and pulling ourselves up by our patriotic american bootstraps.
we need this win. to win in our first year of business would be fantastic.
if you know me, be prepared for me to encourage you to vote.
Today, April 15th, is the last day.
k.
in the Best Theatre Company race we have been neck and neck with the Valley Youth Theatre, we'd gain a point and then they gain a point. its maddening. but i've been doing my best to encourage everyone i know to vote for us in both categories, but in Best Theatre Company in particular.
everyone knows who Valley Youth Theatre are. they are well established and they have nothing to lose if they dont win this category in this poll. NCT, on the other hand, is up and coming. we are new. we are young. we are still scratching our way in there and pulling ourselves up by our patriotic american bootstraps.
we need this win. to win in our first year of business would be fantastic.
if you know me, be prepared for me to encourage you to vote.
Today, April 15th, is the last day.
k.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Comedy in Mesa?
Mesa Tribune Article...
it seems that i am not particularly technologically advanced... i have struggled and struggled to post a stinkin link. my morning is not shaping up well at all... if you see a link, know that i have triumphed.
however, if you do not i HAVE managed to make the title of this post a link to our recent article in the Mesa Tribune.
Hints & Tips, internet geniuses? all i know is that its a series of tubes.
-k.
it seems that i am not particularly technologically advanced... i have struggled and struggled to post a stinkin link. my morning is not shaping up well at all... if you see a link, know that i have triumphed.
however, if you do not i HAVE managed to make the title of this post a link to our recent article in the Mesa Tribune.
Hints & Tips, internet geniuses? all i know is that its a series of tubes.
-k.
Monday, March 16, 2009
all the live long day.
its the american dream to work for yourself... own your own business... be your own boss... get some boots and equip them with straps and then pull yourself up by those boot straps, am i right?
as that seems to be the case, we are certainly living the dream.
right now the part of that dream we are living is the push, push, push of heaving our dream out into the spotlight and inviting the world in to enjoy it with us.
in a weird way, our dream is to build a little place that will be the house of many dreams. a dream generator, if you will. a goal factory. a reaching for the stars sweat shop.
our dream only exists if many many other people jump on the wagon with us and come along for the ride. we need you... we want you... we want to teach you and shove you out into the spotlight and invite others to take pleasure in your brilliance. we want to entertain you. more than anything we want to make you laugh and we want you to bring your friends so that you can all laugh together and then they can bring their friends and some people will invite their in laws, eventually cousins will get involved and strangers will be there as well and we will all just be one big happy laughing conglomeration of merry dream-come-truers.
thats around the corner.
and, believe me, i am hauling and shoving and hurling our little parcel of rainbows and unicorn dreams up that hill and around that corner.
what they dont tell you is that working for yourself is really hard.
maybe they do tell you that. it could be the reason that more people dont do it. if anyone ever told me that livin the dream and owning your own business was hard then i wasnt listening at the time. its possible. i do that alot.
when you work for someone else, when you're slaving away at that nine-to-fiver, it sometimes feels like all you are doing is spinning the wheels, contributing your piece of a larger puzzle that somehow fits into furthering someone else's goals.
you serve a meaningful purpose, sure. and you work hard for the money (so hard for it honey)... but its possible that populating spreadsheets isnt really your passion.
still. when the five rolls around you can walk out the door. you can shut down the computer and leave the spreadsheets behind. you can turn your attentions to more leisurely pursuits, relax, let your hair down.
in corporate america, you can always shake your head at the foolishness of management. you can even phone it in, do just enough to squeek by and still walk away with the same paycheck. you can take a vacation. you can call in sick.
when you work for yourself there are no business hours. its true, i spend plenty of hours working in my pajama pants. but, the reason for it is that i am usually still working at midnight and later. at five i continue working. at nine i am still working. if i phone it in or call out sick... its me that answers that call. and i know when i am faking.
i am never not working. at the movies, at the mall, in the shower... im still working. my work is as ready for me on saturday night as it was on monday morning.
this, what im doing right now... blogging... this is me taking a break. and still, in my head all i hear is NCT NCT NCT NCT NCT. my heart beats NCT. my eyes blink NCT. i dream NCT. or...to be honest, i dream of paul rudd and in my dream he is talking about NCT.
it probably sounds like bellyaching. believe me, i sometimes dearly wish i could take a personal day... theres no personal day off from my own brain. and my brain speaks NCT.
however, i would like it very much if you would not get me wrong. i may be complaining... but thats what i do. i complain. i work hard and in my spare time i complain.
i love what i do. and i am grateful to have the opportunity to go blind and give myself carpal tunnel syndrome in the cause of doing what i love the most. with the people i love the most.
i am aware that i really cant ask for more than that.
but, for comedy's sake... the parts when i go on and on about sunshine, lollipops and rainbows arent nearly as interesting as the parts where i tell you i almost got run off the road by a woman who wanted to ask me about the theatre and i swerved away happy to be unscathed but happier that my NCT car magnet was getting some hits. nearly literal hits.
as tom hanks so wisely said to gina davis all those years ago in a little picture called 'a league of their own'...
'its supposed to be hard. if it wasnt, everyone would do it. the hard is what makes it great.'
and, as steve carell so brilliantly added...
"thats what she said"
-nct
as that seems to be the case, we are certainly living the dream.
right now the part of that dream we are living is the push, push, push of heaving our dream out into the spotlight and inviting the world in to enjoy it with us.
in a weird way, our dream is to build a little place that will be the house of many dreams. a dream generator, if you will. a goal factory. a reaching for the stars sweat shop.
our dream only exists if many many other people jump on the wagon with us and come along for the ride. we need you... we want you... we want to teach you and shove you out into the spotlight and invite others to take pleasure in your brilliance. we want to entertain you. more than anything we want to make you laugh and we want you to bring your friends so that you can all laugh together and then they can bring their friends and some people will invite their in laws, eventually cousins will get involved and strangers will be there as well and we will all just be one big happy laughing conglomeration of merry dream-come-truers.
thats around the corner.
and, believe me, i am hauling and shoving and hurling our little parcel of rainbows and unicorn dreams up that hill and around that corner.
what they dont tell you is that working for yourself is really hard.
maybe they do tell you that. it could be the reason that more people dont do it. if anyone ever told me that livin the dream and owning your own business was hard then i wasnt listening at the time. its possible. i do that alot.
when you work for someone else, when you're slaving away at that nine-to-fiver, it sometimes feels like all you are doing is spinning the wheels, contributing your piece of a larger puzzle that somehow fits into furthering someone else's goals.
you serve a meaningful purpose, sure. and you work hard for the money (so hard for it honey)... but its possible that populating spreadsheets isnt really your passion.
still. when the five rolls around you can walk out the door. you can shut down the computer and leave the spreadsheets behind. you can turn your attentions to more leisurely pursuits, relax, let your hair down.
in corporate america, you can always shake your head at the foolishness of management. you can even phone it in, do just enough to squeek by and still walk away with the same paycheck. you can take a vacation. you can call in sick.
when you work for yourself there are no business hours. its true, i spend plenty of hours working in my pajama pants. but, the reason for it is that i am usually still working at midnight and later. at five i continue working. at nine i am still working. if i phone it in or call out sick... its me that answers that call. and i know when i am faking.
i am never not working. at the movies, at the mall, in the shower... im still working. my work is as ready for me on saturday night as it was on monday morning.
this, what im doing right now... blogging... this is me taking a break. and still, in my head all i hear is NCT NCT NCT NCT NCT. my heart beats NCT. my eyes blink NCT. i dream NCT. or...to be honest, i dream of paul rudd and in my dream he is talking about NCT.
it probably sounds like bellyaching. believe me, i sometimes dearly wish i could take a personal day... theres no personal day off from my own brain. and my brain speaks NCT.
however, i would like it very much if you would not get me wrong. i may be complaining... but thats what i do. i complain. i work hard and in my spare time i complain.
i love what i do. and i am grateful to have the opportunity to go blind and give myself carpal tunnel syndrome in the cause of doing what i love the most. with the people i love the most.
i am aware that i really cant ask for more than that.
but, for comedy's sake... the parts when i go on and on about sunshine, lollipops and rainbows arent nearly as interesting as the parts where i tell you i almost got run off the road by a woman who wanted to ask me about the theatre and i swerved away happy to be unscathed but happier that my NCT car magnet was getting some hits. nearly literal hits.
as tom hanks so wisely said to gina davis all those years ago in a little picture called 'a league of their own'...
'its supposed to be hard. if it wasnt, everyone would do it. the hard is what makes it great.'
and, as steve carell so brilliantly added...
"thats what she said"
-nct
Friday, March 13, 2009
best.
I may do much of my job in pajamma pants but i assure you, i work my ass off. it may seem like no big deal to post an event listing or update your status on a social networking site but i assure you, it takes all day. azcentral.com, azfamily.com, showup.com, backpage.com, evtribune.com, myspace, facebook, twitter... those are the ones i can think of without thinking. i add to my list of assurances and assure you again that our own nctphoenix.com website is probably the only one i dont update on a regular basis.
today im pretty happy because alot of things are pulling together and comin up millhouse...
from auditions we invited 8 people to join. that number will inevitably whittle itself down, but even if we end up with 4 solid players that will be fantastic.
today in the east valley tribune there is a story about us. Sunday in the Republic there will be a blurb and a coupon for us. And on azcentral.com we are nominated for two BEST categories (Best Live Theatre Venue and Best Theatre Company) and we are ahead by a nice margin so far.
ill keep you posted on the BEST race, voting is open till the 15th of April.
you can vote for us at
k.
today im pretty happy because alot of things are pulling together and comin up millhouse...
from auditions we invited 8 people to join. that number will inevitably whittle itself down, but even if we end up with 4 solid players that will be fantastic.
today in the east valley tribune there is a story about us. Sunday in the Republic there will be a blurb and a coupon for us. And on azcentral.com we are nominated for two BEST categories (Best Live Theatre Venue and Best Theatre Company) and we are ahead by a nice margin so far.
ill keep you posted on the BEST race, voting is open till the 15th of April.
you can vote for us at
k.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Up and Coming
So. There is alot to look forward to in the coming months. which means alot of crazy work to do.
the valentines show, our first, will have to be figured out phx style. its going to be really cool though, we are going to change up the whole format for this one.
it did just occur to me, though, that every other holiday show we do this year will NOT be the first! Whats Up SECOND ANNUAL ARBOR DAY TREE-TACULAR! man. time flies.
were having auditions march 1st and looking forward to some fresh blood on the team. the veteran players like to point out that they only truly get to be 'veterans' when there are 'newbies' to boss around. i mean... to mentor.
personally, i would love to add some girls to the team. the 6 to 1 ratio of boys to girls on the team its getting a bit much. i would love to upset the balance and change the ratio to, say... 4 to 1?? so i hope some girls try out. that may just be my opinion and all, but im sure that most of the guys on the team would back me up and wish for more girls too. just a guess.
we're going to do alot of workshops this year. fun. hopefully get our minor league team going.
oh, and our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY is coming up.
the one year anniversary of our official opening is in February. but our GRAND opening wasnt until MAY, so we will be celebrating then. were going to do something big. i dont know what yet. but look out!
k.
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