FrankenTrophy- a Legacy

as a fan of found art- upcycling- and the joy of giving new life to the misfit toys of the world we started a tradition in our 2008-2009 season of the High School Improv League... The Franken-Trophy!

Each year our Tournament Champion team takes home a real, store bought trophy and their name is engraved on our eternal plaque in the hallway at National Comedy Theatre... the second place team takes home a piece of origional art created by NCT Director, High School Improv League administrator, instructor and coach Krissy Lenz... the Franken-Trophy!

Each year Krissy digs around in garage sales, attics, thrift stores and goodwills looking for the forgotten trophies of days gone by. In the past year, friends and family have begun sending their old trophies to NCT hoping they will be used in the famed mash-up... we are now up to our eyeballs in discarded but rediscovered symbols of glory. From its humble beginnings through today the garbled-gold grandstand, like the Improv League itself, grows larger and larger and better and better. And, hopefully, serves as a mangled reminder to us all that there is no such thing as failure, only opportunity. forgotten things are given new lives. and... not all those that wander are lost. (yes, we DID just reference Lord of the Rings.)

(yes, Krissy is crying... she cries every year when she has to say goodbye to her seniors)

(here the Agua Fria Cold Water Comedy Team smile with their Franken-Trophy) You can join us at this weekends High School Improv League Torunament Saturday April 28 & Sunday April 29 12:00- 3:00pm $3 All Day Admission Teen Improv Comedy Teams from Horizon High School, Basha High School, Centennial High School, Agua Fria High School, Greenway High School, Campo Verde High School, Desert Vista High School, Perry High School, and Mountain Pointe High School will be performing improv comedy! learn more, call 602-374-5638 or email workshops@nctphoenix.com

Improv Comedy Helps With Interview Skills

Resume Bits Blog Karen Austin shares how Improv Comedy Class at National Comedy Theatre can help with job interview skills...

What I Learned From Comedy Improv About Interviewing

Today I took a comedy improv class at the National Comedy Theater in Mesa. There were so many great connections between improv and interviewing that I had to share them right away.

One of the first exercises we did was a group activity to get comfortable looking silly and to make failure acceptable (even celebrated!). Treating failure as an acceptable part of achieving a goal removes fear, plain and simple. If you stretch yourself out of your comfort zone frequently, you will learn to accept failure as a part of success, making it a much smaller force during an interview.

Another set of exercises were focused on getting "out of our own head" and learning to trust our gut. Here are the tips I took away to use in an interview:

1.Listen. Really listen to what is being said and pay attention to what is going on around you. If you are thinking of what you are going to say or worrying about saying the wrong thing, you take away your greatest asset: understanding. Understanding questions and situations is critical. Giving your focus and attention to the OUTSIDE takes all the power away from any negative self talk you might do be doing otherwise.

2. Trust you know what you need to know to respond to a question, without a doubt. All you have to do is pull the information out. Consider trying some word association exercises. You don't have to prepare in order to get a word that makes sense or relates - it just happens. In fact, the less you think about it, the more related the word ends up being!  The same thing happens with interview questions - the more you trust your answer and less you over thinking, the more logical and appropriate your answer will be.

3. Don't try to give a "wow" answer or anything off-the-wall to stand out. Logical answers that closely match the content of the question are far better and cause way less stress.

4.Confidence sells. Make eye contact and answer with confidence. You are talking about you in an interview (a subject you are the number one expert in)so answer with complete confidence.

5. Repeat the question at the beginning of your answer. It will help you settle (let those nerves go away!) and it will help focus your answer (as well as show that you listened).

6. Stay positive. Avoid saying no. Try saying statements that start with"yes, and...". Why? Because "no" ends the conversation. Once you've said "no" there really isn't anything left to say.  "Yes, and"... Allows you to add a new thought or turn the conversation in a new direction. Handy! Isn't it better to keep the conversation rolling and maybe grown into something both parties can agree on? Special note: of course this won't work for those disqualifying questions where the right answer is to say "no", but you get the point.

Last lesson - try something that makes you a little uncomfortable every once in a while. Stretching is the fastest way to grow! Happy interviewing!

Thank you, Karen! 

can you feel the love tonight?

if not, you will be able to feel it on the 10th, 11th and 14th!

Its time for the annual Valentines Shows!

Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th at 7:30 and 9:45 for only $12-$14 you can experience the magic of the Valentines Shows...
whats special about them? games like Video Dating Service, where two players will try to convince you of their extreme date-a-bility, Pick Up Lines, where both teams will try to wow one lucky audience member with their charm and grace or Soap Opera Digest, where an amnesiac will have to awaken in a world turned upside down with intrigue, gossip and romance!

in my opinion, though, the best part is the NCT Rose Ceremony- at these shows teams can only get points when they earn YOUR roses!

 Its an exciting way to start your Valentines week with a bang.
and then
you can join us on February 14th- ACTUAL Valentines Day- for the Pink Elephant Show!
at 7:30pm, one show only, for only $10!
We're taking the popular Elephant Show for a love themed spin-

its great for a date, if you have one.
its great for NOT having a date, because who needs that drama, am i right?
its great for everyone.
so get tickets already!
www.nctphoenix.com

Level 1 Workshop- 2/2

How many of you made a New Years Resolution to do something NEW this year? Maybe lose some weight? Get out there and start building confidence in yourself...???

Lets be honest, we all did! and NCT can help you get a head start! Forget about that Jillian Michaels DVD you havent taken out of the plastic yet- give Improv Comedy Workshops a try!

Its easy, its FUN and its 100% guaranteed to get your 2012 started off on the right foot- so sign up today!

602-374-5638
workshops@nctphoenix.com

New Years Eve 2011- The Top Chef Challenge

This year's Extravaganza is going to be one for the record books.

Does everyone else watch food based reality television as much as I do? Top Chef, Chopped, Iron Chef- love it. Maybe because I have no, seriously, NO talent in the kitchen...  it gives me an overwhelming respect for those that do.
Open a box, theres an octopus, three avocados and a shoe lace- make a holiday meal in under 20 minutes.
I may lack the skill to be the one cooking up Octo-Guac and Shoe Lace Suvlaki- but I absolutely have the talent required to put those MORE talented to the test!

This year we selected a caterer that I knew would be up to any Mystery- Box style challenge I laid on him- 
The objective? I want a meal that celebrates the idea that our NCT New Years Eve Extravaganza will be happening in 3 different cities across the country and represents each city in a delicious and appropriate way. I want many options for our guests so that they can sample each dish or hone in on one they love and eat their fill. I want a Vegan (and by default Vegetarian ) option. Oh, and I want it to be approachable to picky eaters.

What Ken Stewart came up with is a masterpiece that would surely melt padma lakshmi's face off.
Phoenix, San Diego and New York will each be represented by 2-3 classic dishes from that city including- and this is just a teaser-  tastes of the sea shore and the south west, chicken and beef and sea food dishes and more!

Tickets are really going fast, make reservations today online!
And dont forget to call and request seating preferences!

Dreidel- I made you out of Laughter!

seriously, it really is THE most wonderful time of the year.

This weekend we're kicking it with the Ha Ha Hanukkah Shows- this is one of my favorite events of the year.
Why is this show so much fun and why will you love it, even if you have never celebrated Hanukkah?? an excellent question. You are bright and inquisitive!

For onesies-
we spin the dreidel for points! Will it be Gimmel or Shin? Thats right, the winning team might get all their points, none of their points, only half their points or- Shin happens, the winning team may have to actually GIVE their points to the other team! Hey man, thats the luck of the dreidel.

We're giving away 8 Crazy Tickets to lucky audience members

AND if you are lucky enough, you might catch the Latke game- where we risk our very lives and ingest too many fried potato delicacies for your amusement!

You dont want to miss this hilarity, and its going to be full- fun and fantastic! Get your tickets ASAP!
The Menorah, the Merrier!
www.nctphoenix.com/showtimes

Warm it Up!

Warm Ups are an essential part of any improvisational undertaking. At NCT we are always growing and expanding our portfolio of warm up excercises to include new things and big challenges.

This Wednesday we were practicing a particularly difficult warm up game and one of our players had a lot more trouble with it than most.

It was an excellent opportunity to remind everyone that there should never be fear of failure- on stage or off. the only things one can  not do are the things one is afraid to do. our mantra? if you're screwing up it means that, at least, you are trying!
There is no place for "Cool" in comedy.