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This is Nicholas Dye from Nowhere, California, and the ActoPod. Remember, there is help out there, and you are not alone. You can always get your Nowhere, California fix by going to Nowhere, California.com. And you can send your thoughts, ideas, or some random bullshit to our email, which is Nowhere, under SportsCalifornia at yahoo.com.
Don't forget, we are Nowhere, California. Ideas from everywhere, Voices from Nowhere, since 2001. This is Nick. And this is Josh, and welcome to Nowhere, California.
Yes. And this is... Something we've been doing a while, because we know that is one of the rules of improv. Yes, it is.
I think by the time you're probably gonna be listening to this, we're probably gonna be in our fourth cycle. I believe so. We did a quick episode a couple months back, kind of just telling everybody what's going on, like why we started doing this and everything. So we're not going to rehash that.
I just go listen to that episode. Right. Well, to give you just a little bit of a discussion of a backstory, Captain has never really liked to perform in front of people, or had trouble public speaking and things like that, hits me up and says, hey, I found this improv class. Yeah, emphasize on what you were just saying there.
Yeah, the guy who does not, does not like to perform live in schools, for all reports because talking in front of people. And if you go back on older, older, older, older, older episodes of Nowhere, California, you will find some shaky voice and use a little bit of a script and things like that. Yeah. Well, then Captain Confidence comes to the surface and he decides to find this improv class because we talked about it.
Knowing full welded would help us here on the microphone as well as the other scenarios and myself as a stage actor. I was like, you know what, I've never really taken an improv class. I would like to do that to become a better listener, to, you know, learn to react off people better, you know, and things like that. So he finds this theater and it's the Footlighters Theater of Barton Avenue in Reynolds.
And we were introduced to the amazing, I'm going to say her name, Ali, Ali Raptor. And she is a huge fan of not only theater, but improv. She loves, loves, loves improv. She's done a lot of the stuff in Los Angeles.
Yeah, and she wanted to open something up closer to herself. Close to the home, yes. And not as expensive. And it's not, it is absolutely not.
Yeah, because like you go to like Uprights, Citizens Brigade or the Groundlink, or the Grandlin. Real famous groups and everything, which have justified, okay, as is of like almost $300 sometimes. Yes. This one, like we've said, is very inexpensive, 60 bucks is the first round.
It's four weeks of classes. It's every Sunday for us. And we go down there and we, you know, we have an, I couldn't, it's hard to quantify how awesome I felt after doing the first class. Oh yeah.
And I walked in there and my first thing I told Josh was like, I don't want to be the dooshie actor. He was like, yes, I've done this for 17 years. You know, and what did I fucking do right out the gate? Yeah.
So I went, I've done 15 years. And it was a little deep on the laugh. It was. Honestly, you may have felt that way, but you were just like me being known like, hey, I, it's not like, hey, I've done this.
Like I do have some theater experience. It wasn't so much a, like here's what I've done. It was more of a, oh my God, here's people who love theater and love doing these things. And I want to share this with them too.
And yes, I've done this for a long time as well. Yeah. You know, I had a blast. And like you said, right now, and you've said it multiple times, like I've never done this side before.
Yeah. And you know, I'm going to go 100% on record right now and say fuck you. What the fuck are you that good right out the gate? And little miss, snuggled in over there who's now joined us for a few classes.
Kim, I see her for the first time. Who doesn't do any public fucking speaking either, who very casually admitted like, I would never have gotten up in front of anybody before that. I'd never dreamed of anything as such. And then you guys both go in there and just knock at the fuck out of the accent.
I don't think you shouldn't have the accent. No, but still it's there and shut up. It's 17 years later. No, I'll use an accent if I choose.
I was fucking amazing. Yeah. Well, like the first time we even went to, when we talked about it before on the password, we were doing the one word stuff and I'm throwing up words where everybody's like, what the fuck. What is that?
Yeah. And it's how each week it evolves into something new and something different. Right. And I have an absolute blast.
We have done a few things in repetition and all of them. Well, like the taxi game. The taxi game is one of my favorite things to do. Yeah.
Because the basically on the taxi game is there's a driver and he picks up or she picks up three passengers. When the first passenger comes in, they come in with a crate or like a quirk. Yes. The driver has to pick that up.
They pick up a second person. The first passenger, the driver has to pick up that person and so forth and so forth. And then what happens is the last person who comes in kind of infects the whole vehicle with whatever personality or characteristic they bring on board. And then we pull over and let that person out and then we go and reverse order the last person who we start doing everything that they did and so on and so forth.
We're back to the taxi driver. And with very few exceptions and I can only think of like one or two, I don't think we've overlapped on personalities. Yeah. Yeah.
Somebody has brought something new to the table every time. Oh yeah. And that's whether we've had a class or like one of my people. You've done is the germaphobe.
The germaphobe was fun. I don't know where that came from. And that's one of my favorite things about this is that the spontaneity of it all came actually said it really well just the other night was that I got out of the way of my own. Brain like I didn't have time to think.
Well another one of the rules of improv is treasure brain. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what you got to do.
And like for me the first couple of times we did the taxi and I got roped into being the driver. Yeah. And at one of those points it like you're talking about like repeating characters. One did happen where the guy played depressive.
But the second time around I kind of threw in a little bit of a different end to it just because I knew everybody's getting tired of the depressive guy. So he was talking about like suicide and stuff. So I got the car through a brick on the accelerator and what the point is. What the point is.
Yeah. You know we've had some great stuff where the one word association is one of the best ways. First of all, Ali does a great icebreaker in which we go across the circle. We lock eyes with somebody so we're comfortable with making eye contact.
Which is a big problem for me in the past. And I got the circle and you lock eyes with somebody and you say you're in it. You're in it. And then they walk across saying it's a great way to learn people's names without having to go through the awkward process of hi my name so and so.
And what's worse? Yeah. Doesn't feel like a. Every week when we get going with like a new class and it's like I forgot the two's name.
What the fuck's that dude saying? I do it all the time. An incredibly talented gentleman that we have there every week. I fucking forget his name on a regular basis.
Yeah. I don't know why I want to call him something else. I came up with him and I'm going to call him Derek. And just think about him.
Yeah. So which has come across my radio repeatedly. But found some incredibly talented and even the ones who haven't really engaged in a lot of theater or anything like that before. They still rock in the crap.
They had no fear. Ali makes it such a welcoming and warm environment that you can't help but get excited and get involved. Yeah. Even when you're like I don't know what to do here.
She follows her own rule so well in the yes and and the second rule which is make your partner look good. Yeah. We got all the rules. Yeah.
So Ali's listening. We got them all. Yeah. But everybody supports one another.
Even when there's a weird little twist thrown in we managed to roll with it. If somebody didn't quite understand what was going on or if they just interpreted it this way and everybody else went with a classic traditional setting of something then we roll with it and we have fun with it. Or like the running jokes like this past class we have the rolling joke on back. We have no idea why that crept in but while that popped up two or three times or in the radio thing if you heard me.
Yeah. My call there's I was like you're listening to WOMB E8. It's amazing. Correct me if I'm wrong didn't Kim tell that first.
Didn't she throw up that first with a Margaret? No I think it was Margaret. Margaret was. Yes.
You said well that that's right. You said it right off the bat. Yeah. So I said well I think Margaret did it next and then I then everybody called it.
Jared did it too. Yeah. Jared did it as well too. Yeah.
And then I was like fuck it. We're going to have our fourth round of this stuff and we were introduced to some brand new sequences and new scenarios and new things for us to do and we had a blast with it. And one of my favorite things to do is look around and see the new faces not only but the returning faces do things but when we did the radio station looking at allying when you look at her watching the house and how excited she is watching everybody just low with it. It's really just in the simplest terms it's a safe space and an encouraging space to just let loose and create.
Oh totally agree. Like just out of the blue just pull what I have like for that safe space and everything. They've done a couple of these where they've done stand-up comedy workshops not really even like performances. Right.
Like workshops where it is like hey it's a safe space. If you're not comfortable performing it you can do it here and it'll be okay. Yeah. And I've been in the past like wanting to do again but also do like I'm not sure but just the comfort of that room in general.
Yes. It's like you know I think you can do this again. You know what when they do the comedy workshops it's not just the comedians that you can bring one or two people with you so it feels more like a little into the club. And this is in the the lower costume room or basement area of the footlighter theatre there.
Like I said on Barton Road it's just an incredible little space to work in. I have had so much fun with this and this has been such an eye opening experience as an actor. It's taught me to listen so much more in just the short period of time that we've been in. You know involved in this and so I can't thank you enough for the suggestion to do this.
And I almost I would hold a classic neck and was like. I would either way and I didn't I didn't and you and I got down there and we just had a fucking blast and we we drove all the way home talking about how much fun class was. The things that we enjoyed about it and. Well like you know how you're talking about it as an actor it kind of opening up more thought and everything for me being the non actor.
It's made me feel comfortable in my skin in that type of atmosphere where where my power of overthinking is coming into play. Like when the overthinking usually is the kryptonite for me. What I think is that any sense. What I think has happened is the just proverbial ricochet of creativity that goes on up in your head.
Oh yeah. Because I can sit up working and wander around working piece together full story. Yes. And so.
Be able to start rolling with it. You get put on the spot where you have to decide something right in that moment and there's zero hesitation from you. Yeah like when we did the biography game where I was there twice and then we did the slideshow game this time around where I was like fuck it. I'll do it.
It was a lot of fun. You were very eager to jump up there and I just I can't I can't reiterate enough. This guy right here was an appointed Josh because I'm doing another fucking gesture on a podcast. This guy we get shaky over some of the stuff that he would write himself and they had to get over his own nerves and he had to be able to come back around.
And so if you were to watch him in this element it's just night and day from where he was. Just the confidence that you bring along with it is pretty impressive. Just even diving into the shaking that's a little more than that can lead us right into what is possibly coming to me where it's a sketch comedy night. Yes now we don't get to.
We are not going to dive too deep in this but the way the classes are built. The first class where we usually participate in is just a straight and broad acting class right after that class is sketch writing. Yes and they have a good group of people that they've been working together for a while and they're fucking hilarious. And randomly I'm at work one day and Ali texts me because she doesn't have next cell phone number and she's like hey I was wondering if you Nick want to come to the writing class on this day and do a read through of some sketches.
I'm like what the fuck right I'm thinking you got the right number here right. And then I'm like yeah definitely like it was a momentary like there was like I'd say a millisecond I doubt on myself but then as soon as I like ask I know I'm like fucking they were doing this. So there's something I observed of you when we went to do that. When you were holding that first script and she handed to you the shaky camera.
Oh yeah well I'm sitting there like what the fuck am I going to do for this. Yeah and then you just I want to let it go and you did it. We went upstairs and we did the we rehearsed the first portion and I'm not going to say any of the scenarios or anything like that but we went up and rehearsed the first portion. And it took you all of ten seconds to find your voice and the shake went away immediately.
And it was weird too because it was so fucking cool to watch. Like leading into something like okay maybe like one or two sketches like I don't see her having me in any more than just moving. We had so many. I counted six for myself.
Yeah I think I'm somewhere at six or seven. Yeah and she said there's more to come. Oh my god I have to say it again. These writers are so incredibly talented.
One of my favorites comes from Margaret who's in our improv. And I'm not going to give you the details of it on here but she is a one-word. Is it the one we're going to have? Yes it is.
That's the only tell you. As far as you're going to go with it. So she has a brilliantly twisted and has a real solid grasp on that dark humor. Without doing it for the sake of shock value or anything like that she just has kind of a twisted sense of humor.
And it's so much fun to watch her create not only her characters but then also to have a chance to bring some of her work to life. She's just an incredibly talented writer and they've really cultivated an amazing group of people. And I'm honored that we're part of that. Yeah and I remember texting you after I got the initial text like hey I just got this text.
What do you think? Let's do it. So as a matter of fact that same Saturday Sunday that we did that I had been at Knott's Berry Farm. Yeah you'd be like that.
And I'd be lined it over to the theater and I caught the last like 40 minutes of the improv class and then we were able to go right into the table reading. And I left there I immediately called my girlfriend Lauren I was like I love you so much for supporting me. I cannot thank you enough. This was such an amazing idea.
It's like I couldn't fucking I couldn't have been happy. We talked about it on an earlier episode this month depending on when you're listening to this. I currently am in a throws of a new employment venture. Yes so there's a lot of turmoil in Topsy Turvy going on.
But good things. I'll just say here like there's I know I'm going to have to be like no I got to go sleep. I got to do what I need to do. But there's certain aspects and improv class is one of those where I'm like I will put myself to the torture of losing a little bit of sleep to do this because I love it.
I love doing this class. I love hanging out with those people and being creative and just having that space to be like you know what I know why it took me so long to finally do an improv class because I had to find this one. Well look if I'm I don't think I'm going out on a much of a limb here saying this but like you have found you have your creativity has found its voice in so many different outlets. And so many different outlets and so many different avenues beginning with what we're doing right now here in our podcast.
But I know I just keep doting on you but watching you come alive watching you come alive and just the excitement when you know where you want to go with something. Yeah and just the briefest moment of disappointment when it doesn't take that route but immediately down shifting into something else and just seeing how quickly you adapt and move forward for somebody who's never been on stage. It's just it is phenomenal to get like leading into this guy probably I am eagerly anticipating like seeing Kim's reaction to the sketches seeing Doug and Monique's reaction to his help. Mike Deripas said I'm coming.
I intend on inviting as many people as I possibly can. I don't know how many we hold or how many tickets can be sold overnight. But once we get to that point I'm sure we'll promote some more here. And maybe leading into it maybe we'll take the voice reporter with us.
Yeah I would love to see some of the other reactors and the writers. It is just and it's a beautiful little theater. She did great to where the first time we were there and I was just impressed. Yeah the week you weren't there the downstairs bathrooms were flooded so I'll have to give a tour again everybody so we knew where the bathrooms were.
You got to see the stage and everything like that too. It's so cool it's such a great little because you can do theater in the round up there where you can close off one side and do it to where it's just a singular crowd or you can do it like I said in the round. You can do Shakespeare in there. They're just a wonderful group of people and I can't wait to meet more of them.
We've just kind of delved into the improv portion of it but you know Allie's classes is something else. I can't wait to see where else we go with this and I can't wait to share it with you guys. I really thank you for pressing me and you just kept checking it with me. You know what I do and I do things.
You were like hey you're paying for it. Hey I'm already signed up and you knew that was going to push me into a place where I was like well I don't want to fucking ditch on Josh. I don't want to do that so I went ahead and paid for the class and I would have fucking been so remiss and kicked myself. Oh you can imagine one of you going like hey I'm doing a sketch coming night with us.
You want to come see the performance? Right. I should have been in this fucking performance. I don't know.
I'll do it for the fucking day. This is an incredible experience. I'm excited to take this journey with you. It's going to be you'll probably get more of these episodes as thanks for aggressive move along and like we said we'll probably definitely throw it out during like dress rehearsals and stuff to get like some of the riders get a couple minutes with the riders and just even even it's like just snippets that we throw into the end of the episodes here or whatever.
Well I'm going to in my portion of it by saying I won't be audio sucking your dick nearly as much on the next one. I think I've doted on you quite a bit on this one. I'll celebrate your work but I just it's just such a cool thing to watch you kind of become this you know this confident actor and creator. Yeah, so it's pretty dope to watch.
It shows you the wonders of therapy. Right. Just such a world is open up for us. Yeah.
Wow. This is hopefully this one is a little bit longer than the last time we talked about improv because that was a short episode. It was but we also we kind of we kind of back this one. But also to that episode was called short term improv.
This was going to be long term. No, that episode was called short form improv and this was going to be called long form improv. So hopefully it's a little bit longer but it'd be ironic for short. You're like wait what?
But you know as far as this goes I can't wait to see where we roll within the future and how much more this continues on and the avenues that it takes us down. Yeah. I don't think there's any much. No, I've got nothing else on this one.
Like I said, check out for the Irish Theatre on Barton Avenue. Hit up Ali Raft and have a website. Or just Google in Pro School of Redlands. In Pro School of Redlands and you'll find all the information on there and Ali's really warm and welcoming whenever you get a chance to talk to her.
So do it. Yeah, hit her up. And enjoy it. Yep.
And on that note this has been Nick. And this has been Josh. And as always be excellent to each other. Thanks for watching.