Me and Brody

"Living requires us to step off the edge of the world each day, daring to greet the sun. Life is a leap of faith."

I am a very talented improviser. I am agile, flexible and adept at finding opportunity in the unexpected. In fact, I wrote a whole blog about that when I was a partner in The Canoe Group. What many of you may not know, however, is that I have a passion for improvisational comedy.

In the summer of 1999, I got together with six fabulously funny women in Ashland, Oregon and created The Hamazons. Our original intention was just to play, to explore some improv games and see where that led us. It quickly became apparent that we had chemistry. And we were really funny.

In September 1999, we presented our first performance at the Town Hall in Ashland. It was an intimate venue, with a small riser at one end and 100 white plastic chairs. We sent a press release to the local media and plastered the town with flyers. We charged $5 at the door and had low expectations.

What we were not prepared for was the 150 people that showed up to watch us play. They sat on the floor in front of the stage, they stood on the sides of the room... and they laughed. Their laughter fueled our creativity and 90 minutes went by in the blink of an eye. And when we took our bow, they leapt to their feet for a standing ovation. We were overwhelmed.

What became very apparent was that people were ravenous for the kind of experience we had to offer: comedy improv that eschewed profanity, graphic sexuality, gratuitous violence and the degradation of others. We created an environment where all were welcome. And the trust we developed within our "fun cone of protection" allowed us to explore improv in new and exciting ways.

Since moving to Portland last year, I have missed my fellow warrior princesses of comedy. And I have been searching for new partners in improvisational crime. Today I took the leap. I sent my resume to The Brody Theater in the hope of getting an audition for their fall/winter season. That's what this blog is about: my search for my improv soul mate.

Stay tuned.