Originally Posted May 15, 2006 – 12:28P
Sorry it’s been so long! I’ve been taking exams, moving home, and recovering from a tonsillectomy, so things have been a bit too wild to upload anything new and exciting. However, I have an article about just that experience up now! Enjoy!
(PS, another urban improv article soon!)

Labels: exams, moving, tonsillectomy, tonsils, urban improv

Originally Posted Apr 19, 2006 – 5:23P [Site News]
Well, I have just uploaded a whole new article about urban improv across the country…and it is probably the funniest subject matter ever. Please do check out all of the videos, I assure you your life is not complete otherwise.

Labels: improv, urban improv, video

Originally Posted Apr 18, 2006
Well, we may have only performed one urban improv event (or stunt, or prank, or goon, whatever flavor you choose,) but there are a number of other schools across the country that have groups similar to ours, as well as a number of independent groups, with varying types of performances. Today, I’ll cover two particularly excellent such groups.

My first example for the day is the UMPatriots, a group at the University of Michigan that has performed three extremely well organized and thought-out stunts:
-“Valentine Ninjas”QT7, the least organized, but most thoroughly cast stunt, consists of a bunch of ninjas busting in on a lecture, throwing chocolates like ninja stars, grappling with each other, screaming, and running out. This one is great spare the utter confusion. I personally enjoy the idea of being able to give the audience something to take away from the experience…even if they will probably eat that something on their way out the door.
-“Superman”QT7 is the simplest, but perhaps the most classic of all of the UMPatriots’ stunts. A student’s cell phone goes off in the front row during class, and he answers it! I have to say, that act alone is dangerous enough. People around here tend to get upset with people whose phones go off during lecture, so answering it would attract shouts of anger and a general air of hatred, in my imagination. Yet, they avoid this issue, when the student yells out “What? I’ll be right there!” and proceeds to rip off his clothes, revealing a Superman uniform underneath…watch this one for the kicker ending.
-“Pac Man”QT7, a video you may have already seen in some format, is one that will go down forever in the memory of urban improvers everywhere as a supreme classic. This stunt features Pac Man running with screams of terror from the red ghost, Blinky, through a library study area and a large computer terminal atrium. This video circulated for a year online before its creators realized their own fame. This is the new version of the video…one viewing will change the meaning of “wakawakawakawaka” forever.

Next comes the legendary New York group Prangstgrüp. These folks, though they are affiliated with the controversial MoveOn.org, present the best-organized, best produced in goons I’ve ever seen. While most of the pranks these guys pull are either devilishly short (see “Rollerblading”) or not actually improv or pranks at all (for simple comedy, in fact, see “Voyeurism,”) what public pranks they perform are exquisitely conceived. Unlike much of the urban improv I personally am used to, these pranks are written, choreographed, and delivered with a whiplash efficiency I can hardly believe. The possible exception to this statement is “Tai Chi”, which is basically just creepy. The two drawbacks of Prangstgrüp are sexual undertones in most of their work and the occasional eccentricity (see “Trucks.”)
-Start off your Prangstgrüp experience with the traditional “Mega Ads.” This one falls into the category of urban improv more comfortably than the rest of their material, so it’s a good place to start.
-“Subway Lectures,” though longer than it should be, is pure genius. Take a class…on the go! Really, if you’re curious, just watch it. Entertaining, and educational!
-Looking for a hip event to attend? Good luck getting into the “Silent Dance Party.” Passerby are baffled by this exclusive outdoor club.
-The two public-prank hits here are undoubtedly “Library Musical” and “Lecture Musical.” If you watch no other videos that I’ve linked to, watch these. Can you imagine studying for an exam in the library, or furiously scribbling notes about special frames of reference when suddenly someone in the room stands up and starts singing about it? Dream no more! I envy their talent, planning, and guts.
-Speaking of guts, you should check out “Shit-Talker,” a series of conversations between people squatting on the toilet. Though this guy asks perfectly reasonable questions, he asks them in the strangest of places…worth a look.

We all can look up to these folks. Comedy at its finest…

Labels: classroom musicals, improv, lecture, michigan, ninjas, pac man, prangstgrup, rollerblading, subway, superman, tai chi, urban improv

Originally Posted Apr 6, 2006
Hey! There’s now video available of the “Birthday Bus” mission! (Mar 26.)

View it here.

Labels: Birthday Bus, improv, urban improv, video

Originally Posed March(?) 26, 2006
Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present a project in the vein of Upright Citizens Brigade and ImprovEverywhere, I present what is the first in a series of organized deviance, I present to you, my audience, the Birthday Bus.

Our first project is almost a direct rip-off of ImprovEverywhere’s “Surprise!” mission, but we consider it more of a tribute to our heroes than anything else. Besides, they did it on the subway in New York, and we did it on a half-empty bus in Storrs, Connecticut at the fine University of Connecticut.

The idea is to make people happy. Let’s bring some people out of the mundane, out of the usual commute to class, to their dorm, to anywhere; let’s bring some joy in. Just because the pretense is false, doesn’t mean the joy is false. Let’s be deviant, let us come out of the shadows, let’s wreak some havoc on people’s tranquility and bring them into the show.

It all began when Agent Clyde Burke got on the Blue Line bus at the North Garage stop at 5:14. He casually wrote the license plate number of the bus on his hand, and took a seat. He made a few short, cryptic phone calls to make sure everything was happening according to plan. He rode all the way through Hilltop and around past the Co-Op southbound. He rode all the way past Shippee and past East Campus Northbound. When he reached W-Lot, he made two phone calls, saying “Checkpoint,” once for each call, and nothing more. When the bus reached Shippee Southbound, he began to look very excited.

At that stop, Agent Rutledge Mann got on with a bag full of birthday supplies and a video camera. The duo began enlisting the help of all the people on the bus to set up a surprise birthday party for their friend “Steve,” who was purportedly turning 19 that day. People donned hats and helped hang a “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” banner on the handrails. Some people left the bus at Arjona, but some new ones joined the party! Everyone ducked down in the back right before the bus arrived at the Co-Op Northbound…and then Agent Jericho Druke led Agent Harry Vincent, “Steve,” onto the bus to an explosion of “SURPRISE!”

The previously downtrodden Agent Vincent’s face broke into a smile and the other Agents and many of the people on the bus began singing “Happy Birthday” to him. Candy was handed out, jokes were told. A grand time was had by all. When the bus reached the North Garage stop once more, all the Agents dismounted the bus and immediately broke contact—all of them walking in different directions, not turning back.
Video is available here!

Agent Clyde Burke
5:00P
I get off work. This is our first mission, and we’re already down an agent, so I’m feeling a bit nervous. As excellent as our cause is, and as awesome as this idea is, I’m a bit terrified to get up and start yelling at everyone…the whole deviance thing is starting to make sense to me, as I zip up my coat, throw on my bag, and get out my phone and pen.

5:14P
I get on the Blue Line at North Parking Garage and write the license plate number on my hand.

5:15P
The bus arrives at Hilltop Suites. I pick up the phone and let Agents Rutledge Mann and Jericho Druke know the license number so they know which bus to get on. This will help us later on, so that once Agent Rutledge gets on, she and I won’t have to call Agent Jericho Druke.

5:27P
The bus arrives at Alumni Quad Eastbound, and our first invited guest, Rachel, gets on. We aren’t supposed to “know” the people we know regularly, so it is a little tough when she gets on suspiciously and starts saying my name over and over again to get my attention. Eventually I realize she’s talking to me, turn to her and say:
”I’m sorry, do I know you?”
”Um…I mean, I thought I did…you look like someone I know.”
”Oh. Well, honest mistake!”
”Yeah, that’s fine.”
…and I go back to my occupation of staring out the window pensively. She’s intrigued, I can tell, but she doesn’t really bother me again.

5:35P
The bus arrives at W-Lot. I pick up the phone, call Agents Rutledge Mann and Jericho Druke and say just the word “checkpoint” into the phone. It’s nice, feeling like I worked for the government…I wonder if the NSA is listening in on my phone….

5:41P
I’m panicking. Why? Just a few minutes ago some people got on at Towers, and the bus driver informed them they had to get off by H-Lot, because he was taking the bus off the line at that point. He had stood up and changed the banner to “OUT OF SERVICE.” I am on the Blue Line no more! I leap into action, and go sit in a seat by the driver, asking him as a favor to stop in the few places we needed him to stop. Confused, he agrees to stop. I call Agent Rutledge Mann and text Agent Jericho Druke with the information. With more time, I would have found a way to let our other invited guests know, but they seem to recognize me on the bus and get on as we hit East Campus Southbound.

5:43P
I start to look excited and antsy as the bus approached the Shippee stop…when we get there, Agent Rutledge Mann boards with all the birthday supplies. She gets out the camera, and I start to explain to some of the passengers what was going on, that my friend is having a birthday and that we’re surprising him on the bus, and we need everyone’s help. One guy in the back of the bus helps me hang up the banner. He and his two female friends were really excited to help us out. I think Agent Harry Vincent has a class with one of them…anyways, things were getting exciting for everyone as we approached the Co-Op where I knew Agents Harry Vincent and Jericho Druke were waiting for us.

5:47P
Right before we pull up in front of the Co-Op, in a moment of inspiration, I ask everyone on the bus to duck down behind something so se can jump out and yell “Surprise!” This works with limited success, though about half the bus is ducking to some extent. People are laughing and giggling…this is the best part! Agents Harry Vincent and Jericho Druke board…good on them for not being afraid of a bus marked “OUT OF SERVICE.” We all jump out and yell and cheer, and begin to sing “Happy Birthday.” All in all, it is loads of fun for me, and for all the people on the bus….

5:49P
Things start to wind down. We approach the North Garage/MSB stop. Decorations are ripped down, hats come off and disappear into bags, and we all get off and silently disperse in all different directions. I ducked my head and headed straight for the North Garage. It was tough to not look back at the bewildered bus driver and his passengers.

Overall, this mission, though simple, and for a small audience, was a success story. I’m proud of all the Agents for adjusting to a seemingly impossible situation. If that bus driver hadn’t been willing to go out on a limb, we’d have been done from the start.

Most people really enjoyed being a part of the party…but I did notice one girl, about in the middle of the bus, with headphones blaring, staring out the window, and ignoring us all, pointedly. This is how I might expect people to react to most deviancies…but we were engaging and fun…it can hurt when people aren’t excited about breaking the routine. Ah well, she might have been having a bad day. All is not lost!

Agent Rutledge Mann
I don’t think that I ever really expected our first venture into Urban Improv to go entirely smoothly, but it was a bit comical how things did go wrong. To first have one person have to back out, we were then lacking the candy and another set of hands. Then I get a phone call, as I am nervously waiting for the bus, that the bus we chose has been marked as “Out of Service”, which could have seriously dampened our plans. A quick chat with the driver and things were back on track. Anyone who needed to get on was able to, and things otherwise went according to plan. It was difficult to videotape what was happening on the bus and try to hand things out. Everyone was generally pretty cooperative about putting on hats and participating in the surprise. As we got to the co-op we got everyone to get down so we could jump out and surprise Agent Harry Vincent. He and Agent Jericho Druke boarded the bus, and for a split second I thought no one was going to yell. Then all of a sudden everyone was yelling and saying “Happy Birthday” and we were handing out candy. The party was funny, we had a couple of points when things died down a bit and I searched for other things to do, which was a bit difficult but the whole point of improving it. Over all it was successful, it was funny and random and made some people smile. What I found most amusing was the contact with people we knew. First I sent out very mysterious messages for those people to simply be on the right bus at the right time. Then, when we eventually exited the bus, we all walked in different directions like nothing had happened. It was hilarious. We will be infamous inevitably!

Agent Jericho Druke
Ohh man...I'm about to win...Only one level left. As I continued to play The Magical Quest: Starring Mickey Mouse my phone rang. I noticed that it was Agent Clyde Burke and I knew that it was time to begin the “operation.” He told me that he was the first checkpoint, and I knew that I had about 20 minutes before I had to meet up with Agent Harry Vincent at the rendezvous point. I left out, with a breeze against my fleece, as I walked the campus and eventually saw Agent Harry Vincent. Everything was in place for the “Birthday Bus.” But while waiting, I got a text message from Agent Clyde Burke saying the bus was not in service, but get on it still. I was confused and worried, thinking that all of our hard work would fall down the drain. But we went along with the idea of his birthday anyways, so as people walked by, I would mention things such as, "how's your birthday?" or "Don’t feel as if people forgot your birthday, the night's still young". As Agent Harry Vincent and I waited around we saw the bus coming, with the "Out of Service" sign showing, but it still pulled into the pick-up area, so I figured that one of the agents had corrected the problem.

As I lead Agent Harry Vincent on the bus for his “Surprise Birthday Party,” everything had been as I imagined. People with party hats, a happy birthday banner, and candy given out to random people on the bus. A friend of mine was sitting down, but I wasn't able to talk to him about what was going on—it would have taken away from the whole feeling of confusion that people were suppose to have. So I felt bad, but I think he believed that the party was actually real, so I do not feel to bad. As Agent Rutledge Mann had the camera, and we all made fake birthday wishes, we got off of the bus about one minute after I had got on, and went our separate ways. Overall, I felt as if this mission was a success.

Agent Harry Vincent
I got the call from Agent Jericho Druke to roll out around 5:30. So, jumping in and out of the shower quick, I made my way to the Co-Op bus stop at roughly 5:45. Apparently Agent Clyde Burke had called him early to make sure everything went right, and I don't doubt my constant lateness had something to do with that. We made brief conversation about said mission but soon shifted into a bit of improvising. I played the bitter kid whose friends had neglected his birthday, while Agent Jericho Druke was trying to show me the bright side of things. We kept this up for a bit until we found out that the bus had been marked 'Not in Service' we broke after that to discuss how we'd be let on a bus that wasn't making stops. It was okay, though, as there were still no people there. In fact, when the bus picked us up, it was just the two of us.

As the Out of Service bus pulled up, I got into character a bit. I pulled back that angst from the earlier improve session and tried to imagine how I'd react upon finding out I didn't need to be angsty anymore. It seemed like I had a lot of time to think. I stepped on the bus and took a seat and just moped, even though I saw a few people I recognized. But eventually I did hear the "Happy Birthday! Surprise!" and I had to jump into action. It wasn't too hard, smile wide, look around, repeat quips about not believing it, and generally acting like a child. I got to have some Starburst and I even got one of those pointy cardboard hats.

At one point I saw a girl who was in a class of mine last semester. I did give her a wave. Other than that, I think I did fairly well keeping the theme going of "not knowing anyone", but I don't quite remember. It was a very short bus ride. And once it was over, I took my birthday hat, my birthday banner, and a pocketful of Starburst and just started walking.

All in all, a good experience. I look forward to more complicated ones in the near future.

Keep an eye out here (and if you’re at Uconn, around campus,) for more Urban Improv projects!

Labels: Birthday Bus, improv, UConn, urban improv, video

Originally Posted Mar 26, 2006 - 2:32P [Site News]
What a rush…what a week! First, the play…then the Birthday Bus, then the cast party…what a freakin’ week! I’m exhausted, and I’m happy to just be settling into a purely academic life for a little bit. Hey, as the current article is huge, I’ve created a new Archive page, accessible here, and through the link at the bottom of the page. That’ll neaten things up. Anyways, please enjoy the report about the Birthday Bus, and send me your thoughts!

The ice is getting’ pretty slippery…
-Nicholas J. Carroll

Labels: archive, Birthday Bus, cast party, improv, Treatment, urban improv