4 Wigs, 3 Macaroni Sculptures & a U.S. Senator

So who was sitting in the front row of my recent performances of Oy & Joy to the World but Russ Feingold, U.S. Senator extraordinaire. I mean, really.

There I was taking off wigs, adding a boa, playing my $1.26 guitar I bought on ebay (and paid $35.00 to ship) all the while thinking, look what I do for a living and look what you do for a living.

Throughout the entire show I kept wondering: Does Russ think this is funny? Is Russ having a good time? Is Russ going to do the singalong at the end about making art?

All six shows were packed, wild and juicy. People showed up expecting to be entertained and boy oh boy, were they ever. Each audience has its own vibe and flavor, making the improvised segments the most fun. A highlight: a man asked Pet Psychic Zelda Goosebump why his goldfish would only swim backwards and Zelda suggested he try standing near the bowl with a mirror.

When Russ yawned I got nervous and worried that I wasn't exciting enough. Then I remembered that he shuffles way more paper than I do and he could be just a tiny bit fatigued due to his ginormous workload.

What a week. Six sold-out shows at a Chinese restaurant where the staff who work in the back—which is where I hang out—only speak Chinese and look at me funny in my purple hair and turquoise boa.

My favorite part: After hanging up the theatre lights I set up the coatrack with all of my props—including but not limited to— 4 wigs, 2 hats, 1 boa—and then stood in the back of the room, looked at the scene, and thought, "What an odd and unique way to make a living." I thought of the women whom I admire, whose work inspired and continues to inform my own work: Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner, Lily Tomlin, and thought, "How blessed am I."

Happy New Year y'all.

Remote Control Theatre

Was just at the Denver Improv Festival.

My personal improv workout began before the official festival with my (BFF and) true improv teacher Liora. I’ve known her since she was two and have ‘studied’ improv with her from the moment we met: she was in a pink tutu and we were being chased, then hiding, pressed against a wall, eyes sparkling at each other as if our lives were on the line. She’s my soul sister, artistically, and always pushing me beyond my creative comfort zone.

One night after dinner Liora designed the remote control featured here. (Her family only watches TV if they’re watching a movie, FYI.) She then handed the remote to me, told me to announce which button I was pressing and proceeded to act out the various channels and scenarios ala the remote.

Sports included commentary as well as action (the Rockies were just going into the playoffs when I was visiting), Comedy involved lots of pratfalls and physical shtick, ‘Liora Main’ was a series of ‘my favorite color is, my favorite song is,’ etc… Other buttons included fast forward motion or reverse, with or without sound. I added the following ‘buttons’: Slow Motion, Gibberish, Tragedy (which involved a lot of fainting and falling on the floor) and Drama. Liora didn’t skip a beat, even as several buttons were pushed at the same time, such as: Sports/Slow Motion/Reverse or Comedy/Gibberish/Fast Forward or Tragedy/Silent.

She improvised kazillions of scenarios for about an hour. We (the adults) shifted from the table to the living room, Liora got ice cream sandwiches for us and also ate her own—and made everything part of her ‘scenes.’

I think of that line from the old Superman show: “Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound.” That's my girl: fearless, fierce—yet relaxed—while creating, while playing, while inventing.

What a pleasure to witness how Liora relishes the unknown, rolls around in it, takes suggestions and just transforms one idea to the next, with no room for insecurity or doubt or second-guessing. The remote control theatre experience just flowed.

Then it was my turn to act out the scenes as Liora took over the remote. It was tricky to switch gears so quickly. As with anything done well, she’d made it look soooo easy. Believe me, it wasn’t. But it was a good workout. After running through all of the buttons, Liora stayed on the Drama channel, calling out ‘switch’ when she was bored and wanted to see a new scene in the same genre. I improvised back-to-back stories about planting cotton, fires, a banjo, rocking chairs on a porch, heartbreak and disappointment, love gone awry and generic longing. That’s all I remember, as it’s all kind of a blur.

Needless to say, this remote control theatre experience made me fall in love with my sweet friend all over again. How did I get so lucky to find someone who has this much fun?

Getting Lost on Purpose

My own theory about comedy is this: what makes for good humor is when you take the banal and mix it with something kooky, like mowing a lawn made of Jello or take something kooky and combine it with something banal, like being fired from a cannon while using your wireless device to determine the arc and rate of the projectile so you can let the ambulance folks know exactly where to show up.

It’s all about the surprise element. About not being predictable.

I’ve lived in Madison for over 25 years and know the lay of the land by heart: Streets, lakes, stores, houses, etc. Getting around town happens habitually. However, there are some woods near where I live and I’ve been walking there lately. I never quite know where I’m going or where I’ll end up. It's such a luxury to have lived here for so long and still be able to get lost, to "not know" something in the middle of all things familiar.

Now I'm starting to recognize the thick stone steps that look like they lead to a castle, the tree that bends across the entire path, the funky bridge, the hilltop vista that reminds me of a wall-sized photo I once saw in Paris.

But right now everything is new and I have to pay attention. I can’t zone out or drift into thinking about other things. I have to be present. This is trickier than it sounds. As my character Helvi says, "There's a lot going on in the world, the country, the community and especially in our own heads, which is where we spend most of our time!"

The more I walk in the woods the sooner the mystery will fade and everything will become known. It's okay. Walking, listening to music, feeling the chilly autumn air on my skin is all good. Until I memorize the trails I revel in not knowing where I’m going. I love the 'not knowing.' It wakes me up to my world.