Sunday, Improvy, Sunday

I go to church every Sunday. My church has a bar. My church is full of fellow believers. My church let's me tell poorly worded dick jokes. For about twelve hours on Sunday I am able to wrench every single ounce of fun out of what used to be a wasted day. Let me back up a minute.

Every Sunday I shake off my hangover and wait for my partner in jokes to show up. At noon Owens, myself, and a guest record a podcast. It's awesome. You can disagree but for me it's the most fun I have had doing anything. We get our friends to come on and talk all sorts of crazy shit about themselves for a little over an hour. The show is online an hour after we record. Please check us out on iTunes. The Poor Choices Show.

From there I try to make rehearsal for my (sadly) soon to be defunct 5B improv team. I wasn't having the best time seven weeks ago. Completely my fault. As a teacher once said "If you can't don't know who the asshole is, it's you". It was me. A few weeks in I decided to have as much fun as I could playing with some amazing people. Lo and behold I did. I love my team. I love watching them play.

After rehearsal it's show time. We go on at seven and we try to entertain for about forty minutes. It's a cluster fuck in the best way possible. Nothing is off limits. We play harder and faster than I ever have. It's been so cool watching each and everyone of us have our "moment". That scene or phrase where we put it all together.

Then I get to watch a whole group of ridiculously talented people give it their all. Again I love these shows. But what I enjoy more is watching people put it together. I have known most of these people for a year and they continue to blow me away with how talented they are. Each and everyone of them has just killed it.

From there it's off to see the best one-two punch in Chicago. Middle Age Comeback and 3033. I have been going to these shows for the last year and there is not better night aroun. Every week MAC will, sing, dance, yell, throw puppets, and remind the entire room how far you can push improv. Two guys create more and play harder than just about every team in town. 3033 is a collection of the smartest improvisers in Chicago. I am always blown away by the discoveries they make throughout the shows. Each of the members of 3033 is unique in what they do. If you are trying to build a team emulate these guys.

The crowd at MAC and 3033 consists of many of best young players in town. It feels like some weird club that meets every Sunday. The excitement that builds as "Undercover of Night" or "Time to Pretend" get louder and louder before the shows is electric. We clap along and cheer the same way every week. It's our ritual. Knowing that Chin is going to play music cuts from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Jai Ho" is half the fun. Waiting for that moment when Rush walks into a scene and lays out the entire show in two sentences is the best. MAC playing the stick up game never fails to destroy.

After twelve hours of comedy I am never tired. I only feel tired on Monday when I am at work. I only feel tired when I think that it's going to be another week till next Sunday.