My friend Cozi has all the inside scoop on the scene of improv and sketch going on around town.
He suggested we perform at the Inner Sanctum (a cafe at UCB). Sounds good to me!
I was a little nervous because I’ve never improvised with him before, and he has tons of experience. However, he didn’t make me feel intimidated at all. He is super duper (uber) positive – probably the most positive person I know. And I think that’s the thing everybody loves about him.
Everybody loves him, by the way. After any show we go to in any part of town, afterward all these people are always coming up to him, “Cozi!” And it’s like, “How is it possible for you to know every human being on this earth? [or at least in the LA improv scene… okay, I guess it’s not all that hard. The world is tiny.]”
At the Inner Sanctum on Sundays, there’s a BYOT (Bring Your Own Team). You put your team name in the bucket and the order is drawn at random. There’s also a bucket for anyone who wants to do sketches. You’re welcome to do an improv and a sketch in the same day.
Also, they do a group called “New Friends.” If you don’t have a team, you can go and improv with whoever else doesn’t have a team.
When I got there, this really kind woman (Lindsey) on lights said, “I saw you last night in the 7-Day Show! You were so funny! Really held your own as the only girl in that group of guys.
I’d felt so off about the previous night’s show that instead of being a cool person who just said, “Thanks so much!” I was all, “Really? No way. I felt off. Blah blah blah blah blah.”
That’s not what you do! You always accept compliments. Gah! (Although, I have absolutely complimented improvisers I barely knew before who were like, “shoulda done this and that.” So, I’m not the only one… Still, I should be better about that.)
Anyway, and then I felt super awkward ’cause it kind of felt like I was complaining about my group, which I wasn’t meaning to do. And then Lindsey got up for New Friends and totally killed it. So funny! And then I felt even more awkward for not being the cool gracious improviser I’m sure she is…
Anyway, Cozi and I got the suggestion of victory. I let him initiate, because why not? He initiated with trading Jonathan Taylor Thomas posters for Justin Timberlake posters. We were basically valley girls, and for once I played the person of status!
I’m always playing someone who apologizes or is low status (those people are usually more fun (and to me, easier) to play). But in this scene, he went low status and I got to have victory by getting the better posters (obviously the ones of Jonathan Taylor Thomas ;)).