UCB

Just another Manic Monday

ashharrell2 Comments

Yeah.  Hello.   Hi, I’m alive.

Honestly, when I don’t write in this blog, the anticipation of my next entry and the realization that I have more and more to write just builds and builds until I have absolutely no drive to sit down and update this here thing.
But here I am.  
I have got a lot going on these days.  It feels good to be busy.  Looking at my last update, I mentioned that I had just gone to an audition and gotten a callback.  Well, I went to two more auditions and ended up getting a part in the musical. (I actually ran into 50 Cent in the hallway of the audition location – yeah, he was casting for his new movie.)  If you want to check out the website of “Nudists in Love” (my musical – not 50 Cent’s movie), you can read about the show and the awesome people putting it all together.  Rehearsals start tomorrow, and the show goes up in August as a part of the NYC Fringe Festival (one of New York’s finest Scottish imports).  

Which leads me to my Tuesday night conflicts with our rehearsals: my new Tuesday night gig at Upright Citizens Brigade.  Yup, I mentioned it here in my last entry, but since then I have worked two fantastic Harold nights and met some wonderful people at the theater.  The internship translates to two free classes at UCB, which I am using for my Sketch 101, and most likely, Sketch 201 classes.  My job on Tuesday nights entails prepping the theater for the show, selling tickets in the box office, checking tickets as patrons enter the theater, and cleaning it all up just after midnight.  It’s a pretty good gig, considering it also allows me free admission to any show at the theater, even if it’s sold out.  Yeah, it’s tough work (especially after working eight hours during the day), but I feel I’m just putting in my dues before I really make it big.  (Only half joking here.)

In other improv news, our sketch/improv group “The Knife Parade” recently went through an identity crisis and renamed ourselves “The Karate Parade.”  One of our members used to be a knife salesman and is now teaching karate to kids, so our group’s moniker seems to be following his career path.  Henceforward, I will refer to it here as “TKP.”  So, TKP enjoyed a fun show last Saturday, opening up for a group called “Sherpa” with another group called “Kape.”  We had a great turnout and a pretty awesome show, so we are stoked for our next public appearance, this Friday at Gotham City Improv with “Bombardo.”  If you’re in the NYC area, you should check it out: 7/18 10pm, 48 W 21st St., 8th floor, $6, BYOB.
What else is new…. hmm… 

I’m going to be moving down to the East Village next month with my pal, Brooke – though we are still anxiously awaiting confirmation from our management company that our application was accepted.  I have been neglecting covering the topic in my blog for my amateurish fear of jinxing the place.  It’s beautiful.  Great big living space, beautiful exposed brick, a TUB, great neighborhood.  Couldn’t ask for much more.  I’m ready for a change from my current location in the Upper East Side.   Brian will be moving up to a nice apartment in Harlem, to live with his fellow theater friend from Palo Alto.  I think we are both ready to escape the incessant construction, loud traffic, and cheap frat boys that litter our ever-decomposing block.  Wow, do I sound a little jaded?  I think I have just finally found my calling as an East Village punk (see Cyndi Lauper at right.)  Too bad I already let my monroe piercing grow in… I would have fit right in!  I’m having remorse.
Have you ever been to Chelsea Market?  I popped in Saturday afternoon to enjoy some free A/C and feast my eyes on restaurant equipment… but MAN oh man – they have some top quality produce in that joint.  If you’re in need of some veggies and fruits, head over there and spend a fraction of the cost.  You wouldn’t expect the prices to be so affordable, given the ultra modern architecture and factory-turned-trendy interior design, but they had a wide variety of amazingly fresh and organic ingredients for CHEAP.  Check it out.

The last note I will end with today (though I have SO much more to cover) are some thoughts on my new Sketch class at Upright Citizens Brigade.  I’m currently in the second week of 101 with Dominic Dierkes (he’s got some fantastically funny videos with his sketch group Derrick).  My most recent sketch involved a heterosexual man’s experience of “coming out” to his gay Dads, and was pretty well received by my teacher and the rest of the class.  This week, our assignment is to write a “character” sketch, or an SNL-type sketch which utilizes the funny philosophy or “game” of a character in any given situation.  Think Chris Farley as the “Motivational Speaker”  (in a van down by the river!)  So if you have any brilliant ideas for a character you’d like to see incorporated into a sketch, please be my muse and comment!
Peace out – enjoy the sun and humidity, NYC.

Being Sketchy

ashharrell1 Comment

Just wanted to share with you a fun experience I had last Friday night… a few gents from my UCB 201 class plus a token female (me), decided to participate in an Upright Citizens Brigade open-mic of sorts: “Liquid Courage.”  This is a late-night opportunity for up and coming sketch groups to try out their sketchy skills in front of a not-so-sober audience.  Actually, it should be noted that some of the sketch groups were also in this “not-so-sober” category.  The five of us prepared a sketch about a crazy party-guy who hits on all the ladies in the office (writing props to Sydney).  We rehearsed Thursday and Friday, and were ready to go by midnight – complete with two of the guys dressed in skirts and wigs as ladies.  I think all our nerves were a little haywire before the show started, but by the time we walked on stage we were pumped and ready to go.  The sketch ended up being a lot of fun, and seemed to be well-received by the audience!  Though we weren’t out of the theater until after 2AM, we decided to still celebrate with a beer down the street.  This is definitely something we will be trying again!

Before I Lay My Head To Sleep…

ashharrell3 Comments

I needed to brag to everyone about the incredible improv show I just attended!  The founding group of Upright Citizens Brigade, Asssscat 3000 (don’t assssk), performs two shows every Sunday evening – one at 7:00 and a second (free show) at 9:30.  We opted for the latter and headed to the show, hoping that in arriving at 9:30 we would still get a seat… AND we did…. ON the stage.  [Sidenote: When reading that last sentence, the words in all caps should be in a sing-songy voice at a higher pitch than the words that follow.]  So, once in our stage-side seats, we were graced with top of the line improvised comedy, featuring Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz, Seth Myers, Jack McBrayer, Paul Sheer, and others from UCB, SNL, and The Colbert Report.  Not only was the comedy fantastic, we had a great audience!  I mean… really great.  Chevy Chase sat in the second row sipping red wine, and we remarked at his graciousness when he rose from his seat to greet a few fans.  A couple seconds later, we realized that the group he approached was actually Macaulay and Kieran Culkin with Mila Kunis.  What a night for star-gazing – and great laughter!

ashharrell6 Comments

Pardon the inter- ruption… I don’t mean to interfere with your plans for the day, but I… I have something to say.  Oh, and check out the art to the right…. love it.

  1. Walking around with a four-month old kitten in a knapsack on your person is not generally regarded as “normal” by Upper East Siders.
  2. Upright Citizens Brigade trumps all other improv comedy schools.   
  3. The Ritz (well I’ve only seen the first half so far) is extremely funny and entertaining, and would be even better if I were a 50-year-old gay man.
  4. I have gotten pretty good at making auditors laugh (with me, not at me) – while still not getting a job in a show.
  5. New York gets kind of cold in November.  What will January be like?
  6. It is not as easy as I thought it would be do wash all of my clothes in one day.
  7. Like I said, UCB trumps all others, and one reason is this, which talks about the SNL performance at the UCB theater last night, which raised money for the Writers Guild Strike Fund and figuratively smashed poo in the producers’ faces. 
  8. The Lower East Side has some very interesting live music venues.  Some notable names include “The Living Room” and “Arlene’s Grocery.”  Good times. 
  9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is an outstanding piece of literature, but according to my roommate, not a very good Broadway musical. (This is not to be confused with Mel Brook’s Young Frankenstein, which is reportedly the best musical in the history of musicals.  I have tickets for the December 30th matinee!)
  10. When you find a good pair of boots at Steve Madden for 20% off, you should buy them in two colors.  I know I did.
  11. Another reason to defend UCB’s superiority is the fact that there will be a (and you are soooo lucky to know about this before the fact) live performance of NBC’s Emmy-winning TV show 30 Rock tomorrow evening, also at the UCB theater to raise money for the writers who struck out, I mean – are striking.  Check out this desperate craigslist post.
  12. I learned how to do links today.
  13. In an effort to emphasize how amazing UCB is, I will inform you that I signed up for “201”, the next course in the series of classes formed by some of NYC’s best comics.  I love these classes, and hopefully one day, can show you- whoever you are- that I am funny.
13 is my lucky number.  That’s all folks.  
Oh, here’s something cool you should watch if you like indie rock – an awesome artist named Levi Weaver, who I saw last year at the Imogen Heap concert and is coming to my town next month.  And yes, we are myspace buddies – and we message back and forth like BFFs.  For ser.

http://www.youtube.com/v/zArJiI2x4vw&rel=1&border=0

Have I Told You Lately

ashharrell7 Comments

That I love you? For reading this blog, that is. The funny thing about my page is the counter at the bottom. I think it’s past 1000 hits now… but I guarantee you that at least 300 of them were from me – because that’s how I link on to see and work on the page… probably 3-400 were my Mom… a couple hundred from Oma/Opa… and some honorary hits to other friends who I harass to read the blog and make comments. (Sidenote: I invented a word: comments on blogs = blogments.) If my page was only tracking unique hits, the number would probably be more like 18 or so. Maybe I’m wrong but probably not. So… what have I been up to lately? LOTS. Living and loving this city, basically. I have gotten way way way into my improv school, Upright Citizens Brigade (check out yesterday’s article in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/nyregion/thecity/28come.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.) I apologize… I haven’t learned how to successfully and easily add links into blogs. Feel free to blogment or blogscold me. The people in my class at UCB are amazingly brilliant and hilarious… we are all amazed at how well we get along, and frequently are commenting that we all remind each other of our friends from college. Tonight I went to a show at the UCB theater with some friends from the class – and I can’t complain about the $2 PBRs at the show! In other news, I have been attending as many dance classes as possible… though I’m not always the brightest star in the room (aka never). Tonight we did a dance from “Cats,” which was fun, but I looked like a feral amputee or something. On a totaly unrelated note… do you watch Lost? Because I just finished season 3 and ohmygodicantbelievehowgoodthatfreakingshowis! That’s really the reason I haven’t updated this page in so long (I know, pathetic). Hey, I had my first true NY celeb siting yesterday (I am not counting the not-quite-sure if that was Roger Bart running around the Jackie-O reservoir)… I saw Jeremy Sisto of Six Feet Under, Law & Order, and of course – Clueless! “Rollin’ with my homies…” I was downtown exploring the East Village after a failed attempt at Trader Joe’s, and nearly ran into him with a dumbfounded look on my face! So great. Okay… this entry is completely A.D.D… it’s time for bed.