10 Notes
A post I made on the IRC a few days back
First, this is maybe the wrong forum for this. Apologies in advance.
I’ve been involved with UCB in some capacity since 2007 (2006?). My view on improv has undergone dozens of shifts since that time, and I’m sure it will continue to shift as I, with any luck, continue to learn. But I wanted to send an improv crush out to the people who are making the glue moves, the moves that don’t always get the huge laughs, but that make the huge laughs possible. The people I admire who do this stuff on a consistent basis aren’t doing it because they’re not funny enough to make the big move, but because from time to time they sublimate their egos for the benefit of the team.
Will Hines once gave a note about walk-ons that I’ll never forget: pass the ball in the direction that the scene was already going. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve failed to do that, and how many times a teammate has passed me the ball so beautifully that it made me look much better than I am.
So, to the tens of improvisers who’ve consistently made these moves on my behalf over the last few years, (Chris Gethard, D’Arcy Carden, Jordan Klepper, Winston Noel, Nate Russell, Cathryn Mudon, and on and on and on…) thank you. Thank you for always knowing the names of the characters in the scenes, for choosing to think a move was great instead of calling it out, and for making people (me) occasionally look good without having earned it.
Sorry for my first real post to be such a long one. Just wanted to give some props to the John Stocktons of the world in a space where Karl Malones get most of the love. Any dunk I’ve ever thrown down came off a brilliant pass from someone else. And those are the people who inspire me now.
Sincerely yours,
Greg Ostertag
I’ve been involved with UCB in some capacity since 2007 (2006?). My view on improv has undergone dozens of shifts since that time, and I’m sure it will continue to shift as I, with any luck, continue to learn. But I wanted to send an improv crush out to the people who are making the glue moves, the moves that don’t always get the huge laughs, but that make the huge laughs possible. The people I admire who do this stuff on a consistent basis aren’t doing it because they’re not funny enough to make the big move, but because from time to time they sublimate their egos for the benefit of the team.
Will Hines once gave a note about walk-ons that I’ll never forget: pass the ball in the direction that the scene was already going. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve failed to do that, and how many times a teammate has passed me the ball so beautifully that it made me look much better than I am.
So, to the tens of improvisers who’ve consistently made these moves on my behalf over the last few years, (Chris Gethard, D’Arcy Carden, Jordan Klepper, Winston Noel, Nate Russell, Cathryn Mudon, and on and on and on…) thank you. Thank you for always knowing the names of the characters in the scenes, for choosing to think a move was great instead of calling it out, and for making people (me) occasionally look good without having earned it.
Sorry for my first real post to be such a long one. Just wanted to give some props to the John Stocktons of the world in a space where Karl Malones get most of the love. Any dunk I’ve ever thrown down came off a brilliant pass from someone else. And those are the people who inspire me now.
Sincerely yours,
Greg Ostertag
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The above is interesting to improvisers only, and even then to very few of those, and even then, to the very few of those who know who Greg Ostertag is. My first non-plug IRC post. Long-winded? Oh yes.
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