Alan and Amanda

Well I just dropped Cameron off at the Midway airport and am getting ready to take a nap. This weekend did not have a lot of "sleep time" for us. But while I wind down I thought I would write about how EXTRA SHELVES did in their first festival and how it was to have Mike and Cameron in town for the weekend.

Friday - Mike and Cameron came into town at almost the same time but in two different airports so Amanda and I had to come up with some creative ideas to pick the guys up. What we ended up doing was to have Mike take the Blue Line from O'Hare and I meet him at the Addison stop and for Amanda to leave work an hour early so that she could grab Cam at Midway Airport. This worked out pretty well. Mike had a urge for some Chicago deep dish pizza from Gino's East so when we got home we ordered the pie and had it waiting when Amanda and Cam got home.

From that we went to perform our first show of the weekend at Pressure Cafe. This is the same spot that we did our show two years ago to a packed house and seemed like the perfect place for a warm-up show. Amanda brought about five friends from work and Bryan and Sarah were kind enough to bring some of theirs as well as our old neighbors Lindsey and John. The show went GREAT and it was a lot of fun to play with the guys again. After that we went for drinks at Mullan's where the official CIF after party was held. We ended up closing that down and getting to bed at 2:30am.

Saturday -  As I mentioned in a previous post, I am done with taking improv classes. And I am fortunate to end my run of classes with Mick Napier of the Annoyance Theater. Well, Mick was kind enough to let Cam and Mike sit in on our last class. I was a little worried since there was already like 15 people in class and did not want to make anyone angry at having two outsiders join in on the last day. But what's wonderful about Mick is he does not care. Like to an AWESOME level of not caring. In fact one of the best improv moments happened to me on that same day even before we did any improv. Mick was behind the bar and I had just introduced him to Cam and Mike and he said "Hi" and made some nice small talk with the boys while pouring two shots of scotch. One he put in front of me and the other he took for himself I took a second to look at what was in front of me and then looked at him and he had this look of "Well fatboy, you going to drink with me or what?" I grabbed my glass, with a toast and we slammed them down. He went about his business and I just geeked at how cool a moment I just had with a person that in one hand I look up to as a improv role model and now also look at as a person I enjoy talking with over a few drinks. It was great and even for such a small thing I will always remember it...

I think the hugest thing I have taken from him is that "I don't care" attitude and honestly I believe it is EXACTLY what I needed in my improv. If not? Honestly.. Who cares?

The class itself was a blast as always. I have been in Chicago for two years and I wish I had spent all the time taking classes from Susan Messing and Mick. What they are selling feels right. It is right and I am extremely happy right now. After class we did our normal eating and drinking at The Fat Cat. I love my classmates. All of them funny, smart and talented! We have a plan to continue playing together and I think that's good.

Then we went home and slammed into our pillows. Our new house is great for entertaining. Cam and Mike each had their own bedrooms which was huge. Speaking of huge, when we woke up my wife showed once again how AWESOME she is. While we slept she had made the biggest meal I had ever seen. Sirloin Meatloaf, Cheesy Basmotti Rice with Broccoli, Salad with orange bell peppers and fancy tomatoes and Le Brea Bakery sesame seed bread! Plus she made fresh chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes! Needless to say we dove right in!

It was then on to our big show! The studio theater we were in was great, the show was sold out and we were the last of three acts. The talent level in our time slot was wonderful. The first group was a two person team made up of a boyfriend / girlfriend situation from LA called NOW? and they rocked the house! Then another two person team called Bearded Men did their thing dressed as old grannies and had a zesty set that the audience ate up and then we went on. Our suggestion was "Tackle Shop" and the show went great! I so love working with these guys. We are just so different at what we do and how we approach improv that I personally feel our shows have a bit of everything.

After the show we hit Mullan's again and then back home to watch the video. The only sad part of the whole weekend was that my tripod was too short and the people in the theater blocked it from getting the show on film. Boo...

Sunday - I woke us up too early for "Hangover Brunch" but Amanda's cousin Sherie met up and we had a great time. Mike was a little grumpy at me though. After brunch we went back home and the guys caught some zzz's. Then at noon I wanted to go see the apprentice teams perform at Gorilla Tango since I had been in contact with the three woman group from Kansas City MO. Mike had to ditch half way through the show but Cam and I saw all four and then headed back home. Once again, heads hit pillows and we were back asleep. When we woke up Amanda had once again out done herself by making Chicken Chili! Cam declared it "The best thing I have ever had" (I got a pretty wonderful wife folks...). We had planned on hitting the closing roast and party for CIF but after the soup and actually sitting on the coach I think we were just done. We all went to bed at 9pm...

Monday - At 4am Cam and I got up and I gave him a ride to Midway so he could head home. We had a great conversation about theater and musical theater history and then we said our goodbyes. I hope EXTRA SHELVES gets into the Austin Festival so we can perform and hang again.

Tonight I get to once again sit in with a group I hope to be apart of. I had a fun time playing with them and am looking forward to it again. Then Saturday I start back with a team I play with and enjoy a lat called Old Dogs. They were kind enough to give me a break so I could finish Annoyance and my midnight run at Comedysportz as a stage manager. (No more midnight show for this little badger for a while, let me tell you...)

What a great week!

Eastern grilling!, originally uploaded by josiahbadger.

I miss the X49 bus, originally uploaded by josiahbadger.

Meili gets some sun, originally uploaded by josiahbadger.

I should know better..., originally uploaded by josiahbadger.

I never learned a musical instrument, just never seemed to have the aptitude. But in middle school I found something else. I found theater. From middle school to high school I performed and worked on plays and every one I did seemed to open up a new aspect of the art to me. While my friends went on to college to study I worked and did as many plays as I could. I read books about theater history, I read plays and I researched the actors that I admired. As the years went on I became a stage manager (still one of my favorite jobs in theater and a skill I take great pride in) to be a better stage manager I learned to direct plays. I targeted the directors that were doing the work I liked. Solid, consistent and above all else. Smart. In someways I felt sorry for these people becuase once I got it in my head I wanted to work and learn from them I was in their face until I got too. I learned a lot. The only director I never got to work with was named Mark Norwood I regret that I could not make that happen since he is such a talented actor and director.

Then I got invited to be a part of an improv troop in Fresno and my path started to change. Double so once Second City came to Fresno. I had never seen theater like what they were doing! It was instant, it was funny and most of all it was magical! And I wanted to do it...

Three months later I was auditioning for the Second City Conservatory in Los Angeles. I was really putting my foot out there on this audition (in all honesty I didn't REALLY qualify for the audition) I got up there and I poured my heart out at that audition. And three weeks later me and thirty other people were admitted into the Conservatory. It was the hugest thing that ever had happened in my life. At the orientation I was told my life would never be the same after a year learning from Second City and they were not wrong. As with anything I devoured any info I could find and I watched every show I could see. When I saw a performer that was doing things that clicked with me I made note of what theaters they came from. Second City, iO, Annoyance, Comedysportz. It looked like a recipe to me. And I vowed to follow it. (Not really thinking that each of these theaters were a year long program) As I did that I also started performing more and more. By the time I left LA I figured I had performed in 200 plus shows.

I got to be in two house ensembles at the Second City (training center). Then I moved on to iO West and did their year long program and then made it onto a Harold team. I was doing two shows a week and starting to coach other teams.

Then I met a wonderful woman and fell for each other and got engaged. I followed her to Chicago. The pinnacle hub of the art of improvisation! Where most of the greats got started. For five years I took classes without stop and once I landed in Chicago I picked right up again at Comedysportz. After the first year there I moved onto the Annoyance and am only three classes from finishing that. I'm getting to work with Mick Napier and (for now) he will be the last teaching in this my seven year journey. Sometimes I think I bite too hard on a idea or a passion. But looking back I have performed improv from Los Angeles to London. I have performed with some of the most talented people I have ever met and learned from people that are gods in the community. I don't know whats next for me, hopefully I will break more into performing in Chicago (It has not been as easy a nut to crack as I would like) but I do know that I have no regrets. And I am very proud of what I have done.

I think there are some people out there that should know I would not have been able to do any of this without their support and I want to mention them and thank them -

My Mom and my little brother, My wife Amanda, John Masier, Randy Stump, S. Eric Day, David Razowsky, Scot Robinson, Tom Booker, Michael Pollock, Kate Wiswell, Fred Cross, Amy Seeley, Carlos Santos, Brent Tubbs, Rick Kent, Chris Compton, Mike Ross, James Grace, Jason Pardo, Josh Funk, Craig Cackowski, Dan Pessano, Mick Napier, Susan Messing, Cameron Fife, Mike McLendon, Nathan Clark, Matt Elwell, Rene Duquesnoy, Chris O. Biddle, Harz Sondericker and Erin Pallesen.