We were extremely excited to be a part of this event. Not only would we get to perform improv but we would get to perform with lots of other talented people. AND we would be venturing out of our comfort zone to perform long form improv instead of our usual short form.
The night before the show we decided to hold a rehearsal to practice long form since it is something that we had not even attempted to try for over a year. As the director of the group I was going to frantically search the internet for advice and helpful hints on how to do long form but in no way was I qualified to "teach" my fellow troupe members how to be successful at it. Luckily for us Mike from Sidestage Improv stepped up to the plate and went to our rehearsal to give us a mini-masterclass on performing long form. We had a lot of fun that night. There were things that we did extremely well and I was beyond proud of my group. Sure there were things that we needed to work on but we wanted to focus on having fun on stage rather than being the most perfect group. So with that rehearsal out of the way we were excited, and partially nervous, to perform at Sidestage.
On the night of the show I admit that I got nervous. I've been performing with my fellow Roarriors for so long that I don't tend to get nervous before our shows since I have faith in us. But this time being in a different venue, performing in front of a different audience, having other good groups performing alongside us, trying out a new format-- all this had me nervous. Still I was even more excited to go out there and have the time of my life.
When doors opened we were pleasantly surprised to see the amount of people coming in to see the show! For our own Roar shows we tend to have smaller numbers so to see that over 100 people were there to see the show, and that many people were turned away at the door because there was no more room to put people, was beyond exciting. It was like we were performing on Broadway. We warmed up and were ready for the show.
The first group to go up was The Stage Monkeys. They were absolutely incredible, as usual. I love their scene work and how they tell stories. It always amazes me how in sync they are as a group. It seems that one person is always thinking ahead and ready to make the next move to make the scene flow better.
We were up next. I remember asking the audience for a suggestion and the first word I heard was "flamingo" so we went with that but from there it is a blur. We were performing a montage so it was great to see how the original flamingo suggestion evolved. I was having a lot of fun. And the next thing I know our time was up. Overall I felt that we had some pretty good stuff happening on stage.
Now that it was time to relax we were able to watch two more groups perform. Terduckin was next. This group consisted of two people. This was the first time I was able to see a two-person team and they pulled it off! I was completely amazed at how effortless they made it look. An advantage of having many people on a team/group is that you have enough people to edit and begin new scenes. But with a two person group you have to rely on knowing each other well enough to move the scene forward and to be able to effortlessly create a new scene. They did that and so much more. I can't wait to see them perform more.
MagFive was the last group to perform. If we were at a rock concert they would be the headliners. They were that good. Every single thing they did was beyond right. They had a little bit of everything. I was watching them in wonderment taking mental notes on how I can contribute and improve scenes that I am in. My sides were hurting from laughing so much. When I grow up I want to be that good.
Overall our experience with Sidestage was wonderful! We got to meet many fabulous performers, have fun at a sold out show, got to see 3 other fabulous groups perform, learned some things, and above all we were welcomed into a community of improvisers.
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