Abel Brainz Digest, Vol. 61 - August 1, 2024
Hey all!
Welcome to another volume!
TL; DR
When is Vacation not?
Acting, and laughing, and crying. Oh my!
Heighten and Explore
what is vacation, really?
Is it pure disconnect from all obligations? Is it doing what the f*** you want to do? Traveling with kids is the biggest double edged sword there could possibly be. I just realized that as parents, we are essentially Socialists (ahhhh!!!!) Take it easy - if you like paved public roads, libraries, parks, and firefighters, congrats!! You're a socialist ;)
I digress. Vacation is mainly for core memories and a change of scenery. A chance to expose the kids to something new, out of the regular routine. We let them see what it can be like in other places. Hopefully we instill some appreciation without the guilt. (Anybody else's parents give them the "there are other kids that would be lucky to have what you have."? Shoot. I still do it. <facepalm>
To sum up: Vacation was fun, and tiring. And I'm ready for school to start so I can miss my kids again.
I love it. Still!! 8 (EIGHT!!!) years ago, this scene aired on national television. It was a blast. It was meant to be. (Golden Gate Fridge Delivery Guy??? I was born in San Francisco, for crying out loud!!) It was one of the only tv shows I ever booked in LA and you never forget your first.
It still makes me laugh, and I'm still proud of my work. I was pretty lucky in earning that role. Thanks to a very kind actor and her husband, I was fortunate enough to get an audition. I can still remember my dear friend Lauren Pritchard helping me via Skype (RIP) the night before the audition. I remember the casting director working with me and feeling so comfortable taking the notes. I truly miss auditioning in a room. And I miss being on set. I'm taking the time to look back, bury imposter syndrome for a while, and let myself know that I'm good at what I do. I hope you take the time to do the same.
laugh it up!
Pardon my ego trip in this volume. This Summer marks a pretty big milestone:
I have officially been improvising for 20 years. TWENTY....
I always dug it and was incredibly curious about it. I was drawn in once my family got Comedy Central. Reruns of SNL, MST3K, and Whose Line Is It Anyway eased the negative emotions I had about moving to a different town. I had just turned 10 and was spending the Summer on my own. As I watched Ryan Stiles and Colin Mockery play props, I was in awe. I'll spare you the gory details so let me sum up the acting/improv journey (not enough time to explain) -San Carlos Children's Theater, High School shows, UCSC Theatre degree, LA Connection Comedy Theater, Universal Studios Tour Guide. UCB, Groundlings, Comedy Sportz, Universal Studios entertainment department, Impro Theater....
And then teaching.....
Looking back, I was never thinking about where I'd be in 20 years when I was doing any of those things. I just did all of those things because I loved acting and improv. And now here we are, 20 years of improv later....
I hope you enjoy all that you do. Thanks for reading.
I'm not crying, we're crying
The Gene Wilder Documentary on Netflix offers some amazing insight into a comedic mind. It's hilarious and incredibly sad. Between A Pocketful of Happiness and this doc, I might have run out of tears.
another laugh
Another way to approach improv, character work, and writing is the phrase "heighten, and explore." It's more of a UCB specific approach (at least that's where I learned it) Click here for a great example of that approach.
Thoughts? Questions? Hit me up!
Click here for all the past volumez.
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Much love,
Abel