After experiencing the brilliant Vegas Nocturne show at ROSE.RABBIT.LIE at The Cosmopolitan in Vegas earlier this year, I have become fascinated by performance art.

I started googling for good shows in Phoenix and came across The Torch Theatre in downtown Phoenix. On their website, a show called Skewed News Hour caught my eye. The following Friday evening I showed up with a couple of friends. Admission: $7. The theatre is located on Central Ave. just South of Camelback Road. In a tan brick building on the East side of the light-rail tracks you will find The Torch’s unassuming entrance ironically situated between a hair salon and a massage parlor. Inside there is a hallway, a water cooler, a ticket counter, a bathroom and a small theatre with 40 chairs and a slightly elevated stage.

The performance started at 7 p.m. The group introduced themselves, selected a news topic from the newspaper clipping board and started acting out scenes. One hour later, my throat was sore from laughing. After the show, the performers kicked back outside. They not only love to perform, but they all love to talk about longform improv. One of the performers, Shane Shannon, said they had another show at 8:30 p.m. and that, in the spirit community theatre, we could get in for free.

The second performance was very different. Based on the Harold structure, the performers acted out a series of scenes loosely connected to one theme. The setup of the theme was spellbinding. You are in an office. There is medical equipment everywhere. A coffin. A Hearse parked outside. The troupe jumped into action. A creepy mortician. A funeral director and her death-obsessed daughter. The infantile, sex-starved drivers of the Hearsh. The daughter’s school principal, concerned about her obsession with death, scalpels and embalming fluid. It was an elaborate, clever and hilarious journey to the dark side.

After that show, I became a regular.

Then, in May, I took a longform improv class with my good friend Austin. Sam Haldiman, one of my favorite performers at The Torch, taught the class. Quick witted, slightly neurotic with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, Sam created a fun, safe and inspiring environment to let your creative mind roam freely.

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We went through a series of fun warm-ups, to get the mind and body ready. Then we did exercises such as Yes, and…“, “Machines” and “Word at a time“. My favorite exercise was splitting the stage up in 4 emotions, fear, anger, happy and sad. “And your keyword is…library,” Sam said. I was in the happy zone and the scene developed from there. Fun!

I thought it was very clever how he dished out feedback. I was expecting criticism, but he patiently explained to us what he thought was a strong choice and a weak choice in that particular scene. When we had questions, he would pull out a chair with uncontained enthusiasm, sit down and explain the different longform styles, performance anecdotes and things to try.

I believe that longform performers only are truly happy in front a group of people.

I am signing up for Level 1 classes. Why? Because it is fun! Not only is is a fantastic creative outlet, but it is incredibly fascinating to experience yourself in a scene unknowingly unfolding on stage. You learn how to interact and communicate with people in a completely new way. You meet interesting people. You create something that maybe never has been done before. And the best of all, you laugh (and I mean bending over, crying, gasping for air laughing)…all the f@#$ing time.

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Let your creative mind roam freely

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