I just recycled all those all non-sequitur title cards from 2008’s Argument With a Dolphin. I couldn’t think of a better place to store this list, so for posterity’s sake:
The good:
The Moment I Fell out of Love
Argument with a Dolphin
Serenade
Neighbours
Yours Truly
The Slap
The so-so:
Phone Call from a Former Lover
Answering Machine
The eh:
Pearly Gates
Slumber Party
The Birds
The never played:
POV
Spelling Bee
Diamond Dance
Hat Squad
And of course, on with the show!
Our show at the Nest tonight was a warm-up for what we plan to do at the Chicago Improv Festival, that is, a condensed version of last year’s Fringe show Argument With a Dolphin. The audience clapped when I said we were going to Chicago, and right then I knew it was a very giving audience.
Our transitions between the story in Dolphin and the non-canonical scenes were awkward, the music cues rough, and the story was a story none of us particularly wanted to tell, but overall I felt like it worked. The funniness was there in spades and that usually takes care of the rest. There were a lot of nice playful moments, like the French waitresses who couldn’t really speak French and the supermarket chase scenes, the 2 shower scenes, etc. Our Serenade went over gangbusters with the chorus “Ashley, you’re all the rage. I’m not quite sure, but I think you’re underage.” This exercise helped make clear what we need to work on, but it was also just a ton of fun because the room was filled with all our new best friends.
But we commited a cardinal sin. When your high-school drama teacher says “no homosexuality“, she means that she doesn’t trust you with homosexuality. She means you won’t make it through the story without cheap and offensive jokes played for laughs. I think as a troupe we have prided ourselves in avoiding tired stereotypes and demeaning jokes, but we fell well short tonight. And my ending to the story was neither supposed to be an ending nor what it looked like. On its own, it might have been viewed as playful, but given what came before, it probably looked intentionally crude. In my mind, it is still pure–one person falling into another person’s lap, in a wheelchair, in love, at last. I like that ending.
We finished our set with some Apres Fools pranks. Unlike last time, no one came close to dying Each of us came up with a prank to play on the others. Pranks? Sure. Just things to humiliate or hurt each other. We had the obligatory manipulation that ends with a pie in the face, two players saran wrapped together and my favourite–a “Helen Keller” scene where one player is blindfolded and is made to listen to deafening music while a scene goes on around/through/with him. There was also a scene where players had to hold an orange under their chin and pass it from neck to neck in order to talk, a bucket game and a final hat game with mouse traps. Go gag or go home. It was a lot of fun–accessible and just silly.
Thanks for coming out!
Check out the June 21, 2008 entry in Michael Black’s 2008 fringe diary for a very cute story told in pictures about a Dolphin looking to see a show at the Fringe.
Who did this? Thank you!
From Pat Donnely’s Montreal Gazette blog (emphasis mine):
Fringe producer Jeremy Hechtman told me yesterday that many Fringe shows, like SHOSHINZ and Cherry Typhoon, are getting sold out. The show selling the largest number of tickets, he said, is Blastback Babyzap. It’s sketch comedy by a local group called Uncalled For. The final show is at 5:15 p.m. today (Sunday June 22).
An improv comedy show, Argument with a Dolphin, is said to be doing well, too.
And many people are recommending The Sputniks.
I thought our numbers were pretty good this year, maybe middle of the pack, but getting mentioned among the top-sellers makes me feel kind of giddy. From what I can tell, turnout has been good this year. The official numbers will come out soon, no doubt.
Having a small venue in and of itself can help generate buzz. Since it’s easier to sell out a smaller venue, you’re more likely to do so. Selling out shows is great publicity because word gets around, even all the way back to Pat Donnely.
Viva Venue 4, damned obstructing column and all!
Our 8th and final showing of Argument with a Dolphin is tonight at 10PM.
We will be re-appearing on the final 13th Hour of the Fringe, tonight at 1AM. We will be reprising our homeric barnburning Fringe anthem, hopefully with some new lyrics.
Google brings joy from filmgurlland
We would be going to an improv show called Argument with a Dolphin that was a part of the Fringe Festival. The show was very funny and successfully washed the disappointing taste out of my mouth from my last improv experience. The format was similar, a single story interrupted periodically for the audience to vote on whether to continue the story. But this time, instead of starting a whole new story, there were merely interruptions, either shorter scenes or other games with provocative titles like “Argument With a Dolphin” or “The Slap”. [...]
Sounds like her last experience was More or Less (a.k.a All-Star Improv) at TSC. I heard good stuff about this year’s run of More or Less.
Without Annette | b.j.swank | 
January 17, 2010 12:53 am | 
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