So, this happened on Twitter yesterday:
caitorade At the UCB Training center right now, an improviser is interviewing to become part of a practice group. Let’s push back against this, agree?
benzado If that group wants to do it that way, it’s up to them. And if it catches on, that probably means it works. But I doubt it will.
katespencer Interviewing?!
WinstonNoel Listen, I wrote that guy’s rec letter. Back off.
timothydunn Hey listen. My improv might not be very strong, but I’m very proficient in Excel.
jpurnell wow, that’s what it’s come to?
patbaer I dislike it when half a practice group no shows because they’re not committed, but this seems extreme.
adambozarth This makes me really sad. Unless this practice group offers 40k/year with health and dental insurance.
mikescollins What ever happened to the improv days of just making prospects strip naked and circling whats wrong with their bodies in marker?!
ruby_sneakers unbelievable.
DStoley are they still accepting applications?
I think those of us who are already “plugged in” take for granted how hard it is for someone new to the scene to get a group together. If I want to, I’m spoiled for choice, but it took some time to get here. Most of the people I started practicing with were not classmates. You would likely never have heard of me if I hadn’t been a regular at Improdome. I never would have been a regular if I didn’t used to live so close to the PIT; I had a day job.
If “interviewing” isn’t acceptable, what’s the right way to do it? Sitting in for a practice is great, if you can afford to spend the time and money. What’s wrong with wanting to talk to the person first, to get an idea if you get along or not?
I know it’s just Twitter, where the goal is to fit as much snark as you can in 140 characters or fewer. But it’s unfair pass judgment on interviewing, or any idea, if you don’t have a better idea to offer.
I’ve been in New York for over a year now and probably as a result of my shyness and two inconveniently timed vacations I have had horrible luck forming and getting onto practice teams. I’m on a team now, mostly as a result of the heroic efforts of Chris McKeever. I’ve got to say, if this interview team was accepting applications a few months ago, I’d have written up a resume so fast my fingers would’ve gotten blood all over them. That’s how quickly I would’ve typed.
Does that make me some sort of scab? I certainly hope not. Maybe I’m projecting, but socially interacting with people can be terrifying for me. Maybe by making it into an interview, they were trying to eliminate that stress and turn it into an environment we’ve all experienced. I’m not sure what was going through that team’s collective minds, and I’m not sure I care. I just hope that the improv people of new york don’t turn their back on whoever did apply for that team. I imagine that they’re just trying to be accepted into this awesome but very intimidating community.
That being said, I laughed at most of those tweets when I read your post, Ben.
