Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Improv Advent #16

16 - Totally Free Mondays (Bear with me here)




Tonight was the last Totally Free Monday at the Steel City Improv Theater. TFM was the free Monday night show that featured the house teams of the SCIT. It was all long-form, it was always free and it had been going on for over two years.

I was on a team, The Owl Room, at the first TFM.

I was on a team, Hotel Nowhere, at the last TFM.

I made some of my best friends at TFM.

I got to do work, at this point, probably the majority of my total work at TFM

I got to learn how to coach at TFM.

I got to get inspired weekly.

I got to see people get their start, improve, and blossom into the performers that they are now.

I got to see people leave for greener pastures, and knew the cocktail of pride, excitement, and loss in that.

If it wasn't for TFM, I definitely would not be the person I am now. I would be a different, poorer person.

And now it's gone.

We will all still do work.

People will still be on their house teams performing weekly on Fridays.

People will continue to come in, break out of their shells, get on stage, and prosper.

People will continue to do hilarious, magical shows that will make us laugh long after we've all stopped doing this.

People will continue to have bad nights, but keep going, knowing that the only cure for a bad show is a good one and that that is the engine of this art.

People will continue to leave to pursue their dreams.

We will continue to love and support them, and we will continue to do what we do because we are compelled, beautifully, to do it.

But this one specific thing we had is now over.

And it's sad, but that's okay. Because it is sad because it was so great while we had it.



Thanks: Justin, Kasey, Emily, Woody, Brian, Michael C, Keara, Ayne, Fawad, Alex T (new Alex), Alex L (old Alex),  Eric,  Anna, Jocelyn, Brett B, Brett G, Umar, Dan, Jerome, Dillon, Cassie, Conner, Ben, Tessa, Nicole, Alex R, Andrea, Nathan, Matt, Justin V, Derek, Lorin, Renee, Karen, Tom, Brad, Travis Chris W, Pete, Mike, Dave, Steve, DJ, Jamison, Patricia, Tamara, Jasmine, Molly, Tami, Mary, Sara, Jamison, Ben, Graham, Remy, Ciaran, Kyle.... and the people I'm forgetting because I'm trying to do this by memory after going to the Parkhouse, my sincerest apologies.

TFM is dead, long live TFM.

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