Laughter by the Lake: Maritime Improv Crew Offers Up "Belly Laughs" for the Whole Family

Maritime Improv Crew, in uniform. (Publicity still)

This past week I was invited to attend a rehearsal of the Maritime Improv Crew as they prepared for their next gig, the Belly Laughs Improv Comedy Show, July 6.

The rehearsal was underway when I arrived at the Spirit of the North Theater and took a seat. Tami Siebert, of Siebert Event Consulting Management, is producer of the shows which have been a feature here for three years now.

The team was working through an initial warmup activity that appears designed to help them think on their feet. It reminded me of the routines a choir might go through to loosen their voices before a performance, or a basketball team getting ready for a big game.

Siebert explained to me how they began doing these improv shows. There are a few places in town where one can catch stand up comedy in the Twin Ports, and there have been improv shows at Teatro Zuccone for some time, but these latter  shows begin at 10:00 and while sizzling fun for the crowd they serve, it's not necessarily family fare, nor is it family friendly hours.

Warm ups.

Being aware of the need for fun comedy that is easy to be enjoyed without being too blue, or as Siebert puts it, "Wholesome comedy at a reasonable hour," led to Maritime Improv Crew.

Sharon Dixon Obst was asked to direct, but her schedule is such that it seemed imperative to have a pair of directors. Her co-director is Ted Carlson-Webster from the College of St. Scholastica who has also been active with the Rubber Chicken Theater.

"Tours here (at Fitgers) always resulted in someone saying they wish we had something like this earlier," Siebert said. "Ted and I held auditions. We wanted to do a different form of improv." Ted will be in the upcoming Dracula show later this year.

Fun and games. Fun for all.

"The size of the crew enables them to do shows when some folks are out of town," Siebert added. "The shows are once a month, which is fun, and not too much pressure."

Siebert shared how the audience gets invited to be involved so that it creates immersive experiences. “We want the audience to feel like they are part of the show. In our last show, for example, we had a six-year-old boy come up on stage and be Batman."

One of the routines the crew practiced was a game called Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? A variation of charades, one player leaves the room while all the others are assigned roles to play. When the main player returns he is told what the event is. In this case it was a bachelor party or some such thing. He had to then create the scene, identifying objects like a desk, dart board and such. The party animals knocked on the door and acted their various parts (One, for example, was Dr. Spock) while the main player guessed their identities. Correct guess, and you die. It was fun.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Afterwards I connected with Sharon Obst for a few more details about the Maritime Improv Crew and what they are doing.

EN: Freud and many others have attempted to analyze humor. What is it that makes people laugh? And what is it that makes Improv especially fun?

Sharon Dixon Obst: People laugh at what makes them uncomfortable or scares them, or things that are just ridiculous. I like improv because it's unpredictable. I never know what is going to happen until it does. In that way, it mimics life. We are all improv actors, we just don't realize it.

EN: Your events are family friendly. How is it that so much standup comedy is so off-color?

SDO: We are a family friendly show. Some stand up is off color because it's easy to go for the cheap laugh by using language or situations that appeal to that part of the human experience. It's harder and smarter to stay clean. It just takes more work, but in the end, it's worth it because the humor is more cerebral. Also, with long form improv, we are more of storytellers. We have to be able to come back to the scenes we create. Keeping the scenes more realistic and clean means there is more of a through line for telling a story.

Sharon Obst (R) with Ted Carlson-Webster (L)
and a portion of their crew in the background

EN: How did you become a co-director of the Maritime Improv Crew?

SDO: Brian Matuszak contacted me about Tami looking to start an improv group to perform once a month at Fitger's. I used to perform with Renegade and Rubber Chicken and have done workshops and private performances for many years. I was intrigued by the possibility of having the opportunity to create a new experience for the area in long-form from the ground up. Since I teach full time and have other obligations, I knew I would need someone to come in as a co-director, not assistant director. I wanted to make certain that we were working together and that the cast knew we were equals, even though Ted is much younger than me. Ted grew up doing improv and has a lot of experience. So once he said he would co-lead the team, we were both in.

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 BELLY LAUGHS IMPROV COMEDY SHOW

Saturday July 6 @7 p.m.
3rd Floor Fitgers Spirit of the North Theater

TICKETS:  $15/adults, $10 students @the door
Early Bird  online tickets at Eventbrite

Maritime Improv Crew page on Facebook

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While we're on the subject of comedy

Here's a Reminder that This Thursday 

RUBBER CHICKEN THEATER 

PRESENTS

7:30 p.m. @ THE UNDERGROUND 

DETAILS HERE

A Quick Visit with Brian Matuszak, Where He's Been and Where He's Going in 2018

Anyone who has watched Brian Matuszak's career over the past 30+ years knows he's had his fingers in a lot of pies, some of them raspberry, a few blueberry, and even one huckleberry. What I know is that when Susie and I moved here in 1986 we thoroughly enjoyed our first Colder By The Lake Christmas Show, and were pleased to discover the robust quality of the local theater scene over the years.

In addition to theater, Matuszak has been a columnist in the Budgeteer, ever chewing up the scenery. Here's a little snapshot of the man many of us only know from the audience.

EN: How would you describe Brian Matuszak? Writer? Performer? Entertainer?

Brian Matuszak: I would say Entertainer. Originally, I was a Performer, eventually became a Writer/Director/Producer. Since I retired from the stage in 2015, I have been focusing on my writing. I have some ideas coming up for Rubber Chicken's 10th Anniversary this year (we formed in February 2008) that will involve me wearing all my old hats again. But I think ultimately, I just want to make you laugh/cry/feel something. That's entertainment!

EN: What did you study at UWS?

BM: Theater, but the unique thing about the program at the time was that you had to take radio and TV production as part of the major, which ended up giving me the bulk of my employment right out of college. I have worked at several radio and TV stations here in the Northland, as well as advertising agencies.

EN: You were an integral part of Colder By The Lake with Margi Preus. Who else was involved with CBTL and what did you learn through that experience?

BM: That was a fantastic time of my creative life! I LOVED Colder and what Margi and crew were doing with their sketch comedy shows. I went to as many as I could at the Orpheum, DeWitt-Seitz, even the Norshor back in the day. When I was invited to be a part of that group, I jumped at the chance. My first show involved working with Bruce Ojard, Susan van Druten, Julie Ahasay, Bud Backen, Donn L. Hanson, and Andy Nelson. All amazing, talented, funny people. Most rehearsals, I just sat back and laughed. I was in awe of all of them and didn't contribute right away. I'm pretty sure Margi was going to ask me to leave at some point, probably because I was being too much of a fan boy and not enough of a performer. But I eventually learned to get out of my own way, trust my instincts, jump in, and join in the fun. I also learned a lot as a writer.

The first sketch I submitted was OK, nothing special. It was a parody of Bob Ross and his painting show on Channel 8. But Andy Nelson took it and turned it into something magical, weird, and wonderful. I learned how you don't have to struggle to put ALL the funny into a script. Trust that the actors will help it succeed by bringing their unique talents to it. And, boy, did Andy make me look good with that one.

EN: In addition to Rubber Chicken Theater you were a long-time columnist for the Budgeteer. What other pies have you had your fingers in?

Atlas trying to decide whether to shrug.

BM: Well, over the years, I've been fortunate enough to take part in several creative projects in the Twin Ports. I've acted and directed for Colder, UMD, UWS, St. Scholastica, the Duluth Playhouse, Wise Fool Theater, Twin Ports Stage, and the two theater companies I co-founded, Renegade Comedy Theater and Rubber Chicken Theater. Working with John Munson from WPR, I created the Renegade Radio Hour and Rubber Chicken Radio. I also created the Chicken Hat Plays, which gathers eight writers, eight directors, and a whole bunch of actors from around the region to create eight original one-act plays in 24 hours. Also with Rubber Chicken, I developed the popular Live Reads, where we take a famous movie script and give it a staged reading. So far, we've done Star Trek 2, Ghostbusters, Young Frankenstein, Princess Bride, A Night at the Opera, and Clue.

EN: The Improv nights seem to have been remarkably successful. To what do you attribute the attraction of this kind of entertainment?

A hard-hitting humorist. The gloves are off.

BM: When James Young and I started Renegade Comedy Olympics back in the late 90's, we knew right away we had a hit. People just enjoy being a part of seeing something created right in front of them. The idea of "Yes, And" is powerful and funny.

EN: Has anyone ever compared you to the Energizer Bunny? What's ahead for 2018?

BM: Not that I'm aware of, although I have been compared to a few other things….

Lots coming up for Rubber Chicken's 10th Anniversary! We'll be doing another Live Read this May of Doctor Strangelove and our big Holiday Comedy Revue 10th Birthday Celebration this December. Also, later this summer, we'll be debuting a completely original type of theater down at the Underground. It's a one night event that will have some fun with the idea of funding the arts, how artists go through that process, and the board of people that get to decide who gets how much money. Tentative title is "The Twin Ports Annual Board Meeting of the F-ARTS (Friends of the Arts)."

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Photos: Sue Matuszak

Stuff Goin' On 'Round Town

Thursday and Friday I attended a few events that I look forward to sharing about. In the meantime, here are some things happening this weekend plus something to look forward to.

Rubber Chicken Theater is putting on Chicken Hat Plays #12 tonight. See if you can find out where by reading this informational Facebook announcement.

Looking for new ways to make beautiful things? Studio 15 is holding a workshop tomorrow afternoon called Art Relaxation Techniques through Paper Marbling. The recently opened Studio 15 is utilizing a space on 3rd Avenue West, halfway up the block on the left. They also have a Kids Art workshop at 2:00-4:00 p.m. tomorrow in which kids will learn Paper Dying. Don't kid yourself. Art can be fun.

And finally, for something completely different, Studio 15 is doing "Life Casting" next week. I do not know how they accomplish it in the scheduled two hours, but it looks interesting. You can read about it and sign up on Facebook.

Finally, mark your calendars for January 31st. The Armory Arts and Music Center is hosting a Winter Dance Party, celebrating the 56th anniversary of the Winter Dance Party with Buddy Holly at the historic Duluth Armory. The music will be top notch, featuring a number of the musicians who were here last spring for the Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan. They call themselves The Travelons - Lonnie Knight, Stan Kipper, Gary Lopac, Gene LaFond, Jim Steinworth and Amy Grillo.

If you can find something to wear, dress in your best 50's garb and you may win the Best Dressed Award. Put on your dancing shoes and compete in the 2015 Winter Dance Party dance contest. The evening will also include a silent auction and cash bar.

Finally, the Nice Girls of the North Second Saturday Marketplace is open today. Heat up your car, go for a drive up to Lakeside... and see cool stuff. Skip the mall. Buy local.

Meantime... art goes on all around you. 

Rubber Chicken Theater Presents Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile

I remember going through a rough patch many years ago, my mood dragging me down a bit. I called a friend to see if he'd like to catch a movie. Dirty Rotten Scandals was in town, Steve Martin's latest send-up to the silver screen. Whatever was getting me down that day has been long forgotten because the only thing I remember is how much my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard.

That's the effect Martin has on an audience, one of the funniest writers of our generation. I say writers because his fame isn't about antics and sight gags, it's about wit. His imagination travels through subterranean corridors of unbounded imagination and re-combines the ideas he finds there to transform them into treasures full of memorable lines.

His book Pure Drivel, a collection of essays that mostly appeared in the New Yorker, is a hilarious diversion. But he's written more serious prose, including his own very revealing life story Born Standing Up.

I don't always connect with his every bit, but most of his salvos hit home with me. And for this reason I'm looking forward to the Rubber Chicken Theater's performance of Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Greg Anderson approached Brian Matuszak a couple years ago wanting to direct it for Rubber Chicken and it's finally come to pass. The cast is Quentin Roth, Nick Elias, Amanda Sjodahl, Jonathan Manchester, Laura Grieme, Tony Barrett, Pat Carroll, Stephen Bock, and Aaron Jordan-Peterson and the venue is the intimate Play Ground Theater in the Tech Village, downtown Duluth with shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday thru Saturday both this week and next.

Nearly all stories by Steve Martin have a set-up that offers a range of possibilities and opportunity for thought-provoking insanity. Examine if you will Roxanne (Cyrano de Bergerac as a 20th century fire chief) or L.A. Story (a traffic sign in Los Angeles plays matchmaker.) And so it is that we meet Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a bar in Paris circa 1904 where a young Albert Einstein makes an appearance. It's the kind of situation where you can't help but say, "I'd like to be a fly on the wall of that meeting of the minds." And that's what Martin offers us.

According to a Vincent Canby New York Times theater review in 1995, "The situation is this: on a night in 1904, Albert Einstein, 25 years old, wanders into the Lapin Agile, a small, rather dingy Paris bar hospitable to painters, writers and other eccentrics who are giving direction to the new century's avant-garde. Einstein is waiting for a woman friend, but in the course of the evening he also meets the future in the person of Pablo Picasso, 23.

"Having already perceived the future in himself, Einstein is far more fascinated by the arrogant young Picasso than the painter is by him. At least at first. Einstein, after all, is a drone in a patent office by day; he's still a year away from the publication of his seminal work, 'The Special Theory of Relativity.' He's a nobody. And as a physicist, he's of a different species."

You get the picture. As soon as I saw that Rubber Chicken was bringing it to town I made a mental note to find a way to see it. My only hope is that you won't take my seat.

For the record, this week is another great one for the Twin Ports arts scene. There will be a Duluth Art Institute/Twin Ports Gallery Group sponsored night of gallery openings and parties Thursday evening involving something on the order of 16 or 18 art galleries. You can begin at The Depot (5:00 p.m. Thursday) and then march off in any direction you want. Be sure to stop in at Goin' Postal in Superior to see some of my new and old work. Yes, I found a few lost pieces from my college days which I recently framed to accompany this special event including my mixed media piece titled, "Do Something with 14 Slides That Would Be More Interesting Than Throwing Them Away."

Saturday the 21st will be an all day gallery hop celebrating Earth Day and the arts. If you really aren't going to be doing the art gallery thing, then fill up the Play Ground Thursday because that's one evening I will be busy....

Have a great week. The best is always yet to come.

Top right: Picasso and Einstein

In Response to the Scenery

Brian David Downs at the Ochre Ghost
Last night at the Ochre Ghost the Northland was treated to new work by the talented and imaginative Brian David Downs. I arrived impatiently early, looking forward to taking as much of it in as possible before heading down to the annual Chicken Hat Plays at the Harbor City International School Theater. Both events exceeded my expectations, which were already high.

My cousin, a lifelong fireman, described for me the emotions of a fire run. First comes the alarm, the call to action. Your adrenalin begins pumping immediately, but since there as so many false alarms in a fireman's experience there is also an internal check valve. But as soon as the truck arrives on the scene and you see the smoke billowing out an upstairs window, a gusher of adrenaline fills your brain and a hyper-intense focused engagement follows.

In the same way, when I approach an art event it begins with this same initial rush of adrenalin. Then, last night as I stood face-to-face with Downs' pictures, his work billowed with flames licking the adrenaline valve. So many of the drawings offered so much, yet were presented so simply.

An ice chest with beer had been set in the corner. Downs was seated in a chair near the door that takes one to the back room of the small space, a thin young man with wavy dark hair, dark sunglasses, light skin and unkempt beard, but a warm aura. He received his Bachelor's of Fine Arts in 2009, graduating Cum Laude from St. Cloud State.

There was a quiet musical accompaniment in the background. A man seated with his back to the large window played an electric guitar in the manner of an undulating sea of submerged harmonics which served up these images from Downs' subconscious reservoirs. Think Dali in terms of distinct images that serve a recurring themes in many of the pieces, particularly the shrunken heads. Some of the work reminded me of Escher's treatments, especially Escher's Metamorphosis. The style had no Escheresqueness other than perhaps some the linear fluidity and attention to detail, but there was a similar arc in their thinking.

But Downs said his strongest influence was Bosch, and one could see it everywhere. Even the names of Downs' shows reflect Bosch, whose famous tryptich featured titles like Heaven, and Hell, to escort The Garden of Earthly Delights. We discussed this briefly and I pondered how the work of one significant painter from five centuries ago continues to influence new generations of artists today. I became stunningly aware of his work more than four decades ago, and the here is a new generation finding inspiration from the long dead Dutch master.

See more work by Brian David Downs at his website.

The Chicken Hat Plays
If you think Dr. Seuss had fun inventing stories and all those whimsical characters for young people (of all ages), you're probably right. For people with unbounded imagination, inventing stories is a blast. And having an enthusiastic audience appreciate those stories is even more of a blast. This is what the Chicken Hat plays are about. You're a playright, and in less than 24 hours you will see your work performed before a live audience. There's no better barometer than a live audience.

Based on the response of last night's audience, we have a really talented pool of writers, directors and actors here. It was seriously fun.

First off, what a surprise to discover yet another wonderful theater space here in the Twin Ports. In recent years we’ve seen the addition of The Play Ground at the Tech Village, and Teatro Zuccone at the Zeitgeist Arts Building. And in 2009

The program begins by announcing, “What you are about to see did not exist 24 hours ago.”

First off, what a surprise to discover yet another wonderful theater space here in the Twin Ports. In recent years we’ve seen the addition of The Play Ground at the Tech Village, and Teatro Zuccone at the Zeitgeist Arts Building. And in 2007 a raw space down on Michigan Street underwent the transformation of becoming a charter school into which was incorporated a 160-seat theater space, thanks to a collaboration between Wagner Zaun Architecture and Scalzo Architects. These kinds of investments in the arts are just the kind of thing that makes community insiders hopeful about the direction our city is taking.

The house was packed as Brian Matuszak, a veteran of the local comedy theater scene and primary force behind Rubber Chicken Theater, opened the show with this declaration: “What you are about to see did not exist 24 hours ago.”

For those not familiar with this event, it goes like this. Eight writers have to create original plays which incorporate certain elements thatthey draw randomly from a hat. Call it Saturday Night Live meets Dada. Except even Saturday Night Live writers and directors have a week to prepare.

Each playwright must incorporate a who, a what and a where, and also a required line that all the plays must deliver, woven naturally into the story. This last twist gave an almost breathlessly comedic enhancement as the audience would begin to anticipate the required line. Last night's required line was, "It's curtains for you."

The first play was called A Playwright's Revenge. The surrealistic story rivaled Ionesco and the actors could carry Broadway. Written by Michael Maki and directed by Lawrence Bernabo, the Who was Maria von Trapp, the What was an Irish wristwatch, and the Where was The National Scattegories Championship. The acting was quite astonishing as each member of the four-person team seemed outdone by the next.

Well, so it was throughout the evening, one surprisingly good performance after another. The rest of the plays carried these titles: Plastic Cup Discussions, Also Spracht Sunkist (a play that had to incorporate a singing orange!), The State of the City (another unbelievably hilarious assembly), The Keanu Reeves School of Acting, First Date at Melvin's, Jurassic Park 5: Salvaging the Rex, and Barney Stinson Makes a Friend.

For what it's worth, you'll probably have to wait a year to see another round of Chicken Hat Plays. But you won't have to wait that long to see more entertainment by the Rubber Chicken Theater. In mid-April, Greg J. Anderson will be directing Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" at the Play Ground Theater. I can't wait.

A Moose at the Ochre Ghost and More

The invitation to this Saturday's opening at the Ochre Ghost reads: IF A MOOSE DIES IN THE WOODS AND NO ONE SEES IT, IS IT REALLY DEAD?

It's an edgy show featuring new works by Brian David Downs. Fliers for the show include drawings of shrunken heads and socio-mythological paintings and drawings. I don't know about you, but the first time my dad pointed out shrunken heads at the Museum of Natural History in Cleveland, it was both compelling and confusing. Is them things real? Well, Downs' new work is called "an exploration, questioning, and celebration of what it is to be human." Saturday night I'll hope to take it in.

Brian David Downs is an artist residing in Minnesota currently working between paintings, drawings and band fliers. The opening reception will be held Saturday, March 24th, 6-10pm.

Rubber Chicken Theater’s annual Chicken Hat plays
To be honest, I have been wanting to compete in Brian Matuszak's semi-inspired off-the-map X-Games for Theater since I first heard about it years ago. As usual, I chickened out because I've never been to one and thought I should at least see what it's about before I throw my chicken hat in the ring.

Essentially, they have eight writers gather on Friday night to pull information out of a hat that they must incorporate into a play that will be performed live the following night... eight world premieres in one three hour romp. The writers have all night to write and by morning must be prepared to hand their scripts over to directors who then select or acquire actors and actresses to spend the day rehearsing for that evening's live performance. Sounds like a wildly insane concept and therefore appealing.

This year, Senator Roger Reinert threw his fedora into the fray to be one of the writers. For what it's worth, you can catch all the action Saturday night from 7-10 p.m. at the Harbor City International School Theater, 332 W. Michigan St. Tickets are ten dollars at the door.

Good luck, Roger.

In other news, Bob Dylan's first album, modestly titled Bob Dylan, was released fifty years ago this week. For those of you who do not know who Bob Dylan was, I will try to write about him sometime soon. Meantime, as life goes on all around you, enjoy the day.