Tag Archives: Improv

I met my friend and fellow improviser, Andy McCann in an improv class. This was in a kindergarten classroom, because Chicago City Limits did shows and offered classes at the Jan Hus church and school on the Upper East Side. … Continue reading →

Before I was in the Chainsaw Boys I wasn’t. This is my way of saying that I was not a founding member. It was however, filled with my friends and I went to see them perform a number of times … Continue reading →

Getting people to come see you do improv is a perfect example of the law of diminishing returns. At first, your friends and family are happy, even excited to see you make stuff up on stage. But you will find … Continue reading →

Music is a vital part of improv. Not just the singing part, though that’s a very popular element. I’m speaking about, well I suppose it can be called the soundtrack of the show. The Chainsaw Boys at one point had … Continue reading →

Here’s a little story about when the Chainsaw Boys were down in Austin for the Big Stinkin’ Improv Fest. While it is not specifically about performing, but all the players are improvisers. This happened, on the first or second night … Continue reading →

The first improv show I did was after one class. If that implies I am some sort of prodigy that is far from the truth. Like everyone else, I had to work at the craft of it before I was … Continue reading →

I have written before about Noel Katz, our music director, who was with us for as long as the Chainsaw Boys were active. However, occasionally, he was unable to play for us. When that happened, we were honored to have … Continue reading →

Theater folks are a superstitious lot. Not a judgment, just a fact. They refer to Macbeth as the “Scottish Play” and you say “Break A Leg” rather than “Good Luck.” I can’t speak to whether or not there is any … Continue reading →

Mike Bencivenga, my fellow Chainsaw Boy, is also filmmaker as well as playwright and he makes a mean sausage and pepper sandwich. Once, just before he was about to shoot a film, Tully, which I highly recommend seeing, he brought … Continue reading →