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This is Sam. This is a blog that I posted on my author's page (www.samjtanner.com). I'm posting it here as well, because it's about improv. Thanks for reading. If you enjoy this, check out my books on Amazon.
My sons Solomon and Samson were fighting in the other room. "You're Pa Pa Booey," Solomon screamed at Samson. Samson howled. "No, I'm not. I'm Samson! You're Pa Pa Booey." "No, I'm not Pa Pa Booey. I'm Solomon. You're Pa Pa Booey!" "No, I'm Samson. You're Pa Pa Booey!" Solomon is four. Samson is two. Their fights mostly involve intense yelling. And howling. Gnashing of teeth. My wife Katie broke the boys up. She told them that nobody was Pa Pa Booey. Still, the exchange above has happened any number of times over the last two months. Solomon accuses Samson of being Pa Pa Booey. Samson denies this. He accuses Solomon of being Pa Pa Booey. Solomon denies this. The cycle continues. They fight. Katie breaks them up. Who is Pa Pa Booey? Beats the hell out of me. Later, Solomon was brushing his teeth. He looked up at me. "Dad, I'm not Solomon. I'm Pa Pa Booey." Solomon had scrunched his face, and was speaking with a deep baritone. Was he playing a character? Yes, he certainly was. This was Pa Pa Booey.
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 Happy Valley Improv is excited to announce our participation in this year's RAWR Improv Comedy Festival. Happy Valley Improv will be performing on Friday, April 6th, at 7pm. The festival will take place in room 111 of the Forum Building on Penn State's Campus. Admission is Free but we request that our fans help keep the RAWR festival an annual event by supporting in anyway they can by donating here: https://www.youcaring.com/fullammoimprov-1083222. To help with the funding, Happy valley Improv is giving $1 per ticket sold to our April 5th Show back to the RAWR Festival.
We asked the students behind the event, the Full Ammo Improv Troupe (website | facebook | twitter | youtube), to tell us more. This is what they had to say! --- The RAWR Improv Comedy Festival is Penn State’s celebration of all things improv. RAWR VII Creature from the Black Lagoon will be Penn State's own student Improv Troupe Full Ammo's seventh festival! For this weekend of fun, we have teams from all over the country coming to perform right on our campus. This year, we have college, indie, and professional teams coming to show their skills in improvised comedy and we’re excited to share their family friendly talent with you! (The content of the improv sets aren't required to be focused around cult classic horror movies, only our set, theme, and decorations will be!! Despite the name and decorations, this will not be a haunted house-esque event and is not designed to scare anyone) The festival is two days long, running from Friday April 6th from 6:30pm to 10:15pm and Saturday April 7th from 1pm to 11pm. Come and go as you please during any point of the weekend to watch some amazing comedy created completely on the spot by insanely talented improvisers! This festival is a must-see for anybody in State College who likes to laugh and have a good time and it’s completely FREE! Want to get on stage and join the fun? You can do some improvising yourself in our jam with all of the improvisers after the show on BOTH NIGHTS! Check out our Facebook event page for the schedule of teams and more info on Full Ammo! https://www.facebook.com/events/155223418492484/ Want to help keep this festival a staple in the performing arts community of Penn State? Donate HERE! https://www.youcaring.com/fullammoimprov-1083222 We rely on donations from kind, fun loving people like you to allow the tradition of a successful RAWR weekend to continue!! Thank you!! We hope to see you there!! Even though Happy Valley Improv does not have any events happening, State College and the rest of Happy Valley has a plethora of options to keep you occupied over the weekend! Here are a few events:
1. Hops & Vines “Christie Clancy and Jonathan McVerry join forces for original covers, originals, eclectic pop and rock and damn good fun. #RockandRoll” Start Time: March 23 @ 6 pm Location: Big Spring Spirits Address: 198 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823 Website: https://www.bigspringspirits.com/ Phone: (814) 353-4478 2. Miranda Lambert “The Livin’ Like Hippies Tour receives its name from the lyrics of Lambert’s aptly titled song “Highway Vagabond” which appears on The Nerve side of Lambert’s 24-song, double album, The Weight Of These Wings. Joining Lambert on the Livin’ Like Hippies Tour for all dates is Capitol Records Nashville’s Jon Pardi. In addition to Pardi, for select dates, Lambert has tapped Brent Cobb, the Turnpike Troubadours, Lucie Silvas, the Steel Woods, Sunny Sweeney, Ashley McBryde and Charlie Worsham to perform. “ Start Time: March 23 @ 7 pm Location: Bryce Jordan Center Address: 127 Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA 16802 Website: https://bjc.psu.edu/miranda-lambert-jon-pardi-charlie-worsham 3. Mister Rogers 50th Anniversary “The Mister Rogers Neighborhood stamp will be released on Friday, March 23. Mr. McFeely invites everyone in the neighborhood to join him for a stamp dedication event at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte on Saturay, March 24 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Meet Mr. McFeely. Bring an envelope and the American Philatelic Society will give you a Mister Rogers stamp to mail form their post office. Pose with the WPSU Daniel Tiger and Trolley TV props. Make a stamp cachet. Kids 8 and under take home a Daniel Tiger activity booklet.” Start Time: March 24 @ 2 pm Location: American Philatelic Society Address: 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823 Website: http://wpsu.org/mcfeely/ Phone: (814) 863-6223 4. Spring Awakening Presented By The Penn State Thespians “Based on Frank Wedekind’s groundbreaking and controversial play (once banned in Germany), Spring Awakening tells the story of sexual awakening, youth revolt, and self-discovery in a new century. It’s 1891, and grown-ups hold all the cards. Headstrong Melchior and naive Wendla stumble into each others’ arms, passionate and curious, while anxious Moritz struggles to live up to the stringent expectations of society. With only each other for guidance, this group of young men and women travel the fraught and rocky path of adolescence, discovering their bodies, their minds, and themselves along the way. An electric, vibrant celebration of youth and rebellion, Spring Awakening fuses issues of morality, sexuality, and rock and roll into a story that packs a powerful emotional punch.” Start Time: March 24 @ 1:30 pm AND 7:30 pm Location: Schwab Auditorium Address: Schwab Auditorium, State College, PA 16801 Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-awakening-presented-by-the-penn-state-thespians-tickets-43676443418 Phone: (814) 865-5340 5. The Zombies (with special guest Don DiLego) “The second U.K. band following the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America, The Zombies infiltrated the airwaves with the sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs of their 1960’s hit singles “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the group broke-up just prior to achieving their greatest success – the worldwide chart-topping single “Time of the Season,” from their swan-song album Odessey & Oracle, ranked #100 in Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time.’ To this day, generations of new bands have cited The Zombies’ work as pop touchstones, and the band continues to be embraced by new generations of fans. Don has released 5 studio albums and 1 full-length score for the motion picture “Ranchero.” His last album, ‘Magnificent Ram A’, (One Little Indian/Velvet Elk) was “DiLego’s Masterpiece” if you are to believe No Depression, and a “Stunner of a record”, if you’re willing to concede that opinion to Paste Magazine. Either way, Don was quite pleased with the album title, which he scribed after his umpteenth trip to The Museum of Natural History, in NYC, where he currently resides, on Avenue C.” Start Time: March 25 @ 8 pm Location: The State Theatre Address: 130 W College Ave, State College, PA 16801 Website: http://thestatetheatre.org/the-zombies/ Phone: (814) 272-0606 Enjoy your weekend! To stay updated on all things Happy Valley Improv by joining our mailing list, following us on Twitter (@HV_Improv) & Instagram (@HappyValleyImprov) and liking us on Facebook!  Credit: Penn State College of Education - Jessica Buterbaugh As we grow older, there tend to be fewer and fewer opportunities to step outside the proverbial box. There comes a point where each day is like the last unless we force ourselves to try something new. While there are benefits to sticking to your routine, trying something new can help you grow in unexpected ways.
There are any number of ways for people to grow. You can learn new computer languages through Coursera, go on a yoga retreat in Australia, or volunteer for one of these crazy projects. This article, however, is going to talk about taking an improv class. A wide range of articles have explored the benefits of improv training. From this general article in Forbes, to this article in the Atlantic on using improv as therapy for anxiety, to this article in US News on the health benefits of improv, to this one from the Startup Institute on how improv will make you better at business. I don’t want to recreate the wheel, but what I do want to do is explore why people took their first improv class. The following are quotes from improvisors around the country I spoke with asking the simple question of: Why did you take your first improv class? Thus I present to you, 10 Types of People Who Take an Improv Class We here at Happy Valley Improv often get the Monday blues. Here are THREE ways we prepare to get through the week! 1. Wake Up On Time We know, this might sound like a silly thing to do on a Monday morning. However, by waking up on time (or even earlier) not only will your day be off to a great start, but so will your week. We are all victims of hitting the snooze button a few times too many (especially at the start of the week), but try waking up early and getting ready for the day. You will be on time, but you will also be in a great mood! 2. Plan, Plan, Plan Planning your week allows you to stay organized and on task. The amount of unnecessary stress that can be avoided by doing this is extreme. While you’re at it, don’t forget to plan some time to check out Happy Valley Improv’s show at The State Theatre on April 5! 3. Be Positive It is easy to allow all of the overwhelming tasks to build up, but don’t forget to be positive along the way! Being an improv troupe, we try to center our lives around positivity and although it is not always simple, the results are what makes it all worth it. If you enjoyed this, check out our other blog posts! Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@HV_Improv), Instagram (@HappyValleyImprov), and throw us a like on Facebook!  Even though Happy Valley Improv does not have any events happening, State College and the rest of Happy Valley has a plethora of options to keep you occupied over the weekend! Here are a few events: 1. From Centre County: Through a Lens “Join us to view a variety of photographers while sipping local wines from Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery and enjoying tasty Hors d’oeuvres by local caterer, Paul’s Provisions. 10% of the proceeds from opening night sales will go to the Centre County Historical Society. Local artists include Gerald Lang & Jennifer Tucker, Chuck Fong, Thomas Berner, Art Heim, Pat Little, Bob Lambert.” Start Time: March 16 @ 5:30 pm Location: State College Framing Co. and Gallery Address: 160 Rolling Ridge Drive, State College, PA, 16801 Website: http://framingstatecollege.com/ Phone: (814) 234-7336 Email: [email protected] 2. For The Love Of Fiber 2018 “For the Love of Fiber is a local event celebrating fibercraft. It is held by the Centre Knitters Guild in collaboration with the Spinners, Weavers, and Embroidery guilds of Centre County. FLoF features fibercraft vendors, a silent auction, mini classes and demos, and guild members who are more than happy to share the love of their craft with you. This is a wonderful learning experience for all ages and admission is free! (Donations and food bank donations are accepted). We hope to see you there!” Start Time: March 17 @ 10 am Location: Ramada Inn and Conference Center Address: 1450 S Atherton St, State College, PA, 16801 Website: http://https//centreknittersguild.com/flof-details/ Email: [email protected] 3. Lady Grey’s Wonderland *This show is restricted to patrons 18 and over, due to mature content* “We’re all mad here! Come fall down the rabbit hole with Lady Grey and her Lovelies as they share their unique and enchanted interpretation of Alice, complete with your favorite quirky caterpillars, cards, cats, and queens! Dress in your tea party and croquet tournament finest, lest you annoy the Queen of Hearts! Featuring: Bearcat Betty (Frederick, MD) as The Mad Hatter, Lady Grey (State College, PA) as the Queen of Hearts, Mary Jane Twatson (Philadelphia, PA) as Alice, and Lady Grey’s Lovelies.” Start Time: March 17 @ 8 pm Location: The State Theatre Address: 130 West College Ave, State College, PA, 16801 Website: http://thestatetheatre.org/ Phone: (814) 272-0606 Email: [email protected] 4. Encaustic 101: Play with Wax “Learn the basics of working with encaustic wax - an alternative to traditional painting. This class is focused on fun and experimentation. Each person takes home their own piece of artwork. You will learn how to apply, fuse and manipulate wax. No experience necessary.” Start Time: March 18 @ 5 pm Location: The Makery State College Address: Calder Alley, State College, PA, 16801 Website: http://michelerandall.bigcartel.com/product/encaustic101playwithwax Phone: (814) 571-8113 Email: [email protected] 5. Anne Sullivan, harp, and Friends “Harpist Anne Sullivan will perform a solo recital on the UUFCC Music Series on Sunday, March 18. The program will include works by C.P.E. Bach, Zabel, Flothuis, and Cui. The featured work will be Carlos Salzedo's Scintillation for solo harp. Ms. Sullivan will be joined by flutist Diane Gold Toulson for a Phantasy on Japanese Folk Songs, and clarinetist Smith Toulson will join them to perform a trio by the Russian composer Cesar Cui.” Start Time: March 18 @ 3 pm Location: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County Address: 780 Waupelani Drive, State College, PA, 16801 Website: http://www.uufcc.com/ Phone: (814) 237-7605 Email: [email protected] Enjoy your weekend! To stay updated on all things Happy Valley Improv follow us on Twitter (@HV_Improv), Instagram (@HappyValleyImprov) and like us on Facebook! |
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