Twice a month Extra-Strength News features “Performer Profiles” where we ask 20 Questions to notable improvisers from around the country to get their thoughts and insights into the art form and shed light on how their brains work. You can also check our Improviser’s Glossary for explanations of some terms and concepts.

Extra-Strength fans might be surprised (or not) to learn that our show came about primarily because of Alexis Simpson. Her arrival in L.A. is what inspired the show that has subsequently become legend. Alexis is not just an amazing performer and an awesome broad, she’s also someone whose thorough understanding of the business side of live theatre is inspiring to everyone who is fortunate enough to talk to her for five minutes.

When did you start improvising?

1999. No wait, 2000.

What do you like about long-form improv versus short-form?

I enjoy both. They serve different needs and different tastes, but both provide opportunities for audiences to laugh and have fun. I love improv and I love that there are different varieties for people to enjoy. It means more people will be able to enjoy this amazing art form. I guess what I like about long-form is that it provides more opportunity for me to follow my impulses. Although you can still do that in short-form, short-form’s more structured and so it’s easier to ignore your impulses because they don’t happen to fit.

What do you do to warm up?

Oh, you know, whatever. It really depends on the show I’m about to do and what that group needs. ComedySportz has a whole a ritual: set up the space, vocal warm-up, change and pick the show, warm-up as a team, warm-up as a whole cast. For the show Real Housewives of Philadelphia, where we’re playing one character for the next 30-60 minutes, we’ll do some word associations in character. For Extra-Strength, we just hug a lot and some people have a beer.

I’ve seen myself go through a few stages. In college I had so much nervous energy I had to do something like Crazy 8’s (Wet Dog, etc.) before a show to calm down. Then I got to a point where I never wanted to do that ever again.

What’s your favorite character(s) you’ve played to date?

Tie! In one of the first Extra-Strength shows I played a woman who was in some kind of horrible wheelchair face-cage apparatus and she just wanted to get on the “fuck bus” like everyone else. Just a month ago (PRE-Balloon Boy hoax) I played a squinty-eyed hot air balloon expert in a Rare Bird Show set. After the show I realized I was basically playing David Putty from Seinfeld. But it was still fun.

What shows/performers to you like to watch?

I will watch BASSprov, any time, any place. I also love me some Drum Machine; it just has so much heart. As far as individual performers – Miles Nye and Brian O’Connell. A couple of Philadelphia-based gems: Scott Sheppard, Mary Carpenter, Dave Jadico, Eoin O’Shea.

What do you see as your greatest strength/weakness as an improviser?

I play bizarre very easily. This means that I make a lot of novel and surprising offers without coming across as trying too hard. However, it can be difficult for me to do something simple.

What advice would you offer someone who’s new to improv?

Keep coming back! If you showed up to do improv in the first place, then you must want something we improvisers have. Even if you get frustrated or doubt your abilities, keep coming back until you discover how to get it for yourself.

There’s a lot of “rules” to improv – which one(s) do you think is most important for a successful scene/show? Which one(s) do you see broken the most? Which do YOU break the most?

I think it’s really crucial to remember that you just aren’t that important. This show you are about to do will not make or break you. It WILL teach you a lesson, however. Assuming you’re able to stop being self-centered long enough to hear it.

This isn’t an improv rule per se, but I do see a lot of people who can’t take notes. I often worry a lot about me being able to take the note. Don’t argue or justify. Just take the note.

What inspires you and/or informs your improv?

I am a very physical improviser. I get a lot of information about who I am and what I am about to say and do from the way I hold my body when I enter a scene. Also, cable TV, everyday human interaction, and a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience.

I am not going to lie to you and say something like “Really smart books? That are really hard to read? That I read all the time?” The truth is I constantly watch The Rachel Zoe Project, Mystery Diagnosis, and the Wizards of Waverly Place, and I fucking love them.

What do you look for in a coach or teacher?

The primary thing is the work on stage. I’m not going to be interested in taking direction from someone who is uninspiring on stage. They have that saying, “Those that can, do; those that can’t, teach.” First of all, that saying is really dick. Second, I don’t agree with it at all. It implies that teachers don’t know what they are talking about. All good improv teachers are good performers, though not all good improvisers are good teachers. And that’s just the way it is.

What’s the worst scene you’ve ever done (or seen)?

I think one of the beautiful things about improv is that most bad scenework is boring scenework. Your brain doesn’t have a large enough glucose store to keep track of boring shit. So I don’t really remember these boring scenes; all I have is a faint memory of sucking.

Have you ever been embarrassed by anything you’ve done on stage?

YES. In college I quoted Biggie Smalls and said the N word onstage. EMBARASSMENT.

Do you have any “no fly zones?”

I don’t say the N word.

Do you ever get stage fright?

I get in my head when there’s someone “important” in the audience, or when I’m at a big event like the Chicago Improv Festival. In the last year or so I’ve gotten these feelings right before shows, either “this is going to be great” or “something’s not right.” And I’m usually right.

High or Low status?

Low! I’m trying to stretch myself to try and fit into some high status pants. However, I’m most comfortable playing low status.

Straight or Absurd?

Good improvisers do both. The first three to five years I improvised, every character was a pirate, an old lady, or some variation on that. I took a workshop with Asaf Ronen and he nailed my character prototype in about 2.4 seconds. I had to work on standing up straight, playing myself. I’m getting better at it, but I still love freaks.

Preferred Opening?

Whatever serves the team.

Favorite Improv Form?

Well, to be honest, I’m a little cynical about form. I have seen too many shows where somebody cooked up a really “awesome” and “unique” form, and didn’t spend any time making sure that the 2-person scenework was solid. How are you going to build that house on a foundation of sand?

I’m not trying to dump on forms; they are useful both as an exercise and in performance. However, they can distract players from what’s really important. Here’s an example: My favorite form I have ever seen was at the Del Close Marathon in 2004. It was a Chicago team called American Dream. I heard later that their form is that they make up a form right before the show. They came onstage – and bear in mind, this is the Del Close Marathon; the long-form snobbery levels are dangerously high. American Dream came out and said, “Hi, we’re American Dream, and today we’re going to play Party Quirks.” The audience laughed and laughed. And then American Dream said, “We’re not kidding.” And they weren’t! They did a long-form version of Party Quirks, and it was AWESOME. Proof positive that form isn’t that important; what matters is the scenework.

Improv forms are like referees. A really bad one will stand out, but that’s not what the game is about. You should be able to play the game no matter what the ref is doing.

Favorite Line You’ve Ever Said?

“Dick up!”

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 26th, 2009 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Improv Resources, Performer Profiles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.