Showtime

Tantrum got together for rehearsal last night, and it was a lot of fun. We had to do a little catching up since we hadn’t met as a troupe (at least in a “business” capacity) since Thanksgiving. It was nice to let the batteries recharge for a while, and I think everyone is eager to get back to it. If the rehearsal was any indication, we are going to enjoy the hell out of the show Friday.

For the first time, we’ll be adding games to our repertoire. I think we’ll really enjoy doing them, and it will give the audience a chance to get more involved. Everything looks great from an improv standpoint, and I’m confident our shows will be well-received.

Moving forward, the biggest question facing Tantrum and improv troupes in general is this: will people come to our shows?

Friday night there are four improv shows at four different venues, all occurring simultaneously.

Saturday night there are SEVEN shows at five different venues.

This weekend is, admittedly, an anomaly. However, with so many troupes doing so many shows in the coming year, there is bound to be further dilution of our already uneven crowds.

I am anxious to see what happens. Improv has gotten more ink from both the Star and the Pitch of late, but the (vast) majority of our audience is still made up of friends, family, and fellow improvisers. With monthly shows, I know I can’t count on, say, my parents being there every show like they were over the past year. And if improvisers are doing more and more shows, they will BE at their own shows (or, at the very least, be more selective about the shows they see).

Should be interesting. I hope our guest monologist format and overall show quality will help us build a modest (if not consistent) following from people outside the core groups listed above. Our marketing gurus are doing all they can to make sure people are informed; now it’s up to us to generate some buzz with our work on stage. In the end, putting on a good show is the best promotion we can do.