dojo and it came time for grappling, I felt like I got tossed around like a
rag doll by guys I was tossing around myself a few weeks earlier. I was
distraught about it and decided to add one- to three-mile runs into my
weekly routine to recover and improve my conditioning. Ludicrously,
at some point I decided I would enter the lottery process for getting
into the marathon. I had never run much before, and had been at it for
only about a month or so. I got in.
good does a dance have to be to get someone’s head chopped off? Was
Noah the only guy with a boat? Why are there no unicorns?
When it’s done well, improv doesn’t always necessarily result in
laughter. Sometimes a scene unfolds from a “yes, and” and leads to an
unexpected place. While imagining an interview between Noah and
an animal candidate for admission to the Ark will naturally lend itself
to humor, imagining a parent building a boat to save his children from
I took it as a sign to train for it, with the internal understanding that certain death might lead to something more profound. The lyrics for
I could stop running and drop out at any time. But as the race drew a song I’m working on for the show try to grapple with some of these
nearer, I knew I had to go for it. I don’t regret it. Running a marathon questions I would certainly be dealing with as a father:
(I ran twice in New York City and once in Chicago) was a powerful,
memorable experience, and the fi rst one especially felt like a trauma
Our world is ending soon my child.
and a triumph at the same time. Much like going to church, there
For all my sins and heresy,
is pageantry and drama, and a strong sense of community amongst
All the years that I ran wild,
marathoners.
The ground is giving way beneath us.
I’m sorry.
What drove me to enter the lottery for the NYC Marathon was the
thought that I would benefi t from being in over my head. I didn’t
The cost is far too high, my son,
know if I could do it, but wanted to prove to myself that I could.
And I can’t let you pay it
Entering the Fringe lottery felt the same way and had the same result.
When I’m the guilty one.
I got in. I took it as a sign. I’m preparing for it. I’m stretching in ways
The tides are rising all around us.
I hadn’t anticipated. I’m writing sketches. I’m writing lyrics. I found
I’m sorry.
other performers whom I have to direct.
Hush my little angel, don’t you cry.
The cast includes Joe Llorens, one of my trusted buddies with whom I
I know what you are thinking,
went through some of Sak Comedy Lab’s improv and stand-up classes;
but this doesn’t mean goodbye.
Lynde Schmidt, a great young actor that I met in
I’ll do anything for you,
Anything, for you.
Art Sake Studio’s Film I/Meisner acting class; and Christie Johnson,
My very last breath,
an acting and dancing talent I discovered through Fringe’s Unifi ed
I’d give that to you too.
audition process.
I’ll build you a boat
Watch as you fl oat
Two months ago in this column, I wrote about one of improv’s
Away, away, away.
time-honored principles, namely the concept of “yes, and.” “Yes, and”
demands that an improviser treat whatever their scene partner does
Long, long after I’ve left this place,
or says as an offering that must be accepted as part of the reality of
Even the memory of me
the scene. The improviser then builds upon the offer with their own
will remember your face.
contribution, and so on. Biblical Fan Fiction is essentially an extend-
That’s how much I love you,
ed “yes, and” to selected Bible stories. What that means is that we
And my love will embrace you always.
accept selected stories as true, namely Elisha and the Bears, John the
Baptist, and Noah and the Ark. Using sketch comedy, improv, video, One of the primary differences between producing Biblical Fan Fiction
children’s art, and music, we tell the stories, embrace anachronisms, and running a marathon is that I absolutely could not be doing this
fi ll in some blanks along the way, and answer some questions the alone. I’m grateful to my cast and the people who have encouraged
Bible doesn’t, like: Is God bald? Where do babies come from? How me along the way. I love being a part of the arts community in Or-
lando, and I hope you’ll come out like non-runners do for a race to
encourage us and cheer us on. Give us the equivalent of orange slices
or banana halves. I’m still scared, but facing the fear is part of improv,
part of performing. Richard Bach said, “When you have come to the
edge of all the light you have, and step into the darkness of the un-
known, believe that one of two will happen to you: either you’ll fi nd
something solid to stand on or you’ll be taught how to fl y!”
Performance s of Biblical Fan Fiction at the Orlando Fringe Festival will
take place in the Purple Venue on Wednesday, May 17 at 6:15pm; Sat-
urday, May 20 at 1:30pm; Monday, May 22 at 8:45pm; Friday, May
26 at 7:00pm; and Saturday, May 27 at 11:15am. Tickets are $10.
You can see more at:
bit.ly/2qwqKK2
Orlando Arts & Culture, v. 2.4
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