You blog like a girl

Improv of the Future

Nina — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:36:34 +0000

Come see my Level VI showcase: August 4, 11 & 18 at 8 pm. It’s $5 at Space 55.

Draw on your furniture

Nina — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 03:41:08 +0000

I have been creatively stuck over the last two weeks, which can be a depressing thing to go through. So one way that I try to find a path through this is to break a rule. My brain feels like it is limited by whatever is happening in my life, following processes and proprieties that are inevitable parts of living life. By breaking a rule, I hope to shake it back up, letting an open mind and open heart drive me to something more in my work.

So what rule to break? Probably nothing that will cause permanent damage. Hopefully something that is exciting. I love to make things, so an added bonus would be to have something to hang around for a while, to remind me. Enter a fairly boring Ikea hand-me-down and a Sharpie. And the resonating voices in my head to only draw on paper.

Pomp and Circumstance

Nina — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:50:39 +0000

I work at ASU, and I volunteer most years at Convocation. I tear up every time. My degrees have changed my life for the better, and the idea of celebrating that accomplishment as a community of scholars thrills me. Also, man, that song. It get’s me going every single time. And don’t get me started on regalia. I’m a full on graduation nerd.

My ASU graduation in 2005. I will be as excited as I was then.

In May 2009, I enrolled in Level 1: Beginning Longform Improv. I’ve been performing on stage and in film since I was 15, and had a brief stint with improv in college. What I was seeing in performances from the Torch troupes excited me as an artist, and I decided I wanted to try my hand at it. As anyone close to me knows, my love for improv exploded into flames of ardor over the last year as I explored longform principles and philosophies. They go beyond just “yes, and.” I learned methods of deep listening, learning and developing structures to create a holistic piece on the fly, and how to build characters and relationships that are fun, human, inhuman, absurd or anything else my imagination can conjure up. I have learned about myself and my community.

My last class for Level 6: Longform Synthesis is over. I am heading into my final student showcase. I get to graduate from the Torch Theatre Longform Training Center with a group of amazing people, all from various performance backgrounds and life experience. The community of people that I have had the pleasure of collaborating with has been one of the biggest joys. People that are truly interested in delving into the depths of human experience, people that are willing to be vulnerable in front of an audience full of strangers. People that are pushing themselves past their own “happy places” in order to bring performances to a new level.

If you want to check out what I’ve learned with this group of people, please come to one of our shows. (Dates to be posted shortly) We have developed a format we are calling Butterfly Door, inspired by the idea of “The Future.” As the first group to graduate from this 6 level curriculum developed by the Torch, and the class that has been around during this transition to the new space, we definitely feel the excitement being part of the future of the creative community in Phoenix. We are in a future we couldn’t have imagined when we walked into Space 55 last May.

I am at the end of this journey. I am proud and sad and excited about the journey ahead of me. *pushes play on cd player and grabs a box of kleenex*

This post was originally published on The Torch Theatre’s 4721 blog. Consider becoming a Torch Bearer and help Phoenix build a richer creative community.

If your 20-year-old self could meet you today, what would surprise her the most? What would she be most impressed by, and what (if anything) would she find disappointing?

Nina — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:39:45 +0000

I think she would be surprised at my path. She wouldn’t be surprised about where and who I am now, just how I got there. Especially 20 year old me would be surprised with how things developed and the outcomes of those developments.
She would be impressed with my accomplishments in design. At 20 I was fairly intimidated by that world. Also, as surprised as she would be with the choices I made walking away from being a working actor, I think she would respect the reasons I have for why, to this day, I don’t want to pay my rent via acting.
I think she would be disappointed at the same thing my 33 year old self is disappointed at: time lost. I have so much I want to do now, and I had a few frozen, scared years that are just gone now. I know I needed that time to learn what I’ve learned, but I still wish I could scrape some of that time back into my energetic happy pile.
Also, she would probably tell me I am fat. And I would tell her to shut her cake-hole and get over herself. And then we would high five.

Ask me questions.

Talent

Nina — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:39:52 +0000

“If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn’t bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented.” – Stephen King

This is a great statement. The first time I cashed an acting check I felt like I was invincible. There is a talent for survival as well as a talent for the arts.

If you could ask Barack Obama one question what would it be?

Nina — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:38:24 +0000

OMG I totally got to meet him and was too worn out/excited/overwhelmed/awestruck to do anything like ask him a question. I guess I would ask him if he truly is hopeful. And if so, how does he stay that way.
I have a framed picture of me and a bunch of other people standing around him. It really was an amazing moment. I had to get a background check to be in that room. I shaved above the knee that day. Also, that day was the beginning of an amazing adventure in my life. One that makes me hopeful and grateful everyday, no matter how scary and terrible the oil spills and wars are.

Ask me questions.

Wow. You guys love chairs!

Nina — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:52:01 +0000

Last night was “a whirlwind of chairs” to say the least. Thank you to everyone that participated in the Adopt-A-Chair program. The chairs have been lovingly spoken for, and we are grateful. I don’t think any of us expected it to happen so quickly, and we are excited about moving forward on our plans as a part of this amazing community.
Even though the chairs are taken care of, there is still a ton of work to do in the new space, and more seems to be added every day! Bathrooms to remodel, walls to add and curtains to hang. It truly will be an amazing place to learn, perform and watch improv once it is finished! Help us do that by becoming a Torch Bearer for 4721. Support the art of improv in Phoenix.

There is still a lot of work for these tools to do on 4721! Photo by Tommy Schaeffer.

[This post was originally published at 4721, The Torch Theatre blog]

Get comfy at the Torch!

Nina — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:53:07 +0000

You walk beyond the red velvet curtain, and into an intimate space. The stage is empty, but the room is filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement. You can’t wait to have a seat and get ready for a night of fun… WAIT, WHAT?! Where are the chairs!? NO CHAIRS. You run around screaming in a circle until you collapse, exhausted and empty.
Well, maybe not exactly like that. But it’s close.
Today we are launching our Adopt-a-Chair program for the new space. That’s right, there are 40 lonely chairs out there somewhere, and for mere pennies a day, you could be the proud parent of one or more of them. We’ll even put your name on it! Come be a part of Torch history! Adopt-a-Chair today.

There are so many lonely chairs out there waiting for your help...

[This post was originally published at 4721, The Torch Theatre blog]

Reading this: Creating Breakthrough Ideas

Nina — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 01:21:54 +0000

So far, I love it. I can’t believe I HAVE to read this.

Today is the day of the letterpress exhibit!

Nina — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:38:38 +0000

Come down to Fractal (1301 Grand Ave, Phoenix) and check out a really rich gathering of all the different types of work that is being done with letterpress. The collection includes work from Seesaw Designs, Pyracantha Press, lots of amazing artists and designers around Arizona. I tried to choose pieces that give a sense of place, and I also tried to show the range of work that people are doing in this medium. The work ranges from purely typographic to purely graphic. There is everything from wedding invitations to political art. Please come by tonight and check it out, SeeSaw is bringing a press for display and selling their sweet sweet calendars and cards. We will be there to talk about the work and the process.
If nothing else, come check out the pretty neat installation method that Bully engineered.