LAB Series: Outside the Lines
Outside the Lines is a workshop with the goal to develop improvisational skills to effectively produce original scenes using character, location, obstacle, goal without any predetermined lines. These 8 players will explore improv games and exercises to strike joy and engagement into the hearts of our audience. We will work with comedy as well as drama.
Creative Team
Collaborators:
Jonathan Lake
Celeste Lee
Tyler Thomas
Sam LaBounty
Emerson Spencer
Dennon LaPalm
Elsa Persson
Abby Aune
Faculty Advisor: Lauren Roth
Poster Design: Abby Aune
Special Thanks: Lauren Roth, Matthew Olsen, Hunter Ramsden, Luke Pfluger, LM3C, The Universe
Jonathan Lake
Improv Connoisseur
What does improv mean to me?
"Improv for me, is an escape and a break from the mold that everything else takes place in. It's nice to have a show whose contents you can switch on and off easily, and just go with the flow."
Celeste Lee
Improv Connoisseur
What does improv mean to me?
"To me improv means expressing myself. Living in the truth of the moment. A place to have fun, throw a blanket at Dennon, scream at Emerson, do a cartwheel, and live that fast grandma life. A place to make Emerson do push ups, flip off Emerson, make your mom jokes, flip him off again and overall annoy Emerson to the fullest."
Tyler Thomas
Improv Connoisseur
What does improv mean to me?
"Improv is a way to really help build characters and scenes. Having to create these things in only a few seconds really puts the pressure on me to have the basics of those things down. Using those skills and putting it on its feet is very rewarding as you get to see your growth in a physical sense and show it to others as well."
Sam LaBounty
Improv Connoisseur
What does improv mean to me?
"Improv is a really fun thing that is really fun and like pretty fun sometimes. Improv is one of the most fun things ever it's just so fun and really fun. I like having fun while I do improv it's just more fun that way. Fun."
Emerson Spencer
Improv Connoisseur
What does improv mean to me?
"Improv is a place where I can create silly little worlds in an instant. Its a place where I can discover the deep inner workings of a character and why they are doing what they are doing. But mainly just to let that little gremlin voice in the back of my head come out."
Dennon LaPalm
Improv Connoisseur
What does improv mean to me?
"There are many different philosophies that make up the world. From Aristotle's ideas of excellence to Confucius' ideas of living a peaceful life, IMPROV is something I live by. I make up everything in the moment. Nothing is planned."
Elsa Persson
Improv Connoisseur
What does improv mean to me?
"Improv is more important than eating, sleeping, and drinking water combined. It is the cream of the crop of artistry and the pearl in this funny little oyster we call life."
Abby Aune
Mother Improv
What does improv mean to me?
"When I do improv my brain becomes empty and I can embody the little baby that lives in my subconscious. She says whatever she wants and nobody cares because she's a baby."
Written by the little goblin in your consciousness that destroyed the concept of shame so you can now do and say whatever you please. wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up
Run time: approx. 90 minutes
A Note From Mother Improv:
Hello and welcome to my brain baby. If you know me, you know that I love improv. I love improv with the strength of a thousand men. I love improv with a ferocious passion. With complete devotion. With unequivocal, pathological adoration. I just love improv, man. When proposing this show it was just something I wanted to do. When it was chosen to be apart of the season and that I would lead it I was struck with fear. I thought to myself, "oh god, nobody is going to want to do this but me". Alas, low and behold, I gathered 7 other brave young people who were willing to trap themselves in a room with me to do improv everyday for 3 weeks. It has been such a joy to work and explore with this group of people. I left every rehearsal feeling energized and excited. I feel so much humor and support and trust in these individuals. And that's what improv is all about. Trust. Vulnerability. We get up on stage with nothing planned and yet we cultivate something beautiful. We trust our scene partner to support us and we trust ourselves to do and say exactly the right thing. And that's the beauty of improv: there is no wrong answer. All you have to do is say yes.
I often say that my whole life is improv and there is so much truth in that. I'm just making this all up as I go, trying to be bold and make memorable choices, going before I'm ready and allowing myself to grow and discover it all along the way. I'd like to thank my incredible collaborators for helping me bring this show to life and for allowing themselves to embrace the unknown. I think we're all better people when we do. I'd like to thank Mathew Olsen for fanning the flames of my love for improv and allowing me to barge into his office and discuss whatever I've got running around my mind on any given day. I'd like to thank Lauren Roth for her kindness, support, and trust that I've got what it takes to do this fricken thing. I extend my gratitude to the entirety of the UMD Theatre Faculty & Staff for cultivating a space where play and empathy are valued and we're given these opportunities to grow, as people and as theater practitioners. I give a big ol' hug and smooch to my friends for seeing me and loving me for who I am. I am nothing without love and I hold so much in my heart for you. And, last but not least, I want to thank you all for being with us tonight as we discover what happens when we create theater.... (wait for it....).... Outside the Lines!
Live, Love, Improv,
Abby Aune
P.S. don't forget to commit to the bit
Land Acknowledgement
The Department of Theatre acknowledges that the Marshall Performing Arts Center is located on ancestral lands of Indigenous people, land that was cared for and called home by the Ojibwe people, before them, the Dakota and Northern Cheyenne people, and before them, other Native peoples from time immemorial. Ceded by the Ojibwe in an 1854 treaty, this land holds great historical, spiritual, and personal significance for its original stewards, the Native nations of this region.
UMD Theatre's Lab Series
The UMD Theatre Lab Series offers a platform for student artists to conceptualize and innovate theatrical opportunities in various stages of realization. Artists are challenged to step into new roles, go outside of their comfort zones, and commit to a process of learning through creative risk-taking. The Lab Series serves as an extension of the artist’s creative training and development, with the intention of cultivating opportunities for collaboration, discovery, and learning through doing.
Thank you for joining us in this inaugural season!