Category: Homepage News

  • The Creeping Laughter

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    by

    Roy Janik
    in ,

    The rehearsal process leading up to the opening of the Black Vault has been an interesting one. The Black Vault tells improvised dramatic horror stories in the style of H.P. Lovecraft. Since 90% of all improv is deliberately comedic in nature, that’s kind of an intimidating prospect. Will the audience get it? Will they like…

  • The Shadow Out of Austin, A Black Vault Story

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    Roy Janik
    in ,

    Roy here. In preparation for The Black Vault, improvised horror in the style of H.P. Lovecraft, I thought it would be fun to try my own hand at some Lovecraftian writing.  One of the biggest challenges in the show is to try and recreate the essence of the overly-wrought and  verbose prose of Lovecraft in…

  • Improv & Speech Therapy

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    by

    admin
    in ,

    Almost a year after I received improv classes from my husband as a Christmas gift, I finally made it down to the Hideout for Level 1. The objective of Level 1, and I suppose many other introductory courses, is geared toward relinquishing a need to know everything before it happens, letting go of the idea that being in-the-moment…

  • Manhattan Stories: The Game

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    Roy Janik
    in ,

    Roy here. Here’s a video about one of my pet projects this year. Marc Majcher, a Hideout performer (Improv for Evil, The Escorts) and director (The Black Vault), is also a game developer. He has designed quite a few compelling board games, which I have had the pleasure to play. My personal favorite is Fluffy…

  • An Insiders Look at Manhattan Stories: Improvised Woody Allen

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    Roy Janik
    in ,

    Andy Buck is a cast member of Manhattan Stories: Improvised Woody Allen, which is our current Mainstage show. Here he ruminates on what led him to be a part of this project.  One of my earliest memories: I’m six or seven, and my mom is cooking dinner. I’m watching TV, as usual, and I see…

  • Born to ROCK

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    Roy Janik
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    Lindsey Reeves tell us all about her journey to being a cast member in ROCK: The Improvised Rock Opera. “That’s the thing about improv – it’s like magic. You walk out of a show feeling like Harry Potter the first time he waved his wand.”

  • The Game Changer, Part Two

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    Roy Janik
    in ,

    Cat Drago discovered The 42 Hour Improv Marathon last year almost by accident. It changed her life, which is one of the reasons why we’re still doing this crazy event.

  • The Game Changer, Part One

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    by

    Roy Janik
    in ,

    Last year, Ryan Hill basically stumbled into watching the 42 Hour Improv Marathon, and it changed his life. Yesterday, I talked with him about what happened, and how it’s affected him over the past year.

  • The First Hardcore Four

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    Roy Janik
    in ,

    If the 8 improvisers performing for the entire 43 hours of the Marathon are the Crazy Eight, then these are the Hardcore Four. This year Ashley Lowe, Amy Dietze, Ryan Criswell, and Cat Drago will attempt to WATCH THE ENTIRE MARATHON.

  • ROCK Man

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    by

    Roy Janik
    in ,

    Michael Brockman is the sole musician for ROCK, The Improvised Rock Opera, but somehow he pulls off sounding like a full band. In this post, Michael talks about discovering something in improvising music that we also teach in the Hideout classes… you do your best when you lose yourself in the work.  Have at it,…