This is the seventh in a series of blog posts about each this weekend’s marathoners. Don’t know what the marathon is? Find out here!
Halyn Erickson began watching shows at the Hideout Theatre in 2001, when she was in the 6th grade. She immediately began taking classes there as soon as she graduated high school in 2009. Since then she has been in 13 main-stage improv shows including Spirited, Austin Secrets, Process, Hurly Burly, TheatreSports, and is currently in rehearsals for the July/August 2015 Hideout main-stage show, Happily Ever After! She loves cats, illustration, chocolate chip cookies, and talking about herself in the third person. Seeing as she has been watching many of her fellow performers and friends since she was only kid, she is honored to be doing the marathon for a second time to raise money for the children’s program.
Why did you want to be involved in the marathon?
Well I was in the 43 Hour Marathon 3 years ago, but I was still pretty new at that time as I’d only been doing improv for a year and a half at that point. I wanted to do it again because I was really in my head last time and scared to jump out on stage, so I left wishing I had done more and tried more. Since then, I’ve been in many different shows and I’ve grown as an improvisor (and human being) so I’d like to tackle the marathon again and have more fun with it!
What excites you most about doing the marathon?
Meeting so many great performers and getting to be introduced to so many different types of shows! To me, that’s the best part of the marathon. You see how fucking brilliant this town is, and how many great shows are out there. I left feeling really inspired by all these great performers, and I can’t wait to feel that again!
What scares you most about doing the marathon?
Getting sick. I’m afraid something will happen and I won’t be able to finish it… eek!
Which format are you most excited about?
This is really hard to pick… I’m excited about The Devil and Halyn Erickson because that’s my little solo format, and I can’t wait to see what we do with 7 more people added to that…. I’m excited for Happily Ever After because IMPROVISED DISNEY MUSICAL… but I think I’m most excited for the Available Cupholders! They’re one of my favorite groups in Austin, and I deeply admire all of them. Plus that’s one of the last shows, so we’ll all be out of our minds by that point. 🙂
What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed awake?
Something like 48 hours for the last marathon I was in!
What’s your dumb comfort item you’ll be bringing with you?
My over-sized teddy bear I’ve had since I was 14. And headphones. I need music!
What’s your pump up song?
Oh god it’s REALLY cheesy, but Thunderstruck by AC/DC gets me SO PUMPED AND EXCITED!