Feature Article
What's the First Thing You Think of When I Say...
by Shana Merlin
I sometimes joke that my improv name is "Sheila." For a long time people would call me "Sheila" in improv scenes because my scene partner would look at me and think "Shana," but then remember that we aren't supposed to use real names in improv scenes (we should be playing characters) and so they would start saying "Sh.." and turn it in to "Sheila." It's a small example of a problem that arises in an art form where you respond spontaneously to your scene partner. My scene partners just see short, brown haired, glasses-wearing Shana. And in the moment it's hard for them to see anything else. So improvisers often end up pigeonholing each other.
In general, the first thing on a person's tongue is often stereotypical. The first reaction we have to each other is usually based on externals or labels. And when you are teaching people to go with their first instincts and not censor themselves, it's not uncommon to get responses that are full of stereotype, bias, and even discrimination.
This negative byproduct is unfortunate because one of my favorite things about improv is that we get to be our own casting agents. As an improviser, I get to play roles of any age, gender, ethnicity, accent, height, or species for that matter. On the other hand, when my agent sends me on commercial auditions, I'm mostly sent to try out for young mother roles: Caucasian, 30 - 40, attractive. (Okay, maybe I added that last one in) but my opportunities feel much more limited by my demographic than by my talent. In improv the opposite is true. The only limit to the characters I can play are my talent and my imagination. Actually that's almost true. I still have to get my scene partners to see me through their imagination and not how I physically am. And some people can't help but see me as young mother, 30-40, attractive. (Their thoughts, not mine!)
Despite these problems with snap judgements, improv also presents opportunities to help people overcome stereotypes. Improv is one of the most accessible art forms. There's a very low cost of entry. And it's incredibly empowering because it's an opportunity for artists to tell whatever stories they want. It is immediate, and easily adaptable to different audiences. In fact, the origins of American improvisation start with Viola Spolin in the 1930's teaching acting and directing for the WPA and seeing the need for theater games that could cross literacy and cultural barriers in Chicago. So American improvisation has it's roots in the working class and with multiculturalism.
Yet this pigeonholing persists. I've definitely had it happen in shows when I start a scene playing an old man, and then get endowed as a frail young woman. And I see it happen with my students: the big guy in class is always referred to that way. Older actors are endowed as parents instead of romantic leads. A man playing cross gender is assumed to be playing a gay character. Of course most of this is just honest mix up that happens all the time when you are improvising. Offers get dropped. People are misunderstood. People go for the familiar/cheap/easy laugh.
I tell my students not to beat themselves up over stereotypical things that happen. But I ask them to start to become aware of it and open themselves up to the possibility that in improv anyone can play any character at any time. The good news is that I find this typecasting fades with time when people get to know each other and play together. Just like in the real world, when we become familiar with someone, their stereotypical features tend to fade away and you start to see them as a more complicated person with many dimensions. And soon enough, these possibilities open up on stage, and they are no longer pigeonholed by their peers.
There are shortcuts to this process, though. This year I went to my first International Improv Festival in Amsterdam, where there was a big focus on the different cultures and styles of improv from different countries. On the first day of the festival, we had a get-to-know-you workshop unlike any I had been to before. We weren't just getting to know each other, we were also laying out the stereotypes, biases, and misconceptions we might have about each other. The workshop was led by the spectacular Marijn Vissers, a larger than life Dutch man with a shaved head, except for a heroic curl on his forehead. (A product of a long ago bet in a bar where his friends said they would give him a bunch of money if he let them shave his whole head. His pals started shaving him, left the curl in the front and kept their money.)
After a physical warm up, he started us off with a game like a lot of improv games: an exercise that forces you to make fast and confident decisions. But this game was also strangely personal. Marijn would read out a statement and as quickly as possible, you had to put your hand on the shoulder of the person you thought most fit that statement. In a room of 35 or so total strangers from around the world (that we were hoping to befriend and impress), I quickly had to decide who I thought played a musical instrument, who recently got a speeding ticket, who reads a lot, who never reads, who bathed today, who hasn't bathed in a week, who plays sports, who's single and who's in a couple. It sounds terrible, right? But the thing is we all are making these assumptions and decisions all the time. And the game came so rapid fire, it was hard to dwell on any one statement too long. And there was all this laughter as people piled hands on someone with glasses, assuming they read a lot. And you suddenly got this awareness of how people perceived you and you had permission to play with these snap judgments we all make. It was surprisingly fun and lightened the often sensitive and tense mood at multicultural events.
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Blog & Buzz
NEXT ROUND OF IMPROV CLASSES: The next round of improv classes is starting up March 22th. If you register by March 15th, you'll still pay the usual $150 price. After March 15th, prices go up to $175. So register by March 15th and save $25.
Improv 101 Saturdays 2:30pm - 4:30pm March 27 - May 15
Improv 201 Wednesdays 8pm - 10pm March 24 - May 12
Improv 301 Wednesdays 6pm - 8pm March 24 - May 12
Improv 401 Mondays 6pm - 8pm March 22 - May 10
Improv 601 Mondays 8pm - 10pm March 22 - May 10
Improv Singing III Saturdays 12pm - 2pm March 27 - May 15
To register or for more information visit our website.
MERLIN WORKS IMPROV MIXER: It's already time to mix, mingle, play and audition again at Merlin Works. Along with our regular instructor-led warm-up and scene work jam, it will also serve as open auditions for upcoming Gnap! Theater Projects shows and troupes. Sunday March 14th at 2pm - 4pm at SVT.
HEIST!:  See our crack team of improvisers pull off a the crime of a lifetime. Expect elaborate schemes, special skills, desperate men, and double-crossing deals. But be careful, while they lift your spirits, they just might steal your heart. This original format developed by the graduates of the Merlin Works Institution for Improvisation Narrative Longform Series will debut in the Saturday Night Special at Salvage Vanguard Theatre March 6, 13, and 27, 2010.
IMPROV SINGING GRADUATION SHOW: Come watch a full cast (13 people!) sing and dance their way through two full length musicals. For each musical, half the cast is the ensemble, doing back up singing, dancing, and characters, while the other half takes the leads in the story. In the second half of the show, they switch places and do it all over again. A live musician accompanies the completely improvised characters, songs, dances, and stories. Friday March 12, 10pm at SVT.
DUSK GOES NATIONAL:  "Dusk: Improvised Tween Erotica" has been accepted to the Chicago Improv Festival April 19 - 25 and we'll be performing in New York City at the Tank Theater July 9, 10, and 11. To get ready for our trips, we're going to be having some special fundraising performances in Austin at 10pm Friday April 9 and 16 in Austin at the Salvage Vanguard Theater. And we'll be doing a full 5 week run again next Fall, October 22 - November 19, 2010.
Twitter: My twitter feed is up an running. So if you're looking for someone to follow and you'd like to get updates about shows, classes, and what I'm cooking for dinner, look for my username ShanaMerlin.
IMPROV BLOG: AMSTERDAM AND ANNIVERSARY: If you want to read all the recaps on my trip to the Amsterdam International Improv Festival and the Merlin Works and Gnap! Second Anniversary Weekend at SVT, read all about it on my improv blog.
T-SHIRTS FOR SALE: Merlin Works now has stickers and T-Shirts for sale. Designed by the fabulous Jon Bolden, these shirts are printed on American Apparel Tri-Blend fabric: comfy from day one. And check out the great model!
LAFF: The Fourth Annual LAFF: Ladies Are Funny Festival, is coming May 5 - 8, 2010 to the Salvage Vanguard Theater. The schedule is set and this year is bigger than ever. We're expanding the festival a day and moving in to the larger space at SVT. Plus we have our fundraiser: the Ladies Underhand Skillet Toss (LUST) April 18th. Keep an eye out for announcements about our amazing lineup of all-female improv and sketch troupes, one-woman shows, dance troupes, stand-ups, variety acts, anything funny as long as it's a live performance by females.
INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS at the ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE and the LONG CENTER: The scripted 1930's science fiction radio drama I was touring the country with last year is now a comic book and a live action graphic novel. I'll be performing in 10 minute epsiodes every month at the Alamo Drafthouse before a movie and this Fall I'll be performing the full show in the Dell Concert Hall at the Long Center For the Performing Arts.
GNAP! SHOWS AT SVT: Gnap! Theater Projects is rocking through their 2010 Season. It's The Family Fridays and Saturdays through March 13 at 8pm The Saturday Night Special, Saturdays at 10pm in March will feature Merlin Works Institute Graduates performing Heist!. 1st Fridays is No Shame Theater, an open mike performance series. Apocalypse! runs March 26 - April 17. For tickets and show information go online.
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It was great because it was such an improv solution to a problem. In my improv classes I tell my students to expose their mistakes, because they are funny and a sign of openness and vulnerability. It's counter our normal instincts which are to avoid risks and cover mistakes. But I had to learn this lesson all over again for myself in the diversity workshop. Instead of being extra careful and sensitive about our cultural differences--working hard to prevent failure--we got to make lots of mistakes quickly (on some lower-risk issues) so we could start to play with the cultural gaps between these teams from Sweden, Turkey, USA, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands. By acknowledging the uninformed, shallow, judgmental parts of ourselves, we were able to transcend them for a moment.
As the workshop continued, we played some more ice breaker games, sharing truths and lies, playing name games, and then participants got to lead some of their favorite warm-ups from their home countries.
Then Marijn took it a step further and had us do exaggerated impersonations of different cultures. He had the Turkish team sit in the audience while the rest of us acted like very stereotypical Turkish people. And the Turks laughed and seemed to enjoy the performance. After a few minutes Marijn stopped us and asked the Turks what we got right and what we got wrong. Every country's team got a turn in the hot seat. Sara, Shannon and I got to see a lot of Europeans acting like bow-legged cowboys. And although it was hilarious to watch, I was glad I got to tell them that all these brawling cowboys were missing the southern hospitality that is so strong in Texas.
Funnily, the thing I was most embarrassed about was when Marijn asked us to do impersonations of Nigerians or people from Suriname. As the Europeans launched in to those stereotypes, I was clueless about what to do. At least the Europeans knew enough about these cultures to stereotype them. I was truly uninformed and at a loss. I felt so American: "It's not that I have the wrong idea about your culture, it's that I had no idea it even existed!" It was a good cue that I still have a lot to learn about other countries.
It was such a wonderful start to the festival because it broke down the barriers between people, helped us not be so delicate with each other, and made it so we could really play with each other and laugh at each other and ourselves. And this was important because that week we would be performing as an ensemble for paying audiences.  Of course there are some hot button issues that might be too dangerous to play with on the first day of a workshop, but I do think this was a great model for breaking down barriers between cultures. Instead of teaching each other how to do it right (a perfection we may never achieve), we can instead play with all the things we've got wrong about each other. And there's plenty of material to work with right now.
Shana Merlin
Founder, Merlin Works
Classes
The Merlin Works Institute for Improvisation
at The Salvage Vanguard Theater
2803 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
All Classes: $150, unless otherwise noted
To register, click here.
Shortform Foundation Series
Everyone starts with the Shortform Foundation Series. Here you will learn the fundamentals of gameplay and scene work while becoming the kind of person that is truly fun to play with. After Improv 101, Improv 201 and Improv 301, you will have a solid foundation in "Whose Line Is It Anyway's"-style games and be ready for your big graduation show.
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IMPROV 101:
For complete beginners and experienced actors, this workshop teaches the fundamentals of improvisation. The class's interactive exercises build listening and communication skills, heighten awareness and teach you how to be more playful, spontaneous and flexible. Play short form improv games like you see on TV's "Whose Line Is It Anyways?" in a fun and safe environment.
Saturdays March 27 - May 15 , 2010
2:30pm - 4:30pm (8 Meetings)
Instructors: Shana Merlin and Michael Joplin
Class size limit = 16
To register, click here.
Longform Performance Series
For students and improvisers who have completed Improv 301 or with over a year of improv experience under their belts, The Longform Performance Series will give you the tools and training to perform improvised plays, movies, and stories.
To register, click here.
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IMPROV 601:
Mondays March 22 - May 10, 2010
8pm - 10pm (8 classes, 2 additional rehearsals, and 3-4 shows) $200
Instructors: Shana Merlin and Shannon McCormick
To register, click here.
Specialty Classes
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IMPROV MIXER
Sunday March 14th 2pm - 4pm
Price: Free
Instructors: Shana Merlin
To RSVP, email Shana Merlin.
The Mixer is open to the entire community: students, free agents, existing troupes looking for new members, coaches, or anyone who wants a free workout. At the beginning, directors will announce their shows and say what they are looking for. Then I will lead an improv warm-up where everyone will get to know each other and get comfortable. Then we will be divided into groups for open scene work. It's free, it's fun, and you just might get cast in a show or set up with a group of improvisers and a coach to form a new troupe.
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IMPROV SINGING III
Saturdays 12pm - 2pm March 27 - May 15
Price: $175
Instructors: Shana Merlin, Aden Kirschner, Michael Brockman, and Jason Lane
To register, click here.
Make up an entire musical on the spot with a live musician every week. We'll also go further into fun longform musical theater stuff--singing, dancing, and story. In addition, we'll explore musical theater genres and styles. You don't need to be a great singer to take this class, you just need to enjoy singing and have some experience making up songs on the spot. It's like karaoke, but you fill in your own words. Improv Singing II was so much fun, we just had to keep on going.
Shows
 GET UP, duo improv comedy. Expect multiple characters, quick edits, and sophisticated comedy as they make up a complete story on the spot inspired by randomly selected theme music.
Saturday Night Special
Saturday March 13th at 10pm
at The Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd
Buy tickets online
Saturday Night Special
Saturday June 12th at 10pm
at The Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd
Buy tickets online
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS, six ladies improvise an entire Broadway musical including singing, dancing, live music, characters, and comedy.
Saturday Night Special
Saturday April 3rd at 10pm
at The Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd
Buy tickets online
Saturday Night Special
Saturday May 1 at 10pm
at The Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd
Buy tickets online
LAFF: Ladies Are Funny Festival
Saturday May 8 at 11pm
at The Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd
Buy tickets online
DUSK: IMPROVISED TWEEN EROTICA It's loving mockery of the latest pop cultural sensation: vampires. Examining the tension in the strangely chaste bodice ripping series, Twilight, Dusk: Improvised Tween Erotica, lets audiences luxuriate in the rich, guilty pleasure of vampires, werewolves, and deeply conflicted adolescent sexuality. Catch the show before we head to Chicago and New York.
Special Fundraising Show
Friday April 9th at 10pm
at The Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd
Buy tickets online
Special Fundraising Show
Friday April 16th at 10pm
at The Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd
Buy tickets online
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Shana Merlin
512-657-3005
shana@merlin-works.com
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The Merlin Works Newsletter is published almost monthly from Austin, TX, USA
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The Splendid Things were in Austin a few weeks ago for the Merlin Works/Gnap! Theater Projects Second Anniversary Weekend at SVT. They did some fabulous shows, lead some great classes, and were a pleasure to hang out with. If you are ever in the Twin Cities area, make sure to check out their good improv stuff. 
