The Mafia, Baby Showers, and Teddy Roosevelt

Hello Folks,

Here I am figuring out this blogosphere world, and I ask you all to bear with me. I am starting to learn what the people want.

What I am really trying to do is have a combination of things in my life--- interesting happenings to me, followed by some larger topic that everyone can talk about and argue about, and then a little piece at the end of each entry where I take a moment to profile someone I think you should know a little information. Sometimes this will be a moment called “Better Know a Brewer,” “Better Know a Politician,” “Better Know an Improviser,” “Better Know a Hero,” and other aspects from the “Better Know a ____________.” I think it will be a good way to get stuff going around here.


INTERESTING THINGS I’VE BEEN UP TO: BABY SHOWERS AND THE MAFIA
(Some credit for this needs to go to John Haynes and others who have came to the same conclusion)

The Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre is like the Mob. Here’s why:
· We have an internal structure.
· We’ve been around for 50 years.
· Everyone knows who we are We have connections all over the country.
· We bring people into the “family” that is the BNW.
· We’ve got our fingers in a lot of business.
· We work so closely together, and we must inherently trust one another—we share life experiences together.
· Weddings, baby showers, funerals—they are all shared.

When I started at the BNW six years ago people brought their dogs to work, now they bring their kids to work with them. In one room we will have kids watching the “Backyard-i-gans” on a lap top and playing with plush toys, and in the next room there will be actors working on a sketch with a couple trying to fuck each other in a voting booth but it goes all wrong when they realize they have differing political views on abortion (that’s not really a sketch—but I think it’s a good idea for one). There is nothing stranger than those two extremes in dynamics.

We had a baby shower for the Bozics who are awaiting the arrival of a little girl. Some of the women of the “Brave New Workshop Family” put together an amazing baby shower (kudos to Beth and Lauren for that!) It was like a scene from a mob movie set in the 1950’s where the whole family is enjoying a picnic on the estate. This is what makes the BNW so cool. We get along together, work and play cross, and we become parts of each other’s lives. ---Also, you can never leave the BNW. Once you are in, you can never leave- alive. That’s why I am moving 400 miles away. They are shipping me South. If I stop blogging, it probably means I am dead. The Don had me whacked.

BREWERS UPDATE

So I was right, the Brewers pulled it out last night with a win against the last team in the division. And then they lost today against the same team. I was watching the game on my computer during the baby shower. I could not believe it. The score was 11 to 6 at the end. The Cubs won today, so the brewers are again one game behind the Cubs and now they are heading into a series with the Cubs, this looks rough. I can’t talk about this anymore.
I will most likely be watching this entire series. (4 games) I do not want to talk about it. So scared of jinxing this.

I am working on a little diatribe on Minnesota VS Wisconsin and the feelings between residents of each great state.

BETTER KNOW A PRESIDENT

The current Brave New Workshop show has a great sketch about my favorite president of all time, Teddy “Motha-Fuckin’” Roosevelt (That’s how he’s referred to in the show). I have long loved Teddy Roosevelt. He is a hero to me. Paintings depict an amazing smile and a character prescience that transcends the ink and years since his death to stir a pride in America and the office of president that no president in recent history does for me. Below are some important facts about our 26th President of these United States. (Most of these facts actually come from a book! “Theodore Roosevelt—A Life” by Nathan Miller)

· Roosevelt’s father never laughed at his children when they asked questions as children often ask… he would instead answer then and treat his kids like adults.
· He was a sickly child who overcame asthma after his father’s encouragement to exercise, learn boxing, and travel with his family to Europe and the Middle East.
· He attended Harvard and is a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity (as is the author of this blog)
· His first wife and his mother both died on the same day in the same house
· TR was an author of several historical books
· TR delivered his famous line, “Speak softly…” at the Minnesota State Fair in 1901
· TR became president after serving as vice president for McKinley
· He declined to run for a second term since he considered McKinley’s term to have been his first one, then he pretty much handpicked Taft as his replacement, and was so furious at how Taft ran the country that he ran against him for the Republican nomination in 1912, lost, and founded his own third party.
· He was the most successful third party candidate of all time when he ran as the Bull Moose Candidate

Here's a preview of the future, THE BOARDER BATTLE—MINNESOTA vs WISCONSIN

That is all.

Opening Night and some Brewers you need to know

Hey there folks, so I promised on Thursday to have a post about the Milwaukee Brewers, however Friday was just a little nuts in the life of David Jennings. It was opening night of the Brave New Workshop’s new show ’The Lion, The Witch and The Warhero—or Is McCain Able? It’s a great show. I have not gotten to sit and watch the entire show as of yet, but I have seen all of it over the past month in one way or another—and it is fantastic. There are a ton of songs, some great video, a new stage, new 42 inch flat screen TV’s, and a cast of some really dedicated actors who put together a great show. Credit has got to be given to the cast who spent their 4th of July weekend with Caleb and his brother rebuilding the stage.


Also, credit to Max, the new tech for helping me with the new Carpeting in the theatre, Kyle for helping lay down the new carpeting even though he was sick as a dog, and the entire staff for cleaning the place up and helping me paint the stage, the floor, and the risers. The BNW looks better than it has over the past 6 years I have been here, and I am proud to be turning the reins over to someone who will inherit a great staff and a building worth taking care of.


One cool thing from opening night is that I was able to get cardboard cut outs of the candidates. So we took a bunch of photos with them and the cast.


I will have pictures of opening night up tomorrow when I have my cord to connect my camera with my computer. I know, lame.


THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS---


So here’s the deal, the Brewers swept the St Louis Cardinals with a final win in the 4th game of the series on Thursday. This took them to one game behind the Cubs for the NLK Central Division, and the first time they have been second in the division for about 7 weeks. They are three games ahead of St. Louis right now, and due to the Cubs second loss at home against Florida this afternoon, if Milwaukee wins against Houston today they will slip into first in the division, something that they would have done Friday if the 7 game winning streak had not been brought to an end by Houston. Seven games is a great winning streak, and they were the only team to have a win streak that long following the All Star Break. The ten game streak of the New York Mets spanned the All Star Break, and was still an incredible feat.


So, the Brewers are playing well, in fact they have had the best record in all of baseball for the past month or so…. So what’s the deal? Here’s a little lesson in Brewers players you should know (this should be interesting enough for almost anyone):





Prince Fielder (Son of former Detroit Tigers First Baseman Cecil Fielder)(24 years old) is a first baseman with a mean swing. He bats left and throws right. He is a vegetarian. He’s been with the Brewers since 2005 and was in the 2007 All Star Game and holds the Brewers record for single season home runs, and is the youngest in MLB to break the 50 home run mark. This is a guy you can count on to hit a few runs in almost every game.


Corey Hart is not an 80’s pop star. He’s an awesome outfielder for the Brewers. You saw him try unsuccessfully to end the All Star Game in favor of the National League, but he was up against some pretty big odds getting that ball to home plate from the outfield. He’s a big guy… 6’6” and 220 lbs do not mess around. He’s only 26, but is married and has three kids. He’s been with the Brew Crew since 2004. Leading into the All Star Break he had 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. Kiss his big white Kentucky ass.


Ben Sheets is Olympic level, I mean that literally. He pitche 22 inning for the US team in the 2000 Olympics. He was the starting pitcher for the first game of the season in a 3-4 win over the Cubs (in the snow/rain) and has continued to deliver over the season. He was the first Brewer pitcher to start the All Star game in (2008). He’s a great pitcher, has a mean fastball (98 mph) and is a righty.


CC Sabathia – ALRIGHT, fine, we’ll talk about Sabathia. He’s the new guy on the team. I mean, really new. He’s a great pitcher (seen in this little Cardinals debut, he pitched three consecutive full games against them) and he has an interesting swing that makes him one of the best hitters with regards to pitchers across the league. He’s been with the team since July 7th, and has been kicking ass.


Tomorrow I will talk about Ned Yost, Brewers manager


I think that Sheets and Sabathia are back for tonight’s game against the Astros, so we should have a pretty great win on our hands.



That is all for now.

The Brewers are on a Streak

Almost every post here has been about improv... and there is so much more to me than that.

I am a big Brewers fan. And the Brewers are playing St Louis tonight. This is the 4th game in this series, and the Brewers have won the previous 3. If they win tonight they stay in second place in the division, and if the Cubs loose tonight, then the Brewers slip into first.

Please cross your fingers for the Brewers. I have probably ruined everything just by typing this post.

Final Preview (the final countdown)

Today is the final Preview for "The Lion, The Witch, and The Warhero; or is McCain Able" and that's strange. Usually you would think that there would be a thousand things to worry about, to deal with, to take care of... but I have been taking care of things and had a few sleepless nights over the past few weeks, and things are pretty well taken care of. The cast has kicked ass on the stage, the new monitors, and all sorts of stuff. Witht he help of Kyle and Max, the place has been painted, polished, cleaned, and is ready to go. I painted the stage, the floor, and the risers last week, although I might do some more work on that tonight.

Tomorrow is opening night, woo-hoo. I think this marks my 25th show with the BNW over the past six years. That's pretty awesome. I have a vision of wearing my BNW jacket into iO this winter and getting beaten up by iO students. But I think that I will instead beat the crap out of them.

I was supposed to play ComedySportz today, but I got Tim to cover my show. I just did not want that extra stress for myself or staff, and Tim owed me.

I had a crazy remote on Tuesday for CSz, ask me about it when you see me. I cannot put into words some of the stuff that happened or I will sound like a terible person.

The Improv Marathon

We just completed the 2008 Dudley Riggs Improv Marathon to benefit Gilda's Club Twin Cities

The mission of Gilda's Club TC is "Our Mission is to create welcoming communities of free support for everyone living with cancer - men, women, teens and children - along with their families and friends. Our innovative program is an essential complement to medical care, providing networking and support groups, workshops, education and social activities."
_--And that's pretty awesome.

So here's what we did, 35 groups performed improv over the course of 24 hours... I am a little tired-- there I said it. I am a little tired.

I had a great time, and I think I performed about 8 times, and I hosted for a few hours... I also ran tech and worked the bar.

I missed Fred and Melissa's housewarming party, but I guess that's ok since we raised a buttload of dinero for Gilda's club.

Here are the people I want to give props to:
Josh Kuehn-- he was there though it all, and got a little tricked out on Redbull. He probably should have taken a bit longer of a break.

Lisa Burton: Had Hamluke, performed several times during the marathon, and also worked the bar. Man, she rocks.

Melissa Roberts Beukema-- came in at 9:00 AM on a sunday after she had hosted her first big party at her new house. Wow.

Jill Bernard-- who performed, kicked ass, kept spirits high, and did a one person Drum Machine in the middle of the night to fill a slot.

Following my bliss right out of here... love the life you live.

Following my bliss right out of here... love the life you live.

This note is all over the place.

For anyone who doesn't know, I am moving to Chicago on September 1st.

For the past week or so, two phrases have been burning in my brain, "Follow Your Bliss" and "Live the life you love, love the life you live."

Last week I took the whole week off and spent time in Milwaukee and Chicago. I spent time on my farm with my family, time with high school friends, time with the horses and my dogs, time at Summerfest, time in my future home of Chicago.

When i got back I spent time at my Fraternity House with the "new kids," and I have been back at the Brave New Workshop since Monday interviewing people to take my job, I have been back to the grind with only seven weeks to go.

Since my drive back to Milwaukee and the farm I have had a thought in the back of my head about "Following my Bliss...." a phrase known to almost any of my theatre friends as attributed to Chase Korte and Joseph Campbell. Chase was following his bliss. And so many of us have continued to follow our bliss over the past 16 months, and he has been one of our muses. (I am thinking of Brant, Nick, 4 Humors, Nikki, Adri, and Toussaint here with your words, plays, and songs) We have all made tribute to him in our own ways. Through writing, through song, through plays, through improv, and through life-- and doing what makes us happy.

When I was at Summerfest this past week I bought a tee shirt from a vendor whose motto on all their gear was "Live the life you love, love the life you live." and when I asked them about the meaning behind their message it was the following emailed response, "We are all about inspiration and passionate living... it means anything you want it to. It is about following your dreams, finding your bliss, being who you reallky are and living life to the fullest. That is something different for everyone. We do take inspiration from many cultures, religions,nature, music and our family. But we by no means are we trying to "push" any one thing on anyone. To each his own. We are only trying to inspire positive living..."

These two messages ring so true to Improvised Theatre, I cannot stop thinking about them. They are so true to what think I am doing, I am amazed.

I am moving to Chicago for the next two years to do something. I am going to work hard and try to better myself in an art form that I love. Lisa, Tyler, and I (and the others who are going on their own) are laying it all on the line to take the jump-- because if we don't do it now, we might never do it.

I have been so lucky in Minneapolis. Between the U of M, Delta Kappa Epsilon, the Brave New Workshop,Comedy Sportz, the entire Twin Cities improv community, I have grown up and learned a lot.

The Brave New Workshop has been a constant for me over the past 6 years. For the past three years I have walked into 2605 Hennepin Ave almost every day--- and now I am leaving. It is so weird. I have been so lucky.

I am also freaked the fuck out.

There, I fucking said it. I am exited as all hell, and I know this is the right choice, but I am putting it all out there, and the logical side of me is saying that I shouldn't.

But I am trusting the improv side of me. I am not jumping without a net, but I am jumping. i am getting off the back line and starting a new scene. I have two great scene partners (lisa and tyler) and a great freaking audience of support in Minneapolis and Chicago. My body is twitching, and I know it's time to edit this scene.

In improv we are constantly changing, accepting new information, trusting our instincts, rolling with the punches, and working together towards an end that we do not know. That's what we do in life too. We are all improvisers. You accept the gifts that you discover in the scene, and you learn from ever improv scene you are a part of... the scene is gone instantly, but the information stays forever.

In Improv we trust our body before our mind because it knows better--- our instinctual nature knows better. If we think too long the moment has past. We trust that our scene partners will support us, and that we in turn will support them. That's what's great about improv, it's the mutual respect and trust that we are all working for something more. Improv is based on the innate facets of humanity that still bind with something animal and primal -- something within us that we forget about as we get older and forget how to be innovative and carefree--- creative. As we grow we train ourselves to forget that part of ourselves because we cannot nail it down-- as we get older we belive more in logic than in spontaneity.

Within improvised theatre we must retrain ourselves to trust those instincts again. Kids do this better than adults. It's not easy, every improviser struggles with it. They work to trust the process, their scene partner, the group, and themselves.

I am playing the good improviser by making sure to take care of my scene partner and my connections here. I never want to throw someone under the bus, and so I am serving the scene, my partner, and then myself.

Here's the thing I want to say here. I am going to miss everyone in Minneapolis, everyone at the BNW, at DKE, and I am going to rely on all of your strength and support as we go through this.

I respect everyone I know who have gone for something they love even when the logic of the situation was working against it. I want you all to know that I am doing this without ego, I think I am doing this for some other reason--- one that I don't know. I don't know what the end goal is... I just need to do it. I don't know all of my future scene partners, and I don't know where this is going to take me... but that's what's going on, and that's what's on my mind...

And if you were tagged in this message, then for some reason I identify some of this message with you-- probably because you have done something like this, and I respect you so much for it, or because you just might be somehow responsible for some part of this, thank you for that.

If you were not tagged in this but you read this anyway, you probably instrumental still, or connect with this still. Thank you for being a part of my development.... plus I reached my tag limit


Thanks for reading.

~~~~

"Live the Life you Love, Love the life you Live" ~ J. Sebastian Ystrom

"I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.
~ Joseph Campbell

"....there's no freedom unless you're vulnerable first. So, I did it. Then I turned a corner. I realized that sharing something intimate or important to me or something that really matters to me doesn't necessarily have to be anything sexual or a profound weakness of mine or anything like that, it just needs to matter enough that I need to share it."~ Chase Korte

"Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." ~ The Buddha

Yes, and....

The Last Few Days

I had a great trip to Milwaukee, the farm, Summerfest, and all the rest.

This is a shot of me heading into Chicago on Lakeshore Drive one last time before I came back to the Cities.

It's pretty nuts to think I will soon be living here.

I saw great concerts at Summerfest. I saw State Radio, OAR, Ari Herstead, OAR again... it was pretty awesome.

I got to ride horseback on the farm. clean stalls, work on the farm, that kind of stuff. I also hung out with Jess Schwab, a good friend, Michelle Kelly, and I saw Bonnie Davis for the first time in about 8 or 9 years. She's all married and has a kid... strange.

TCIF is over ;-(

So, the Twin Cities Improv Festival was amazing.

Jen and I had the sets of our lives on Thursday night... as you can see by these AWESOME photos that Mike Fotis took during our set.


I had an amazing time and got to talk to people from all over the country about improv. But now I am tired, and I deserve a little rest--- so I am going to do just that. A few days in Milwaukee, on the farm, at Summerfest, and Chicago is just what I need....

But first... Butch, Jill, you guys rock.

My staff rocks.

The BNW rocks.

Every set rocked this weekend.

And you rock if you were there


Good bye folks!

Improv+Shakespeare+Baseball=Steroids

mprov+Shakespeare+Baseball=Steroids

Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 2:17am

I was happy with the show tonight, I really was, but I learned that when doing a four minute Shakespeare Improv with the suggestion of Steroids does not really allow you to make the following references:

"A man with arms weak training in Left field"
"Four bases found and run around"
"No one in this land doth understand the infield fly rule"
"Take these pills and thy arm will send even the weakest ball over the Great Green Wall"
"This empire shall never be yours, it shall remain that of King Seilig"
"Look North toward Toronto and the Jays of Blue, and Look West toward that of the Cactus League"

If you like baseball and improv, you can see where these might be funny, unfortunately there are not many people who fall into that category.

I also made the whole thing seem forced.

Of course in a game of "Blind Line" an audience member wrote the line "You're killing me, Smalls." and that made me happy.

February 10th-- what a day

February 10th-- what a day

My Great Aunt, Sister Mary Jennings,
celebrating her 50th year as a member of the cloth in 2002

February Tenth, 1922 is my Grandfather's birthday, Judge David V Jennings Jr. He celebrated his 87th birthday this past Sunday in Naples, Fl.

January 22nd, 1995 is the day my grandmother, my first muse, and a loving woman beyond compare, left us. She embraced my creativity and loved every second she shared with her children and grandchildren.

February Tenth, 2007 marks the day Chase Korte, a college friend destined for greatness, left this Earth. Follow your bliss.

February Tenth, 2008 is the day my great aunt,my father's Aunt, Sister Mary Jennings, left this world after over 50 years as a nun, and nearly 90 years on this Earth. She is a Saint, a wonder, and has always been a breath of beauty and love within our family. She is a truely wonderful spirit, and now can keep watch over her kin, and everyone else.

These four people mean a great deal to me. My grandfather is loving and difficult in his own way-- he is hard to communicate with, but when he opens up I feel closer to a generation I never knew. My grandmother is with me every day in everything I do. Chase drives me to go further and work hard-- because he was more dedicated to his passion than nearly anyone else I have ever met. My Aunt Mary always accepted those around her as good people with positive intentions no matter the prejudice the era suggested-- she was a.

I have an unfinished letter to Aunt Mary in my desk in my bedroom, and I forgot to call my grandfather on his birthday. Please, let the people in your life know how much they mean to you.


It might be slightly fitting that I was onstage performing, improvising, and trying a new form, challenging myself and my scene partner to something new on Sunday night when all of this happened--- but don't ever get caught up in the moment so much that you forget to look around.