INTERVIEW WITH FRANK CAETI OF FRANKENMATT AND AMERICAN IMPERIL

As a performer, Frank Caeti toured for The Second City in the National Touring Company for over two years and had the pleasure of traveling to some incredible places including a USO tour for the troops in Kosovo, Bosnia, and Germany. He performed in the resident company in Las Vegas, and wrote two revues for Chicago's e.t.c. stage. Frank graduated from the Second City Conservatory in 1997 and has taught for SC since 2001. He spent two seasons as a ensemble member on the FOX show MADtv. Other tv/film credits include: Reno 911, NCIS, TV Guide Channel Best of, The Lakehouse, Stranger than Fiction, Bad Meat, and over two dozen commercials. He is a founding member of the musical long form Whose Chorus Line is it Anyway? and The Hot Karl. Other theater/improv credits include: ComedySportz Chicago, ImprovOlympic, Bills and Caeti, The Armando Show, iO West, Reverie (2009 Just for Laughs Montreal), Live Bait Theater, Chicago Dramatist's Workshop. In Los Angeles he performs regularly with FrankenMatt and Tres at Second City, Only in LA at UCB, and The Armando Show at iO West. You can see him perform with Matt Craig in American Imperil, Friday nights at 8pm at Second City Hollywood.

Tell us about your experience on MADtv and how your Second City training helped you on the job.

Oh, it helped immensely. Who I am as a performer, and my opinions, my point of view and voice as a writer and performer was shaped entirely at Second City. Translating that to television was a learning experience because it's quite a different medium with a lot of different people to appease or please. But I feel like it prepared me 100%. Obviously, there's a learning curve because there is a difference. There was a big difference in the point of view of the show, and how you fit in in that regard. My training as a student in the training center and then the training I got being a touring company member, and resident company member, was invaluable to that. And frankly, I probably wouldn't have gotten that job if I didn't work for Second City.

Tell us about your very first improv show, and how you felt about it.

It was probably in college. My college didn't have a college improv group, so we put one together. It was when improv was getting bigger, and a lot of college groups were starting. So, I'm going to call that my first improv show, because that's the one I remember. We got it at a local theater in my college town, and I think it went pretty well. We were very enthusiastic. We were doing short form. We had a very, very friendly crowd, but it probably wasn't, in the spectrum of my work, the best work I had done. But it was absolutely fun and enthusiastic, so I feel like it was a success. There were many after those that were absolute failures. And you learn from those and grow. You almost learn more from the ones that suck than the ones that go really well. I always feel like at Second City, we're more apt to go across the street and talk in the bar about the show that went terribly than the one that went really well. If it went really well, we're like, "Yeah, it was a good show." The other one's like, "Oh my God, it was so bad!" So, yeah, it wasn't that bad. I have a fond memory of that first time out.

Can you tell us something that you do now to keep your improv skills sharp?

Just do it as much as possible. I mean, it never has paid the bills, so it's purely for the love of the game. You have to do it. Repetition is a big part of it. I now can be very selective where I do it and who I do it with. I'm very fortunate to have several opportunities to perform in different theaters and stuff, so that's very cool. But I like to do it as much as I can. I don't know if I could do it seven days a week at this point, because I have a family and a life. There was a time when I first got my job at MAD, when I first moved to Los Angeles, where I was so focused on the job that I wasn't improvising, and it had been the longest sustained period that I wasn't improvising since I had become an improvisor. I was very unhappy, because you don't get to control your ideas as much when you're working for a television show as opposed to improv - it's so free. I just try to do it as much as I can. So I consistently do ten shows a month, which probably averages to two or three a week, somewhere around there, which is great. So I kinda feel sharp. Sometimes more than that, sometimes less, but right around there.

Can you give some advice for people who are just starting out in sketch and improv?

Choose a different career. [Laughs] No, no, I would never... I was inspired to do it, I saw it at the Second City, specifically in Chicago, and said, "That's what I want to do. That's it." I'd say you absolutely have to train. Absolutely get as much stage time as you can. Be a wonderful person to work with, with a good attitude. The improvisational world is very welcoming and giving, but sometimes it can seem isolating as well, so make sure you're doing your best and doing your hardest work. But also, the business in general is probably a little bit more difficult than the improv world is, because the improv world is naturally collaborative. It's a pretty nice place to live in. Everybody roots for each other, and that's really a great place to be.

INTERVIEW WITH MATT CRAIG OF FRANKENMATT AND AMERICAN IMPERIL

Matthew Craig is a professional improvisor, actor, writer, and director. An alum of The Second City in Chicago, having performed in their Resident Company for over three years on both their Mainstage and their ETC theaters, he spent several years traveling the world with their touring company and has worked for their corporate training division as a writer/performer/instructor/director for over twelve years. His career began at Washington University in St. Louis with the troupe Mama's Pot Roast, and additional theater credits include UCB, the Annoyance, iOWest, Disney Cruise Lines, and Brave New Workshop. Most recently, he works for Norwegian Cruise Lines writing and directing sketch comedy that is performed all over the world, is a current faculty member of the Training Center of iO West in Los Angeles, and performs regularly in his two-man show FrankenMatt and the improv group Mr. Johnson in L.A. and beyond. Check your local listings. Some recent television credits include "The Office" and "According to Jim." He lives in Studio City with his lovely wife Rebecca and his beautiful daughter Phoebe. You can see him perform with Frank Caeti in American Imperil, Friday nights at 8pm at Second City Hollywood.

Tell us about your experience writing for Saturday Night Live, and how your Second City training helped you on the job.

Working at Second City allows you to have an opportunity to create topical scenes from a night-to-night basis where you get to try out new material and get used to dropping in new ideas, changing context of scenes, et cetera, et cetera, so it's all about scene structure and building scenes on the fly, and SNL is clearly a show where they create an entire sketch comedy show week to week to week. You know, I learned how to write primarily through improvisation, and I learned how to improvise, for the most part, from several different theaters in Chicago, and certainly Second City, and working for Second City allows you to kind of hone that craft. So when I'm writing, I write in the same way that I improvise, which is to kind of improvise in my head, alone, as opposed to improvising with others on a stage. And so, through that, you're able to create a writing packet of scenes that kind of reflect your own individual opinion, and from that writing packet, you get hired for a show.

Tell us about your first improv show, and how you felt about it.

I was a bio chem double-major in college and I went to Washington University and I joined an improv group because I wanted something to allow me to have free time and play time outside of my studies, and so my first show was probably a short-form show in Chicago, this was specifically improv, and it's liberating, you know? It the freedom of having this ability to be able to just kind of play in an intellectual and a creative way on stage and create something. Wow, that was a long time ago. But I can easily say that behind my marriage and the birth of my daughter that I think some of my happiest moments have been improvising on stage.

Can you tell us something that you do even today to keep your improv and sketch-writing skills sharp?

You know, I think experience in general is a good thing. I think that I keep getting better, and I say that as humbly as possible, because I had a greater perspective and an understanding of points of view and attitudes from where different people are coming. I have a tendency to be kind of a newspaper dude. I read a lot of newspapers, and to be current on news I enjoy entertainment, movies... You know, Frank and I complement each other in a lot of ways, but the truth of the matter is that I have a pretty good, vast knowledge of a lot of different stuff and reading newspapers and staying on top of stuff is a good way to kind of stay in the vein of thinking fresh and trying out new ideas. Sometimes I date myself when I get onstage, or with some of the stuff that I do, but I literally think... I have two rules, which is always try to play at the top of your intelligence, but a bigger rule to me than that is to have as much fun as possible. The concept of having fun is taking those risks and going out on a limb and trying out ideas, even if you're not always 100% sure of them. New ideas, for me, come from just staying current, and that's across the board. In sports, in entertainment, in politics, and in religion. Whatever's going on, if you have at least a fundamental idea about what it is, you can utilize it toward a greater meaning.

Could you give some advice to people who might just be starting out in improv?

Yeah. Don't be too hard on yourself. You know, I teach a lot of improv, and people get really... It's two-fold. It's either don't be too hard on yourself, or don't try and master it overnight. Again, a lot of it is just having fun, and being in the moment, and being truthful to that moment, and so my advice is go out, have fun, meet people, get ingratiated with the community in a way that allows you to kind of find a supportive environment where you get to kind of play around with each other, and that's the main idea that I always feel like I try to impart on my new students. I've been doing improv for almost twenty years now, and I haven't mastered every aspect of it, and I think, to a certain extent, that's the idea behind it. It will grow with you, and how you want to do it, and it's a real ethereal art form. So I would just say, try to take as many risks as possible, and play at the height of your intelligence, but also, don't beat yourself up over it. You know, I know lots of great improvisors that have off nights, and my feeling about an off night is, it means that a better one is around the corner, and if you succeeded 100% of the time, there would be no engaging challenge to it, and that's one of the things that's fun about it, so keep at it. That's my advice. Keep at it.

INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE CALEODIS, PRODUCER OF SECOND CITY THIS WEEK

We recently interviewed George Caleodis of Second City This Week. George Pete Caleodis was born and raised in Steubenville, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University, earning a Master of Science degree in Mathematics. He is a main-stage alum of The (short-lived) Second City, Cleveland, and currently serves as an instructor of improv/sketch writing/musical improv at The Second City training center in Los Angeles, as well as musical director at iO West. In addition to his televesion credits, which include appearing on Starz Network's "Party Down", and HBO's "Big Love", George has spent much of the last 15 years as a radio DJ and stand-up comic - opening for the likes of Kathleen Madigan, Frank Caliendo, and The Righteous Brothers. He especially enjoys teaching workshops on teambuilding, communications skills, and creativity through improv for corporate clients like Nationwide Insurance, Victoria's Secret, and Columbus State Community College. Second City This Week plays every Saturday night at 8pm at Second City Hollywood.

Tell us about Second City This Week, your role in it, and your experience with it.

Second City This Week is a topical one-hour sketch show. It's the week's news done as a sketch revue. So it's sort of a hybrid of "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show". It's done in sort of a traditional old-school style, it's got flavors of "The Carol Burnett Show" in it, but it's done in the classic Second City style. Everything's very grounded. Not to say it doesn't get silly, but it all starts off very grounded, and it's based on emotional truth, rather than wacky sorts of premises. I am the producer, meaning I got the ball rolling, but the sustaining work requires hundreds, even thousands of man-hours every week. We've got about twenty-five cast members, we've got about two hundred writers from across the country, and we've got, of course, all of the support staff here at Second City Hollywood, and of course our director and managing editor, Ron West, who, most weeks, directs the show and puts the show together. So I'm sort of the goalie of the show - my job is to keep everything in play as much as possible.

You're an alumnus of Second City Cleveland. Can you tell us a bit about your experience with Second City?

I had a great time in Cleveland. I went to the conservatory there. I was part of the first conservatory class in Cleveland. I went on to teach, and then I auditioned for the mainstage, and I was one of the fortunate folks to be in that first mainstage cast of The Second City Cleveland. I did that stint for about a year, and then the Second City Cleveland was around for about another year before, sadly, they shut down. But it was a ball, I mean, it was great fun. It was exactly what Cleveland needed. It was exactly what Ohio needed. It was exactly what improv needed, and it was a great thing, I think, for Second City to have done, which was to get out there in the Midwest at the same time that, you know... Drew Carey had fully taken off at that point, but at the time he was doing that, Second City was also making parallel inroads outside of Chicago. It was a great time, it was a great time to be in Cleveland, it was a great time to be with Second City. I had a ball. I still look back on those days fondly.

Tell us about your first improv show and how you felt about it.

My first improv show was accompanying a group called Midwest Comedy Tool and Die in Columbus, Ohio at a biker bar in the less-desirable section of town. I was just a keyboard accompanist at that point. And that's actually how I got here. I was pre-med at the time. I was on the road to med school, and I was a big fan of this improv comedy, and I was also an aspiring musician, and one day I stapling up flyers looking for a rhythm section because I had lost my bass player and drummer, and I saw that MCTD was looking for musicians, and I auditioned and got the gig. So my first improv show was just playing keyboards accompanying short-form. And man, the first laugh I got... it's the strongest narcotic in the world. I mean, I'd be a doctor today if it wasn't for that first laugh at that hole-in-the-wall biker bar in Columbus, Ohio.

Is there a certain performer or troupe that you admire, and why do you admire them?

Everyone's supposed to say Carlin, 'cause he's like... and I do, I admire Carlin. I grew up listening to those classics. Not classics, but like, eighties classics. I'm a child of the eighties. So I grew up listening to Steve Martin, Cheech & Chong, even Cosby and The Smothers Brothers. Bob & Doug McKenzie, you know what I mean? I had The Great White North on vinyl. So those eighties comics, right before the time when you could turn on your television and watch stand-up comedy, and sketch comedy back then was "The Carol Burnett Show", "Saturday Night Live", The Mighty Carson Art Players, those kinds of things. So if you really wanted to see what was going on in comedy, you had to leave your house. You had to go to a club. And that was the last of that era. And that's when I grew up, so the people in that era are the ones that were my biggest influences.

What do you do to keep your improv and sketch skills sharp?

Teaching. You learn more in a week of teaching than you learn in years of performing. So I teach here for Second City Hollywood. I also do some teaching at some of the other theaters in town. And I play in as many shows as I can, and of course I perform with Second City This Week and I do improv as much as possible. But being with students of all levels, conservatory right down to beginners, advanced master classes, all the way down to people doing it for the fist time. Teaching has taught me more than I could ever hope to have learned otherwise.

Can you give some advice to people who may just be starting out in improv?

Just do it. You don't need anyone's permission. You know what I mean? Just do it. Make it happen. Don't wait for somebody to tell you it's okay. Put together a troupe, and go perform somewhere. Call your friends, and play in somebody's basement. There are lots of systems and institutions like Second City which are great places to come and learn, but ultimately, it's up to you to make it for yourself. So come to Second City, take classes, experience the art form in other theaters and other places, but when it comes down to it, you're in charge of what you do. So if you want to do this work, do this work.

How do you feel your improv training has helped you in other acting jobs, and life in general?

I'd be dead right now if it weren't for improv. I was wound so tightly growing up, and even in college. If I hadn't discovered improv, I would have had a heart attack and died by now. It's got a spiritual component to it that is invaluable. More directly, it applies to any type of acting work you do. Acting is all about being in the moment, committing to the moment, and experiencing the truth of that moment. Right? And improv teaches you how to do that in spades. It might be focused in a comedic direction, or it might be focused in some other direction, but ultimately the core of what improv is, it is acting, and it is just living, and just being a human being. Improvising is being a human being, so learning more about it means learning more about what it is to be here and why we're here.

INTERVIEW WITH RON WEST, DIRECTOR OF SECOND CITY THIS WEEK

This week, we feature an interview with Ron West, the Director and Managing Editor of Second City This Week. Ron West has been with The Second City for a long time. He has directed shows in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Los Angeles. He was a consultant to "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and appeared on "Third Rock From the Sun". His play The People vs. Friar Laurence is available from Samuel French. He throws right and bats right & left. You can see Second City This Week Saturdays at 8pm in the Second City Hollywood Theater.

Please share your experience studying sketch/improv.

That's too long of a story with no beginning and no end. I had an improv group in college, as is required of all undergraduate students. I studied improv informally for a about a year and a half in Chicago. My loud voice made me eminently qualified for sketch and improv because sometimes you have to shout over loud bar patrons. I am still learning now, and I've always learned more from when it went badly than from when it went well.

Were there any coaches or teachers you particularly learned from?

My primary teachers were Don DePollo, Michael Gellman, Rick Thomas, and Del Close. I learned a lot from Bernie Sahlins, too, though I don't think I ever took a class from him. I'm not sure who first said, "Say yes and make statements when improvising," but a lot of times all I do is go through the script and take out "no" and the questions.

Do you have some memorable Second City moments?

Yes. A few times I've improvised or watched an improvisation and said, "Well, that was very good," we rehearsed it for an hour the next day and then had a sketch we were able to repeat 6 nights a week for a year. A few times I've seen something that was terrible but rethinking it made it a fun, repeatable sketch. And one time we didn't have any material and God sent a lightning bolt and created a scene and I cried with joy.

Tell us about your first improv/sketch show. How did you feel about it?

It was the funniest show ever. Everything went perfectly. People confined to wheelchairs were healed. The second show was not as good.

How do you feel your improv/sketch work has grown since you started?

It has gotten taller.

How do you think improv and sketch compare?

In improv you have to follower the follower. In sketch, at least one of you has to be able to type.

What are some of the exciting aspects of each one?

In improv, it is usually best if you work slowly. You get a lot of laughs off you and the audience making discoveries at the same time. In sketches, it is usually best if you talk loud and fast and worry about the art later. I think sometimes people see sketches and then try to emulate sketches in their improv. The best improvs and best sketches have the fewest jokes.

How do you feel your improv/sketch training helps you in other acting jobs, or just life in general?

Improv and sketch teach you to make instant choices. And when the producer or director says, "Make another choice," the improviser can do so easily. Improv has not helped me in my life in general because whenever anyone asks, "Can you give me $5?" I agree to do so and so I am broke.

What do you think are the most important attributes of a strong improvisor?

Able improvisers listen instead of talking so much. They make their scene partners look good. Their scenes have some kind of physical center and it doesn't seem like they are merely trying to shout as many jokes as possible.

Is there a certain performer or group that you really admire? What do you admire about them?

Maybe you've heard of this group called Monty Python's Flying Circus. I admire that they became rich.

Is there something that you do even now to keep your improv/sketch skills sharp?

I always wear a sport jacket or suit on stage.

Do you have some advice for people who may just be starting their improv/sketch training?

Tell the truth.

INTERVIEW WITH JAIME MOYER FROM "GOOGLE MY TWEET"

Welcome to the newly-relaunched Second City blog! As a new feature, we will post short interviews with some of the hottest and most exciting talent on the Second City Hollywood stage. For our first interview, we realized that there's no one hotter or more exciting than the always-spicy Jaime Moyer. She can be seen in the Second City shows Google My Tweet, Two Beer Queer, Smokehouse, guest-stars with The 313, and her Fancy Catz videos can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSecondCityNetwork.

Please share your experience studying at Second City. Were there any coaches you particularly learned from?

I studied at The Second City Training Center in Detroit. In the beginning I was a little scared of the freedom improv provided, but I gradually came to embrace and enjoy it. In classes I had wonderful teachers, my favorite being Shawn Handlon. He approached each class with humor and a caring spirit, which I try to achieve in each of my classes as well.

Do you have some memorable moments from your Second City training?

The best memories I have are performing and making friends with my classmates! I am still close with a few people I was in class with. We formed a troupe, Fevered Egos, and still perform together when we're all in the same town. It was the first group I was ever on.

Tell us about your first improv/sketch show. How did you feel about it?

I was cast in the first writing sketch show that the Detroit Training Center produced. It was called "The Deleted Scenes of Ed Benedison", written by writing students, and I was really excited to be performing. My favorite scene was playing a mom chastising her son by talking to him in the rear view mirror.

How do you feel your improv/sketch work has grown since you started?

Time is the best way to grow. The more you improvise and watch improv (both good and bad) the better you will get.

How do you feel your improv/sketch training helps you in other acting jobs, or just life in general?

The skill of saying "yes" is so important in this business. I have to be willing to look foolish, go out on a limb, and feel confident. So I try to "yes, and" every situation (within reason of course).

What do you think are the most important attributes of a strong improvisor?

Listening! And not just to the dialogue but also to the heartbeat of the scene. Be patient, and of course, have fun! If you're having a good time onstage the audience enjoys the show more, every time.

Is there a certain performer or group that you really admire? What do you admire about them?

Too hard, next question, please! There are some many great groups both here and in Detroit I admire, so back off!

Is there something that you do even now to keep your improv/sketch skills sharp?

I improvise whenever I am asked or can.

Do you have some advice for people who may just be starting their improv/sketch training?

Try to keep an open mind, and don't be hard on yourself! Never leave class and drive home lamenting the choices you made. It's a waste of time! The more you learn and perform in class and lab, the better and better you will get! Be patient! And go watch shows whenever possible so you can see the principles we teach play out onstage.

What can you tell me about your "Fancy Catz" YouTube videos, and your process in making them?

When I first moved to L.A. Josh Funk and I had a meeting about filming one of my original characters. Fancy Catz started as an idea where a woman is more of a "stage mom" to her pets. Every Fancy Catz video is improvised off of beats, which means we have an outline for the scenes. There are four videos with a combined total of nearly 500,000 hits.

Want of An Understanding Ear

Jonathan Browning

Guest Blogger

"The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them - words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller, but for want of an understanding ear."

- Stephen King - Different Seasons, The Body

This is one of the most beautiful quotes that I have ever read. The fact it came from a man who also gave us killer automobiles and blood soaked Prom Queens, shows that those who create darkness must also know beauty.

I posted this quote here because I believe it should resonate with artist in a deep and profound way. Anyone that creates should feel a special pull when they hear this quote. I believe that to truly create something special, you must reveal a part of yourself. Those who see, hear and/or feel your creation should also know the creator.

Over the years, I have immersed myself in a number of art forms. I've been lucky enough to do improvisation, traditional theatre, stand-up and short films. If you look at any of my work in these areas you will see a very definite set of “landmarks” that lead directly to who I am at the core. Currently I spend most of my time writing and directing short films. None of them are even close to being “autobiographical”; I am not a Day Laborer, a woman, a homeless man, a CEO, a Ninja or a super hero. Each short does reveal who I am and a little piece of that part I try to hide from the world, where my secret heart is buried.

While some of the films have received positive reactions, others have not. That is the cost of creation. To risk showing strangers, friends and family something that, inside feels so important and so revealing, only to have them shrug their shoulders and say, “It’s OK.” But that is their genuine reaction and the one offering his/her work can’t judge the honest response of the receiver. You have to accept the bitter with the sweet.

I said earlier that this is an important quote to any artist. This blog is mainly read by people at The Second City and I want to apply it directly to anyone that improvises or creates sketch comedy.

How different would a performance be if, in addition to playing “hilarious” characters on stage, we revealed ourselves as well? Instead of trying to be “clever” we chose to be honest. Instead of trying to get a laugh, we listened and reacted from a place of honesty. That is not to say that we can’t play characters or try on the skin of someone different than ourselves. (I encourage you to play a 90-year-old grandmother or a two-year-old boy and everything in-between.) But instead of playing your “idea” of them, what if you allowed them to share the same fears and hopes that you carry with you every day? What if these characters took a risk and shared their “secret treasures”? What would happen next?

That doesn’t mean that every scene would be a sad exploration of fear and loss, although I would take that over another scene where a bunch of people stand around talking about what they could do later that day. I generally find that I laugh a lot more in “real” life than I do sitting in a theatre or in front of the TV. Life is funny. Pain can be funny. Honesty is almost always funny, it is definitely more interesting. The shows that really make me laugh are the ones that capture what is real for me. (Extra's, The Inbetweeners, Modern Family and The Original Office are just a few examples.)

This goes for anyone working on sketches too. As an exercise try asking yourself, “What is a revelation that would cost me dearly if I revealed it?” That is what your next sketch should be about. You can exaggerate it or "heighten it" for comedic affect, but in its core it should be something that truly matters to you.

It’s funny to me that millions of people watch the same TV show, eat at the same fast food restaurants and wear the same type of clothing. But we think we are all alone in the world when it comes to feelings and secrets. You are not alone. People laugh because you said something that they have felt and perhaps, never shared. To quote Homer Simpson, “It’s funny because it’s true!”

That’s my blog for this week. I must admit that I feel self-conscious about writing something that could be called “sappy” or “self-indulgent”. But it is a revelation that I wanted to share and I truly hope it means something to you as well. Thanks for indulging me. Next week I shall return to tales of jet packs, over weight zombies and the dangers of dating 80’s rock bands!