Interview by: Dustin Yenser<\/p>\n
Like many improv comedy performers of my generation, I grew up watching \u201cWhose Line is it Anyway\u201d on endless repeat on Comedy Central. No matter how many times I\u2019d seen an episode before I loved watching the improvisers come up with their jokes and characters on the spot, feeling like they also had no idea what was going to happen next. My love of improv led me to help start a series of improv comedy nights through the Drama Dept at Emmaus High School, join Penn State\u2019s premier improv comedy team, Full Ammo Improv, and take improv classes anywhere I could find them. I even had a short career as a professional improviser with the Associated Mess and other Lehigh Valley-area troupes. Improv performance has been a huge part of my life and I owe a lot of the inspiration to \u201cWhose Line\u201d and performers like Colin Mochrie.<\/p>\n
Colin was always one of my favorites. I loved his ability to really think on his feet and keep the audience\u2019s suggestion at the front of the performance. Some improvisers rely on slapstick and impressions, which are certainly funny in their own way, but I always think the biggest challenge is staying focused on the audience\u2019s suggestion and letting the comedy flow through an exploration of the topic. Colin is one of the best. He and partner Brad Sherwood are bringing their two-man (plus audience!) show to the State Theatre in Easton<\/a> next month on Friday, October 13. I recently had the chance to interview Colin about the show and his career as a performer. Here is our conversation:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dustin: Hello, this is Dustin Yenser with the Valley Ledger, a local online news source for The Lehigh Valley. Thank you for making time for us today. I cover performing arts for The Ledger but I honestly don\u2019t have a lot of experience as an interviewer, so if it\u2019s okay with you I\u2019m just going to make it up as I go along.<\/p>\n Colin: Dustin, sometimes I think that\u2019s the best thing to do.<\/p>\n Dustin: Great. For our readers who may not be familiar with improv comedy, what can they expect from \u201cScared Scriptless?\u201d Would fans of \u201cWhose Line is it Anyway?\u201d recognize some of the games?<\/p>\n Colin: Yes, I like to call our show \u201cWhose Line\u201d without the dead weight. We do a lot of those games but also with audience members onstage as well. And it\u2019s all based on suggestions from the audience.<\/p>\n Dustin: For our readers who might really want to have one of their suggestions used, what\u2019s the secret to getting a suggestion accepted.<\/p>\n Colin: Keep it interesting. Any time we ask for an occupation we always get, \u201cProctologist! Gynecologist!\u201d and we\u2019re never going to take that. Try to think of something creative that we might not have heard of before. At one show a woman suggested \u201cThe person who waits for calls from people trapped in elevators.\u201d<\/p>\n Dustin: How did your time at Second City help you grow as a performer? Did you have any particular mentors or classes that helped you grow?<\/p>\n Colin: Just getting out there and doing improv was a huge help. At Second City the first two acts of the show-it\u2019s scripted pieces that you\u2019ve come up with, then the last third it\u2019s all improv and using that improv to come up with different scene ideas and seeing how it works. So it was great just to be able to improvise every night because it truly is a muscle that needs to be exercised. And it also-you know at Second City you quickly find out where your strengths and where your weaknesses are, so for me I had, I never felt easy talking to audiences. So during the improv set I would say to the cast members, \u201cYou know if you need someone to sort of waste a little time while you\u2019re getting costumes ready or whatever, I\u2019ll go out and do that.\u201d So by doing that I learned to sort of connect with audiences and entertain and not be so scared to do it. So it really was a great learning experience for me.<\/p>\n Dustin: Great. So on that subject you had mentioned kind of being nervous about talking to the audiences in that way. What advice would you have to a younger person who\u2019s maybe interested in trying theatre but has that feeling of stage fright?<\/p>\n Colin: I\u2019m trying to think. Because I was a very shy-and still am fairly shy, I mean because of the success of \u201cWhose Line\u201d I\u2019ve had to come out of my shell a little bit, but for me I found theatre was a place where I felt safe in because I knew the beginning, middle, and end of whatever the story was going to be. I was working with people I trusted and was confident with\u2026so I would just say \u201cDo it.\u201d So often we stop ourselves from doing things for no reason other than we\u2019re afraid we\u2019re going to be embarrassed or afraid we\u2019re going to fail. For me, it\u2019s always worse not to do something as opposed to failing. At least if you\u2019ve failed it means you\u2019ve tried. And from failure you can always learn something. When you fail at something it\u2019s always an opportunity to teach you something. So just take a deep breath and jump in there, just jump in the pool and do it.<\/p>\n Dustin: Sounds good, I like that advice myself. You had mentioned doing theatre and that you might know the beginning, middle, and end, but obviously with improv that\u2019s not always the case. Did you start out with more traditional scripted plays in school before you jumped over into improv?<\/p>\n Colin: Yeah, I mean when I was going through school improv wasn\u2019t a thing at all. So I was at theatre school and there was an evening a friend of mine was doing a play reading. And part of the evening was this improv thing and I saw that and thought \u201cOh that looks like it would be fun,\u201d and got into that and quickly found that I had an affinity for it and just worked from there. But I\u2019ve been very fortunate I\u2019ve been able to go back and forth. I mean I do the tour with Brad but a couple years ago I did \u201cKing Lear\u201d where I played The Fool, me and all these (laughing)<\/i> Stratford Actors. So I\u2019ve had a chance to be able to do scripted stuff too. I mean I do love the improv because all the onus is on us, all the responsibility. You know if the show goes well it\u2019s because we\u2019ve done well; if it sucks it\u2019s because we sucked. Whereas you know in theatre and in television and in movies you have so many other people from executives to directors, producers, so sometimes it doesn\u2019t always work in your favor.<\/p>\n Dustin: Yeah. You had mentioned with improv feeling that the onus is on the performers, on the actors. In your growth as a performer, when did you feel the first project or the first show that you really created yourself, that this show, this performance wouldn\u2019t exist without me, they can\u2019t just recast it because I made it? Do you ever have that feeling about a show that you\u2019ve created?<\/p>\n Colin: Well, only the \u201cColin and Brad Show,\u201d only because my name\u2019s in the title. And even then they could get anyone else and just change the name. I mean, \u201cWhose Line\u201d again, everyone\u2019s kind of replaceable. You know people always say \u201cYou guys are <\/i>the show,\u201d and it\u2019s like, well because you\u2019ve gotten to know us. But if there were four totally different improvisers, just as skilled, then those are the people you would be loving. I\u2019m trying\u2026there\u2019s a show I created with my wife for Canadian television, and I think that <\/i>one we were kind of both irreplaceable on, it was called \u201cGetting Along Famously.\u201d So it\u2019s also nice to know we were producers on that also so we had all the responsibility.<\/p>\n Dustin: How is this show, \u201cScared Scriptless,\u201d with just you and Brad different than in a larger cast like \u201cWhose Line\u201d where there\u2019s four people or even more, how does that dynamic change when it\u2019s just the two of you?<\/p>\n Colin: I mean with a bigger cast you have little rest periods where you can recharge and this we\u2019re onstage the entire two hours; no one\u2019s spelling us off. So it really is-it\u2019s a great mental workout. I think we both-we\u2019re both kind of stage hogs anyway so it\u2019s good for us to be there all the time. Like I say, it is a muscle and the more you do it-I\u2019m still learning about improv even though I\u2019ve been doing it for 40 years. But there\u2019s never a time where I\u2019m walking out on stage with Brad or anyone thinking \u201cOkay, I know what\u2019s going to happen, it\u2019s all going to be great\u2026\u201d because sometimes it still isn\u2019t so it just really hones my senses so I just focus on listening to my partner and take it from there.<\/p>\n Dustin: You had mentioned working with your wife to create the show \u201cGetting Along Famously\u201d for Canadian TV and I know that you were honored with the John Candy comedy award, so I have to ask, is it true that Canadians are just funnier than Americans?<\/p>\n Colin: Well\u2026that won\u2019t get me into trouble, will it? I think we\u2019re in a unique position in that we got a lot of the great comedy from America, we got a lot of great comedy from Britain and we understood both points of view and we sort of melded it into our own sort of skewed viewpoint. So I would say maybe per capita we\u2019re funny. I mean we\u2019re much smaller. So I might say that. I mean Americans are funny, let\u2019s face it\u2026from time to time. But I have to go with Canadians because I\u2019m Canadian!<\/p>\n Dustin: Do you have any favorite improv games or setups that you feel like if it\u2019s that game you\u2019re confident you\u2019re always gonna have fun with it?<\/p>\n Colin: Yeah, the one I\u2019ve been having the most fun with right now is the one that I\u2019m least confident. We have a game that involves music and I am not a singer.<\/p>\n Dustin: I\u2019m not either.<\/p>\n Colin: I enjoy it because it fills me with fear and every time I get through it I feel like I\u2019ve won a major battle of some sort. I always look forward to it with great anticipation, a little bit of fear, and it\u2019s been a great time.<\/p>\n Dustin: Great, I\u2019m glad to hear that. Do you have, as a performer, do you have any warmups or routines or rituals that you do to prepare before you go onstage?<\/p>\n Colin: No. I wish I had some incredible warmup routine, but basically it\u2019s just relaxing so that I feel confident walking out onstage with Brad with nothing and making that seem like \u201cYeah, that\u2019s fine!\u201d Oof, what a workout!<\/p>\n Dustin: For me I usually just make sure I have nothing in my pockets so I don\u2019t drop it.<\/p>\n Colin: Yeah, and checking your fly is always important.<\/p>\n Dustin: What is the kindest thing that another performer has ever done for you onstage?<\/p>\n Colin: Oh! Um\u2026I can\u2019t think of specifics, but I can tell you Ryan Stiles, my longtime friend, is-and this is something I learnt from him as an improviser-he gets as much pleasure setting you up for a joke and having you do it correctly, as he does getting the laugh himself, and for me that\u2019s an incredibly kind act. You know, your ego does get in the way at times and you do want to get that laugh, but he taught me that it truly is an ensemble and you do get as much satisfaction setting up someone for a laugh and them getting it.<\/p>\n Dustin: That\u2019s very nice. To go along with that, do you know of any times that you feel you really helped out a fellow performer, like maybe they were losing the thread a little bit and you kind of saved the day?<\/p>\n Colin: Oh, all the time with Brad! He\u2019s basically useless. I can\u2019t think of any particular one. I try to play a lot with different improv troupes. Partly to help them get some focus but also it\u2019s really good for me to work with people I don\u2019t know because that does get me back to the basics of improv of listening and accepting and not making any assumptions. So I\u2019ve been really fortunate and I\u2019ve worked with great companies around the world and had a chance to work with great improvisers that people wouldn\u2019t know because they don\u2019t have a TV show. So if I can get any focus just to improv in general I\u2019d like people to know it\u2019s more than just \u201cWhose Line.\u201d People are constantly coming up with new ways of exploring improv and different styles and platforms. Yeah, that\u2019s kind of been my focus, sort of getting the word out there.<\/p>\n Dustin: What was it like for you and your wife as funny parents? Did your daughter think you were funny growing up or were you just \u201cdad\u201d?<\/p>\n Colin: Well, I mean, we are very amusing, so she does find us funny. I mean, I think for awhile her favorite performer on \u201cWhose Line\u201d was Greg Proops, which ,you know, was disappointing. She has a great sense of humor too and a great laugh. Humor was a very big part of her upbringing. I mean I still do dad jokes which I get the eye roll but, I don\u2019t know, it makes me proud too at the same time.<\/p>\n Dustin: I know you and Brad have come through Easton, the Lehigh Valley area a few times before. Have you ever spent any time just exploring Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, this area, or do you have any experiences here outside of just performing?<\/p>\n Colin: I don\u2019t think so. I think Bethlehem is a place where we actually managed to spend a day. It was around Christmas so it was just going around to the shops and doing some last-minute Christmas shopping but usually we get in, we do a sound check, do the show and then we leave the next morning and never really get a chance to see the place but I\u2019m hoping that changes a little more.<\/p>\n Dustin: Yeah, it is nice to get out and see the place from time to time. So I just want to thank you again for taking the time to talk to us at The Valley Ledger. Have a good afternoon and a great show!<\/p>\n Colin: You too, take care!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n After years of being a fan, I got to talk to one of my favorite improvisers. You can\u2019t make that up.<\/p>\n Information about Colin\u2019s upcoming show at the State Theatre and to get tickets visit https:\/\/statetheatre.org\/events\/colin-mochrie-brad-sherwood-7<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Interview by: Dustin Yenser Like many improv comedy performers of my generation, I grew up watching \u201cWhose Line is it Anyway\u201d on endless repeat on Comedy Central. No matter how … Continue reading INTERVIEW WITH COLIN MOCHRIE | BY: DUSTIN YENSER<\/span>