Delilah Goes Solo

Jayme's stand-up debut!

Not one to be outdone by anyone H2G's famous Delilah, aka Jayme Newbold, had her stand-up comedy debut last night at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. The rain couldn't keep her fans away, and the crowd was wildly enthusiastic as she regaled us with the story of her broken jaw, among other, um, interesting topics.

You can see Jayme with Held2gether at Hot Java on January 22 - our first show of 2011!

Toy Drive Show

H2G and Paradise sponsored an improv comedy toy-drive benefit show last weekend for St. Mary's C.A.R.E. Program, collecting over 80 toys for children of families affected or infected by HIV/AIDS. The event sold out, and the audience was amazing! Thank you to everyone who came out to support a great cause and play with us. We did some Christmas-y long form improv based on conversations we had with members of the audience, and now we're a little concerned about the elves going on strike and PETA absconding with Santa's reindeer...

Lots more shows coming up in the new year!

We're So Proud

Held2gether's own Sean Cloutier won his first stand-up comedy competition last night at DiPiazza's in Long Beach. We know fame and fortune will follow, starting with his gig December 22 in the main room at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. But you can see him (and a bunch more of us) at Paradise this Sunday at 11 a.m. - if you have reservations, that is!

Over Easy Like Sunday Morning Update!

This just in: it's gonna be long form. Two 30-minute sets (1 in the bar, 1 in the restaurant). Bring a toy, get a mimosa, eat some yummy food and laugh. That's a good morning, in my humble opinion.

And have you seen this? Our full-page ad in Rage Monthly magazine, page 71 of the OC/LA edition. Awesome.

Toy Drive, Improv and Mimosas - Oh My!

There's only about a week until out LAST show of the year, Over Easy Like Sunday Morning, a benefit show for St. Mary Medical Center's C.A.R.E. Program. If you haven't made reservations yet, you need to do it, like, NOW. Seating is limited, but more importantly they need to know how many mimosas they're gonna need...

Freezing in Long Beach

What does the unseasonably cold weather have to do with improv comedy in Long Beach, you ask?

Um, nothing. Duh. But it's really cold outside, and it's even cold inside the places where we have improv classes, and freezing doesn't necessarily lead to funny scenes. It leads to shivering, sure, but typically shivering isn't all that funny in and of itself. Freezing also leads to swearing.

Ok, that may just be me.

Anyway, in spite of the freezing, shivering and swearing, last night's drop-in class focusing on justification was one of those classes where we laughed so hard it hurt and no one was ready to go when it was time to go. And with a small group (thanks to the holidays and general busy-ness this time of year) we all got to play A LOT.

We may have been cold on the outside, but improv made us warm on the inside. Awwww. Check out the Held2gether website for the schedule of classes beginning right after the new year. You wanna be warm on the inside, don't you?

How to Make Gravy, Held2gether-Style

Held2gether wants to wish all of our families, friends and fans a safe and happy Thanksgiving! And to get you in the spirit of the holiday, please enjoy this helpful message.

Crazy Improv Schedule

Last week was an improv-intensive week for some of the Held2gether improv clan. Drop-in class for advanced levels on Monday, Improv Meets the Script class Wednesday night, Improv Comedy Level 2 on Thursday, some of the crew performing on Friday with our friends from Corporate Recess, the head honcho performing Saturday night at Upright Citizen's Brigade, improv at a Buddhist meeting of all things Sunday morning AND some improv-y table reading Sunday night. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it.

This week we've got nothing on the agenda, so I'm thinking it's time for a tattoo. H2G? Hmmmmm....

H2G/NoH8

Viet Hoang, Jayme Newbold, Darren Held, Sonnjea Blackwell & Sean Cloutier

Totally Worth a Drive to L.A.

Lest you think Held2gether is all about, well, Held2gether, we wanted to let you know about some other stuff that's happening in the world of Long Beach comedy! Because that's just how we roll.

First of all, Friday November 19th you can see Corporate Recess at Old World Huntington Beach. This is their last show of the year, so you don't want to miss it! Yeah, it's behind the Orange Curtain, but Old World is kind of its own world, so you don't really feel like you've gone over to the dark side.

Then on December 5th you can see Held2gether's own Sean Cloutier doing his standup thing at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. We witnessed his debut and it's safe to say his show is totally worth a drive to L.A. Even from, like, the O.C.

Okay, so technically neither of these things is in Long Beach, but they involve Long Beach improv comedy folks so they count. Anyway, that's our story and we're sticking with it.

We're Back!

Sorry for the little blogging hiatus, we've been swamped with building the new website and putting together some hilarious improv shows for your amusement. But Held2gether.com is up and running, and Jim Beam & A Hundred Dollars is already a fading memory, so we're back and we have news!

Coming up this weekend, you can see Mr. Held2gether himself, Darren Held, performing at Upright Citizen's Brigade in Hollywood! Saturday, November 20th at 5:00 p.m. And on December 12, H2G is putting on a benefit show for St. Mary's C.A.R.E. Program.

We'll be posting videos all week, so be sure to check out the Facebook page too!

Vote, Long Beach! Then Learn Improv!

It's an important day in the LBC. Midterm elections, lots of state proposals AND a brand-new Intro to Improv Comedy Class starting!

This is a class for people who haven't taken improv before. And unlike similar classes in Los Angeles, this class isn't crammed full of actor-types waving around their head shots and talking about the 17 auditions they have this week. Of course, actor-types are always welcome. It's just that Held2gether classes are all about teaching the communication skills required in improv comedy to regular folks.

You can check out the deets and register here. And if you don't think you can learn improv, watch some of Held2gether's videos - none of us knew anything about improv comedy before we took the Intro Class! And now we're semi-famous!

If you think improv comedy classes can't help you because you're not interested in performing, that's just crazy talk. Do you have a significant other? A friend? A boss? Oh for the love of god, people, surely you must have a neighbor? A pet? If your life contains any sort of interpersonal interactions, improv comedy classes are for you. You learn to listen, communicate, agree, cooperate - all those things Sesame Street tried to teach you when you were five. Sometimes we even learn the alphabet.

Come try it. You won't be sorry!

Paradise's Delish Brunch Menu!

As if seeing hilarious improv comedy AND supporting a great cause aren't reasons enough to plan a morning out in December, check out the awesome menu Paradise offers for brunch! Don't forget, reservations are required! Make them online at ParadisePianoBar.com or by calling 562-590-8773.

Brunch Menu Fall 2009[1]

FREE Improv Comedy Show!

When can you go out on a Saturday night and see great live entertainment and not pay a dime? Well, tomorrow night, actually.

Held2gether is performing at Hot Java, and that means standing-room-only, totally UNCENSORED improv comedy. Oh, and great coffee served by the nicest baristas in town.

See ya tomorrow night!

Held2gether Sponsors Toy Drive!

Held2gether is teaming up with Paradise Piano Bar to sponsor a toy drive for St. Maryʼs C.A.R.E. Program! We'll tell you more about it as the date gets closer, but for now mark your calendars for Sunday, December 12th at 11 a.m. It'll be a hilarious improv comedy show AND a delicious breakfast benefitting a great cause… with no cover charge! There's a 1-drink-or-entrée minimum (that's, like, so cheap!) and if you bring a new, unwrapped toy you'll receive a FREE mimosa. Just our way of saying thanks.

St. Mary's C.A.R.E. Program is a non-profit organization "that helps meet the medical and social needs of the HIV community throughout Los Angeles County." Held2gether is excited to help provide holiday gifts for children of families living with HIV who might otherwise have nothing to look forward to on Christmas morning. If you can only make it to one Held2gether show before the end of the year, please make it this one!

Long Beach Artists Open Their Doors

By Marlon Deleon, Long Beach Acting Examiner

It may not sound like it, but coffee, avocado sandwiches, a furniture warehouse, and theatre have unifying characteristic: the musings of Long Beach’s homegrown improvisation group, Held2Gether. Darren Held is the local pied piper of Improv classes, and if you caught the inaugural Studio Nights at LB Playhouse, any of the Last Laugh Saturdays at Hot Java Coffee House (on Broadway and Junipero, they have a show this Saturday, 10/23) or their own feature show, Overexposed! at the EXPO Center in Bixby Knolls you can vouch for the group of grown men and women that still embrace (or decided to return to) the craft of acting. Short and long form scenes, dramatic and comedic monologues, the members of Held2Gether bare their spontaneous souls for our enjoyment.

"Actors need to make the most of their scripted materials," Held says. "Improv helps actors think on their feet, which translates into better cold reading for auditions. Other skills learned in improv include listening and give-and-take, skills that give performers a solid background for working well with their scene partners and staying really present so that scenes feel natural rather than 'acted.'"

In the spirit of “the more the merrier” Darren Held has opened up his doors and announced an array of upcoming Improv Classes, in part through the Long Beach Department of Parks and Rec, through the end of the calendar year!

The remaining 2010 class schedule is as follows:

Intro to Improv Comedy
Tuesdays, November 2, 2010 – December 6, 2010
7:15 – 9:15 p.m.
El Dorado Park West Social Hall
Ages 18 and up
$100 for 6-week workshop

Improv Comedy Level 2
(Must have some improv experience)
Thursdays, November 4, 2010 – December 16, 2010 (no class November 25)
8:15 – 10:15 p.m.
Recreation Park Community Center
Ages 18 and up
$100 for 6-week workshop

Improv Meets the Script
Wednesdays, November 17, 2010 – December 15, 2010
112 Loyola Plaza, Seal Beach
8:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Ages 18 and up
$100 for 4-week workshop

For more information on any of these classes and more, call (562) 537-8558, visit the website, or email to reserve a space.

Improv Comedy Secrets (Shhhhh!)

If you've ever seen a Held2gether improv comedy performance live (or watched one of our killer videos) you know how funny we are. No, really. We're hilarious.

Of course, sometimes we're only funny to us. When you work with a group of talented people, you get to know things about each other that create a whole universe of inside jokes. For example:

• Names. In improv scenes, the improvisors always give each other names. With the millions (billions?) of possible names to choose from, we could theoretically never use the same name twice. And yet, Barbi is partial to the name Jo-Jo. Jayme likes Teri for a girl and Toby for a guy. Sally is universally popular. If Barbi and Jayme are in a scene together and call each other Jo-Jo and Teri, the rest of us will crack up as if that's the "funny" in the scene. The audience assumes we're developmentally challenged.

• Physicality. In improv, we create multiple characters in a single show, each with their own physical traits. Still, we can predict: Jayme will end up on the floor. Sonnjea will gesticulate wildly with her hands. Robert will rub his belly. Waverly will pick imaginary objects off the floor. Jaimz will shout. The rest of the players will place bets to see how long it takes for one of these things to occur. The winner will buy drinks after the show.

• Characters. We all have characters that are easier to play than others. In any given show, you can be sure Viet will play an Asian character, Sean will play a gay character, Sheri will play a sexually inappropriate character, Paul will play an old man and Andy will play a confused old man. Playing these fall-back characters can still be a stretch for the performers, though. I mean, sometimes Viet plays a Chinese character, and sometimes he plays a Vietnamese character. Wow, what range!

Now when you're at the Hot Java show next Saturday, you'll be in on all the inside jokes. You can thank me later.

Overexposed! Chips & Salsa

When members of Held2gether go out to the theater, they seem to have a, well, different experience than other (normal) people. Enjoy!

Long Beach Marathon Facts

The 2010 Long Beach ICB Marathon & Half Marathon is coming up this Sunday, and a couple of Held2gether people are doing the 1/2. Here are some random facts about the LB Marathon:

• Among the charity organizations that participants of the days' events can sponsor is We Love Long Beach Arts, whose goal is to raise $60,000 to "help save Long Beach youth arts programs." Yay for supporting the arts, even if we have to run to do it!
• The Long Beach ICB Marathon is a USATF Certified Official Qualifier for any marathon in the United States, including Boston. This is not going to be an issue for the H2G runners, trust me.
• The number of runners for this year's event is expected to reach 25,000. So really, they won't miss us a bit if we decide to sleep in instead.

Come out and cheer us on!

Trekkie Alert!

Another video from Overexposed! Enjoy!

First Fridays Long Beach

GLOBAL: Greater Long
Beach Arts Lab

Held2gether performed at Elise's Tea Room last Friday as part of First Fridays Long Beach and the kick off of GLOBAL, Long Beach's month-long celebration of arts and culture during National Arts and Humanities Month. It was the best-attended First Fridays ever, and Elise's was SRO for the whole show. Students from Held2gether's Level 2 Improv Comedy class performed, some for the first time, along with some of the H2g standby's.

Thanks to Dominic, Pete, Brian, Lisa, Lorna, Leon, Astara and Paul for playing with us, and thanks to everyone who came out to support Held2gether and the arts in Long Beach!

Improv Comedy Video: Overexposed!

We'll post videos from our character show, Held2gether presents Overexposed! as they're edited. Here's the first installment. Enjoy!

Improv Show Suggestions

So you love improv shows and you go out to see Held2gether whenever you can, but you're sad that we never take your suggestions and you're determined to change that at Spiked! tonight? Awww. Obviously, audience suggestions are an integral part of an improv comedy show – we base all of our scenes on YOUR ideas, after all – but what's the difference between a good suggestion and one the host pretends not to hear? Well, I'll tell you. Cause that's just how I roll.

Typically, we'll ask the audience for a location, a relationship for the characters or an activity that the characters are doing, or a genre of a book, play or movie.

Let's start with location, shall we?

Host: Okay, let's get a location for these two.
Audience Member #1: Tijuana
Audience Member #2: Bathroom at Sizzler
Audience Member #3: Vampire

From these stellar choices, we're going to go with bathroom at Sizzler. Tijuana, while technically a location, is too broad. It's not quite as broad as suggesting, say, Earth, but still. What we want is a place that people can sort of visualize. Like a public restroom. Or Starbucks or a hotel lobby or a funeral home or the post office or a food truck.

Vampire is not a location, people.

Relationships are pretty easy, and I don't think we need to explain them except to say that "vampire and zombie" is not actually a relationship.

Activities are things that you do. Playing basketball, washing dishes, robbing a bank, sewing, getting dressed and gardening are examples of things you do. Television, fire truck, and vampire are not.

Genres of books, plays and movies can get tricky. I mean, there are plenty of western books and movies, but not so many western plays. But that's okay, we'll take western as a genre of a play. We've taken Epic Gangsta Romance, for pete's sake. So we're pretty lax on this one. But to help you out, I'll give you a few examples of genres: thriller, whodunit, comedy, farce, action-adventure, mystery, fairy tale, romance. Notice what's not on the list? Vampire.

See you tonight! Held2gether presents Spiked! 7 p.m., Elise's Tea Room, 3924 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach.

H2G Supports NoH8

Sonnjea and Sean getting
ready for the official photo

Held2gether is all about Long Beach, but yesterday members of the troupe traipsed up to Hollywood to participate in the NoH8 campaign photo shoot supporting AidsWalk LA and, of course, legal marriage for all. It was 102 degrees, but we had a great time and felt good about supporting a cause that's important to all of us. As soon as we get our photo, you'll be the first to know!

Afterwards, we went to the Comedy Store and watched former Held2gether student Elaine Eddinger strut her stand-up stuff. Very funny! All in all, a very enjoyable H2G field trip.

Improv Comedy in Long Beach. No, Really!

It's been a busy week for Held2gether. Three new Long Beach improv comedy classes started, we launched this blog, and tonight we're rehearsing* for our next show, Held2gether presents Spiked! coming up next Friday at Elise's Tea Room in Bixby Knolls.

Level 1 and Level 2 classes began again at El Dorado Park West and Recreation Park, respectively. And at EXPO Theatre, the first-ever Held2gether Long Form improv class kicked off on Wednesday. Yay!

*By "rehearsing" I mean we are practicing some games and scenes to hone our skills. We aren't rehearsing the actual performance. C'mon people, improv is improv! Wow, look at the time – I have to go rehearse kissing Delilah. See ya!

Review of Overexposed!

Held2Gether brings art and the community together - Long Beach acting | Examiner.com. By Marlon Deleon.

There is always something to learn, regardless of who you are. One can stop learning if he/she so chooses, but there is an eternal possibility to delve deeper. In an age of child stars performance artists peaking before they are old enough to drink (legally), learning as adults becomes overshadowed by the routine of commuting, working, paying bills, and sleeping. The members of Darren Held’s improvisation group, Held2Gether, have bonded in an educational process and presented their theatrical findings to the public.

Overexposed! was the culmination of an eight-week course involving short-form improvisation techniques and character development. Each of the eight actors wrote original monologues, and in the spirit of perpetual learning about one’s craft created and developed characters for themselves individually, as a team of artists, and for the public’s enjoyment. In the main hall of the EXPO Center in Bixby Knolls, Overexposed! lived up to its name: a pair of worklights were mounted for stage lighting, portable but power-packed speakers filled the great hall with music from a glowing Macbook, and the actors changed scenes and took their marks before the audiences’ eyes in comparable dark. The aforementioned characteristics are far from negative criticisms of this event, they are commendable facets of a professionally production of artists that shared their art with Long Beach. From Sean Cloutier’s monologue “BFF: Bus Friend Forever,” to Jayme Newbold’s Romulan Captain-select in “Abernathy!” the evening was a pleasant communion full of fresh creativity between the artists and the audience.

Although many of the audience members were not familiar with the format of short-form improv shows that thrive on audience suggestions, M.C. Darren Held kept the positive energy rolling introducing each of the artists throughout the night. In contrast to the monologues that were developed over the course of the eight-week class, the actual improvisations occurred in group scenes alternating with the monologues. Viet Hoang, Sonnjea Blackwell, and Andy Arajo were members of an expert panel explaining the direct representation of health care in the popular cartoon world of Popeye. Later on, Jayme Newbold and Sean Cloutier were Sally and Pablo, going out for a night on the town to enjoy the premiere of the new cinematic treat, Chips and Salsa. Viet Hoang was the usher at Pablo and Sally’s theatre, and when he wasn’t hyping the movie up for them, Newbold and Cloutier switched points of view and acted out scenes from the spicy new film.

Every actor was highlighted during the evening, taking their opportunity to showcase the hard work and bold choices that were attempted and refined in the weeks before. A show like this doesn’t come often, but it’s essence of live theatre was as strong, if not moreso than some companies that have noticeable budgets. The men and women of Held2Gether have created something for the people of Long Beach, and we can only hope, for our community’s benefit, that they continue to share their art with us. Their next show, Spiked!, will be at Elise’s Tea Room (map it here) on October 1st at 7pm. Check out their website here for more information or friend them on Facebook!

The players of Held2Gether are: Barbi Allen, Andy Araujo, Sonnjea Blackwell, Sean Cloutier, Viet Hoang, Jayme Newbold, Robert Sapia, and Sheri Scialla. Congratulations and thank you, artists for sharing your theatrical adventure with the Long Beach community.