We got a fantastic compliment after our last Hot Java show... A woman came up to Darren and said it was so cool that the Held2gether improv troupe looks like a bunch of soccer moms.
Yippee friggin' skippee, right?
Once I got over my initial despair at being called a soccer mom (look, I know I'm not cool and hip, but I like to think I at least look cool and hip), I was delighted. Our whole goal at Held2gether is to convince people that improv is for everyone, soccer moms included. Sure, improv will help actors, and that's what it's all about at places like Groundlings and UCB and 2nd City. But at Held2gether, we're passionate about sharing the skills, fun and confidence improv provides with absolutely everyone. That's why we call ourselves Held2gether: improv for life.
So now I'm embracing my inner soccer mom (though I won't be buying a mini-van; there are limits, people) and doing my best to show people that someone like me, who hadn't been on a stage since the 5th grade play about the Revolutionary War, in which I demonstrated my amazing range by playing both a coat rack and a rock, can do improv. We want people to feel empowered and energized by doing something that sorta scares them and realizing that they can overcome that fear, have a fantastic time doing it, and make great new friends at the same time. Seriously, improv does all that without alcohol, drugs or the need to jump out of an airplane.
And to the guy who told me Saturday night that I look like Hayley Mills - um, isn't she, like, 80? Thanks. No, really, thank you. Soccer grandmas are totally cool and hip.
