Blog #6 - Jello? Are You There, Improv? It's Me, Kate!

written by: Kate Alleman

Comedy is like a bowl of jello - sometimes you don’t care for a particular spokesperson for the brand, but you aren’t going to stop eating the stuff. We all have that specific flavor and consistency that transports us back to those early dinner visits to Luby’s with your grandparents or your first date at a Luby’s, or some other memory that inevitably involves Luby’s. The Luby’s near my house closed a few years back, so in my mind all Luby’s have been closed forever. That’s my reality. So while I continue to grieve the possible end to all Luby’s everywhere, pull up a chair, lend me an ear, and let me tell you which improv troupes remind me of a certain delectable gelatin dish. ​

Mama Tried

Nothing beats a caring momma. Well except for a hearty helping of lemon jello in a classic tall bundt mold. Add some mini tomates and sliced nanners to the mix and wow - slap my bottom because we are getting babied!! Mama Tried is going to soothe your soul, but not before they make you question what is even possible in the realm of comedy.

​Rodger’s and Hammertime

Some folks like to flex their improv skills and improvise a full musical, adhering to all the hero’s journey milestones, with a musician who is also improvising (I am pretty sure). Much like this floral koi pond gelatin scene, sitting in the audience for a Rodger’s and Hammertime show is a luscious experience that will surely elicit gasps and giggles. 

​f.a.c.e
​
OMFG, to see a f.a.c.e show is to look through the world through thick jello glasses. Things are a little wonky, but it’s better that way. Can you escape this jello world you’ve found yourself in? 
Do you want to?

Bindle Buddies

This troupe will force you on a road trip down memory lane. And there’s no better snack for a road trip than creamed soup. But the Bindle Buddies are going to take you down the road traveled on maybe once. Quick - you’re gonna need to jello that soup in a comforting meatloaf mold to handle this bumpy road!!

Dor Bel

​Party animals unite in Dor Bel’s living room. Their flavors change depending on who they invite to the show. One thing’s for sure, there will always be a surprise at a Dor Bel show! The biggest surprise was when I found out Raye was in that troupe.

Whose Tube is it Anyways

A bunch of boys asking the hard hitting questions - whose tube, my dudes?? Well, it’s all our tubes. Get access to all the stage channels you didn’t even know you wanted.

My wing-woman improv show with my friend’s new boyfriend at the bar in Gloria’s about 7 or 8 years ago.

She was running late, he heard I did improv so he asked to do a scene at the bar in Gloria’s. So we did an improv scene at the bar in Gloria’s - the Greenville location. My friend and this man are now married. I deserve a purple jello heart for that moment.

Kate Alleman is a person in the world. She enjoys a glass of anything before bed and sometimes that glass is comedy. Her favorite years are from the turn of the century - there’s a certain delightful sparkly bitterness of the manic celebratory vibes of 1999 giving way to the structured tech-house (music AND interiors) irony of the 2000s. That was the formative era she discovered Christopher Guest, comedy horror (Devon Sawa in Idle Hands was an awakening), hated on Jonathan Franzen and doubled down on liking Wes Anderson. She also does comedy sometimes but most enjoys playing the role of sommelier. (..commelier??) to the ripe vineyards of comedy shows around town, aka an audience member. You’ll probably catch her in the Splash Zone (aka front row) at any Indie Nite show. And notes to the editors, she better have a reserved spot at the upcoming fest - please and thank you : )