Dribble Funk Solo Improv - September 24, 2010

DRIBBLE FUNK SOLO IMPROV - Sept. 2010 from FT Bonnigan on Vimeo.

I have had the opportunity to further develop my solo improv format Dribble Funk this year a number of times. This has been fantastic, because unlike other endeavors, the only real way to genuinely practice is to actually do it, in front of an audience, and then look back on what was done.  The only analogy I can think of is architecture. Architechs can really only "practice" by creating a building, so they don't get to practice as much as say, a violinist.


September 24th I performed at Pocket Sandwich Theatre (special thanks to John Rawley for inviting me out to play) and ended up presenting the most developed Dribble Funk set to date. I say this because the goal of the completely improvised set is to 1.) maintain the high energy needed to drive the piece forward continually to its end point at a break-neck pace, 2.) to present a variety of distinct characters and 3.) tell a clear-cut story that is imaginative, but also as close to fully developed as is possible for an improvised narrative.


Now for the criticism: I repeat myself a little too much (like I'm talking the story out to myself, which... well... I am. This could be done with much more elegance) and the story needed a bit more rounding out (how'd the kid get on the rooftop of the building?), but overall, considering the incredible difficulty and challenge of the format, I'm pleased with the direction it is going. I ground myself more (even though I still kinda amble, the more amped up I get). This set was very monologue-centric, leaning closer to storytelling than my usual activity/action-heavy sets. This storytelling aspect is worth investigating more in the future.