Support the Arts, You Guys

Hey gang! I've got a few things going on, comedy-wise. For the third (3rd!?!) year in a row, my improv group Snack Time is raising money for HUGE Theater as part of Give to the Max day. It's Snack Time's birthplace and we love it dearly. Just $10 to this amazing nonprofit theater will go to run its operations, teach classes and change lives, and put up a shit-ton of amazing improv shows. Please donate by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, November 12. And if you're in town (and can stay up that late), Snack Time will be performing right at the tail end of HUGE's 28-hour Improvathon at 11:20 p.m. Click below to donate:



ALSO: this Friday is our last scheduled Pantsuit show! Two standups, two improv groups, possibly trivia if I get my shit together, and all ladies. 10:00 p.m., $7 at the Phoenix Theater. It's what Jesus would want you to do.

Comedy, Not Energy Drinks!*

Friends, it has been a rough patch here in Laurendale. I went off my meds a few months ago when we were uninsured/for the same stupid experimental reasons mentally ill people decide to go off their meds every once in awhile. My anxiety has not been too, too terrible, but I am working full time as a receptionist, so that is grinding my soul into tiny pieces every passing moment.

ANYWAY, after a performing hiatus, I have a few comedy things happening again. Would you like to come see my face doing comedy at you in person (in Minneapolis)? HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN DO THAT:

I made this. I feel a lot of pride about that.

Pantsuit Comedy Showcase
Friday, July 10th, 10:00 p.m.
Phoenix Theater in Uptown--$5 advance/$7 door
My friends Lauren and Kristen and I are putting this together with the hopes that it will become a regular monthly thing showcasing Twin Cities lady-type comedy acts. I'll be hosting this on Friday, and in addition to a standup and two great improv duos, I'll be running a trivia game with our performers as a panel (still not quite sure what this will look like but I'M WORKING ON IT, YOU GUYS.). Come support female comedians it will be funny and also cheap.

Big Time Horse
Saturday, July 11th, 10:00 p.m.
Phoenix Theater in Uptown--$5
My group Useful Knots (2nd Place Troika Madness, 2015) is getting back together for some more shows, the first of which is Big Time Horse! There will be improv, standup, an open mic, and various shenanigans! Come one, come all!

Fresh Air Improv
Wednesday, July 15th, 7:00 p.m.
Loring Park Bandstand--FREE
Do you love live performances but don't want to go inside because it's SUMMER, DUH? BOTH. DO BOTH! My crew Snack Time is performing with two other improv groups in the outside, in a park, for FREE. Take your allergy meds and come join us!

Brave New Workshop Sketch Lab Table Read
(tentative) Friday, July 17th, after the main stage show
Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre
Come see the BNW main stage cast in their awesome (probably, I haven't seen it yet, but they are literally pros) sketch show, Mad Vax: Beyond Measledome. Afterwards, my sketch writing class (which happens to be all ladies, HOLLA!) will be doing readings of some of our best sketches of the session. I might be singing a song about space tigers, but this is still mostly TBD.


*I reserve the right to drink energy drinks before doing comedy, I'm just pointing out that this is actually not an energy drink review, but a shameless self promotion post. 

Ghost hunting and picnicking and money!

Have you ever thought, "I would love to pay for the pleasure of Lauren's company and at the same time support local theater"? HERE'S YOUR CHANCE! My improv home, HUGE Theater, is conducting their annual fundraising hangout auction. The stuff you can bid on is LITRALLY hanging out with improv people WHAT. All you need is an eBay account, which I know you use mostly for trying to find obscure Saved by the Bell memorabilia. So this time use it to help somebody for once in your goddamn life, okay? I've got two horses in this race to enjoyment:

Will we meet a transparent nightgown lady?
MAYBE!

Ghost Hunting Adventure with Sally Foster & Lauren Chesnut! Guys, you know how I'm obsessed with ghost shows? Now's your chance to see me doing my best GhostBro impression. I've insisted on being billed as a "paranormal scholar," but Sally's actual done ghost hunting before and will bring equipment and it's going to be creepy fun! For up to five people.

Snack time with Snack Time! Just what it sounds like. You and up to two companions can join Minneapolis' premier snack food-based improv cult on a picnic. We are fun! And loud! And will bring piles and piles of snacks!

Here's all the items for sale. All auctions close Tuesday, April 14 at 10:59 p.m., so get your bids in. It should go without saying, but you have to be in the Twin Cities to collect on your hangout if you win.

If these auctions are too rich for your blood and/or you don't live in Minnesota and thus have to be denied the presence of our charms, you can always benefit HUGE by buying whatever shit you were going to buy anyway on Amazon by using smile.amazon.com and selecting "HUGE Improv Theater" as your charity. It costs you nothing extra, but Amazon will kick a little change in our direction.

And here's a reminder that my group Trust Pit is performing our original form The Reconstruction (not this Reconstruction) at 8:00 p.m. Fridays through the end of the month. Tickets!

You guys are the best. I mean that. I really hope we can buy a new rug for the green room. Now get bidding!

Important Competitive Improvising News

GUYS. My fabulous improv trio Useful Knots has made it into the finals of the Minneapolis Troika Madness tournament! Look at how cute and useful we can be:



We're competing against another new trio called Flowers for Megatron. Some people in the rope community have some questions about their origins. It's worth looking into:



Anyway, we face off after a wild card match this Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. at HUGE Theater. $7 ONLY! If you come, you get to help decide the winner. Use your suffrage rights wisely. There's an actual TROPHY involved. Troika tickets.

Additionally, my group Trust Pit continues to perform our brand-new form, The Reconstruction, at 8:00 p.m. Fridays at HUGE. We double feature with MURMUR!--last year's Troika champions, who play at 9:30. $12 presale. Trust Pit/MURMUR! tickets.

Live (or at least recorded) comedy stylings by yours truly!

"You have the funniest energy drink reviews."
"Your take on the Godfather trilogy should be immortalized in stone."
"I bet your dissertation that you are definitely working on actively is super-smart and good."

Have you found yourself wanting to say these things to me? I don't blame you. Want more of me? You can listen and watch me do long-form improvisational comedy things!

Don't you wanna just hang out with us? Photo courtesy Next at Bat.

First up: Do you podcast? I don't unless I'm on one because listening to words without music is almost as unappealing to me as listening to music without words, but I am a dick. You should! You should very much listen to the Twin Cities' own improv podcast, Next at Bat, hosted by the lovely and talented Matt McCloud and Philip Simondet. Recently they had on my group Snack Time, interviewed us about our "artistic vision" and did some 'provs with us. Only two-thirds of us showed up and we are a bunch of clique-y, giggling assholes, but I think it turned out pretty good anyway: Next at Bat episode 51 with Snack Time. (Free!)

Next: I have two shows closing this weekend! Friday, February 27 at HUGE Theater is your last chance to see me in the Deconstruction as part of Throwback Night at 8:00 p.m. Snack Time will have our last opening set for the Bearded Men at 10:30 on Friday, also. ($12 for 8/9:30, $7 for 10:30, $18 all-night pass)

Next next: I got drawn out of a lottery by the Troika Gods to once again participate in the Minneapolis Troika Madness Tournament. It's improv. It's a competition. It's an improv competition! You may recall that my group Pigmeat was robbed of first place last year, but I shall not be twice denied! I will be performing with Jake Scott and Mary Kane as Useful Knots in the first round next Wednesday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m. at HUGE Theater. Come! Watch! Vote for us so we can move on to the semi-finals March 18. (Tournament brackets forthcoming.) ($7)

Nextest of all: My Deconstruction group will be reborn as Trust Pit, performing an as-yet-unnamed new improv form at 8:00 at HUGE on all the Fridays in March and April.

Where to See My Face Being Funny in Reals

My bros, the next few months are going to be busy for Lauren improv stuff. If you will be in Minneapolis in this period, you should come see me do the things on the stage! Here's a sched:

Fridays in January and February at 8:00 p.m. at HUGE Theater, $12 for the 8 and 9:30 shows or $18 for an all-night pass, which includes the late show I'm also in that night
Throwback Night! Three classic forms performed by Twin Cities favorites (like me). I'm in the Deconstruction group, the other two are doing the Harold and Close Quarters, respectively.

I got me and the other Snack Faces into the bearded spirit, okay?

(Also) Fridays in January and February at 10:30 p.m. at HUGE Theater, $7 (or $18 with the earlier shows)
Snack Time will be opening for the illustrious Bearded Men. We always bring snacks!

Sunday 1/11, 1/18, and 1/25 at 8:00 p.m. at HUGE Theater, pay what you like
Bitches with Books will improvise a ladies' book club and other semi-related nonsense at your face alongside three other fantastic groups!

Please Give Money to My Improv Theater

Oh hey guys, it's time for me to inundate my 7 friends fans with a coordinated social media fundraising onslaught. It's Improvathon Season, motherfuckers! Here is a thing I wrote with real feelings about why you should consider giving money to HUGE Theater, more specifically, to one of my Improvathon groups because of potential bragging rights:

As you are probably aware, I’ve gotten really into improvising the last couple of years. It is great! I am very good at making things up and I have occasionally been paid to perform. This is all due to a wonderful little place called HUGE Theater in Minneapolis. HUGE is an artist-run theater and a non-profit. I take classes, volunteer, and perform there regularly. It’s like a home away from home, and you all know how much I hate putting on real pants and leaving my actual home, so this is special.

Here are some specific reasons why I love this place:

• I have made so many friends! I don’t even like people that much (besides you guys, obvs), but in my classes at HUGE and just hanging around the theater, I’ve met so many people who are also weird and creative and want to do stupid projects with me. Who knew I could make new friends?

• Through taking classes and forming groups and being cast in or asked to be part of shows, I’m now just that many steps closer to stardom. I may not have my own sitcom yet, but getting stage time, performing, and making people laugh--people who PAID to see the show--is an amazing feeling. HUGE has made my comedy dreams (begin to) come true.
• It’s a good place. The people who run it are kind and generous and amazing performers and mentors. The teachers are excellent. The shows are outrageously good. HUGE is a supportive environment, it’s not a boy’s club or a place just out to make money like a lot of comedy venues. HUGE does what it does for the love of the art of unscripted live theater. That is a priceless gift to give to the Twin Cities, but it is not free to produce!

THUS: HUGE’s biggest fundraiser is each year’s Improvathon, 28 straight hours of improv to support the theater and its mission. It’s coming up next week, November 12-13. I have two groups raising money and performing. I would be eternally grateful if you would support one or both of them by donating to the GiveMN site. All money goes to HUGE. Note: Whenever you actually give, your donation will be held until November 13th, GiveMN’s Give to the Max Day. Unfortunately, we won’t know which groups are leading in donations until then (there are possible prizes and at least bragging rights at stake here).

Of course if you’re in town, you are more than welcome to come see us perform. Shows start at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday the 12th and go until 11:59 p.m. on the 13th. You can come and donate to the group(s) of your choice at the door.

Please donate to one of my groups here:

Pigmeat: The Improvised Twilight Zone performing at 11:00 a.m. on the 13th

AND/OR

Snack Time performing at 9:00 p.m. on the 13th

Anything you may be able to give would be incredibly well-appreciated. This is a thing that I love at a place that I love and you know I wouldn’t ask if it didn’t mean a lot to me, because there are few things more awkward for me than asking for money and expressing genuine emotions. So thank you in advance, also you are looking really pretty/handsome today, did I tell you that?

Places to see and hear me being funny

Us recording the p-cast. Photo by Philip Simondet.

Guys! My unpaid but emotionally lucrative career in improv comedy is really taking off. After coming in second in the Troika March Madness tournament last month, Pigmeat is making plans for future Twilight Zone-inspired adventures. However! There are other opportunities to see and hear me do the 'provz.* My group Spectrum, which specializes in an Armando form where we tell our own sad-as-shit real-life stories to inspire our improv, is in the HUGE Wednesday lineup through the end of May at HUGE Theater in Minneapolis. So if you live close you should maybe come see us and several other sweet groups for $5 and maybe hear about some real-life tragedy and then also hopefully do some laughing.

Spectrum was recently invited to participate in Matt McCloud and Philip Simondet's improv-focused podcast Next at Bat. You can listen to our episode here. We talk about our lofty artistic and emotional goals and then do some improv with Matt and Philip that is mostly about boobs and dongs! Get your comedy nerd on and listen to that shit! They have a bunch of episodes recorded with the Twin Cities' best improvisers (if I do say so myself). Fair warning: I laugh throughout the vast majority of our episode.


*TRUE FACT: Making shit up might be my greatest talent.

Picture if you will...

Guys, my Troika Madness team, Pigmeat, has made it to the finals. We are awesome and Twilight Zone-creepy and also hilarious. I made a video:



If you're in the Twin Cities, come and see us (and vote for us) on Wednesday night!

Friendly Competition

Guys, in case you're one of my 3.2 readers who doesn't know me in real life and haven't been bombarded on Facebook about this: I AM IN AN IMPROV MARCH MADNESS COMPETITION! Troika Madness at HUGE in Minneapolis. My Twilight Zone-inspired group Pigmeat is in the semi-finals tomorrow night. I made a picture for our match-up:

Yeah.