I was inspired to create my own interview after watching Key & Peele try to set the Guiness Book of World Records for impressions in a minute for Speakeasy. This inaugural interview is with Jake Jarvi, the writer, director, producer of and actor in Platoon of Power Squadron.
Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves. It creates an explosion that for the moment frees us from handed-down frames of reference, memory choked with old facts and information and undigested theories and techniques of other people’s findings. Spontaneity is the moment of personal freedom when we are faced with reality and see it, explore it and act accordingly. In this reality the bits and pieces of ourselves function as an organic whole. It is the time of discovery, of experiencing, of creative expression.
-Viola Spolin
My father taught drama at Gordon Tech High School in Chicago during the early 70’s. According to a family friend, he was a really good actor. After he passed away, my mother gave me his copy of Viola Spolin’s “Improvisation for the Theater.” He highlighted the quote above.
For anyone that’s ever walked through the halls of Chicago’s Second City or taken an improv class, you know that Viola is considered the mother of improv. Her son, Paul Sills, was the founding director of the Compass Players, which led to the formation of Second City.
Rob Adler is one of the handful of people in the world that focuses exclusively on teaching (and expanding upon) Viola’s work. He uses the very same theater games to teach how to improvise when you can’t change the words – presence, emotion, spontaneous subtext and living moment to moment in the imaginary world of the script, particularly TV and film scripts.
Rob is an actor, director, teacher and the founder of AdlerImprov in Hollywood, an on-camera coach for Lionsgate, Disney, FOX, NBC and ABC’s production companies, and a faculty member of the USC School of Dramatic Arts.
I started Intro to AdlerImprov back in January and transitioned into Advanced AdlerImprov in February. It’s absolutely changed my acting approach. I’ve become more focused and specific in auditions, from what’s happening in the space to my interactions with imaginary objects and people. It’s basically galvanized all my training to date into one class – everything is coming together. It’s also provided a stable community of really talented people to explore, expand and share experiences each week. And most importantly, it’s reminded me why I started acting in the first place – because it’s fun. And playing each week has reinforced that feeling.
One of my big takeaways to date was, “What if I approached every scene as a game?” Rob may not necessarily agree with that statement 100 percent, but it reminds me of something Adrian Danzig, the founder of 500 Clown once said in class, “Instead of approaching acting as taking a risk, what if we approached it as if we were going on an adventure?” Indeed, what if we just played?
After completing Chris Game’s six week commercial class, I took his 12 week scene study class. It builds on the commercial class and let’s you dig in a bit deeper. Chris lays out an entire toolbox of things actors can use to accelerate getting into character and making an impact on camera, even in the freeze frame thumbnail casting directors scroll through while selecting potential callbacks.
We started with commercial script that provided the opportunity to play and improvise. We concluded with a scene from HBO’s show, “The Newsroom.” It’s written by Aaron Sorkin, so the writing is tight, the pace is quick and the characters are strong. We did a straight to camera like an audition, a more theatrical take and we ended with a walk and talk complete with additional stimuli designed to test one’s focus.
Fun class. Highly recommend.
For more on Chris and his approach, check out this video:
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Seven years ago or so, I was visiting Brian and Rachel, a close high school friend and his wife. Rachel asked if I’d ever move to LA. I emphatically said no. I love Chicago. My mom lives in Chicago. My home is Chicago.
Right now, I’m sitting outside Rachel and Brian’s house in Thousand Oaks, CA. It’s 80 degrees and there’s a light breeze. It’s November 2, 2013. I’m crashing in their house with them and their two kids until I find an apartment in LA.
So, how did this come to be? Why am I in LA?
I’ve been acting and improvising for 10 years now, but a couple key events inspired this run.
1) My good friend Corrina is an actor, producer and writer and founder of Crademade Entertainment. We met on the set of a financial services commercial in Chicago and worked together on a TV pilot, a spec commercial, a short and she played a role in my webseries, “.4 Seconds – Ricky Hustile’s Last Shot at the NBA.” She kept asking why I wasn’t in LA. I started wondering the same.
2) Last October, my good friend Katie and I performed a 7 minute piece for the Women’s Theater Alliance. We didn’t get selected for the showcase. I’ve had a chip on my shoulder since.
3) I attended a casting workshop in Chicago. 300 people submit. 5 get called in and those five have strong theater backgrounds. I’ve done theater, but it’s not where my passion lies.
So here I am and I’m pretty excited to see what I’m capable of.
Thanks for reading.
I knew I needed new headshots. Before I left Chicago, the feedback I received at a casting workshop was that it was a) I needed more character shots to play the gritty characters that get cast in Chicago Fire and b) I’m better looking in real life. I attribute that to good living – a glass of red wine with dinner, olive oil on everything, running and facial moisturizers (I’m a big fan of Everyman Jack with spf 15).
So within two weeks of moving to LA, I ordered up headshots from Vanie Poyey. I like the look of her shots. The actors seem to pop in her pictures. She had a person drop out, so I had a choice – take the session the coming Friday or wait a month. I jumped on the Friday session.
To prepare, I picked up some new duds at Old Navy, Marshall’s and Macy’s. A couple t-shirts, a couple dress shirts and a navy blue suit. Sharp at that. Slim fit. And by slim I mean the jacket fit but the pants fit like a wetsuit.
The last thing needed was a hair cut. I opted for Super Cuts. Mind you, my hair style hasn’t changed much since high school. Tight on the sides and rounded on top. Not particularly challenging.
So I sit in the chair.
“How do you want it cut?”
1.5 on the sides and scissors on top. Again. easy peasy. My hair doesn’t really do much.
She clippers the sides. Perfect. She trims the top. Aces. Cleans up the neck. Gold star. I occasionally trim the eye brows, but I decide I won’t risk it. All she needs to do is trim my sideburns and I’m home free. She takes the comb and goes up the left side. Almost done. She goes up the right side and I watch in slow motion – the comb stops going up, but the trimmers don’t. Zzzzzzzztt.
“Oops.”
Headshots scheduled for tomorrow and she just put a divot in the spot just below where my sideburn meets the rest of my hair.
She says, “I’m sorry. In the 22 years I’ve been cutting hair, that’s never happened.”
Speechless.
She takes my sideburns clean off because that’s the only option for me not to look like I cut my own hair.
And then she charges me $16 for the hair cut.
I kept the headshot session. Through the magic of Photoshop and angles, you can’t even tell.