Over the years, I’ve come to believe that any artist at some point will face five challenges to their growth. I think we each face these challenges when they come up in different ways and they shape us as improvisors or poets or painters or singers. I think in general, we will be introduced to these challenges in roughly the same order I’ve written them here, but they’re not chicken pox. You won’t face them once and never see them again. If we truly want to grow in our art, we will evolve and face many of these challenges over and over again. But that’s a good thing, because as difficult as these challenges can be, we always come out stronger.

Good Practice Makes Better
Photo by Tulane Public Relations on Flickr

1. Time and money

This is the easiest of the challenges. When you make that choice that you want to create something, you need to make the commitment that you’re going to do it. Find the time to practice the violin. Go to the store and buy that paint. If you really care about what you’re doing, this won’t slow you down at all. If you can’t even find the time to commit an hour to what you want to create, maybe you don’t really want to do it.

Facing Cynicism with Joy
Photo courtesy NBC Universal

2. Creating something wonderful in spite of something horrible

This comes in so many forms. There are so many reasons to get frustrated and abandon your work. The something horrible can be the state of the world, the environment you’re in or your own personal tragedies and doubts. Sometimes, it feels hopeless to try to create art in times of sadness or anger in the world, but that’s when art is needed the most. Remind yourself and those around you that humanity can create beautiful things too. Be the flower that survives the battlefield.

Sometimes, the unpleasantness isn’t on a global level but simply in the moment you choose to create. Sometimes, art isn’t welcome. When you’re getting ready to do a stand up set and the audience has decided they hate you before you step on stage, step on the stage anyway and do it. Don’t sacrifice what you were going to do to beg for their approval. Do what you came to do. If they don’t like it, they don’t like it. But don’t let them take away the fact that you like it. Don’t let anyone tell you what you’re creating isn’t valid.

But hardest of all is to create something beautiful when your hurting and broken inside. It’s really hard to sing a happy song when you’re sad and alone. But sing that song and believe it. You’re a master, you have the gift to create that wonderful thing. If you’re in a horrible place, what better time is there to find something wonderful from inside you?

Product Placement in Norman Rockwell
Courtesy Sun Maid Raisins

3. Creating with too many constraints

No matter what you do, you’re going to be asked to shape or mold your work for someone else. Artwork is commissioned. Shows are asked to be family friendly. That doesn’t mean you have to abandon what is great about your work. It’s very easy to be a purist who will never sacrifice your “vision” and it’s very easy to abandon your ideas to get a quick buck. But it’s much harder to bring what you love about your work to someone else on their turf. Don’t be closed minded to new ideas, but never give up the integrity of what you do. Don’t view the restrictions on your art as obstacles, but as opportunities to express yourself in new ways.

When no one tells you no.
Courtesy Lucasfilm

4. Creating with too few constraints

When you find success as an artist, you will find the earlier challenges less and less frequently and you’ll discover it was those challenges that motivated you. Rage needs a Machine. When the world accepts your vision, there is little motivation to share it. And worse, you can start believing in the myth of yourself. You get lazy. You no longer wake up in the morning with a fire under you. You’ve been given the wonderful gift of a talent and the ability to use it. Never take that for granted. When you find yourself complacent, find new challenges to grow. You can always grow.

I See No Reason Why I Should Caption This
Courtesy NBC Universal

5. Seeing what you’ve created and accepting it

This is far and away the hardest challenge each of us face. You’re an artist. You have the power in you to create something, and you have. Let it be. It is very hard to create something and look at it and appreciate what it is we’ve created and move on. Never step off stage and say “I suck”. We’re our own biggest critic. That is not to say that everything is perfect or that we shouldn’t always be looking for ways to improve ourselves. But that thing you just created? It is what it is. To fret over what could be changed is looking backwards and you’re going to miss the next amazing thing that happens. You’ve created it. It’s good. Other people will see it and have their own opinions. And that is fine. Be proud that you created it.

We were blessed during 2011 to have a very special visitor. Jolien van Middelaar came to the United States from The Netherlands as part of her education to learn about The Torch Theatre and help with integrating our stage work with more digital tools. During her stay, she was an amazing asset and friend to The Torch. We’re big fans of anyone who decided to explore new lands, and we were excited to get a quick interview with Jolien before she left.

You have a wide area of knowledge in entertainment. You know stagecraft, production, editing, media, etc. What got you interested in those studies?

I learned English through watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer like a crazy person. I was so fascinated by the work of Joss Whedon, how his brilliant mind with help of others came together to be such an amazing product. My first real fascination for the media/television got started. Then when I studied in Michigan for a year and took television production and intro to theatre classes I LOVED it. I loved creating television shows, commercials and work on live productions. That’s when I decided that I wanted to study something with television. Since I want to keep studying in English the best major I found was International Media & Entertainment Management with a focus on production.

Your studies in The Netherlands involve you interning at a theatre in The United States. What have you learned here to take back to school with you?

The most important thing I learned is how important it is to create a community and maintain that community. It was empowering to see how many people feel so welcomed and happy to be at The Torch.

There are so many larger theatres in cities across the country. What made you interesting in reaching out to The Torch?

I wanted to be in Arizona and through internet research The Torch showed up. What I loved about the Torch is that I would learn about a different art form in the field of performance studies. I had little knowledge of what improv was exactly. It has been very inspiring and fun to get to know more about improv. And something new to add on my resume, improv will definitely stand out as not many people in The Netherlands are even aware of improv.

We’re big fans of explorers. As an explorer yourself, what parts of Phoenix have been most unexpected. What parts of your own home town would be the best parts for explorers to learn about?

I never expected Phoenix to be so big. I mean, it’s huge! I loved that one moment you are in downtown Phoenix hanging out in a bar and the next moment you can be on South Mountain, hiking and be away from everyone. It’s a nice mix. And as soon as it’s not so hot anymore Phoenix is actually a really fun city to walk around in and get to know. It’s so diverse. People are very friendly. I think what was most unexpected for me is that I really came to love Phoenix. Like I would walk around with an ‘I love Phoenix’ t-shirt and actually be proud of it.

You’ve also been studying improv while you’ve been here. What some of the things that you’ve discovered about improv as you’ve learned and performed here?

Improv is amazing for building your self-confidence, it’s a way to get out of your shell and do things you would normally not dream of doing, ever. Who would ever imagined I would play a gangster from New Years or a lesbian zombie (well actually that’s not that far from my comfort zone….). I knew improv was all about improvisation, but I never really understood the “art” of it all. It truly is very impressive.

Apollo 12 loves the idea of playfulness. You have brought to us the Dutch concept of Gezellig. Can you explain that a little bit?

It’s all about being together with people you love, hanging out and just having fun. Laughing, hanging out. It’s about a togetherness. It can be ‘gezellig’ with one friend, or with a whole bunch of people. It can also be ‘gezellig’ in a bar or a restaurant, because of the nice atmosphere.

As your “exploratory mission” comes to a close, what are your feelings as your final weeks in Arizona wind down?

Overall I have nothing but warm feelings for The Torch Theatre. I met so many amazing people, I got to take improv classes which was amazing and I learned a lot. Also I got a chance to explore Arizona and other parts of The United States. One thing I know for sure now is that I definitely want to live in The United States.

The view from The Torch Theatre box office.

The past year has been nothing less than amazing.

After four years of hard work and a history of performances all over the valley (including our dear friends The Trunk Space and Space 55), The Torch Theatre finally opened its doors to the public in July and became the home of longform improv comedy and theatre in Phoenix.

It’s been a long time coming and all we can say is thank you!

Thank you to everyone whose hard work, heavy lifting, and skilled labor helped transform what used to be a barber shop to a place where some of the best and funniest performances anywhere have taken place. Thank you to everyone who donated their time, money, or knowledge to support a stage where arts and culture can live week after week. Thank you to anyone who’s stepped on the stage and given their very best effort to put on an awesome show for deserving audiences. Thank you to our students who’ve been brave enough to take a journey with us and one that they won’t soon forget. Thank you to all of our teachers and anyone who’s logged any time doing all of the logistic and administrative work that it takes to keep this ship moving full steam ahead. Thank you so much to the folks who take the time and energy to step out of their houses and support local artists and culture in Phoenix. Thank you one and all!

It’s been a year of incredible highlights for The Torch. Even before we opened our doors, we were excited just to be able to get into the work of building out the space at the top of this year. By the time the 10th annual Phoenix Improv Festival came around in April, we were able to host workshops there and give out-of-town guests a sneak peek of what was to come. A good chunk of Torch students and performers kicked off the summer by having an amazing time at Camp ImprovUtopia in Cambria, California and representing Phoenix improv well (alongside our friends at NCT Phoenix).

We finally opened our doors in the middle of one of the hottest summers on record, but even the heat couldn’t dampen people’s enthusiasm for our three-week-long grand opening. By fall, we were lucky enough to have been declared the Best Improv Collective by the Phoenix New Times. Between notable Cagematch streaks, the madness of Ghostfest, an amazing person from the Netherlands, and countless awesome shows and student performances, each and every weekend has been filled with amazingness all around.

We’ve only just begun, though; we’re pretty devoted to making 2012 the best year yet for The Torch Theatre, for the Phoenix arts community, and for all of our friends and anyone who is adventurous in their tastes of art and entertainment. There are so many ways to be involved and support our efforts that it’d be a shame to miss out.

• If you’re looking to make a tax-deductible end-of-year contribution to a 501(c)3 nonprofit, you can pass on your support via Razoo.
• You can use the GoodSearch internet search engine to support The Torch. Just enter “Torch Theatre” as your favorite cause and search away!
• You can also designate The Torch as your cause when you use GoodShop and GoodDining and a small percentage of what you spend shopping online and dining out will be contributed to the theatre.
• We’ve extended our holiday-priced improv class gift vouchers until January 1st if you or a friend would love a good discount on some of the best improv classes around.
• If you just want a taste of what our improv classes are like, we have a free Intro to Improv drop-in class every First Tuesday of the month at 630pm. (The next one is January 3rd.)
• If you’re an improv performer, whether you take classes with us or not, the Bingo Jam is every First Saturday of the month (next one is January 7th) and your chance to mix it up with players of all experience levels. Our weekly Cagematch and our quarterly-ish Cerberus Cup are also great ways to get some stage time and meet folks of The Torch and the improv community at large.
• If you simply want to catch a show, we have improv shows going on every Friday and Saturday night. They’re a great reason to get out of the house and away from your television and, considering that they range in price from Pay What You Want (yes, including free) to $10, they’re a better value than catching a movie. On top of all that, you’ll be going local just like Local First recommends!

So, a hearty salute to all of our friends and may all of the best come your way in 2012! Cheers and thank you from The Torch Theatre!

(Update: We are extending availability of our holiday-priced gift vouchers to Sunday, January 1, 2012!)

The best gifts are experiences that can change how we see the world. This year we are offering an opportunity to have that experience at a discounted price. For $150, this voucher can be used for any 8 week session class (Levels I through VI) in 2012.* The voucher will be available December 15th at our box office, but you can pre-order online now! The voucher will come with a limited edition, hand printed gift card made by designer and improvisor Nina Miller (that’s me!). It’s basically the best kind of gift: one filled with laughter, learning and fun. What could be better?
*Cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. Must be redeemed by December 31, 2012.

This guy loves the Netherlands like we do! (Photo by Flickr user rafiq s)

Since July, Jolien van Middelaar has been working as an intern with The Torch Theatre. In addition to having someone from The Netherlands to teach us about her culture (though, she has yet to teach us all of the bad words in Dutch), it’s been an amazing experience to get to know Jolien. She’s been a hard worker for The Torch Theatre cause, but more importantly, she’s an extraordinary person and an amazing friend. I know that I’m not the only person who will miss her lovely smile lighting up 4721 every weekend. Ostensibly, she came here to learn as part of her internship, but I can’t think of anyone who hasn’t spent time with Jolien and ended up learning something themselves.

It’s been in the past few weeks that the reality of Jolien departing back to her wonderful homeland has started to set in. Any time I start to feel sad that that’s the case, I just think of the amazing times that have happened in her time here: the opening of the theatre, revelry at HB Hanratty’s, Ghostfest rap-offs, and dancefloor shenanigans amongst them all. What makes me smile is thinking about how fortunate we are to have someone as awesome as Jolien carrying around a piece of The Torch with her. She is definitely a part of The Torch Theatre community and it will be exciting to see how she represents us worldwide!

Technically, this is Jolien’s last weekend (though, she’ll be around here and there until 2012), and she’s put together some awesome shows as part of her internship. For the International Trifecta on Friday, she’s put together a team of students (Han Valen), put together a team of experienced improvisors (Princess Maxima), and asked Galapagos to play. For Gezellig! at 10:30 PM on Friday, she’ll be talking about the differences between Dutch and American life and a team of all-stars will be creating scenes inspired by her stories. You can catch all three Friday night shows for just $10! (Bonus: Jolien will also be the special guest of Saturday’s The Neighborhood show!)

In any case, this weekend is a good opportunity to meet Jolien if you haven’t already, and to thank her for all of her hard work and dedication.

Here’s Jolien’s experiences at The Torch Theatre in her own words:

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The Torch Theatre – Finding Love in an Unexpected Place

by Jolien van Middelaar

Four years ago, I started my studies at my university in The Netherlands. One of the promises I made myself was to make sure I would live in the USA for six months during my studies. Two years ago, I first came to Arizona for a multiple week workshop at NAU. I instantly fell in love with the state. Driving from the airport to Flagstaff is absolutely beautiful and almost all of the people from Arizona I met are pretty much really nice. I believe it’s due to the fact that there is always the sun out. Also, something that I absolutely love about Arizona, the sun. It’s always just there. In the sky like a yellow ball. So nice.

Skip forward in time: July 4, 2011 comes along and I am back in Arizona. In Phoenix, this time around to intern at The Torch Theatre. I had no idea what to expect. I had little experience with improv and had never heard of The Torch Theatre in general. But from day one at The Torch, I have felt welcome and inspired. Inspired by these amazing talented people who just started a theatre. And, may I add, it looks amazing.

Confidence. People think that just because I moved to the other side of the world I must have had confidence. But really, that’s the easy part. You get on a plane, move into a house, and start living life. No, going on stage with no script, no idea of what will happen – THAT requires some serious confidence. I would have never thought that I would be on a stage doing just that. Luckily, I took improv classes at The Torch before I went on stage to improvise. Taking improv classes was so much fun. I met so many great people just by taking classes. Also, it’s a total confidence boost and something I can recommend to anyone, confident or not.

To anyone in Phoenix, I can recommend that you spend your weekends at The Torch. You’ll be able to watch some seriously funny shows and meet some seriously awesome people. That’s what makes The Torch the best place to hang out, the people at The Torch. It’s an amazing community full of supportive people.

When I came to the USA, I expected that the day I would leave I would have met a couple new friends, would be in love, and would miss my friends when I would be back in The Netherlands. Instead, I met a whole community full of friends. I have found a new love called The Torch Theatre and I can’t even begin to think about not being at The Torch Theatre every weekend.

And I will miss every single person that I met at The Torch Theatre, which is absolutely the best community in Phoenix.

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It’s a beautiful day for staring at a screen and hunting down deals! Why not help out The Torch Theatre while you find amazing cyber deals for your holiday gifts? Here are 3 ways you can do that, just by clickity clicking some links today.

1. GoodSearch
   When you use the Goodsearch search engine we get about one penny for each search (actually about 1.3 cents). That doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but some folks use the internet a lot. Like, a lot. So it adds up.
   The first time you go to Goodsearch, they will be asked which organization they support. Enter “The Torch Theatre” After that, just search. SEARCH FOR THE ANSWERS.
   You can change their default search in Chrome, Explorer or Firefox to Goodsearch by following the instructions for your preferred browser.
   You can also download a toolbar if you really want to.
2. GoodShop
   Shopping is a great fundraiser for us, it adds up pretty quickly. To use Goodshop, you have to actually go to the Goodsearch page, click the GoodShop option and click the link for the store you want to shop from. So anything you score today from Best Buy or Apple, we get a small percentage.
3. GoodDine
   Just like the search option, you have to go to the GoodDining page once. In the GoodDining area, you hook up your credit or debit card with GoodSearch. After that, anytime you eat food at a restaraunt in their database, a percentage goes to us. You won’t be charged for anything, we just get a percentage back.

So, not so hard. It’s is a great way to sit at home and support a more exciting Phoenix. Or, you could come out this weekend and see some Torch shows too!

The holiday season is settling in, no matter how much we tweet that it’s too early for Christmas music to play. We can’t stop the future from happening, and we can’t stop stores from pushing egg nog, candy canes and giant inflatable yard decorations in our faces.

We have been talking a lot at the Torch about community over the last few months. We have been so grateful for the support we have from those that have participated so far. We’ve seen growth in all areas of community since we opened our doors:

• Our own improv community of performers, students and volunteers
• The surrounding neighborhood we have joined with amazing places like Hula’s, Stinkweeds, Practical Art and Maizies
• The community of people in Phoenix and beyond that support and participate in the local vibrant arts and entertainment culture

Whether it’s taking a drop-in class, volunteering at the box office, performing on our stage or taking a seat in our audience, this theatre and artform isn’t possible without a community of enthusiastic and dedicated people giving as much as they can every week. We really are stronger together than we are alone.

We want to extend a thank you to everyone that has been involved on this journey, and we want to encourage others to come check out this collaborative and fun world we are building at The Torch Theatre. This month, if you come to a show with friends or family, everyone in your party gets in for $5 each. All you have to do is mention “Giving Thanks” at the box office. You can also use the phrase to pre-order tickets online. You can even check in with friends via foursquare to unlock a deal. Bring a friend, your mom, your knitting club, your calculus classmates and enjoy a night of improv comedy together.

This season is about enjoying time together, and we look forward to enjoying time with you soon!

Guest post by Shane Shellenbarger

In 1971, while attending Frank Borman Junior High, my friend, Bob Limbaugher decided to run for Student Body President and he asked me to be his campaign manager. I agreed and began the work of arranging all of the minutia associated with a political campaign. The day before the election, Bob reminded me that we had an assembly in the Student Hall and that I was required to speak on his behalf. I did not sleep well that night. I prepared a speech, but I catastrophized all evening. The next morning, I made it to school under a cloud of self-doubt. My sense of time seemed out of whack. Classes which had always seemed to drag, flew by as the afternoon assembly loomed ever nearer. The lunch break came and went in a flash and before I knew where the day had gone it was time to speak.

I would like to tell you that I was fine, that the speech went well and that Bob won by a landslide. No, it did not. When it was my turn to speak, I shakily made my way up to the podium, gripped my notes as if they would fly away, stood before the microphone, and froze. I don’t know if it was the size of the crowd, the insecurity of being before my peers and fearing their opinions, or if was the feeling that Bob’s entire campaign hinged on what I said in the next few minutes, but I froze and could not utter a word. Bob lost the campaign.

The memory of that moment haunted me for decades, through high school, through college, and through my vocational career. It wasn’t until 2009, when I took my first improvisation workshop, that I faced my fear head on.

I discovered that the Phoenix Improv Festival http://phoeniximprovfestival.com/ (put on by The Torch Theatre) had workshops, so I signed up for one taught by Chuck Charbeneau. It was a small class, and enjoyed the games and interaction. It was then that I decided to take classes offered by The Torch Theatre.

I originally took classes because I wanted to use improvisation to improve my response, flexibility, and ease of delivery for voice acting. Improv has helped me do that and more. I have discovered a comfort on stage which surprised me. I also was delighted to find a community of intelligent people who are filled with passion for the craft of longform improvisation. These people have pushed themselves out of their comfort zones and out of the pigeon holes they were placed into by others. They are exploring their own vulnerability and what the human experience means to the performer and to the audience.

On September 29, 2009 I took the stage for the sixth time with my fellow Level VI students as our troupe, “What Maslow Needs.” We created a form over the past eight weeks we called “Dali,” a format which uses art created by our audience to inspire performance and scene work. After the show, our instructor, José Gonzalez, presented us with our diplomas as graduates of The Torch Theatre Longform Training Center.

I now have no fear of speaking, singing, or performing in front of an audience, thanks to the instructors and students of The Torch Theatre.

Shane Shellenbarger is a recent graduate of The Torch Theatre Longform Training Center and currently performs with Xchane and Euphonius. Thanks, Shane, for being a part of our community!

Titanic by Eric Constantineau (www.ericconstantineau.com)

Greg Jarvis is a veteran improvisor who’s been a past member of the ComedySportz Phoenix and Apollo 12. He’s probably one of the most interesting people in Phoenix (if not the world) and he has great stories to backup my random claim.

His latest project is The Apologists. This Saturday, September 10th, The Apologists perform an improvised one-act play as part of The Torch Theatre’s weekly showcase, The Revolver (Flip opens).

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A message from Phoenix’s own Greg Jarvis:

I saw the film Revolutionary Road the other day. It’s a really good 1950s drama with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and I was about halfway through the movie before I realized that I was watching LEONARDO DICAPRIO and KATE WINSLET from Titanic.

It was a little wierd. Titanic, love it or hate it, was a pretty big deal and these two actors were pretty well known for the characters of Jack and Rose, but here they were, in a serious drama doing some pretty impressive performances.

That’s kind of what I’m trying to do in my little improv show The Apologists.* I take well known, seasoned improv actors and recast them into one-act plays.  Sometimes they’re serious plays, and sometimes they’re silly, but we try to give more depth to our characters by giving them a little more time to breathe.

This Saturday (9-10-11) at 7PM at the lovely Torch Theatre I’ve lined up two well known Phoenix favorites to play along side me; Sam Haldiman of the Improvised Bookclub & Skewed News Hour and Jon Jahrmarkt of Apollo 12 & Galapagos have been entertaining for years, but never before have all three of us shared a stage. It should be great. I hope you can join us.

* I realize that in this metaphor all improv is the Titanic, and my improv group is a moody, depressing period piece that nobody saw. But hey, writing a good metaphor is like writing a good … I don’t know. Writing is hard.

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