EXiT 185 Improv Comedy

The world of improv has given me the gift of making some wonderfully talented friends. This is the first of what hope will be a series of interviews with friends in improv.

Ashley Nugent is a performer with Coldtowne Theater in Austin, TX.

Ashley and I met through the Jester’Z improv comedy troupe in Scottsdale, AZ. I remember the first time we did any scenework together, it was during a class and we played a game called “Hitch-Hiker”. We have been friends ever since.

Ashley and I went on to be original cast members of The Remainders, a musical improv troupe. We even went on to workshop a 2 person show deconstruction show called “K some A” but never got around to putting it up live. She moved to L.A. and is now in Austin. Enjoy.

Ken: Can you tell us a little about your background in acting and improv?

Ashley: I have always done theater, as far back as I can remember. I majored in Acting in college and have a BFA. I moved to Phoenix from Ohio because I hate winter, and it was there that I discovered improv.

I was taking an acting for commercials class. As an actor, you constantly need to be in some sort of class, be it scene study, monologues, or genre (such as commercials). The teacher mentioned all commercial auditions were turning to improv, so it would behoove us to take an improv class. I did and fell in love! I started doing short form but after about a year also studied the musical format. While touring with the musical troupe, we ended up in Austin for a week. I fell in love with the amazing supportive improv scene out there and decided that’s where I wanted to settle down. But I also wanted to get better training, so I moved to Los Angeles and studied at the world famous iO Theater. I can also honestly say that Elayne Stein was right. All of the auditions I went on in LA were improvised. I had certain “beats” I had to hit, but it was up to me to fill in the rest. I think I only went on one or two auditions that were scripted.

Ken: You have had an opportunity to take your career in various directions; scripted stage, t.v., film and improv. What is it about “improv” that wins out for you?

Ashley: I feel very fortunate to have been able to hit all of the mediums of performance. About a year after I found improv, I did a scripted play. And I hated it. Which was weird, because I grew up on plays! But the main difference was how BORING it was, now. Every day we had to say the same lines and hit the same marks. For 2 months. Then we did the same show 3 times in one weekend. There was no variation; no surprise. Film and television are amazing and very similar to improv. Yes, it’s scripted, but you do it so fast and then you’re done. However, film and TV work are very sparse. Improv you can do every weekend.

Another reason I love improv so much is the people. Stage actors are big and play to the back of the house. Film actors are very self centered–your personal performance is the only thing that matters. But improv is always about the other person. A good improviser is constantly thinking of ways to make their scene partner look better, how to set them up for jokes, and really listen to what they’re saying. It’s all about the other person. You create something together on stage. In film and even theater, it’s very much what you do for yourself.

Ken: Having been through extensive training at IO West and other places; do you have any particular instructors/directors that had an extraordinary impact on you? And perhaps share some of what you got from them?

Ashley: Shulie Cowan was my level 3 teacher. She was the right mix of soft and hard. She would call you out on bad scene work, but not in a way that would make you want to jump out of a window. She also gave copious, detailed notes. In my own teachings, I find I do the same. She was encouraging and serious, and wouldn’t let people get away with stuff. I love her. I also had Craig Cackowski for Level 6. This man has been doing improv for so long and has such a wonderful childlike quality to his play. He’s real and honest and observant and witty. He notices everything. He was my last improv teacher at iO, and he’s the one who sticks out in my head the most. He always had a smile on his face and some amazing insight to pass along. Whenever I go to a festival, if he’s teaching a workshop, I definitely sign up.

Ken: You mentioned that the majority of auditions have elements of improvisation in them. Given your background/experience in stage, commercial TV, and film, what skills or practices do you wish more improvisational actors would learn or practice?

Ashley: It’s funny because I have a background in acting. I feel that my acting has improved my improv, and my improv has improved my acting. If one is strictly an improviser, looking to break into film/tv/commercials, I would say, take an acting class. If one is strictly an actor and is having a lot of auditions but little booking success, take an improv class! The two really go hand in hand. Acting helps you access your emotions. Improv helps you use them. Acting gives you the tools to create good characters, improv gives you a setting to develop them. There are technical things an improviser needs to know when acting. Such as hitting your mark, memorizing your lines, not looking into the camera, etc. But once you’re in a scene, if you really know that character and can see the world through her point of view (a technique improvisers develop), you can improvise lines. I have a friend who has worked on Scrubs as Turk’s stand in for several years. The way that particular set works is they do a scene by the script twice, then they let the actors improvise the lines. In fact, sometimes for Neil Flynn’s character, it simply says, “Neil says something funny.” My stand in friend took classes at iO. Occasionally he would have speaking lines on the show, since he also did background work. As he got farther into the iO levels, he was getting more speaking lines. The writers and directors noticed something was different. They asked him about it, and when he told them he was taking improv classes, they started giving him even more work. They trusted him as an improviser, and knew he would be able to be true to the scene when going off script. So, to answer your question, I think there is so much to learn from both crafts that an actor/improviser needs to constantly be learning more. Even after you graduate from a program, take master classes when offered. Go to festivals. Take workshops. Learn as much as you can from as many people as you can. Everyone has a different take on improv. Become a sponge.

Ken: Thanks Ashley for taking the time to chat; on a lighter note, do you have a film actor or actress that amazes you? In what films? Why?

Ashley: The most recent one I can think of is Jeremy Renner. The first time I saw him was on a Bravo show called The IT Factor. He was by far the most talented actor on that show. The reality program followed 6 actors trying to make it in the business. I remember thinking, this kid is going places. I hope he gets his break. And he did. Now he’s in a little Oscar-nominated film called The Hurt Locker. The other person who has really struck me with his amazing acting was Enver Gjokaj. He was on the television show Dollhouse. His job was very much like an improviser’s. Each week, he played a new character. And he was so spot on. I really hope someone figures out that he’s one of the most talented people on television today and gives him more work. That is a career I will follow. As far as women go, I’m a big Sandra Bullock fan. I think she’s incredibly charming and I’ll watch her in just about anything. Kristen Bell is also a ball of talent. She’s so cute and tiny and funny. I loved her on Veronica Mars. And she was the reason I stuck around with Heroes as long as I did. I stopped watching after they killed her off.