Cupcake, the interview
Improvisational comedy isn’t easy to perform–or watch, sometimes–but when it’s done right, it’s one of theater’s most enjoyable forms.
Cupcake is a two man improvised show featuring local performers Justin Sund and Ethan Newberry brought to you by the fine folks of Wing-It Productions. In its second season, Cupcake has drawn positive reviews and sold out audiences locally and on the road.. Recently, I had the chance to ask Ethan a few questions about the show; here’s what he’s got to say.
MB:
What made you decide to come up with this show? How long was the process–was this planned out way in advance or was it more like: “Hey, Mickey & Judy, let’s put on a show”?
EN:
Having done improv for a number of years in Seattle , I’m pretty familiar with the scene. There a lot of fantastic short form shows (quick scenes that play a lot like “Whose Line Is It Anyway”) and there was a limited amount of long form. The company I perform with, Wing-It Productions, is on the cutting edge of long form improv creation with shows like “Reality World”, “CLUES”, “Wallflowers”, etc. Each of those shows is completely different and original. In fact, we’re looked at as one of the leading pioneers in original long form improv show creation across the country!
Well, Justin Sund (my show partner) and I decided that we wanted to create a show that followed NO form.
We wanted to feel like we could be as free as we wanted on stage. No rules, no structure, no expectations. The funny thing is, we decided this after consuming a number of alcoholic beverages (yeah, we were drunk). It was more of a dare than anything else. We pretty much dared ourselves to get up on stage, just the two of us, and create a show on the fly. It couldn’t have an outline, it couldn’t have a form. It had to be balls-to-the-wall improv. But we needed a name. Obviously being intoxicated, we both were hungry. Aparently for baked goods. Thus Cupcake was born in the early weeks of December, 2005
We talked to the theater director and company co-founder, Andrew McMasters, about scheduling this show for a midnight slot in our calendar. He obliged (smart decision!). The first show would be the first Saturday in January 2006. That didn’t leave us much time to advertise or market our show. But that brought up another question, “how do we advertise a show that has no format or hook!?” We decided to put a picture of a cupcake, our names, and the slogan “where your moist dreams come true” on a poster and see what happens. Our opening show broke the theater record for midnight show attendance. And continued to break records well into 2006. The rest is history!
[More behind the jump]
MB:
What is it that you’re trying to get out of the show (in terms of artistic satisfaction, at least) and what do you think you have to offer audiences who might go see it?
EN:
As for the show, Justin and I get a lot of satisfaction out of pushing the envelope of improv as an art. So many groups set themselves into a structure of performance. They follow a pattern. I don’t think there are many groups that don’t have a form that they follow. In that sense, we are pioneers in this art form. We get up on stage and let what happens happen. If the audience talks to us, we’ll talk back. If they stand up and walk on stage, we’ll incorporate them into whatever we’re doing. But there’s one stipulation: You mess with us, and we’ll mess with you!
Justin and I have performed with Jet City Improv for years. That show, voted the best comedy in Seattle , is family friendly and is often attended by youngsters. We knew that Cupcake would have to be the anti-family show. That’s the kind of humor that we really share. So, Cupcake is now a very racy, very edgy kind of comedy that has, as The Stranger says, “the fresh-faced kids rolling in the aisles!”. Out show sells out frequently (180+ people) and is often attended by the same return audience every single week. We call them the Cupcake Crew. There just isn’t anything like it in Seattle and, really, anywhere else either. We’ve performed in New York , Chicago (twice), Toronto , and more and get the same response from others: “I haven’t seen anything like that! HILARIOUS! It’s so freeing and liberating!”
We couldn’t have asked for an experience in improv that has given us more pleasure than Cupcake. Just the feeling after doing an hour to and hour and a half show, making so many audience members laugh the whole time, and having them leave riddled with smiles is a feeling beyond compare. And to be able to do as much traveling with the show that we’ve done is a gift. It’s been such a fantastic and rewarding experience. The great thing is that it’s JUST BEGINNING! Cupcake has gone from a simple improv show at midnight, to a thriving business in itself! We sell tshirts (which have paid our way to all the different festivals we’ve performed in), we create a number of short films and movies (see our Youtube site), and we have challenges. This is the one thing that we have built into the show is the weekly challenge. Each week I challenge Justin and he challenges me to do something for the next week’s show. It could be a video, it could be dressing up, it could be to drink a 40oz. malt beverage in an hour, it could be anything! It’s a great way to bring the audience back. Cupcake is a phenomenon and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for it.
MB:
How’d you get involved with Seattle theater: Are you from this area? What made you decide that you wanted to be a performer?
EN:
I’ve lived in Seattle or the Eastside for a majority of my life. When I was a junior in High School, I went to see an improv show at Jet City Improv. I had never seen an improv show before that. Needless to say, after the show, I was hooked. I went back weekend after weekend to get my improv fix. There came a point when I thought that I could do it so I went to an open call audition for Jet City Improv. I got called back and got into the group. I was the second youngest member EVER to be cast in the group (second youngest by a WEEK)!I continued to perform and learn all about improv over the next couple of years through Jet City . I attended the University of Washington and majored in Communications with an emphasis in Digital Design and Media all the while doing shows and gigs at night and on the weekends. I just loved the feeling of making a theater full of students, families, adults, friends, and peers laugh. It’s such an amazing feeling to spread something like that. It sounds cliché (and it is) but to know you’re making somebody happy is a good feeling in itself.
MB:
Why improv instead of another form of theater?
EN:
Now, improv, to me, gives me a different sensation than scripted theater. I LOVE challenges. Scripted theater is definitely a challenge, but I get such a kick out of getting onto stage without a notion of what’s going to happen and just letting all your inhibitions go. It’s the kind of experience that a lot of scripted actors cringe at; I thrive on it. I like doing scripted stuff a lot, I just LOVE doing improv. There are definite bad shows in improv. Sometimes you’re having an off night, or the audience is very low energy and there’s not much to feed off of - much like scripted theater. But there’s those nights where the improv feels like magic. It’s pretty crazy - and that’s what I love about it! You never know what you’re going to get.
Cupcake plays Friday nights at “midnight thirty” at the University Theater, on the Ave. Tickets are $8. For details or to purchase in advance, visit the site. [cupcake]
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