Slowly, gradually, in some parts of the world, live shows are coming back. For some performers it’s their first shows back in front of a live audience in 16 months. That sort of gap between shows is something many improvisers never thought they’d have to face and it’s meant a whole big mix of emotions.

This episode features:

Liam Webber
https://www.liamwebberimprov.co.uk/
Twitter: @liam_webber
Instagram: @liamjwebber

Tanyika Carey
https://www.cherubimprov.org
Twitter: @TanyikaCarey
IG: @TanyikaCarey
Tanyika's sketch team IG: @GaryfromHR.

Katy Schutte
https://www.katyschutte.co.uk/
Twitter: @katyschutte
Instagram: @katyschutte

The Improv Chronicle Podcast is produced and hosted by Nottingham improviser Lloydie James Lloyd

Episode transcript:

This… is the Improv Chronicle Podcast. I'm Lloydie.

Lloydie: Slowly, gradually, in some parts of the world, live shows are coming back. For some performers, and I'm one of them, it's their first shows back in front of a live audience in 16 months. That sort of gap between shows is something many improvisers never thought they'd have to face and it's meant to hold big mix of emotions. 

In the last two weeks, I've been in two different shows and I've taken my mic with me so I can remember these moments and chat with the people around me. I've also connected with one of the last improvisers I saw while I was in New York, just as the pandemic hit. She goes back to doing live shows as well. 

We start with Nottingham Improv in Nottingham, England, on Friday 2nd July, 2021. I've just got to Nonsuch Studios, which is where me and my duo partner Liam Weber are due to do a show.

Liam: This is Lee and this is Lloydie. 

Katy: Hi. 

Lloydie: Hi. How's it going?

Katy: Nice to meet you. Yeah, good. 

Lloydie: Good to meet you, too.

Katy: We're just going to get a little pizza around.

Lloydie: As we made our way to the dressing room, I checked in with Liam. 

Quickly then, how are you feeling? How are you feeling?

Liam: I see you're doing the thing. Yeah, I'm feeling all right. Been nervous, but I should be all right. I should be fine. 

Lloydie: I genuinely don't know what I'm feeling at the moment. I feel a bit weird.

Liam: Pretty sure I remember how to do this.

Lloydie: I'm not sure I remember how to do this. 

And then we were on. We did a show. We enjoyed ourselves. And I think the audience did, too. 

And then we did another show the following week. It was a bit of a shock to the system to do two shows in the space of a week after having not done shows in so long. 

Following the second show, which Liam and I did with our friend Katy Schutte, we talked about how our first shows had been. 

Lloydie: So, we're now two gigs in and I completely forgot to talk to you after the first one because I was too busy trying not to cry, not out of despair, thankfully. 

Firstly, the gig we did on Friday last week; talk me through what it's actually like to be back doing stuff in front of an audience.

Liam: I was very emotional. I wasn't expecting to be quite as emotional as I was. As I'm sure you'll like attest, I was fetal backstage before the show happened. I was just curled up in a ball; I didn't really know how to deal with it. And I was like – there were points, particularly when we first went on and was like, “Oh yeah. Hi, how's it going. This is an improv show again, LOL. Come back. How was everyone?” I was like choked up; like I was quite like, “Don't cry, Liam. Don't cry.” 

So, yeah, I was quite emotional. I was less emotional the second time. I was slightly worn off a bit. But like, it’s still very like it's really lovely to be there. It just feels really lovely to be back doing the thing that I love doing. And like six months of time have elapsed and the love's not changed; like the just sheer joy of doing it is still there. And I think that's really reaffirming.

Lloydie: What was the moment when you think it kicked back in and you were like, “Oh yeah. Yeah, okay. Yeah, I'm doing improv”?

Liam: That was like two minutes into our first show. Like I think that was like the first two minutes, I was like, “Dang it. How do I do this? Like how do I improvise?” 

And then like I guess it was because I was doing the show with you; like we've done that show a lot of times. I get a lot of belief in that show and how we do it. So, like I think it just slowly kicks back in. And there was like the first few proper laughs and the first, like – I don't know. There was just like a feeling of like rather than they're like adrenaline and angst of it and like, “Fuck, we're doing improv” and like, “Dang it. We're doing improv.” It felt like I was easing back into it and like, oh no, this is – I couldn't tell you the moment, but it was like those first like a couple of minutes of actually doing the improv. It felt like I was back home and it was just like, “Oh yeah, this is where I'm supposed to be. This is what I'm supposed to be doing.” And like, I love it. Yeah.

Lloydie: Okay, thank you. 

So, thanks, Liam. I’ll need a second. I'm going to have some of this. Thought it’d be nice. 

Lloydie: I lost it for a second there. Not the only time just recently. Coming back has been a bit of an emotional process for me. 

Across the Atlantic, others have had a similar experience.

Tanyika: Hi, my name is Tanyika Carey and I am an actress, improviser, voiceover artist and a literary translator. And I am based in New York City.

Lloydie: And you have had your first show back, what was it; a couple of weeks ago now?

Tanyika: Oh, yes, it was great. It was for Juneteenth. So, for June 19th. And over at the Magnet Theater, which is my home theater where I do improv and also sketch comedy. 

And yeah. So, we had our first show. It was called Say It Loud. It was the first weekend that the theater had opened back up for in-person shows and it was pretty exciting. It was really amazing to be back on stage.

Lloydie: I mean, how were you before the show? Because I, before my first show, was like in this roller coaster of emotions. Where were you at before, like in the hour or two before you went on?

Tanyika: Oh, gosh. Okay. It was actually a storytelling show. So, I was a little, because I had never done storytelling formally. You know, I mean, I'm always telling stories with my friends and everything; always talk and stuff. But this was like the first time doing a storytelling show in front of an audience. So, there was that aspect of it. 

But it was just also the whole thing that, you know, not used to being around people and especially not being unmasked. And the way that Magnet did it was that all of the performers had to show proof of vaccination; being fully vaccinated. And they were doing the same thing for the audience members. So, I felt more comfortable. 

But even so, just walking, it was just, “Oh, my gosh. I'm not wearing a mask.” It was weird, but it was also somewhat liberating. And it was just amazing to see so many of my friends who I hadn't seen prior to the pandemic.

Lloydie: And what was it like hearing an audience react again?

Tanyika: Oh, my gosh. Amazing. I mean, you can't replace that. Because during the pandemic, when the pandemic hit, I was actually taking an improv class at Magnet. And we still had some class shows left. So, the remaining ones we had to do through Zoom. 

And it was just weird. But it still worked out. You get used to it. But there is no substitute for being in person because there's something that you feel when you're in person. It's not just the laughter that you get or – there's just something that you feel; it's palpable. That doesn't come through when you're doing it online. 

So, it was really amazing because it was an emotional show. There was laughter and there was also tears from some of the performers, some of the storytellers, because there was one point where I got teary eyed as well when I was telling my story. So, just being able to feel that from the audience was just, it was so good. Yeah, it was amazing.

Lloydie: I feel like this thing happened, this pandemic, but it's suddenly, “Oh, my God, this is really happening.” I saw you, I think, two or three days before, like, I suddenly had to fly back to the UK and like then we were locked down for a long period of time. This has kind of slowly crept back up on us. So, does it feel like it's a new kind of normal yet?

Tanyika: Oh, it is starting to feel like it's a new kind of normal, but I'll say it's still weird. Because just doing shows online, because I do short form improv as well with a charity group. And so, all of our workshops and everything moved online. So, that was actually starting to feel like the new normal. But now that things are back in person, yeah, I'm still feeling my way about. And especially, it's weird because I'm like, “Okay, is this the new normal?” just because things are always changing. You know, I'm kind of in this, “Oh, well, where things are going to get shut down again.” 

Yeah, it's weird. I'm still feeling my way around. That's the best way that I can put it. 

Lloydie: Hmm, I know, totally. 

Tanyika: So, like, what about you? I'm curious,

Lloydie: So, I was petrified before I went on, but things are just starting to open up here. But we have got the Delta variant in the UK, which is much more transmissible and is still causing a lot of problems. Thankfully, we are a very, very well vaccinated country and that is kind of holding it up at least a bit. 

But theaters aren't fully open. They're open at part capacity at the moment. So, my show, I was not masked, myself and Liam, who I did the show with, are both fully vaccinated. All of the audience had to be socially distanced and had to wear masks, even if they were fully vaccinated. 

So, we were half capacity, but as soon as the show started (a) I forgot my nerves (b) it seemed like any other like proper up-for-it audience who just wanted to have a good time. And it was, I mean, you used the word liberating earlier on and it totally was liberating to go do that. 

Once we were doing it, it felt normal. And then as soon as we stopped and kind of was talking to people afterwards, it felt surreal again because it was like, “Oh, God, yeah. This used to be a thing I did all of the time; like with so much of my time. And I feel like I won't take it for granted as much anymore.”

Tanyika: Yes. I mean, I definitely just really appreciated it. And, you know, the thing is, I knew that I had missed it, but it wasn't until I was on stage again, I realized how much that I had missed it. I was like, “Oh, my gosh.” It just felt so good to just be on stage again. 

And, you know, all the performers or, you know, the storytellers, we were all unmasked. And then, even, we had a fireside chat after the storytelling and that was unmasked, too. And the way that we had it, the theatre has it set up, is the audience members just showed their proof of vaccination but did not have to be masked. But it also was not at full capacity. 

So, some of the smaller like, you know, the comedy clubs in smaller theaters were open. And Broadway is not coming back until the fall. I think some of the shows will be coming back sometime in September.

Lloydie: Back to the UK and to that post-show conversation Liam and I were having with our friend Katy Schutte. And Katy describes what it's like to be back for her doing a project to show with Chris Meade.

Katy: It was really nice. I wasn't nervous at all during the day and it was kind of the perfect gig to come back to. It was small and it was local, so it didn't feel like a big deal. I felt like I was allowed. If it was terrible, that would have been all right. Maybe not for those few people, but it felt okay. You know what I mean? 

So, I didn't feel scared about it. And also, I see Chris pretty much every single day on the Internet and we talk all the time to run a business together. So, I felt ridiculously comfortable with Chris. 

And it was actually only watching the first half. What did they do? It was Sex, Lies and Improvisation in the first half. And they did such a beautiful show and the audience really enjoyed it. And it was a lot of intimacy in the first show. And that kind of, I think, reminded Chris and I that if we just went, “Oh, are we cool with touching each other?” Like the basic thing of, “What are our rules today?” And we're both like, “Oh, yeah, we can do that. We're fine. We're both double vaccinated.” 

And then the only bit of like adrenaline I got, apart from just general delight of seeing my friends and Fred Deacon was doing underscoring as well, which is such a treat because he's an amazing musician and this lovely audience. Yeah, just when we were backstage for like a minute before we went on, I suddenly got a massive like, “Whoa, my God.” And I felt really chill before that. 

And then there was this very comedy {indistinct 14:20} of us trying to turn the right lights off for the audience backstage. So, we were just chatting with the hosts like, “We don't know where it is.” And that made everything feel like very chill and cool again. 

And then we got on stage, we did a very rambling intro where we ended up sort of just having a chat with the audience about science fiction in general. Well, I only have forgot slightly how to MC. Like part of it was I wrote slightly. We were used to it and we knew how to describe our show and we almost knew who says what, and that was cool, and then it turned into a ramble and then it got back on the rails again. 

But that was nice. It felt very authentic. And we didn't announce that it was our first show back. But I think we felt a nice connection with the audience who were out for the first time. 

And then the show itself was very slow state; like just completely in it the whole time. I think there was only one point where my brain looked at the show from the outside. And it's where I knew the scene should edit and then I was suddenly aware that I'd done a lot of editing. So, I looked at Chris to see if he wanted to go somewhere and he was looking at me to merry me. And then we just both fell back into the show. So, I was just like this one tiny moment; a thing where we both went, “We're doing an improv show” and then fell back in, in like one second. 

And I we think we went in thinking, “This will be really chill. Like we'll take our time. We'll do some relationship.” And it was like really crazy multiverse; like high-end science fiction with a lot of really fast scenes. And neither of us expected that at all to be our first show back. And it was a real treat and it felt really familiar and warm and like coming home. 

And the other delightful thing was just chatting to some audience and stuff afterwards. And I think socially, I'm quite introverted, but I felt like really up for just chatting to random strangers and stuff. And then I got hit on by a really fit girl and that made me feel amazing. And yeah. And then I just hung out with a couple of people that I've only met online, really, or spent any time with online. So, it felt like the best evening ever. So, I had a lovely time. 

And I think I hadn't done a lot of Zoom improv apart from teaching. I'd done a few shows. But just the industry means that there's not a lot of paid work in doing online gigs or not that I've found personally for improv. So, sometimes I have to do teaching when maybe in the live world I might choose a show over a class. But just, you know, in terms of staying alive and paying the mortgage, it was a choice that was almost taken away from me in the space in between. And I'd stop thinking about myself as a performer as much. So, it was great to feel like it was home and comfortable and like, “Oh yeah, I do love it. It's really fun and other people really like it. So, yeah, it was super great.”

Lloydie: If you've just had your first show back, get in touch, share the experience. You can email some words or you can even attach a voice message. Just email, newsdesk@improvchronicle.com. 

You can get the world of improv delivered to your inbox every fortnight when you subscribe to the Improv Chronicle Newsletter. Just go to improvchronicle.com for more. Sign up. It's free. 

And also, if you like what we do, consider following us on your podcast subscriber and leaving a rating and review. Those make a huge difference and help the podcast get discovered as well. 

For other episodes and for transcripts, get yourself to the website, improvchronicle.com