| IVAN CHEW |
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Last month saw the return of Shoot From The Hip with the regular cast of Vic, Keith, Alistair and your's truly! We also had special guest, Erin Foy, who has come back from her time at Second City in Chicago! The next show is on Friday 15 March 2012, and I'm planning to release a new puppet then! Stay tuned! Add Comment  After starting up the new show and format of Shoot From The Hip at the Loutky Teahouse in Epping (NSW), just 5 months ago at the invitation of the venue, I would like to thank the cast (i.e. Jason Dunn, Adrian Sandy, Vic Peters, Alistair Magee, Keith Bosler, and guest cast members, Anne Wilson and Darcy-Lee Tindale) and audience from every show for making us a huge success with sell-out shows each time; we even managed to wrangle more seats and they still get filled...! The last show was so awesome that we're playing to a community that values live entertainment as late audience were willing to stand against the wall to watch the show! So, as we draw closer to the end of the year, we've got one last show before our break (we're back in mid-January 2013, with even more craziness and a surprise announcement coming..!), so if you're in the area or looking for laughs on a Friday night, why not come along? Click here for the link to the Facebook event details. (it's at 8pm Friday 14/12/12 in Epping, NSW) If you're coming along, feel free to say "Hi" to us as we normally stick around for a bit to mingle with everyone! :)  YACFF Charity BBQ 2012 It's been a rollercoaster year with intermittent projects and jobs, excellent shows with packed audience, and the shrinking economy. However, at the end of the day, I'm pretty thankful for what I have, so like last year, when I was approached by the YACFF (Young Australian Chinese Charity Foundation) to perform at their charity BBQ supporting the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at RPA at Wentworth Commons in Homebush, I gave a resounding "yes!" Together with stand-up comedian Angela Hume, we performed some improv games that involved the committee members which kept the seventy-odd attendees (they were neither odd nor around 70 years of age) entertained.  WHH Guide Dogs Charity Ball 2012 Also, earlier this year, I was asked to be part of a new charity event organisation (Working Hearts and Hands) to help organise a charity ball at the end of the year with proceeds going to Guide Dogs Victoria. Although being based in Sydney and the event being planned for in Melbourne, my experience working with non-profit organisations allowed me to draft up templates, spreadsheets and basic designs for the Facebook site. To assist, my business, ImprovisAsian, also became one of the sponsors for the ball, and I flew down to act as the Master of Ceremonies for the event facing over 110 attendees with over thousands of dollars worth of goods and services donated by local businesses. Overall, I enjoyed myself at both events, and even felt good giving something back where it counts. And I know that we often have to look after ourselves to survive this economic downturn, etc but really, even if you contribute a bit to support those in need, then everyone else is for the better, right?
After a very successful run with my "Tuesday Drive" (5pm to 7pm AEST) shift on 2RDJ 88.1 FM where I play a variety of music including introducing listeners to new local and Asian artists, I now have a new show on the same station with Derek Fung* of "Between the Axles" every Thursday 3pm to 5pm. The show will discuss TV, movies and cars and will play music either from television series, movies or are just damn good music to drive to! If you can't listen to us on the old wireless, we're also streaming live from the 2RDJ website, and will be releasing podcasts of our broadcasts soon. Vroooom! *(you may know him from his reviews on CNET where he reviewed tech and cars) I'm now a radio host! Every Tuesday on 2RDJ 88.1FM (we're also streaming online), I do the Drive time shift (5pm to 7pm AEST) where I play music, talk and announce the weather, traffic and community announcements! I program the the playlist myself, and doing so, I try to give a broad spectrum of music tastes (and culture) to the audience. As it's predominantly being broadcast for the community, I play Asian pop, local Australian artists (both up and coming and the established acts - go, DIESEL!) and also more popular music from different eras such as the 70s to the current tracks popular with the public. I see it as not only catering to the audience wants, but also giving them a taste of something they're probably unaware of, and hopefully, liking it. I reckon the most interesting thing for me so far was during the whole Gangnam Style craze, I managed to read out parts of the translation of what the Korean lyrics actually meant. I believe that music is more than just rhythm; it's the words that often creates the emotional ties, whether it be a feel-good, enlightened or melancholic feeling. So, if you're interested in listening to me, why not tune in? Maybe even give feedback via the radio station? Also, I'm working on another program, so stay tuned!
A couple of weeks ago I had my improv puppetry show at the Loutky Teahouse (70 Beecroft Road, Epping) on 21/09/12 to a SOLD OUT room! A few late comers had to stand but they still loved it! Now THAT'S what it's all about. The audience were asked to bring in random objects and those same random objects would be used to make a puppet (by me) during the intermission to be used in the second half of the show. I think I pulled it off with the limited objects brought, but there were only enough bits to create a single puppet. The character was a Jamaican Love Doctor and was in a couple of scenes, with the other puppets throughout other scenes. The other puppets included Lincoln Doggett (made by me), Lola the Showgirl (mine) and Lionel the Lion (Alistair Magee's) which were played by myself (IVAN CHEW), JASON DUNN, VIC PETERS, ALISTAIR MAGEE and KEITH BOSLER. We all had a great night and the owner, WEZ CHAMPION, was a most accommodating host, and helped us with a few games. So much so, that we've even been booked for a second show on: 8pm Friday 19 October 2012 Loutky Teahouse 70 Beecroft Road, Epping NSW (event on Facebook link with ticket details: https://www.facebook.com/events/498030836874805) So if you want to see us come along, or if you're even if you're interested in puppetry, contact Wez at the Teahouse! Well, it's over. We submitted a short film in the Improvised Film Festival and although we didn't win, we got a special commendation. All improvised, it took us 3 hours to set up and shoot with 3 cameras, and about 3 days (on and off) to edit the footage. Not bad for a first ever short film, eh? Here it is (also in the Multimedia Section). For those of you interested, Lyn Pierse (author of "Improvisation" and the person who basically brought improv down to Australia) is holding a short course in the next few weeks. Here's the info bit: IMPRO LAB with Lyn Pierse 4 Evenings of Improvised Scene Work. These are Improvisation scene work classes for Actors and Improvisors. This is the class where Acting informs Improvisation and Improvisation informs Acting. Bridge the gap between your funny self and the actor who improvisors. Improve your acting skills. Learn the terminology and work your improvisation skills in a new way. We will improvise with and without scripts, improvise backstories, create new stories, play and create characters and find truthful moments without the pressure of being funny. Sharpen your skills, extend your range and experience the classes actors crave and improvisors want to explore. The aim is - deeper, clearer, more truthful expressive range 4 X WEDNESDAYS March 28, April 4 April 11 April 18 7pm - 9.30pm 37-47 St Johns Rd Glebe Fee $220 10 hours scene work. Lyn Pierse has been teaching Actors and Improvisation for Actors for over 20 years. Her classes have been the foundation of the careers of a generation of Australian actors here and overseas. Positions limited - 14 places. Bookings now open. Email lyn@improvisation.com.au Improvisors: something to think about when you're performing next in the following link: http://www.yesand.com/2009/10/acting-the-part-of-the-actor-who-improvises/ I not saying that Sydney tend to go for the laughs, but note the different styles and shows between the states. The next time you see a show, think about whether you're laughing because of the gags or the characterisation, and it's truth in it. Yes, it may sound arty, but there's always truth in humour; that's how we relate to it. So, are you an Improvisor or Actor Who Improvises? Or is it more that it's safer to go for the comedic route rather than the dramatic because that's what audience expect (from the popularity of Whose Line)? How DO you educated the audience without being to "high brow" for the audience? |
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