On Friday, October 10th, the Light-Fingered Five will offer a night of improv comedy to register voters for the November election (the registration deadline is October 14th). Contributions can be made to Senator Obama’s Campaign for Change, but the event is free. So bring your unregistered friends or your unregistered self and sign up to vote and have some laughs at the same time. Participants can also contribute or volunteer for the final weeks of the campaign. The Light-Fingered Five promise that no moose will be harmed in the creation of this comedy evening.
WHO: The Light-Fingered Five
WHAT: Comedy (Improv)
WHERE: Oregon City Campaign For Change Office, 611 Main Street, Oregon City
WHEN: Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 8:00 pm.
PRICE: Contributions accepted at the event. For reservations call 503-657-6624.
The Light-Fingered Five have been together for five years, doing comedy the old fashioned way - they make it up. If you’ve ever wanted to see something like “Whose Line Is It Anyway” live, this is your chance. In 2005 the LF5 defeated five different improv groups from around Portland in the Brody Theater’s improv competition, finally retiring as the tournament champions. Visit the Light-Fingered Five website at www.lf5.org.
Hello everybody! We have been talking about using this blog as an attempt to have a conversation on improv in the open for everyone to see. You can help us by leaving comments and giving us food for thought. Just as the unexamined life is not worth living, the unexamined Improv is not worth watching. You with? Groovy!
So I was thinking this morning as my mind was wandering to this weeks show (Sept. 26th @ the Shoebox Theater, be there or be square) What makes this group tick? I have had the honor of performing Improv with other groups and I find the LF5 by far the most enjoyable.
Why is this, I began to wonder. Sure things like talent and trained skills come into play, but I think there must be more to it. Here are some of the ramblings off the top of my head.
Well, for one thing, we are a very supportive group. When you see the LF5, you see a group that tries to find to mine comedy by inclusion not exclusion. By this I mean, it is better to look for the humor in, say a teacher in front of a class, than to have a flatulent clown giving a lecture. (in fact everyone knows that the only place a flatulent clown would be funny is inside the clown car, but I digress) I think that this supportive nature lends a feeling of trust that allows us to go deeper and find the common ground between all of us. That truth is what the best humor comes from.
I think another thing that helps is the diversity of backgrounds. All of us lead vastly different lifestyles and bring different perspectives to any given situation. Much like everyday life, I have been surprised and amazed many times on stage by the input by other members of the group.
Other things came to me, but I feel I am beginning to ramble, and after all, this is my first entry. I do however want to bait the other members of the group with a question. Let’s see if they bite.
When I want a laugh, I have certain comfort areas that I know will always cheer me up. These are, of course, huge influences on me and how I approach improv. Therefore, my biggest influences are probably Chuck Jones and Jim Henson. What does it for you guys? What did you discover in your formative years that influenced the way you react to a situation on stage?
Dear Digit Devotees,
Can you believe it’s been five years since the Light-Fingered Five
started making comedy out of your ideas?
We have played on sidewalks, opened elementary school plays,
entertained country club Republicans, enacted the fall of Rome in
front of thousands, been undefeated in improv cage matches. We’ve
saved the world from tornadoes, earthquakes, and gigantic Spice Girls
using such common household objects as mangoes, eggbeaters, laundry
baskets, toilet plungers, and Michael Jackson. We’ve been Late for
Work due to wombats, falling anvils, and car bombs, and finally made
it in on Elvis’ pogo stick, Santa’s unicorn, and Abraham Lincoln’s
motorcycle. We’ve been cowboys, Indians, zombies, lobsters, zombie
cowboys, and Indian lobsters.
And you… YOU have supported us through the years. You have showed up
to watch, to laugh, to cheer us on, and to suggest we attempt mime an
owl shooting fire from its eyes. You are the source of our ideas, the
inspiration for our silliness, and the reason we keep stepping on the
stage with our minds blank and our ears open.
Please come join us to celebrate an unlikely anniversary–even if we
still don’t know what we’re doing.
WHO: The Light-Fingered Five
WHAT: Comedy (Improv)
WHERE: The Shoebox Theatre, 2110 SE 10th Avenue, Portland
WHEN: Friday, August 29th, 2008 at 8:00pm. Doors open at 7:30pm
PRICE: $5 at the door. No reservations necessary.
On August 29th at 8:00 pm the Light-Fingered Five will celebrate their fifth anniversary together with a special show featuring favorite games of the past and the original players. We hope to see lots of old friends there, at the Shoebox Theatre on SE 10th Street between Lincoln and Grant. And let us know what you think of the show afterwards.
The Light Fingered Five is online! We hope to post about everything from improv to local Portland theater and more. Hopefully there will be some video clips of the LF5 in action sometime soon!
