u/Careful_Leader_5829

There was an idea for an improv show I had a while back, and I never got to implement it. So! I thought I would share it here in case anyone who has been thinking about getting into show production would like to give it a try.

I call the form "Two's a Crowd", so it could be marketed as “Two’s a Crowd: A Deconstructed Improv Show with Friends”

=== "Two's a Crowd" ===

The performers

1. A core cast of about 10 rotating players, the ‘deconstruction’ team.

2. A guest two-person team, the ‘source scene’ team. The guest team changes each performance.

The form

• Deconstruction: The form is STILL a classic Deconstruction form, which you can read about online and in improv books. In short, there is one source relationship. We come back to this relationship through multiple scenes throughout the show. These source scenes drive the tangential ‘deconstruction’ scenes, that unpack themes, commentary, and comedy found within the source scenes. Players in the source scenes do not appear in the descontruction scenes, and vice versa.

• Guests: The twist is that players in the source scene are from the community. The Deconstruction cast hosts two new players each week. Even better -- these two players have an established two-person team that they have been playing in and practicing in for years.

• Reconstruction: If this is a featured show and you want to fill a bigger time slot, Then, take an intermission, and do something loose and fun for the second act of the show. For example, let everyone talk about the first act reminded them of outside of the show, why they deconstructed things one way or another, and then do a montage of new scenes incorporating all the pieces from earlier.

The reasons for this idea

• Many players who sign up for the deconstruction want to do the outer part more than the inner part

• It’s much easier to get lots of practice on the ‘outer’ part than it is the inner part.

• There are already great two person teams practicing the ‘inner’ part out there

• Plus -- it’s a great way for players to meet and play with people they don’t always get a chance to -- a good community builder.

I LOVE the deconstruction. It gets at all the things I love about writing but done on-the-spot: character work with relationship dynamics, exploring theme, and paying close attention to opportunities for comedy. But again, it's difficult to practice or form a team around. If you ever get a chance to give it a try, let me know how it goes!

EDIT: Or tell me what theaters near you already do this!

I wanted to share my experiences tonight because, despite knowing about the national suicide hotline for the past 10+ years, there are some things I wish I knew a long time ago.

Critically, there are key differences between the 988 resources and the BJC resources. I'll outline them at the end, but I wanted to paint the whole picture here in case this expereince could help anyone else.

Some preliminary info about 988 and warmlines...

You can 988 if you just need someone to talk to, you don't have to call because of suicide necessarily. They will most likely refer to 'warmlines' if that happens.

Timing Tonight

I called tonight, though, because of extreme hopelessness.

After talking for about 15 minutes about what was going on, the 988 counselor offered to 'send a mobile crisis unit'. I didn't totally understand what that meant or what that would do, but I was in bad, bad shape. So I said yes.

This was around 9pm.

The mobile crisis unit was from BJC. At about 9:20 they called to confirm my address, and then they showed up at about 9:45, and they stayed for about 2 hours.

I want to pause here, but unfortunately, I've called 988 before. Usually late at night, between 1am and 3am, and when they offered the mobile crisis unit... well there just isn't much capacity late at night, and it would been at least a few hours before they would be able to arrive.

Differences between 988 and mobile crisis

The counselor on the 988 line will differ for many reasons. I've talked to 988-national counselors during the day or evening, BHR (Behavior Health Response in St Louis) counselors overnight, and Compass Health counselors when I called from out in St Charles. So, there is different routing depending on time and place.

988 and Compass counselors were more likely to privide real in-the-moment counseling, but BHR respondors don't seem as well-trained for counseling and will try to get to the safety-plan part.

BJC mobile unit, however, stayed with me for a couple hours. Two counselors showed up. They were both incredibly kind and helpful. They listened, and there were a couple of the most truly understanding and comforting people I have ever met (I've had multiple therapists over the years, but these two BJC respondants had me balling my eyes out, in a good way, within minutes).

What's critically different, to me, about the Mobile Crisis Unit, is that there were more equipped to conenct me to services that I really, truly, deeply needed.

I have been struggling with symptoms of PTSD, sometimes suicidal thoughts, and extremely challenging life circumstances on a regular basis for 4 years. A couple years ago, I started trying to see if I qualified for a case worker, because I could not keep up with basic responsibilities at home, and felt like my life was falling apart.

So -- I started seeking out a case worker a couple years ago. But I could NOT figure it out, it just didn't seem like I qualified, so I gave up.

It did not take long for the Mobile Crisis Unit to offer a case worker. They saw the state of my apartment, they understood my struggling with finances. This would have helped me out in so many ways over the years. I just didn't know this was an option for me. And I had even tried. But I just wasn't asking the right people or looking in the right places. There are so many challenges that have cost me so much money because I didn't get the hep I needed in time.

They also shared that behavioral health urgent case locations may be able to offer medication in emergency situations sometimes.

So why write this post?

Because I had asked in the past what Mobile Crisis Units did, and it didn't seem like they did anything different from what 988 does. But it was WAY. way better counseling, way better connection to resources.

If I had known these things 2 or 3 years ago, I feel like my life could be so different.

Anyway -- I know this post won't directly effect most people. But you never know when someone might really really need help.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions feel welcome to ask.

I know a handful of actors who have moved back to their home States because of the lack of work in LA. And I also know that other states are doing a better job of having incentives for film production.

And of course, I know that the industry is generally in a recession and it is difficult to get work in many ways.

But I think the question still stands -- if someone has the means to live in Los Angeles for whatever reason, whether it's another career or their trust fund, if they have the talent and the passion is LA still the best place to be?

I know that during the pandemic lots of auditions moved to self tape models.

But I still have to wonder, there's still all of this talk about how it's who you know. So does that mean that being part of art and performing communities in Los Angeles will still be most likely to have a positive impact on your career prospects? Even if the odds are still against you, is it wrong to think that going to La is still the best move?

Or do you think that with the recession is so bad and there are so many people working from their home States and home cities, that at this point it doesn't matter as much, and it's more important to just do whatever work you can wherever you are, whether it's Independent films or working in theater or anything like that?

Longform improvisation can be a gateway into writing or acting.

At a certain point, it can be hard to keep up with improv obligations if one wants to do other things.

Have you ever reached that point? Are you balancing all the things? If you take breaks from improv, what's your route to reconnect to theaters after a period of time?

I think I'm asking in the context of theaters where the people who are active are always shifting and changing, so even if you used to perform a lot if you came back most people there -- maybe even teachers and show producers -- wouldn't recognize you?

It hit me recently while I was taking a TV writing class why TNG is so unique.

When writers try to pitch and sell a show, characters must be built with 'story engines' in mind. The networks want to invest in something that will

1. generate many stories from because of the ambitions and shortcomings of the characters

2. generate drama based on how the characters support/frustrate each other.

Rodenberry deliberately went against BOTH of these concepts in TNG:

1. The Enterprise is the BEST ship in starfleet, and therefore must have the most competent crew.

2. The drama in the story may not originate from conflict among crew members, because they must have the maturity to easily reconcile issues.

In one sense, these are the reasons we love Trek. We love seeing the wild universe throw incredible challenges at the crew, and we love seeing them work together in mature and professional ways to solve them.

And they are able to do this while still maintaining the diverse expertise and points of view across different characters.

(In SNW this season, we see a rift between a pilot and the engineer on the enterprise. and unfortunately it felt a bit immature for starfleet. I'll take crying over petty fighting every single time.)

I know that we want more classic Trek -- and people like to rail on the current era. I do still love the new star trek shows, but I also see now why we are not ever going to get a show like TNG ever again from a major studio. The only way it would happen is from side project of people who are more interested in created original stories, than in 'story engines'.

Hi --

So, I have comorbid OCD and ADHD. It has greatly impacted my life, but because I was able to work well with logic and data, I have appeared 'functional' to many people.

But there have been massive challenges with quality of life. The biggest one is that when things in life go wrong, it takes me a very long time to recover, and it causes extreme depression and I think I lose touch with myself, that maybe be trapped deep in hopelessness is causing identity loss.

This has been particular difficult over the last few years. A life that I used to love was turned upside down by someone gaslighting me and then defamaing me, and I haven't been the same since.

How could a hypnotist help with this when they don't actually know much about me or my situation?

I know somebody who just had to move back home after seeming to almost make it in the industry. They were getting TV work, they were doing some production and some camera work. They have a long resume when it comes to performing. And they were just barely middle-aged, so they still had a lot of potential.

When an industry like this shrinks, I always imagined that it was the people who were around the longest who would keep getting work, but I would also imagine that these people would be very expensive.

Younger people would not be as expensive and they have more potential. If the industry is shrinking, and that means that budgets are limited, then it might make more sense to invest in younger people at less cost.

So I'm just curious, do you think that either of these scenarios is happening? Or is it too hard to tell?

...what modes and features and toys would you put in it?

I'm single, 40, and I have never been more depressed in my life. Two issues compunded over the last 5 years that finallly broke me.

I'm finally accepting that my older brother's OCD and narcissistic tendencies are never going to be treated. There will never be harmony in the family, and wisdom is not coming with age.

I don't feel happy in the city I live in, but this is really the only place I've know and I don't know where to go. I went through something traumatizing, and it shouldn't have changed my relationship with the world and people around me, but it did. I felt stuck and trapped in a large community where I was never going to get away from someone cruel, dishonest, and immoral never being held accountable despite their persistent inflamatory and manipulative actions towards me, my friends and family members.

The extreme depression is making it difficult to keep up with everything, so I fear I just won't be able to make a move work.

Something needs to change, but I'm lost, scared, and desperate.

I used to be motivated, creative, and social. Now I'm home all the time, tired all the time. I don't have a life anymore. I don't know what to do. I feel so hopeless.

The Good Place is an interesting show because the deeper premise is revealed gradually through the show, and the characters grow in some ways while still 'resetting' in the ways that drive the show.

I really wonder what the original pitch and materials for this show might have been.

Overall goal -- I don't want to "vibe code". I want to use AI to help me learn how to build LWCs.

Some things about me:

• I've been a declarative 'developer', admin
• A year ago I took a Lightnign Web Component TDX bootcamp, but outside of a few small ideas, I haven't been able to apply it to anything at my current job.
• I've been a consultant for years, so I've read and debugged and troubleshooted apex many times

When I took the TDX LCW bootcamp I just used Code Builder -- that's what they used in class (even though many people in the room were using VS Code). I am not sure I know how to set up VS code in the best / simplest way for my situation. Seems like there are lots of options.

I plan to revisit the LWC trailhead and documentation once I'm set up, before I revisit my LWC idea side projects. But since in a way, I'm a first-time developer, it would be nice to connect with someone who can make sure I'm set up for success.

Thanks!

Last year I went through something psychologically traumatizing.

I was with family afterwards over the holidays, and I started having PTSD flashbacks / anxiety attacks.

It sucked. Really bad.

My oldest brother, over the years, has a really really bad habit of starting fights out of nothing.

So, he took this opportunity to persistently try to prove to the family that I was abuse and manipulative. He will leave long messages with the family, then cut off communication with me.

Then come back later and do it again.

Obviously I'm leaving out LOTS of nuance.

But... the long of it is... I don't know what to do. The thing is ... in the past, he would do this type of thing. Start a fight, then bully and gaslight about it for months or years. Years of being the family scapegoat has taken it's toll. I'm so tired.

I eventually learned all of the strategies. Gray rock. No emotion. Quickly say I sdisagree and not get into it.

But after an external trauma caused me anxiety among the family... it just totally caught me off guard that he would use my painful reaction to then try and prove to the family that I'm abusive. The cycle has started all over.

I want to have healthy relationships with my immediate family (one parent, three siblings). I'm almost 40. I'm so tired.

He refuses to sit with the family and work things out, but he'll leave these messages. They are just cruel.

I've been suffering form suicidal thoughts for like 4 years, and I feel like I finally understand why. My family dyanmics are just really unhealthy and I don't have realy support.

I have a pretty good relationship with one sibling. At the very least, we make each other laugh and enjoy talking about creative things.

I feel like I need to cut ties with the rest. I can't deal with this the rest of my life. It's killing me.

I don't know how to deal with this. I realize this is mostly word vomit but I'm just so desparate for peace and resolution.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Hi -- I have a dilemma that I'm looking for feedback on.

After going through a very bizarre trauma related to gaslighting, a conflict escalated to the point where I started asking for help from mutual people, and then evenutally getting upset if someone didn't believe me about my experiences. It was a gradual unravelling that took years and a few really important relationships of mine fell apart as a result.

These people are not responsible for the situation. But I

The dilemma is that I keep going in circles in my head because I want to repair the relationships. But I really don't know how.

At a certain point, I decided that the only thing I can do is just... go off, and do my own thing. Focus on myself in other places.

This feels weird to me, because it seems like leaving things unresolved is going to make it so much harder for people to come together in a meaningful and healthy way.

But logically, it seems like the only option.

Am I thinking about this the right way?

This isn't exactly about asking for help.

I'm just -- astounded. I was so blindsided every step of the way.

I've worked with people who lacked integrity and transparency. But I've always known just to keep my distance.

Then one day I worked with someone who I genuinely felt bad for, wanted to succeed, wanted to to be happy -- and I experienced death by a thousand cuts. And it wasn't just in a job where I could walk away, it was in a community close to home.

I want to sit here and shout "why aren't we trying to warn people about gaslighting!!!!" but we ARE. Society is always telling stories about these people. And it's never enough.

Not all gaslighters are angry or aggressive. They aren't all obviously horrible people. They just are people who can feign sincerity but keep their motives to themselves. They "play by the rules" but if the rules are not well defined they can get away with a lot. They make transparency difficult, but make it seem like something else innappropriate is happening. It's a million subtle nudges and manipulations rather than one big lie.

Why are we -- as a society -- so bad about warning others about people like this?

Why are we -- as a society -- so bad about supporting people who are targeted (or fall for it)?

So the first thing that I'll say is that I didn't find out about the subreddit until it was way too late.

I couldn't handle being in an environment where someone kept trying to undermine me. There were so many abuses of power and dishonest actions, and what felt like retaliation anytime I try to ask for conversations that would provide some clarity and allow us to discuss boundaries, etc. so far, I'm doing the right thing.

However at a certain point after years of toxic behaviors, I hit my breaking point when I found out that a line had been crossed in my personal life with personal relationships. This person who I kept trusting and was trying to build trust with and had let into my life was seemingly manipulating my support system.

What ended up happening though, the way that it played out, because of my own issues with anxiety and depression during this time, is that I started desperately asking for help from people around me, people who may have been involved, maybe they weren't, but it made it so that a lot of my relationships were impacted.

I couldn't figure out why people wouldn't help me hold this person accountable. After some time I kind of realize now like, this is just the way life is.

I've been in similar situations in the past, and it was way easier for me to just change environments and move on, but because this one hit so close to home and involve people in my personal life, I didn't know where to go or how to move on or how to cope with it.

So now I'm coping with a few different issues:

- I've lost a few friends from this

- the person who kept seeming to try and undermine me or retaliate against me is doing very well and has a lot of people supporting them, including the institution involved

- this leads me to feel gross when I try to have friendships with people who support that institution, even though I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help that feeling. And I think part of it is just because nobody close to the issue was able to hold this person accountable, it changed how I feel about literally everybody involved. Which I know doesn't make any sense and makes me feel crazy but I can't help it.

So now I feel very alone, I don't want to go anywhere near that network of people, but it's led to me having to walk away from like a life that I had.

I'm 40 years old and I don't really know how to start over in life, I have some trauma because of these experiences, but I'm just lost. I don't know what I'm doing anymore, I don't know how to rebuild, I just don't know how to cope. I'm so depressed, I'm anxious because of some relationships that are still somewhat tethered to that place where trying to talk about the issues doesn't go well.

I don't know, I don't even really know what I'm asking. I just can't figure out how to cope with this situation, it overwhelmed my life and I feel like I just shouldn't think about it anymore and I should just go find new people to spend time with and have fun and enjoy life again but I'm not able to get over the depression and the grief and the anxiety and it's really impacting my quality of life.

I'm pretty well versed in the strategies of dealing with the bully while you are in the environment, but I don't even interact with that person or any of their allies anymore. And I'm still suffering.

Up until about 5 years I was really happy person. I don't feel like the same person anymore and it has led me to start gaslighting myself into thinking that I just have mental health issues and I should just go into an institution for the rest of my days eating jello. I don't know. I don't know what to do.

I just bought a refurbished Pixel 8, and when I was recording a video of me playing a song with acoustic guitar, the audio started clipping even thought it wasn't very loud. I previously had an S20 (was having battery issues, charging issues, and the casing was falling apart) and thought I would switch to Pixel for the better camera. But this type of issue never happened.

I'm just curious -- what would you all recommend for recording video/audio with a phone, without spending more than 200-300 dollars?

As a 40-year-old transgender woman, I thought at this point in my life I would be in a relationship and maybe seeing some of my friends on special occasions. I am slowing down, I would have liked to be settling down.

But a few years ago I went through something really traumatizing that really shook up my relationships with people around me and I have been feeling especially lost and confused as I recover from really extreme symptoms of PTSD.

It's hard to go into detail but the problem I have is that despite seeking treatment and taking medication, I felt a lot of my relationships and friendships slipping away because of their relationship with a person and a place that caused my distress.

So now I'm in this like catch 22 situation. I feel like a lot of my long-standing friendships are unhealthy, but I don't want to cut everybody out of my life.

\*\*\*I spend most nights not doing anything. I often end up having PTSD episodes. I live alone. A really horrible way to live a life but I don't know what to do.\*\*\*

I feel alone and I am isolating, because I don't know who I feel comfortable being around anymore.

But also most of my friends are settling down, they have kids. It's not like there's a lot of time to try and rebuild, trust and understanding with people.

I used to be a fairly creative person, But it was more for hobbies that fulfilled my life and were important to me because that's how I made friends. But the friendships were always more important than whatever we were working on.

So now I feel very alone all the time. I'm not enthusiastic about dating anymore because I don't feel good about any of my friendships. I was having PTSD after some very distressing events over the winter, and my oldest brother was distressed by my distress and now doesn't want to be around me and I feel like there's nothing I can do so now it has even impacted my family dynamics.

The only answer seems to be that I should move to a new city, and just try and reinvent myself and start over. It ends up leaving many things in my relationships unresolved and I just feel like I'm so scared.

I genuinely love a lot of those people and thought they would be in my life for the rest of my life. It is one thing for relationships to slowly drift apart, it is a whole other for relationships to cause distress because of toxicity that was brought into our relationship from a third party who won't work things out.

So I feel like I should move, But I don't really know what to even expect anymore. I feel like if I move then I'll never see those people again. I'm afraid that if I move I'll be even more alone and it maybe I'm missing out on an opportunity to try to work things out with people, but I don't know if any of these relationships are fixable if they are causing me distress.

And also as I got older I was trying to focus on a career because I didn't have any wealth or money or anything and I still have so much debt, I don't have any assets or a house or anything so when I move I'm still starting from nothing.

(The only saving Grace I have is that I have the ability to work from home right now so I can move and not have to worry about finding a new job)

But if I move, I don't really know what I would do. I can try to get involved in the creative things that I used to do, But I don't have that deep creative well in me anymore -- I'm older, I'm out of practice from about 4 years of trying to navigate this impossible situation and living with PTSD.

I keep collapsing into extreme depression and fear and isolation.

I live in a small City right now.

What should I be doing differently? Do I need to move away? I don't know what I should be doing to have like a normal healthy life right now. I hate everything so much and I feel so stupid for not being able to figure it out but I don't know what to do.