Surprising Yourself

Hi, my name is Ashley, and I love validation. Let’s not front, almost all of us vie for validation in some manner, and it’s totally fascinating, but I am also totally trying to wean myself off it. There are nerdy boys vying for validation from prom queens, interns in cheap suits vying for validation from […]

Harry Houdini, Improv

I was reading an essay written by Harry Houdini called “Helpful Hints for Young Magicians Under Eighty” and as someone who only thinks about comedy, I’d say most of the hints apply to improv. See below: “In winning your audience, remember that ‘manners make fortunes,’ so don’t be impertinent.” “An old trick well done is […]

The Rehearsal

A man’s journey down Santa Monica Blvd. ended with two hookers, an open window and a double dose of Christina Aguilera. Los Angeles can be a dirty place, like the suspect’s theatre-top apartment and his wardrobe that serves as a vague homage to Dennis Rodman. This is where the rest of the story gets more […]

Magically Dashing

Seven men, six in custom-tailored suits and one in a suit straight off the rack, gathered in a dimly lit bar with only one shelf, and it was the tops. They were surprisingly good-looking for aspiring magicians, even objectively dashing. They conversated with each other in hushed tones, shallowly letting their tongues run ragged with […]