IndyFringe '18: Come Play with Us! "Acting A Foo" with Jim from Speedway

“Acting a Foo” with Jim from Speedway

Local comedy troupe Act a Foo has a welcoming tag line: Come Play with Us! They've been bringing their brand of belly-busting laughs to Indy Fringe for I-forget-how-many-years and inviting audiences to join in on the fun. If you brave the stage, they will treat you like one of their own, and you will laugh for hours to come. Acting a Foo should be a prescription recognized by AMA and the FDA. 

We ran into Jim at two shows on Saturday: Let’s Play a Freakin' Board Game! and Act a Foo. One of the more memorable “volunteers from the audience,” we were thrilled to talk to this player who gave the Foos a run for their money.

Jim grew up in South Detroit and became an accountant with GM, which took him to eight states across the country. He landed in the Speedway area about twenty years ago and is now happily retired, a fact that Act A Foo used as a running joke. Jim has been attending IndyFringe for years. He was drawn to Act A Foo because he has taken improv classes at Comedy Sportz. “I only lasted eight weeks. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done!” he said, laughing. “I did some stand-up comedy years ago around town, and I thought improv was much harder, so I really appreciate what these guys do!” he said indicating to Daniel Martin, Joshua Short, Joshua “Girth” Owens, and Aaron Grinter.

He also offered up a story that he said “has absolutely nothing to do with IndyFringe but it’s one of my favorite stories about my life, so maybe you want to share it.” Of course we do, Jim! Here goes: “A few years back, I went to visit my daughter who was stationed Montgomery Air Force Base in Alabama. A server in a restaurant took a liking to us and asked where we from. When I said we were originally from Detroit, she became excited and explained that she also grew up in Detroit. It turns out that we lived in the same neighborhood, on the same block, in the exact same house, only twenty years apart. I was 900 miles from home and found a person who lived in the same house I did!"

Jim says he lost count of how many shows he’s seen but says that his favorite so far has been Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind.  In addition to IndyFringe, he enjoys volunteering at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway--“the track”--as he calls it and taking his grandkids to ComedySportz "because I know they'll put on a clean show." Thanks for playing Jim! Thanks Act A Foo for reminding us the importance of play, and thanks ComedySportz for the playground!

To learn more about Act A Foo, read this post.

Joshua, Aaron, and Girth take audience suggestions for--I wasn't sure what this was. Might have been a dance move or a video game. 

The Foos have a habit of putting smiles on people's faces

Daniel teaches these audience volunteers the rules of the game. 

Aaron and Joshua sing a hilarious song to Jim about wanting to be his favorite son.

Jim and the Foos hanging out on the Avenue

Left to Right: Aaron Grinter, Jim, Daniel Martin

Front: Joshua Short

"Girth" stepped out of the frame when his phone rang. (His phone is always ringing.)

Act a Foo

Showing:

Friday Aug 24th, 6:00PM

Saturday Aug 25th, 6:00PM

ComedySportz

"La Fiebre!" Indiana Fever Superfan Lucy Brown Shares Her Love of Tamika Catchings and Forest Glen Elementary

Friday night we took in the WNBA Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game at Banker's Life Fieldhouse. The Fever donned a special uniform of pink to honor its VIP guests: scores of local breast cancer survivors receiving a hero's welcome from the nearly eleven thousand rowdy fans. 

In another swift, on-the-edge-of-your-seat game, guard Briann January led The Fever with a season-high 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including the Fever’s last seven points in the final minute, not to mention six assists. Free agent guard Erica Wheeler sunk 16 points with a career-high three 3-pointers. The Fever edged out the Sky 95-88. With their win against the Washington Mystics on Sunday, the Fever has clinched its 12th consecutive playoff appearance--a record in the WBNA, and the third-longest active playoff streak of all major American professional sports leagues. Go, Fever!

All the players are a blur in crunch time. 

Fever games are always a party, bringing out a diverse crowd of young and old, kids, teens, families, and general sports fanatics. During playoff games, it is common to see the majority of the Indiana Pacers cheering on our 2012 World Champion Team. The Indiana Fever is a class act, and watching the fans is almost as fun as watching the action on the floor. Fever fans represent Indy's finest citizens—spirited, inclusive, and always up for a good time. But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what Fever head coach Stephanie White had to say about the Fever’s loyal fans:  “Our crowds are amazing. They give us a lift. They did that tonight. You could just feel the energy in the building when we needed a stop, and they got loud.”

Adding to the wizardry on the court and spirit in the audience are the gymnastic and comedic antics of Freddie Fever; the fun-packed audience contests; and the infectious groove of the Fever's Inferno Hip Hop Team. Attending a Fever game is always the winning ticket.

The electrifying Inferno Hip Hop Squad always brings the 'tude.

In the crowd Friday night was super-fan duo Lucy Brown and her father Steve, who have been cheering on the Fever for years. Lucy is a third grader at Forest Glen Elementary in Indianapolis. An aspiring journalist, Lucy is no stranger to media interviews. She recently interviewed her pediatrician for a science and speech project at her school and was excited to be a first-time interviewee. 

Steve Brown of Indianapolis with daughter Lucy enjoying a fun-filled Friday night in downtown Indianapolis at the Fever game. 

Lucy's favorite class at school is art because she loves to draw and paint. "She also loves to tell and write stories," added Steve. Maybe someday you'll grace the stage of a Jabberwocky: Storytelling Arts of Indiana event, Lucy! 

Lucy is an athlete as well as an artist and writer. She loves playing softball, and her favorite position is catcher. Her favorite Fever player is Tamika Catchings. When pressed with the age-old question, "What in the world is Freddie Fever?" Lucy replied, "He is a lot of animals rolled into one, but I think he most resembles a Phoenix." Sounds right to us, Lucy!

Lucy Brown and Freddie Fever discuss game strategy during a time-out.

Dad Steve had this to say about their night's choice of entertainment: "We just love going to Fever games, and I love spending time with Lucy. Tonight her mom took [Lucy's] brother to a football game." When asked what they love most about Indianapolis, Steve and Lucy both emphatically agreed: the schools. 

Lucy and her older brother, Henry, both attend Forest Glen, which is a language magnet school of MSD of Lawrence Township. At just nine years old, Lucy is already fluent in Spanish. At one point, she began speaking a mile a minute with great enthusiasm in Spanish, but I lost her after "¿Cómo está?" 

Steve explained that the school offers different levels of opportunities for both non-native and native speakers of Spanish. He added that Forest Glen is the number one Spanish immersion school in the country, and that college credit--namely a minor degree in Spanish--is awarded to those that graduate from the program. 

Lucy cheers on her favorite team, The Fever, while representing her favorite school, Forest Glen Elementary. 

We found the following information on the website of Forest Glen Elementary. Take a look and be amazed at some of the fantastic learning opportunities offered by our public schools: 

"The Full Immersion Program is available from kindergarten through grade 12, with kindergarten through 6th grades at Forest Glen. In grades K-2, students receive 80% of their instruction in Spanish and 20% of their instruction is in English.  In 3rd grade, students receive 70% of their instruction in Spanish and 30% of their instruction in English.  In grades 4, 5 and 6 half of the instructional day is taught in Spanish; the remainder is taught in English. By the end of elementary school, students in the Immersion Program are able to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish.

In Dual Immersion, half of the students in the class are dominant Spanish speakers and half are dominant English speakers.  Instruction follows the same percentages as the Full Immersion Program. In Dual Immersion, however, students are purposely mixed in the same classroom to assist each other in language development.  By the end of elementary school, students in the Dual Immersion Program are able to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish, as well.

Forest Glen teachers are fluent in the language they use for instruction, and in nearly all situations are dominant speakers of that language. Along with the language component, the school curriculum uses the Writers’ and Readers’ Workshops, which immerse students in reading and writing. The Five Easy Steps to a Balanced Math Program allows students to apply math skills and reasoning ability to solve real-life problems. The result: Lifelong readers who are able to articulate themselves orally and in writing, and confident mathematicians with a deep conceptual understanding of the subject."

“It’s been exciting watching Henry and Lucy help each other become bilingual,” Steve shared with us. “Our favorite restaurant is La Hacienda because all the employees always come greet us at our table. 'Enrique and Lucilla' are their favorite customers." 

Be sure to cheer on The Fever next Sunday, September 18, as they take on the Dallas Wings for their final game before playoffs. Incidentally, this game will mark Indy's beloved #24 MVP Tamika Catchings' final (regular series) game. Get tickets here.

Crowds will say a teary goodbye to #24 Tamika Catchings, ten-time WNBA All-Star, next Sunday. 

To learn more about Catchings' twenty-year career and her thoughts on her final Olympics and her final season with The Fever, check out her blog.

Tamika Catchings is a big fan of Indy's own Act A Foo Improv Crew! Here she was as the guest of honor at their Christmas show last year! Check out our recent story on Act A Foo here!

From left: Joshua Owens, Ennis Adams, Daniel Martin, Tamika Catchings, Joshua Short, and NEWLYWED Jocque Carey. (Congratulations Jocque and Le-Asiah!)

IndyFringe 16: Acting a Foo Is Only Half the Story: Local Comedians Share Some of Their Dreams and Struggles

We remember the first time we saw Act A Foo Improv Crew (AAF) at IndyFringe. The year was 2012, and we had just seen a couple of affecting but heart-wrenching dramas. We figured it was the perfect time to let off some steam and remind ourselves what a good belly laugh feels like. Turns out we saved the best for last.

Since then, we have seen AAF perform in every IndyFringe festival plus a few of their Sunday night shows and their Halloween and Christmas parties. We invite friends along to every AAF outing because the band of lovable misfits of AAF have a way of making everyone--especially women (hey, it's their gift!)--feel like the guest of honor. 

"Les enfants terribles"of AAF are always the life of the party at IndyFringe. (From bottom left: Daniel Martin, Ennis Adams, Joshua "The Girth" Owens, Jocque Carey, and Joshua Short.)

I was curious about this animated group whom I'd heard had all grown up together in Indianapolis, but I'd never met any of them in person. And here's the beauty of Fringe. It literally breaks down the walls of a guarded society.  Even the most timid can approach a stranger and walk away a friend. Thus was the case in 2013, when I was stepping out of IndyFringe theater, feeling a post-stage rush, when I spotted the enfants terribles crossing the street. Not knowing any of their names, I began to call to them, "Hello, Foo! Mr. Foo! Mr. Act A Foo!" A gentleman turned around and smiled as I ran up to greet him. It turned out to be the MC of the group Daniel Martin, and with one spirited greeting from a stranger on St. Clair Street, I now have a friend for life. 

Since then, we have had the joy of seeing these gentlemen perform in various plays and venues around town, and Larry and Daniel even wound up together on the set of an industrial film last year. Truly one of the greatest gifts of being involved in various capacities at IndyFringe for the past twelve years is the sheer number of people from all over the globe with whom I've crossed hands.

It's our last post of the festival, so I will impose on readers to enjoy a post that I hope will be more meaningful than sentimental. It seems a fine way to end our coverage of IndyFringe '16. 

I caught up with Martin this week to discuss their troupe, their sense of place in Indy, and their hopes as performers. My one regret is that I couldn't interview the whole group. (Future post idea: A night on the town with Act a Foo.) Make no mistake: although Martin takes the reigns of the group on-stage, this is a 100% team effort by all members, and each of them contributes equal effort and talent to their great success.

Maybe you're like us and have watched them slay the audience and wondered, "What were they like growing up? What did their poor mothers do?!" Incidentally, I mentioned this to member Joshua Short once, and he responded in all seriousness, "Please pray for them!" (Future post idea: Let's talk to the Foos' mothers!) 

In Carey's case, his mother sent him to Asante Children's Theater. As explained by Martin, Carey was "hyperactive" (his mother's words) as a child, and rather than squelch his enthusiasm and interest in making people laugh, she helped him find a way to channel his energy. It was here that Carey met Martin, Adams, and Short.

Martin and Owens met by way of church, and telling me so made Martin crack up. "Why is that funny?" I asked. "Because the two of us...in church. Talk about not fitting in!" The plot thickens: It turns out that Martin was not just a member of Harding Street Church of Christ--his father, Peter N. Martin, Sr. is the minister. Martin and Owens are still members of this church.  (Future post idea: What is it with Preachers' Kids growing up to be Fringe Artists?! One half of this duo--the handsome, debonair one--also falls into the category of PK-turned-Fringe Artist.)

Sidebar: We would be remiss not to include this tidbit. Martin's grandfather was journalist Fletcher Martin of the Chicago Sun Times, a WWII correspondent who also had the honor of introducing the city of Chicago to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. during a civil rights conference. Fletcher Martin was also the recipient of The Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University--the most prestigious journalism fellowship in the U.S.  

AAF started performing professionally as a group about seven years ago. Before that, they constantly "performed" for friends and family in various living rooms around Indy. When asked how they came with their name, Martin replied, "We figured we'd give ourselves a name that would give people an idea of what to expect at our shows. And that's just it. We invite people to 'act-a-foo' with us."

"I figured it was an admonishment administered by your mothers growing up," I offered. Martin laughed, "Well she was rather fond of saying to me as a boy, 'You act a foo' now, I'm gonna act a foo' later!'" Since launching professionally, members have come and gone from the group, but the current five foos remain thick as thieves.  

Each member of AAF continues to perform in various capacities around Indy. Adams recently appeared in Blues for an Alabama Sky at Spotlight Players; Carey is a frequent director of Asante Children's Theater; and Martin recently turned in a stunning performance as Tom Robinson in the sold out run of To Kill A Mockingbird at the Indiana Repertory Theater. 

Recently, however, Martin and Carey have set their sights on bigger markets. After years of dreaming about taking things to the next level, they took a leap of faith and moved to Atlanta, a burgeoning film and theater city. "One day, Jocque said, 'That's it. We gotta stop talking about it and start doing it. Come June, we're out of here,'" Martin explained. "Jocque is a schoolteacher and wanted to finish out the year before moving. By March, I realized he was serious, and I was like, 'I have got to get on the ball and make this happen!'" 

One might question the timing of such a move. Things have been going well for AAF these past few years. Martin shared the reason for their move. "We want to be professional actors. Not just comedians. We love bringing comedy, but we are also serious actors. We're always surprised that people are surprised that we also do drama.'" (It's this writer's opinion that comedians often make the best dramatic actors.) Although they have climbed the ladder of success in Indy, it does, unfortunately remain a small market for professionals. "In Atlanta, there are greater opportunities," and he adds somewhat ruefully, "More opportunities for actors who happen to be African American." 

Carey and Martin have settled in Atlanta but point out that Indy is just a "quick" (their words, not mine) eight-hour drive away, so they can still stay involved with AAF. For the past couple of months, they have been focused on the bare bone necessity of survival, which has thus far taken precedence over networking and auditioning. After IndyFringe closes, however, they will meet with directors and theaters, including Alliance Theater, which is Atlanta's equivalent of the IRT.

When asked what he misses about Indy, Martin quickly responded, "I miss being comfortable! We could always find work here, and now no one knows us. We are starting all over. It is going to be incredibly difficult and expensive to get established. I miss my family and friends and performing in Indy, but honestly that comfort  kept me here longer than it should have." Martin, although not starry eyed about his future as a performer remains hopeful. "I need to get my feet wet in the film industry. I still prefer the stage. It's more thrilling. You don't get to do several takes on the stage. You have to sustain your range and depth of emotions night after night. You have to reach so much deeper. But working in film will give me more experience and credibility. And right now my main goal in life is to be as uncomfortable as possible." 

Martin still feels inextricably connected to Indy and plans on returning often for the foreseeable future. "We're (AAF) grateful to Indy for supporting us and for all the publicity we've been getting." He takes a deep breath, and gets lost in a thought. "What it is it?" I asked. "I just--. Can I be honest about something, just speaking something from my heart?" 

He continues. "We are so excited to be featured on local TV stations and various local media outlets. We couldn't be more grateful for that coverage--really we are very thankful. But the truth is, we are constantly referred to as an 'African American' Comedy Group.' Every time it happens, we shake our heads and wonder why people continue to see things in terms of race. The problem with that kind of descriptor is that it suggests that our comedy is only for African Americans, and that is just not the case. At various times, we've had white people in our troupe, so it's also not accurate." 

I encouraged Martin to continue. "We want to be known for our art and craft, not our skin color. We just want to make people laugh, and the truth is, we're pretty darn good at it. If people who have never seen one of our shows see us described as 'African American Comedy Group,' they might not feel welcome, thinking that we have a preferred audience. You know, we're just grown men who grew up together around Indy. We represent Indy, not just certain demographic groups. I say this not to complain or create friction. We just want everyone to know that all are welcome to come play with us and make art with us and act a foo with us!" 

Although there a couple of other improv groups in town, AAF takes pride in the fact that they built their group one by one over the years. They didn't have a theater to support them. They had to find their own venues and figure out how to reach the most people without an established audience. IndyFringe has gone a long way in helping them grow their audience. 

Martin concludes, "In a Fringe setting, it's okay for anyone to talk to anyone. When it's just me--just Daniel--outside of Fringe, I'm always open to meeting people on the street. But at Fringe, people feel more open to greet me. It provides a safe place to get out of your comfort zone." (As Larry puts it, "Fringe audiences just don't have the 'ol broomstick up the ass.") 

Now if you really want to get over your comfort zone, head down to IndyFringe for AAF's closing weekend to get a belly ache from laughing for your foo' head off.

Saturday 8/27 3pm
Sunday 8/28 1:30 pm

Don't be a stranger now. If you see one of the foos out and about, say, "Hello, Foo!"

Daniel capturing a selfie--or an "ussie" for plural, we decided, at last year's AAF Halloween party.

IndyFringe16: Loren Niemi: Bad Brother...Good Human

Loren Niemi, a storyteller based out of Minneapolis, is perhaps best known in these parts as one-half of the duo that has brought Indy 55 Minutes of Sex, Drugs, and Audience Participation for several years. Niemi is back this year with his brand new solo autobiographical piece Bad Brother. A performer around North America for decades, IndyFringe marks the debut of this show, which Niemi has been writing--or trying to write--for over twenty years:

I was in a religious order - you know, poverty, celibacy, obedience - I was good at one of them. It was the 60s and revolution was in the air. This is the story of how I entered a Catholic and left a Buddhist anti-war peacenik with a FBI file. (from the IndyFringe program guide)

Niemi has been receiving a lot of well deserved attention for this particular show, so I thought I would add to that conversation some of Niemi's thoughts on developing and refining the show: 

"My show has been in development for 20 years, which is how long it's taken to burn away any residue of guilt, shame, anger, or grief about who I was when it takes place. What I want the audience to see is that the challenges to peace and justice in the era of 'Nam and Flower Power are still with us though perhaps not as starkly generational. 

"I've spent most of life balancing art and politics as work and as necessity. I've alternated between being highly nomadic and being rooted in specific communities and arts organizations. It is all good. It is (almost) all a story worth the telling." 

IndyFringe has proven itself an incubator once again, and Niemi has been grateful for the opportunity not only to present a show so close to his heart, but also to get feedback from audiences after the performances. Niemi says he is getting a wide range of responses to the show, including people of his generation eager to share with him some of the experiences of the era that still haunt them. 

The Larry half of this duo offered that the play conjured a painful memory about losing a good friend from high school to the war. "I hadn't even known he had been sent to Vietnam when I read his obituary in the Detroit Free Press while I was away at college. The draft dictated that any kid who couldn't afford college was sent to the war. It was discrimination, plain and simple. The government decided that certain members of our society were valued more than others." Talking with Niemi after the show about his lost friend offered him the chance to relieve some of the guilt and agony, as Niemi understood all too well how deeply that pain is rooted. 

On the flip side, Niemi also notes that he is surprised by a younger generation's response to his show. Evidently, perhaps due to pop culture and bad film, there is a misnomer that this generation produced nothing but peaceful, love-making flower children, and that everything was harmonious. He shared that he is at least happy that younger people are showing an interest in the show--or as he humorously puts it, "politely suffering through my spiel about why they should attend."  

Explaining the show to say, millennials, who seem to have a rather shallow understanding of what was actually happening at the time, has proved to be flummoxing for Niemi. "They're looking at you kind of wide-eyed and speechless when you offer a more realistic picture of how things were, and you get the feeling that maybe they prefer the myth over the truth, " Niemi offered. 

The other half of this duo, who was not yet born during the riots of 67, felt especially connected to his story about being refused service in a barbecue joint on account of being white. As someone who was born and raised in a place where the stronghold of segregation is only now begining to deteriorate, I was eager to hear of first-hand experiences.  As he walked the audience through his emotions of what discrimination feels like on the receiving end, I could feel his reticence to explain to the proprietor that he wasn't "one of those kinds of white people." Incidentally, his avid descriptions of the joint also made me really hungry for barbecue, so a prospective attendee might do well to eat before the show. 

As a professional storyteller Niemi is no stranger to sending his stories out into the world and letting the chips fall as they may. An artist is never at liberty to instruct an audience how to receive a message. Clearly, his stories from Bad Brother have a been an important touchstone for many at IndyFringe. As he says in his book, The New Book of Plots, "Storytelling always has been the primary means of articulating our fundamental core values, of describing who we are as individuals and peoples, and of confirming our peceptions of what it means to be human. It shapes the chaos of the ever-changing world and speaks to what is 'right' and 'true.'"

Niemi's Bad Brother concludes its run this weekend at the Phoenix Underground:

Fri 8/29 9 pm
Sat 8/27 4:30 pm
Sun 8/28 1:30 pm

On the off chance that this your first exposure to Niemi's work, you might be of the misconception that he is a very serious man.

Well, here he is photobombing like a boss with our friends in Act a Foo Improv Crew! I believe his words were, "I'll show you how it's done."

Loren Niemi proving that "Gentlemen of a Certain Age" are not afraid to steal anyone's thunder.