The innocence of youth
Background: In "Party Quirks", three players get personality traits from the audience and each arrive at a party. During the course of the scene, a fourth player (the host of the supposed party) must guess each person's trait. Once guessed, the player leaves the party.
I
was hired on at Second City as one of the female understudies for the National
Touring Company. I was put into the
Children's theatre company. Before
the last Children's show to run at Second City there was a show put on that was
basically old rehashed Second City scenes (cleaned up for the audience) and
short form games.
We
played Party Quirks. I did not
really like to play this game because, since I was pretty good at it, everyone
always thought I was cheating in some way or another.
So, I took the dubious task during shows to get the suggestion.
One
Sunday afternoon, I was getting suggestions and finally asked the audience of
6-14 year olds what my particular "Quirk" would be.
A
sweet faced kid (not more than ten) with his parents, raised his hand.
You never get that. The kid
actually raised his hand. I felt it
was my duty to go to the cute, sweet, dear, polite child.
I
walk over to him and say, "Hi there…so…what is my quirk?"
He
said (this cute, sweet, dear, polite child) "You are a left handed lesbian!"
As
I stood there stunned, I
got a closer look at the adults laughing next to him. I noticed that the
father was missing two teeth on the sides…and the mother could have done with
washing her stringy dish water dyed blonde hair. His parents apparently
put him up to this suggestion.
It's
Sunday. It's a Children show.
There are other children in the audience.
I looked at the parents and sneered...then back to the kid and said
"I guess your parents let you watch Roseanne, huh?"
I took the suggestion. Another improviser was on stage. I went out first to get it over with.
I
put my right hand behind my back…went up to my scene partner during the party
and said "Nice party…too bad I don't have a right hand…and you HAVE to
put on KD Lang Music."
He
was pretty stunned by all this information. Then he said, "Of
course…because you are a left handed lesbian?"
"You got it…gotta go" and got off the stage. Never refuse a suggestion. In a case like that, make it as quick and simple as possible, get it over with, and get the hell off the stage.
Shaun
Landry "Oui Be Negroes"
www.ouibenegroes.com
Chicago at the time, now in San Francisco
Editor's note: It is a topic of much debate when a suggestion should be refused. Some, like Shaun, believe the answer is never. Others refuse off-color suggestions but take all others. Keith Johnstone encourages refusing any offer that does not inspire the actor to good work. There is no definite answer, but it's nice to see that since Shaun chose to take it on, she handled it with style!