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How did you come up with Fear Experiment [FE]? Check out the History page for an in-depth look at the birth of FE.
How often and where do the participants rehearse?
- Thursdays and Sundays, 8pm-10pm or 8:30-10:30pm
- Both groups rehearse in the Roscoe Village/North Center area
Who are the participants? Dance Experiment One [DE1], they were all friends of mine. Dance Experiment Two [DE2] and ImprovExperiment One [IE1], they are friends and friends of friends and strangers. Same for DE3 and IE2.
What do you look for in a participant?
- Adventuresome spirit
- Bad at the specific skill
- Nervousness and/or fear
- Positive, team-oriented, and go with the flow attitude
- Don’t know most of the other participants
- Dependable, answers communication in a timely-fashion, and adheres to deadlines
- Markets the experience and the show to networks on a continual basis
- Willingness to be videotaped and photographed throughout
What do you look for in a teacher? Same answers as what I look for in a participant [except for being bad at the skill], plus:
- Skilled at his/her craft
- Able to work with a range of skill-level, with the majority of participants in the “bad” range
- Patience
- No set curriculum, nothing you’ve taught over and over before; should be new and fresh!
Do participants remain friends after the show? Yes! DE1 has had continual outings since the show ended, including Grushi [Group + Sushi], Grapas [Group +Tapas], Grake House [Group + Lake House] weekend in Michigan, Growling [Group + Bowling], and a one-year anniversary celebration. FE1ers go out incessantly together; many of the IEers even hired their IE teacher to continue with improv classes.
Does love really blossom in FE? Yes! One direct relationship [both people are participants] and three indirect relationships [one is a participant and one is connected to a participant] are still going strong.
Besides friendships and romantic-ships, what other types of relationships form between FEers?
- Volunteers [i.e. Haiti Habitat for Humanity leader and team member, soup kitchen servers]
- Building-mates
- Teammates [i.e. kickball & softball]
- Teacher and student [i.e. glass-blowing class]
- Business owner and client [i.e. real estate agent and homebuyer, graphic designer and small business owner]
- Roommates
- Pet-adopter
- House-sitter
- Board Members
- Marathon training partners
- Mass Buddies
- Teachers [i.e. teaching dance to seven-year olds]
- Business partners/mentors [i.e. baker and chef]
- Networkers
- Home decor’ists [i.e. giving various appliances to a recently-moved person]
- Actors
Dance, check. Improv, check. What’s the next activity? I’ll have to look over my Life To Do List and get back to you.
Will you be doing another FE? If so, when? January 2012 and September 2012.
I’m interested in being a FE participant. What do I do? Register for a mandatory info session. Sign up for the Mac ’n Cheese Productions email list. Details about the next FE will someday appear in your inbox.
I’m interested in being a FE teacher. What do I do? If you are a storytelling or step teacher, email me your resume and cover letter. Make sure you include how you heard about FE/if you know anyone involved.
Who are the kids that participate? I teach digital media to kids in under-resourced areas across the city. The kids in Dance Experiment One and FE were in an afterschool program I taught at Marconi Elementary, on the West side.
How do I donate to/sponsor FE? From tshirts and tshirt printing, to program design and printing, to photography, to silent auction items, to food and drink, it’s been humbling and amazing how many people donate their time and services to FE! If you’re interested in jumping on the good karma wagon, drop me a note. While we can’t pay you, we can and do shout your name from the rooftops so that everyone knows how wonderful you are. And by rooftops, I mean credit on the website, on Facebook, on Twitter, in the program, at the show…
What are you planning on doing with all the footage and photos you have? Create an award-winning documentary! Or at least a documentary!
When’s the film coming out? Ugh. Don’t ask. Editing, especially editing that you’re not getting paid for, is a sllloooooow process.
What do you plan on doing with the film? Screenings, DVDs, film festivals.
What will the film focus on? Mostly on DE1. Some of FE1.
