Today we bring to you the final group of Miami artists who participated in O,ral Records, a project in which we partnered with O, Miami and Miami-Dade Transit to collect transit riders’ stories and hand them over to artists to create new works. As most projects are, it was a learning process. We quickly realized that getting people to share their stories is not as easy as you might think. We also gained new respect for our local artists who devoted their time and creative energy to telling a story that was 1) not their own and 2) about transit, not the most interesting topic in the world. Through the weeks of collecting stories and watching the creation of new works, we learned even the simplest of human experiences holds a story. And there is no better place to find a good story than on public transit. We were so inspired by this project, we decided to not only share the finished product with our Buskerfest Miami family, but we decided do go a little deeper and introduce you personally to the artists that worked on creating our O,ral Records.
Last up (but definitely not least) is The Front Yard Theater Collective, founded and directed by the half-Venezuelan, half-Spanish, all-Miami Gabriela Fernandez. Read on to learn more about this homegrown theater group and why they will inspire you to love (or keep loving) Miami.
Buskerfest Miami: Who is currently a part of the FYTC? And who’s in charge?
FYTC: We’ve had a ton of members…. from lawyers, to commercial actors, to research analysts. Anybody who loves improv, has acting chops and is willing to spend their free time producing shows with us, is welcome to join. I’m in charge! (Gaby Fernandez, founder & director)
And of course, our performers, without them there is no show!!
Buskerfest Miami: Can you explain how improv theater works? (In layman’s terms)
FYTC: Improv is basically inventing stories. One or more actors go on stage, and perform an unscripted piece based on an audience suggestion. For example, we say “can you please give me an object you can find in your garage”. Someone will shout out “a shovel!” So our next scene or game would be inspired by “shovel.” It could be about gardeners, or grave diggers, or co-workers at a shovel factory. Its up to the improvisers to tell us who they are, where they are and what’s going on. It could also be the inspiration for a pun joke: “I like my men like I like my shovels, found in a hardware store.”
There is short form improv (short scenes/games that are about 2-5 mins long) or long form (this resembles an unscripted play, where one game develops into a series of games or stories). We have focused mostly on short form improv and writing and performing original sketch comedy, although long form is in our near future. There are games, formulas, and formats that we learn.
In rehearsal, we take turns playing the parts of audience/improvisers. Every improv game has rules. Much like a new board game, you first read the instructions. Rehearsal is when we memorize the rules/instructions of the games.
– always agree with our scene partner
– never deny anything your partner tells you
When applying these two guidelines in combination with the rules of the game, you produce a successful improv scene. What happens when you deny what your partner is saying? You put a halt to the scene.
We all take turns playing the games, we do different warm up and acting exercises to work on different improv muscles: word associations, character building, space work, wit and showmanship.
FYTC: Improv is fun! Improv keeps you on your toes and it’s like a never ending acting class. You are constantly learning new tricks of the trade; you see your growth as a performer. It can also help in fields outside of show business: it makes you a better public speaker, it’s a stress reliever, it makes you more social, helps develop better interpersonal relationships and keeps your brain young. It also makes you the life of the party…
I love talking about why Miami is the place to be if you want to perform. The party scene is established, tourism is thriving, development is the local past time. It is entirely up to us, the creative folk, to build culture. The city is craving culture. People are dying to go see shows. You can see wonderful plays all over town, in the Gables, in Little Havana, 8th street is filled with theater in Spanish. We’ve been performing for 5 years, non stop. Every year we accomplish new challenges: from starting in a yard, to performing in one of Miami’s hottest clubs, to doing two theatrical bike rides, vaudeville and burlesque mixed with improv and even a pub crawl! And this all happened because Miamians believed in us and are ready to support home grown talent. And it will be thanks to the efforts of people like us, like Buskerfest, true 305 obsessed creatives, who believe in building the foundation for the future generations of performers. That, and we live in paradise. What better place to be creative than sun, sand, sea and good weather all year round? Oh, and coladas. Coladas, bro
Buskerfest Miami: What was your experience creating content from the story for the O,ral Records project? Did this differ from how you normally create/work? If so, how?
FYTC: We are used to creating content on the spot. We prepare the outline of our shows, we divide the cast members into scenes and games and just let the audience dictate where we go. So for the O,ral Records Project, we were caught in an interesting dilemma. How do you theme an improv game BEFORE getting in front of an audience? We wanted our sets to be based on the short excerpts people wrote about their experience with public transportations, without compromising the essence of improv: remaining unscripted. So we developed a few formats from the usual games we play and adapted them. For example: a game called carpool, which happens in a car, we adapted it to the Metromover. That way, we we’re still able to ask the audience for the suggestions needed to play.
Buskerfest Miami: Do you feel there are misconceptions about what improv theater is about?
FYTC: There are many misconceptions about what improv is about. People tend to think we’re just fooling around. They see how “easy” it looks, and how we don’t learn lines, so we must be just lazy actors. The truth is, you’re not supposed to see the effort behind a show. When you see a play, everything seems so natural. That’s the whole point! Another misconception is that we are all hilarious. False! Being funny is not a gift from the Gods. It’s taking your people skills, wit, your sarcasm, your life experiences, old Saturday Night Live jokes, and training your brain to make fast connections, all the while pretending to be somebody else. Does that sound easy?
Buskerfest Miami: If you could say one thing about improv theater, what would it be?
Daleena Arbelo: It’s harder than you think.
Errol Portman: It’s incredibly challenging, as you never know who or what you may be next, but in that same sense it’s incredibly rewarding as you never know when you may create a moment of grace. So come on out and enjoy the ride!
Diane Garcia: Wow… just one thing?!? That’s like making me choose between my hypothetical children.
Daniel Sanchez: Improv is a safe space. There are definitely times when you come out on stage and make a fool of yourself, but there’s always someone who’s got your back.
Zackery Good: Improv is just playtime for grown-ups. It’s a time when you get to move around, be silly, and laugh–a time when you get to be free and experience joy.
Patrick Reyes: Refreshing. Educational.
Where you can find/follow/like/stalk Front Yard Theater Collective:
Website: http://www.frontyardtheatrecollective.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrontYardTheatreCollective/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontyardtheatrecollective/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frontyardtc
Don’t miss FYTC at this year’s Buskerfest Miami Street Performance Festival on December 11th!
Much Love,
The Buskerfest Miami Fam
Check out last month’s O,ral Records feature on The Poetry Messengers!