Went to rehearsal for the improv TV show - my first as writer and co-producer. Slowly the members of the various teams filtered in, including some I hadn't met as of yet. One made it a point to introduce himself to me (we'll call him "Billy" - mostly cause I can't remember his name and he looked like a young Bill Murray). Before we could launch into conversation, one of the other producers started the festivities of the evening.
Whole teams weren't there, so we had to combine people into teams of four to rehearse. Billy was assimilated into one of those teams. Over the next 2.5 hours, we ran the teams thru the new games and show format, giving our new host a real baptism of what to expect as well.
When we were done and people were clapping each other on the back and talking about their favorite moments, Billy wound up near me again. Making small talk, I ask him if he had fun, which he did. We eventually get to talking about him, and I get a little surprise.
It turns out he just kinda wandered in off the street, after blowing into town via Greyhound bus. Originally from Chicago, he decided to just start traveling around Jack Kerouac-style, peddling his tye-dye art and bedding down wherever he managed to find a couch. Immediately my alarm bells went off because I realized we was heavily hinting that he'd like me to offer my couch (something I wasn't comfortable with, and lord knows RedFaery wouldn't have been either!).
Fortunately, I was prepared to help anyway. Wayside Christian Mission was only a mere two blocks away, and they were perfect for his needs. Billy balked at the idea initially, but after the insistence of a few of us that it wasn't "too preachy", I think he realized he wasn't going to be camping at anyone's home tonight. He double-checked our directions, thanked us for the hospitality and the great time, and wandered off.
Carol was floored at the whole situation, but Scott and I took it in stride. She was saying that you can't really trust anyone to bring them off the streets into your home these days. While she's got a good point, I felt this guy was mostly harmless - other than being a tad bit of a mooch. If I were his age (I'm guessing 19), single and debt-free, I'd consider fulfilling that wanderlust too.
In other news about the show - three of the skits I planned worked well on stage, and we'll be including them. One I created - a combination of a couple of improv skits involving creating movie scenes - went over very well, and is becoming one of the "face-off" games. Really proud of that one!
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1 comment:
Why was the squatter there? I didn't think it was a paying gig.
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