Friday again already! Hope your week has been a good one. Time to revist the improveverywhere team and see what Charlie Todd has been up to. This is their latest effort. Using the subway system (a favourite location of theirs) they managed to get 15 sets of identical twins to form a human mirror on a train. Watch the quizzical expressions from the unsuspecting passengers as they look from one side of the train of the other and try and fathom what is going on.  

Charlie Todd, in my book, you are a superstar. I so look forward to seeing what you will come up with next. You and your team of voluntary improvisors lift my spirits. A real tonic for the weekend. Enjoy.

I took this straight off of Urban Prankster because well I didn't come by any of this information on my own and I'd have nothing new to add. I think this is just too cool to pass up though as this would have to be the most fun business to run/the most interactive art I could think of. This is the good type of interaction, not like that other thing I wrote about earlier.

anywho, words by Charlie Todd.

"Jake Bronstein recently bought a toy vending machine off the Internet. He filled the toy capsules with ideas of fun things to do and started placing the machine in various spots around New York. For 50 cents you get the original toy, an idea, and a map to guide you to the location for your idea. Each capsule also contains a quarter, refunding half of your purchase price (the machine wouldn’t let him charge less than 50 cents.)"

La úlitma misión de este grupo creado por Charlie Todd para generar escenas de caos y goce en lugares públicos.

Cuentan con más de 70 misiones. Una de mis preferidas es la que se quedan congelados en la estación de tren: Frozen Grand Central.

-jax

[dailymotion id=x51xmq]

[ La dernière mission d'Improv Everywhere, faire vivre à de jeunes joueurs de baseball leur Best Game Ever. Un grand moment :     “It’s a beautiful day for baseball!” Jim Gray

En cheville avec le patron de la ligue locale de baseball (qui était la seule personne à savoir ce qui allait se passer), les agents d'Improv Everywhere ont eu accès aux noms et aux photos des joueurs des deux équipes, ce qui leur a permis de scander leurs noms mais aussi d'imprimer des programmes complets du match. Tous les agents étaient habillés en noir ou en rouge, les couleurs des équipes. Ils avaient même amené des mascottes, un poulet et un ours, n'ayant pas trouvé de mudcat (chat crotté??) ni de lugnut (écrou de roue???). Un vendeur passait dans le public et distribuait des cacahouètes. Enfin NBC a loué le camion et prêté le dirigeable qui a juste fait un petit détour entre deux matchs. A aucun moment les agents ne sont sortis de leur rôle. Lorsqu'on leur posait des questions ils répondaient qu'ils étaient simplement venus soutenir telle équipe. C'est seulement par internet que les familles et les joueurs ont pu découvrir qui leur avait fait vivre cette après-midi de fou.
Je vous conseille vivement de visiter le site http://improveverywhere.com/ pour lire les commentaires des missions et voir d'autres vidéo

POUR INFO: Jim Gray est un commentateur sportif vedette, Charlie Todd est un membre historique d'Improv Everywhere ]

Improv Everywhere has recently turned a New York City subway car into a "human mirror." It was done by filling a New York subway car with identical twins dressed alike and facing each other.

"We would get on the 6 train at the start of the line at Brooklyn Bridge and the twins would sit on either side of the car, directly across from their sibling. Once in place, their job would be to mirror each other as closely as possible. If one scratches his head, so should the other. If anyone asked them what was going on, they should claim not to notice anything unusual and not to even be able to see their sibling."

Sounds Fun eh? Read more and check out their behind the scene photos at their blog.

Hört talas om Improv Everywhere?

En improvisationsgrupp som startade i New York år 2001 av Charlie Todd. Han annonserar efter folk som vill vara med i stora improviserade aktioner - bland annat Frozen Grand Central - som är en rätt mäktig aktion (se videoklippet).

För några veckor sedan sändes i USA ett avsnitt av Law & Order där en sexualförbrytare och mördare (Robin Williams) ingick i en aktion på Grand Central där alla skulle frysa. Det märkliga är att de har inte bara stulit idén från Improv Everywhere - de har stulit exakta scener ur klippet. Se mannen som knyter sina skosnören och kvinnan som äter youghurt. Avsnittet med Improv heter Authority.

Det verkar inte som om Charlie Todd har tänkt att stämma NBC för idéstöld. Han är lite fundersam - ska man bli arg eller smickrad? Frozen Grand Central är dessutom inte den enda idé de stulit - kuddkriget är också Improvs idé. Och NBC har inte ens kontaktat, eller tackat Improv för idéuppslaget. Snarare tvärtom - de har framställt Charlie Todds karaktär som psykopat.

To reiterate, we had no idea this was happening and the show never contacted us. I guess it’s flattering to see our work fictionalized, even if we’re portrayed as murderers who yell, “Sheep!” at everyone. Too funny!

-

Jag har skrivit om Improv i ett tidigare inlägg - där de uppför en musikal på ett snabbmatställe. Berättade då också om att det finns Improv-grupper i Sverige - men de har inte kommit igång i så stor skala än. Eller vi kanske jag ska skriva - för vi i Skåne ska träffas den 23 maj i Stadsparken i Lund. Alla intresserade är välkomna. Vi kommer att planera en aktion som ska vara lätt att  genomföra - och som inte får kosta för mycket pengar - eftersom det är vi själva som står för kostnaderna.

Är man blyg - och inte vågar agera - så kan man ta med sig videokamera eller vara med och filma med mobiltelefonen - dokumentationen är en viktig del av Improv.

Och kanske får vi se vår aktion i en framtida Beck eller Wallanderfilm. Undrar om jag framställs som en galen sektledare då?

Den 23 maj klockan 18 i Stadsparken, Lund. Framför den vita scenen. Vi har en piratflagga med. Ni har mat, dricka, filt, varma kläder (det blir kallt när solen går ner) och goda idéer. 

Uppdatering!

Det blir ingen picknick i Stadsparken - aktiviteten krockar med något som händer på lördag i Lund. Gå med i Facebookgruppen Flash Mob Lund - eller kom till Botans stora gräsmatta i god tid innan klockan 14:00, lördag den 24 maj. Därifrån utgår en aktion som ska äga rum i Lund.

Jag är inte med eftersom jag kommer att arbeta i Landskrona hela dagen.

Charlie convoca a la gente a través de internet para realizar estas performances principalmente en la ciudad de Nueva York, pero la iniciativa ha crecido, sobre todo gracias a la difusión de los medios de comunicación, y ahora muchas de esas convocatorias se hacen a nivel mundial.

Para que la filosofía de Improve Everywhere se expanda por todo el mundo, se han ido creando grupos en cada país y ciudad. Todos están conectados entre sí, pero son independientes a la hora de realizar las acciones. Si después de ver los vídeos te interesa y quieres participar, pincha aquí y entras en el grupo de España.

Todas las acciones se planean con antelación y luego son registradas meticulosamente con fotografías y cámaras ocultas en la página web. El objetivo es crear confusión, estupefacción entre la gente que circula por esos espacios. Aquí os dejó unos vídeos de algunas de las más buenas y que más confusión generaron.

Frozen Grand Central. (En la estación Grand Central de Nueva York). La gente se queda quieta, como si se hubiesen congelado o fuesen estatuas o maniquíes.

No Pants 2k8. (En el metro neoyorkino). Gente sin pantalones por el metro.

"We like to do things that instead, are about making people laugh or smiling, giving people a really cool story to tell," said Charlie Todd. They call those are missions not pranks, and everyone who joins is an agent.

References

1. Improv Everywhere
2. IE Global: Freeze Events in London and Toronto
3. IE Global: Helsinki Valentine’s Mission
4. Video of the interview

Below is one of their latest scene where a group of nearly 200 ppl just froze in the middle of Grand Central Station. The scene was so bizarre to the people around there. I find it very cool and entertaining but I guess there might be some out there who would find it a nuisance. Anyway have a look at the video below and judge for yourself

I wonder if I could organise something similar in KL. Would I be arrested for public disturbance? If anyone wanna try something like this (maybe in KL Sentral), feel free to leave a message and lets see how we can arrange something. Maybe not this in particular but some of their other missions.

Improv Everywhere was created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, a comedian at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade in NYC. The above video represents IE’s latest attempt to cause “scenes of chaos and joy in public places,” an attempt they so successfully executed in this mission. Over 200 people gathered in Grand Central late in January to freeze in place at the exact same moment for five minutes. As you can imagine, those not down with the prank were fairly confused. After 5 minutes, the actors unfroze and went about their business as the gathered crowd clapped in amusement.

Improv Everywhere, based in NYC, has executed over 70 missions involving thousands of undercover agents. As a believer in getting funky, I definitely dig these guys.

As a close second favorite to the video above, Improv Everywhere executed a fake U2 concert on the roof of a building across the street from Madison Square Garden in NYC while U2 fans cheered and screamed from the street below. If only The Edge was Hispanic. . .

Over the next couple of weeks, in a group of my closest friends and co-workers, I plan to execute my own attempt at scenes of chaos and joy. I expect, in the end, we’ll probably end up skewing hard on the joy part and not so much on the chaos. Many thanks to Jedi for sending me this video. My Friday was drastically improved after viewing.

Created by comedian and improv actor Charlie Todd in 2001, the group is based in New York but conducts its missions in cities around the world through its network of undercover agents. Their latest stunt involved sending 200 agents into Grand Central Station and having them collectively freeze for 5 minutes. The result of this is unexpectedly fascinating.  It’s interesting to watch how we’ve become so engrained in the commonplace that even the smallest sort of upheaval in our schedules causes this much wonderment. Some people were enthralled, others were confused, and some were just really, really suspicious.

Some stunts have a more obvious social commentary to them, like last October when they sent 100 shirtless guys shopping  at an Abercrombie & Fitch in NYC.

Pictures of a half-naked overweight man standing happily next to the ubiquitous male model greeter are fun, but also make a statement about inclusion and male body image. Other times, the mission name itself tells you all you need to know; “No Pants! Subway Ride” doesn’t leave much up for interpretation. It’s exactly what happened this January when 2000 agents in 10 cities around the world simultaneously got on the subway in their underwear. Watching the videos of people’s reactions is about as much fun, conversely, as you can have with your pants on.

The site is loaded with pics and videos from more than 70 stunts and if you’re in the mood to join in you can sign up to be an undercover agent yourself. I joined, and I’m eagerly awaiting my turn to take my pants off in public.