50 Mason Easter Eve Showcase
The Narcissists are coming out of their tomb for a messianic return to the 50 Mason Social House! We’ve got some fantastic talent lined up, with standup from Scott Simpson & Zorba Jevon Hughes, and improv from newcomers Tiny Dancer, up-and-comers The Carol Bourne Identity, and, of course, the Narcissists themselves, fresh off their success in Sacramento.
Don’t miss out! It’s just five bucks for a fabulous night of comedy at the best bar in the worst neighborhood in the city.
50 Mason Social House
Saturday, March 30
7:00pm
$5
Too Cool for Christmas
Narcissists Anonymous is back with another comedy showcase! With standup from Josh Waldron & Molly Sanchez, and improv from The Recchia and newcomers Mindless Confidence (what a nicely narcissistic name!), we’re gonna show Santa he’s passé.
There will be a White Elephant giveaway during intermission, gifts from the Narcissists to you, proving we don’t need a creepy, ancient fat dude crawling around our roofs at night.
Come out 7-10PM on the 15th, and join us for a three-hour night of good beer, hard laughs, and fun times.
DECEMBER 15th!
50 Mason Social House!
7 to 10pm!
THE DEATH OF SIGMOND
Get your tickets at a discount here
Once, there was a hero. A hero who stood for what was right. Who stood for America. Who rose above the hardships and fallacies of modern living. Who would not let poverty stop him, no. Who would not let sad brunettes stop him, no. Who would not let manic-depressive, breaking-and-entering neighbors stop him, no. Who would not let even Oakland stop him, NO!
But that hero must leave us.
Great Britain has called him to Its aid, and he has heeded the call.
Come celebrate Sigmond’s life as he performs his last show with Narcissists Anonymous. The Narcissists will perform with their friends Classy Pants, and pay homage to what was, what is, what will be, the truest incarnation of narcissism this side of national politics.
Then help us kill him.
Cuz fuck England.
The funeral of the year is at Shotwell Studios. September 9th! 8pm!
Tickets are $10! Or $7 if you purchase here!
The Big, Fat, Narcissist Comedy Nite
Prepare yourselves for the raucous return of those fabled bar-prov demigods, Narcissists Anonymous, to their old stomping grounds at the 50 Mason Social House. After 5 months of doing shows in theaters, the Narcissists have realized that they don’t need to do 4 hours on their own.
In fact, we were usually too drunk to improvise that much anyway. So this time, we’re bringing friends!
The most booze-soaked comedy event of the summer will feature improvised comedy from Moosehead, The Recchia, and Elemental Improv, as well as stand-up from long-time Narcissist Show favorites Molly Sanchez and Ryan Brown and the introduction of Felix Harry.
All this theater, tragedy, comedy, and alcohol will be capped off by your favorite (probably) and best looking (at least we think so) group of improvisers in the United States (that performs at the 50 Mason) – Narcissists Anonymous!
Show starts at 8pm – $5 cover at the door
50 Mason Social House
50 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Narcissists Anonymous opens for hoboFish!
The Narcissists return to San Francisco’s Mission District after their riotous (and debaucherous) success at Santa Barbara’s IMPROVATHON, which followed their riotous (and debaucherous) success at the Endgames THUNDERDOME.
Now that we have unveiled our new hit show, EGO, to the world, or egos are larger than ever — which makes for brilliantly fearless longform improv. Therefore, you, my friends, are the beneficiaries of our inflated self-worth.
We will opening the show for our friends, hoboFish, at one of the Mission’s most popular comedy theaters, The Dark Room.
The show starts at 10pm on Saturday, June 16th, and tickets are $10.
Reserve your tickets here.
The Dark Room Theater
2263 Mission Street (between 18th and 19th Streets)
San Francisco, CA 94110
10pm
Facebook event: hoboFish with Narcissists Anonymous
The Narcissists headline THUNDERDOME
To the sound of thunderous applause, Narcissists Anonymous cracked open its bottle of lightning to win the Thunderdome Improv Cage Match in early May.
Come down to StageWerx in the Mission to see two new teams duke it out, followed by the Narcissists’ return to the Thunderdome’s stage.
This will be the premiere of our brand new (still untitled) show, which will blow your mind, melt your heart, and moisten your pants.
The show will be followed by an open improv jam. So come on down, have some beers, get your improv on, and be the first to see the latest offering from your favorite egotists!
StageWerx – 446 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Show at 8:00pm – Admission $7 – Refreshments available
The Narcissist Show is back!
You laughed.
You cried.
Blood and sweat touched the floor, and we emerged victorious from the Thunderdome.
Of course, there were casualties (Sigmond lost an ear, and untold masses of children were sent into slavery).
But you still laughed.
SO TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAY, YOU SADISTS!
Narcissists Anonymous is returning to the Mission District for another night of mind-bending comedy and self-adulation. (You can ‘adulate’ us too, if you like. In a sexy way.)
The Narcissist Show will feature two halves; a wild set of improv based on the narcissistic musings of those hardly anonymous narcissists, followed by an expanded longform Harold served up deep dish style: full of delicious meats and cheeses.
Get ready to laugh, cry, reevaluate your opinions on the Human Race’s place in the Universe (and beyond), and get really drunk.
Admission is $4 and refreshments will be available.
The Narcissist Show
May 19 – 8:00PM
The Actors’ Center – 180 Capp, San Francisco
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/296583650428369/
Narcissists Anonymous dukes it out in THE THUNDERDOME
This Wednesday at 8pm
at StageWerx (446 Valencia, San Francisco, CA 94103)
GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!
Narcissists Anonymous steps into the ring of The Thunderdome to battle Dragon Cobra Viper for the title of Thunderdome Champion!
Presented by Endgames Improv, the Thunderdome pits Bay Area improv troupes against each other, each performing a 20-minute longform improv set. The audience votes for their favorite team, and the winner returns the next month to perform a 40-minute headlining set.
The Narcissists need your support this Wednesday, May 2nd! Come out to the Mission and get your competitive theater on!
(There will be beers)
Reserve your seats here: http://thunderdome.eventbrite.com/
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/201875003249149/
We’re proud to announce our next show: “THE NARCISSIST SHOW,” Saturday April 7th @ 8PM!
Hey there everybody!
That’s right, we’ve got another show at the lovely Actors Center @ 180 Capp Street. We’ve put together a new format mix, an hour of Group + an hour of Harolds, and we know you’re going to like it!
Admission is $4, and there will be food & drink available as always!
Share this post, tweet about it, join the Facebook event–whatever you do, don’t miss it!
See you there, chucklebutts!
Cheers,
Frankie
Rules Are Meant To Be Broken: The Golden Rule
The Golden Rule of Improv:
Yes, AND!
You hear it all the time. Yes, and! Yes and! Yes and! You must always accept the offer a player gives you, and then add onto it to raise the stakes and progress the scene to the next level. This is considered “The Golden Rule” for a reason–because it is absolutely true!
This rule is commonly misinterpreted, however, to mean “NEVER SAY NO!”
I love “no”. “No” is so lovely, so simple! It just shoots out from your clenched teeth straight into the face of the person you say it to and smacks them right between the eyes! Try it now… Just say it… look at your roommate and say “NO! I will NOT clean your dishes for you!” Look at your homework and say “NO! I will NOT do you until I have absolutely no other choice!” Look at that spam you got in your e-mail and say “NO! I do NOT wish to know how to increase my penis size in days!”
YES! It feels wonderful, doesn’t it? The fact is, sometimes “no” is necessary, and will make much more sense than a simple “yes, and” would. Allow me to present some examples. (Yes, I will do a lot of these. what can I say, I love improvising.)
A Scene between a mugger and a victim:
Mugger
Gimme your money, bitch!
Let’s begin with “Yes, and.”
Victim
Sure thing! Here, you can have the keys to my car, too! I won’t need these anymore now that I’ve decided to live off the land. I was thinking Oregon or Alaska. What do you think?
The scene continues with the victim convincing the mugger to end his life of crime and revert to a simpler form of life out in the wild. The mugger then returns all the stolen goods and goes even further to give the victim the keys to his home.
Victim
Go! Go start life anew! … I wonder if he has a pool…
All fine. All dandy. Solid scene. No quips on “Yes, and.” I am curious, however, to see what happens when the victim decides he DOESN’T want to be mugged (weird, huh?)
Mugger and Victim, take 2:
Mugger
Gimme your money, bitch!
Victim
No!
Mugger
Huh?
Victim
No! And I’m not a bitch, either! My name is Melvin and I’m actually a really nice guy!
Mugger
Nice to meet you, Nice Guy Melvin. This is my gun, and my gun says GIMME YOUR MONEY!
Melvin
My mom told me this morning that people take advantage of my kindness. I’m not gonna be nice anymore! I’m tired of being bullied around by guys just because they’re bigger or they have guns! I am NOT gonna give you my wallet!
Scene continues. The mugger becomes intimidated by Melvin’s newfound ballsy-ness. Melvin gives the mugger a wedgie, takes his lunch money, and sends him home crying to his mom.
It is perfectly normal for a character onstage to deny doing something they realistically would not want to do. If every character onstage would say “yes” all of the time, conflict would never happen (not to mention the opportunities provided to pervert improvisers who are surrounded by players who never say “no”). Conflict creates drama, drama creates story, stories make great improv. Bam.
Let’s look at what these “no”s are actually doing in the scene. I’ll translate the lines into the language of offers/acceptance
Mugger
Gimme your money, bitch! (I am a mugger and you are my victim)
Victim
No! (YES, I am your victim AND I am not going without a fight)
Mugger
Huh? (YES, you are fighting back, AND this surprises me)
Victim
No! And I’m not a bitch, either! My name is Melvin and I’m actually a really nice guy! (YES, you are suprised, AND I will push you even further)
Mugger
Nice to meet you, Nice Guy Melvin. This is my gun, and my gun says GIMME YOUR MONEY! (YES, you are pushing me further AND I will raise the stakes by threatening your life)
Melvin
My mom told me this morning that people take advantage of my kindness. I’m not gonna be nice anymore! I’m tired of being bullied around by guys just because they’re bigger or they have guns! I am NOT gonna give you my wallet! (YES, you are threatening my life, AND I will make you pay for it!)
Funny how those there translations looked a lot like…WHA!? C-Burt, you’re telling me that a “No” can actually be used to mean “Yes, AND!?”
Absolutely.
As long as your “no” adds to your character’s intention and gives the scene direction, it will not be detrimental.
Alright, one more go-around with an example of a BAD no.
Mugger and Victim take 3:
Mugger
Gimme your money, bitch! (I am a mugger and you are my victim)
Victim
What’re you gonna do, shoot me with that banana? (NO! You are not a mugger. NO, your gun is not a gun. You are a guy with a banana and I am funny because I made that happen.)
Hyuk-Hyuk. Womp-Womp.
This “no” is actually detrimental to the scene. Now the mugger must backtrack and redefine the entire premise he set up to start with. The scene is doooooooomed!
…or is it?
Mugger
You’re right…I’m just a clown who’s down on his luck. I haven’t gotten a gig in months, and rent is due. Please, have a heart. *while blowing up a balloon and tying it into a heart shape* (YES, I am not a mugger, AND I just want some help.)
Victim
I understand more than you’ll ever know *while pulling a clown nose out of his pocket and putting it on.* Honk…Honk… (YES, you want help AND I will give it to you, as I too am a clown)
Any scene can be recovered through some constructive “yes, and”-ing. Problems happen when we get chains of “No”s. No, that’s not a gun. Yes, it is. No it isn’t. Okay, you’re right, but I’m gonna mug you anyway. No you’re not. Uh-huh! Nuh-UH! You get the point. A “no” can give the scene a new direction, but don’t go overboard with it!
So what does all of this mean?
I’m saying that there is room to wiggle around with both positive and negative interactions between characters. The rule of “Yes, and” should NOT be interpreted to mean “never say no”. “Yes, and” simply means to listen to the piece of the story that is given to you and build upon it. Do not be afraid to cause conflict (no, I will not be mugged). Do not be afraid to make a choice that may be a bit off-the-wall (Sure, I actually WANT to be mugged).
Whatever you choose to do, just be sure to work with your teammates to push that idea forward with the utmost confidence and commitment.
And that, my friends, is the true Golden Rule.
–Bryan
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