Ep4: Does the Audience Need to Know it's Improvised?

James tries to cut down improv as a cheap magic trick by using puerile humour but Linda rejects his attempted immaturity to arrive at a definition of improv as 'real magic'. 

ALSO! back by popular (James') demand, another game of 'Justification Talk Show'!

Have a question or Improv related topic you'd like us to discuss? Send a short email to LindaTellsJames@gmail.com

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Hi everybody.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hello.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

I think I just said hi everybody. Hi everybody. Whatever that means.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

It means every it means every every everyone and everybody.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Hi, everybody. That's great. Quick, let someone make use of that.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Um, my name is James.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

My name's Linda.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Uh, and we're here to talk about improv.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

We are. Welcome to another episode of Linda Tells James He's Wrong About Improv. Yay!

SPEAKER_00 0:39

I mean, if you know, if if I'm gonna be wrong, it would be great to be wrong to be corrected by you. So I'm very happy.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

I think it's a compliment. Okay. Yeah, you know you correct well. I correct well. And generously.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

So yeah, you're you're overly opinionated. And I do have I do have an opinion. You do have an opinion. We both have opinions. Yes. We're also both very playful and not necessarily attached to those opinions.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Yeah, yeah. Um, what is it? What is it? It's like strong opinions loosely held.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Lovely. Ooh.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

I've stolen that. I've stolen that from someone.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Be our first merch. And you will have a mug with a t-shirt.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

A t-shirt, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

To accompany the James Hartley doll and the Linda Calcaro.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

And then you pull you pull the string on the Linda Calcaro doll and just goes wrong.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Perfect.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Everyone will be rushing out to get those.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Oh my gosh, yeah. Can you imagine the practical applications just going into like you're you you're in a club, you're in class, you're in a meeting, you know, um, and you can just pull that pull the doll out at any point.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

But I do have an opinion that I want you to tear to shreds.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

Oh, yeah. Lovingly.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Yeah, lovingly.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Yes.

unknown 2:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

So share, share.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

This is the opinion. Um any improv show can only exist if the audience knows it's improv.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Any improv show can only exist if the audience knows it's improv. What do you mean by exist? So I mean, it's not like a tree falls in a forest. The improv show does not exist because there's no one there to see it.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Well, I mean, that sometimes happens, right? Or um, you know, if uh if a tree falls on an improviser in the middle of a forest and no one's around, does anybody care?

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Well, that's a great question. Do that one next week.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

But I I guess in order for it, I guess when I say exist, I mean to like to function. Because I would argue that the an improv show needs the audience to know that it's improvised. Otherwise, it wouldn't work.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Like, yeah, it wouldn't function. I don't think the audience would be on board with it. And I don't think they'd they'd get it or appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

Yes. Uh absolutely. The audience has I do think that the audience has to know. Yeah, absolutely. And we're done for today. Well, thank you, everyone. That was a good event. Um But yeah, I mean, right? Like Yeah, I think they do. There are, I mean, some people have speculated that that, oh no, they don't need to to know. What if we just did a show? Really? Yeah, but I think the audience's well, I don't think I know the audience's reading of the show will be completely different if they're thinking that this is all scripted. Um because part of the joy of what we do, I really think lies in the audience being amazed by the fact that we're we're doing it.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

It's like the difference between uh prefacing something as this is a magic trick, yes, and and this is actual real magic. Yes, right? Because actual real magic would be terrifying, you know, if somebody said, I can float in the air.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

I can soar this woman in half.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Yeah, right. Like what? Yeah, whereas it's like no, no, no, this is and I guess that's implicit in every magic show, right? Even if they can push the bounds and go, this person can do amazing, you know, strange things. But fundamentally, we need an we need to know that it's a trick. And I think then is improv a magic trick, you know, is it does it have oh actually that's the bigger that's the bigger question. That's the bigger question. Wait, wait, wait. The bigger question is does improv have value outside of it being made up on the spot? See, if we take that away from improv, does it suddenly lose its value? Like a magic trick. Like if we like if it's just about it being a trick, you know, like we're just it's not just about it being a trick.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

That's the thing. It's not just about it being a trick. Then what is it? Because you're still wanting to tell story or or to make comedy. Um not that they're excl exclusive.

SPEAKER_03 5:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Um you're still wanting to entertain an audience. And um yeah, it's not just about the the the thing is that you're also making the audience aware of the limitation. This is this is this is tricky what we're doing because our limitation is that we do not work with it's not um pre-planned or pre-scripted. That's it. So the audience know that also because they then can let you off on certain things. It not necessarily coming to um a great conclusion or being necessarily cohesive or something, or or at some point the the performer is actually breaking character or laughing or whatever, and that becomes part of the enjoyment of the show, not a critique of the show. If you were to see scripted theatre and suddenly, you know, the the someone started, you know, laughing at what they were doing to their scene partner or whatever, yeah. You'd go, Oh, I don't know how I feel about that.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Yeah, those are the noises I make.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

I've never seen Hamlet done this way before. Um, or or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Yeah, because he starts corpseing in the middle of the to be or not to be. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But um because I've always thought about that in terms of like, you know, um, America's got talent, you know, or X Factor, where people are doing, you know, uh particularly like gymnastics or acrobatics or balancing, stuff like that, where it's like, I actually don't know what's super difficult for the human body to do. They might be doing something that's relatively simple in terms of skill, but because I, the untrained audience member, you know, looking with my untrained eye, I'm just like, oh wow, that looks really impressive. When it's actually not, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 7:01

So I guess Well, it's it's still going to be impressive to you, the individual, because it's firstly, it's it can you can apply the well, it's something that I can't do, and I would never or something I would never do because that's looks too hard. Um and um then there's the assumption that I guess there's an assumption that it's difficult. Then when the when the gymnast does something with grace and flair and beauty, we're all amazed and and mesmerized by it because we know or perceive it as being difficult, and yet they're doing it in a way that makes it look like it's you know, uh poetic.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Well, I mean, that's a really interesting trap because to do something and make it look effortless requires way more training and expertise, right? Than than doing something. So, really, I mean, those shows they should try and amp up the difficulty. They should try and make it look really hard.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

What shows? Improv shows.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

No, no, no, no, no, like X Factor. I mean, yeah, so I mean, I'll eventually we'll connect. I'm sure we'll find a way to connect what I'm talking about in America's Got Talent, right? But if they if they struggled more, if they're like, oh, this is really hard, you know, doing a handstand and stuff, oh it's so hard, and you know, the announcer or whatever is like this. Look, I think top of you there, James.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Because I think people do have an understanding of something being difficult, difficult in when you talk about gymnasti gymnastics or whatever, or dance.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

I don't know. I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

I think and I think if you see someone doing a handstand and then you see someone doing uh uh uh like three rolls in the air, the landing in a split position, which one do you think is gonna be more difficult?

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Well, okay, obviously the handstand, but like but no no okay, sure, okay, that one that's easy, right? But I what what if the skill level is so high that we can't even perceive the difference between a triple axle back somersault and a three-forward three sixty front flip when one is actually significantly more difficult than the other? Like, what if that's just our lack of perception of it, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Well, we're still gonna think they're both difficult. It doesn't necessarily Right. But then but then the gymnast should optimally just do the easier one anyway, because if they think No, because they're being judged and scored on it, and the announcer is saying, Whoa, she's gonna do the triple axle, you know, splits and whilst reading you know, James Joyce's Ulysses or whatever, that's difficult. No one understands that book. You know, whatever.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Yeah, the triple summers are easy, but it's the Ulysses thing that's hard. I guess so. I guess what I'm saying is to come really to come back to that uh the the the statement of the audience need to be informed that it's improv, then is it a matter of having dumb audiences or audiences that can't perceive the difference between uh easy easy, easy improv and great improv. I know she says making that noise. I know, it's a terrible question.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Anyway, um it doesn't matter. They don't need to know the level of difficulty that all they need to know, all they know is um oh wow, they don't have a script, they're making it up as they go along. Oh no, I couldn't do that. Or wow, this'll be interesting. Or look at those dancing monkeys, aren't they talented? I uh do you know what I mean? They don't need to they how they perceive what uh what level that they perceive the difficulty to be on is is their own personal rating, as it were, you know. Like, oh yeah, no, they're just making things up on the spot. I do that all the time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then what they'll do is they'll watch the show and they'll see, oh, actually, that was really good. Most importantly, is when they're watching the show, they will forget that they're watching an improv show. One hopes if it's a good improv show, you want them to forget that. You want them to be so caught up in um uh the the players having fun, or you know, at the at the most basic level, the players having fun and this show being fun. You want them to be caught caught up in that, um, or even this, even if it's like uh a long-form narrative, this the storyline itself, the skill of the actors playing those characters that they've just been given, um or whatever, or the the way their their mind work, whatever you want you want them to be lost in the story and in the world. If it's short form and it's a game, it still can be lost in the story. Yeah, but you'll also want them to be um enthralled by the environment of of you know the playfulness.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Okay, but what if it's one team is just doing dick jokes and the audience is like, oh, it's so funny, dick jokes, and this other group is creating really well-crafted, meaningful relationships and characters, and the rest of those everybody else is like, oh, it's not funny, right? Yeah, but but then the skill disparity in terms of doing dick jokes or correct crafting meaningful relationships, yeah. The reason those people are enjoying the dick jokes is because it's easily accessible to them, right? Like they don't really have a understanding of the skill difficulty or difference between you know they're not there to see the skill, they're there to have a good fun night.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

And for them, fun night means seeing so we should just do dick jokes. No, because we don't want to be those kind of performers and we don't because that gets boring.

SPEAKER_00 12:54

Does it?

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

I think that's a fallacy. Sorry, don't mean to be a dick about it. I'm being a bit of a cock of the wall.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Okay, thank you. Moving on. Um I also would question whether that's really what an audience wants. Uh, speaking on behalf of the women in the room, um we get guys talk about their dicks all the time. We they walk through the society, you know. That is completely dick energy all the time. So when you go into a theater and you go see, and I this is a yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

That is so not penis.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Oh god, James.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Seriously.

SPEAKER_01 13:32

So let's go back to the point in question here.

SPEAKER_00 13:35

The point? No, no, we're we're we are in Shakespeare Times, and now we are saying things. We should get to the point.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

Um, which I've completely forgotten now, because I've just been distracted.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Oh, I've thrusted my my wit at you and it pierced your mind.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Um the audience um uh are there.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

I mean, if they're in the middle of a forest and if a tree falls on them, do we still get their ticket money? I mean, like I think you were saying you were saying like um like uh wouldn't they get tired of it?

SPEAKER_01 14:12

And the women in the audience, they would get tired of it because we're Well, you also, yeah, you're not gonna keep doing let's do another show with just us doing dick jokes. And then and then now let's do another show with just us doing dick jokes. Everyone's gonna get tired of it.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Okay, well, there goes my plan for Sydney Fringe for the next five years.

unknown 14:29

Thank God.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Um not that you're that kind of person anyway. That you would you'd get sick of it, people would get sick of it. Because because also at the end of the day, people want something to have diversity in colour, and uh there's a whole spectrum of emotions to be explored, you know, and phalluses.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

Uh, you know, so so I guess then, I mean, uh I guess to I guess to summarize for my sake, I suppose, because we covered a lot, I suppose.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

Yes, we did. I mean Don't suppose it's true, we did. I think we've pretty much gone everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

But yeah, in terms of yeah, the audience need to there are some expectations the audience need to be equipped with in order to come in to improv. Yeah, that'll benefit.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

The the the yes, and the apps the absolutely most important one, I think, is that they know it's an improv show. They when they bought the tickets, they knew that, oh yeah, we're gonna see some improv.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Yeah, not just because I mean I uh and I do think oh that was the other thing. I do think, yes, the yeah, the aspect of uh I think like you talked about before is it's actually an enjoyment of of understanding that oh they don't have a script, that yeah, they that they they they might break um character, that they might it might not be as neat and tied up as possible, right? That's the joy of uh the show of being improvised.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

Yeah, it's it's also there to um let the players off the hook because you can't be doing a show and expecting it to be like a well-scripted play. Yeah, you you you can't even you it's a yeah. I mean to put that pressure upon yourself is ridiculous, yeah. Um as an improviser. I I also sorry James, I just wanted to say too the there is sometimes there's the discussion that well, we're gonna do this show, um, it's an uh it's a long form narrative-based show in the style of something, um, but we're not gonna tell the audiences it's improvised. We're just gonna do uh uh improvise Tennessee Williams. Yeah, okay. Just as an example, um uh which is a lovely idea, but I and and by all means, if you want to do that, gr go for it.

SPEAKER_04 16:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Um, you might feel like you're confident your troop is confident enough to do something that can pass as a Tennessee Williams play, but I still feel like you you're you're um depriving the audience of the opportunity to to perceive it as being, oh, this is Tennessee Williams. So this is a bit I didn't know this was one of his plays or whatever. You know, you're depriving them of being in in love with you, of falling in love with the skill of the the ensemble and the and the hard work they've put into creating something that is in the style of Tennessee Williams rather than picking up a play and just working on it. And I and I I think that's important. I think that is that thing of they do fall in love with you and the show and and the whole spectacle we'll say of improv if they know that you've all just walked on and this is just happening and that no one else is ever going to see this show. I think that's something really important.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

I completely agree. I I think that's hugely important, and I guess connected to that as well is just the understanding of this is improv, so it has to be a reflection of what's going on in the moment. And I think being present with the audience, with the players in that space. Like I've seen, I think particularly uh big musicals I find kind of suffer from this sometimes, where they kind of have to be really well uh choreographed, not just in terms of dance, but also in terms of the singing and then acting and singing and dancing and hitting the mark and and trying to be in the moment and hitting the light, which I find incredible, you know, what these performers can do. But to me, sometimes as an audience member, it feels too it essentially kind of feels too rehearsed and too clean that I can't access it, that I'm being performed to, I'm kind of watching a performance rather than I am part of the same room as the performers. And I think that's yeah, like you were saying, exactly. You're depriving the if you don't tell the audience, oh, this is improvised, you're kind of depriving them of sharing the room with you and being like, even if you're not offering any prompts, you know, that you are sharing the moment with everybody. And it, yeah, it will never happen again, right? That specific moment and what we make of it. So, and that's that's magic, I think, right?

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Yeah. So absolutely. There also um sometimes you'll get a QA session if you're if your trip does a QA session after a show, and I think a lot of people have stopped that I know have stopped doing it because you always get the same questions.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

Oh okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Um, which isn't a bad thing, but it's just you know um, and of course, the thing that always comes up is oh, how much of the show is scripted and how much of it is improvised, which is lovely to hear an audience say that, but it is it is a a thing of like, oh yeah, no, you want them to I I kind of um I like that thing inside an audience that that makes them wonder how much, oh is that the script or is that the improv? As long as it doesn't take them out of experiencing the moment, but but um because that means that they've loved they've they've loved what you've done or they've engaged with what you've done and they've put it up against you know an actual Tennessee Williams play, and they've kind of gone, oh that's you know, that's that could be written.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I I always like that those kind of questions or those ideas because to me I think kind of like to call back what we were talking about with the magic trick, and I guess yeah, improv as improvisation, is we always as an audience, we like to know what is we want to we want to always figure out the truth in it in this. It's like we always try it's like oh that you could you could have the most amazing time with the show, but it's like at the back of my head, I just I'm really curious, you know. I just want to see what what was the truth part and what was the the improvised part, you know, what what what pit what bits were like how does it function, you know? And even I mean that's I mean I guess I'm saying that as an improviser and a performer, but I've I've had people who aren't, you know, also come up, you know, and go like, oh, what part of that is pre-prepared and what isn't? There's an interesting curiosity about I mean, I guess I hesitate to say the truth, but I don't know, that fundamental that that groundedness that's behind the illusion.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

Yeah. How much of it is real magic.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

Yeah, how much of it is real magic. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Real inverted comments, but yeah, real magic. Yeah, which is really um lovely because that's that's a kind of feeling that we uh have as kids playing as toddlers. You know, it's like we believe in this the story or the thing that we're playing. Yeah. You know, we believe in this isn't magic, this is real. And I think that speaks to that in in um uh audience members watching the show.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

Oh yeah, absolutely. Hey everyone. We're going to do game time.

SPEAKER_02 22:04

What?

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Yes, that's right. We're going to play a little game, improv game, um, together. Uh it's called the Justification Talk Show.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Leave. Just what is it called?

SPEAKER_00 22:14

It's called the Justification Talk Show.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

Oh, yes, the Justification by Popular Demand.

SPEAKER_00 22:19

We don't want you to leave.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

By popular demand of me.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

Popular demand of me. Yes. Wants to do it.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Should I be the talk show host? Yes, please.

SPEAKER_00 22:30

So Linda is going to be the host of a talk show. Yeah. She's going to endow me with a strange and unique um profession.

SPEAKER_04 22:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

And then we'll play out an interview as if I actually have that profession. Sounds good.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Excellent.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

All right.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

Excellent. Well, uh, welcome back to my uh the Linda Calgaro talk show where we interview an interesting occupation. Someone with an interesting occupation on a weekly basis. Well, you know, not weekly. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Um, and in in front of me, I have a fantastic gentleman called uh Well, uh my n my name is Arnold Linda. Arnold so glad you can come on, Arnold.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

I'm very glad to be here.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

So I've read in your little blurb here that you are a leaf arranger, someone who arranges leaves on trees and yes, yes, that is correct.

SPEAKER_00 23:23

I I am uh Kentucky's finest leaf arranger.

SPEAKER_01 23:26

Right, right. So this must be a very busy time of year coming into autumn.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

Well, um, yes, actually, it it is the busiest time of year because when the leaves fall off the trees, uh, they need to be very carefully arranged. You see, you can't just have leaves falling willy-nilly.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

So do they actually fall off though, or do you place like remove them and place them?

SPEAKER_00 23:50

Well, Linda, we we don't we don't interrupt the tree. The tree is very special. Uh we leave it uh to do its own bidding.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

So you you just place the leaves onto the tree. Is that isn't that what a leaf arranger does? What is a leaf arranger, or am I misunderstanding?

SPEAKER_00 24:08

I'm afraid you are misunderstanding, Linda, but that's that's very common.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

Please will and enlighten me. What is it that you actually Well, I shall.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

We help the tree arrange its own leaves by in enticing it to desiccate itself. To desiccate itself. Well, that's yes, that's the technical term. So we have to induce the tree to deposit its leaves upon the ground.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

Right, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

So so we we don't we don't interfere with the tree at all. We uh we invite the tree. We with so there's certain balms and ointments we can we put on leaves specifically, and then they uh they fall. They fall to the ground.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

Well, isn't that interfering in some way? Well the the or is the tree actually making the choice to relieve itself of its foliage?

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Well, it's the tree. I mean, the tree's not sentient, Linda.

SPEAKER_01 25:05

I mean it does Well, you think the tree has a conscience or uh we are merely I mean I can't prove anything either way, to be honest. But it's possible.

SPEAKER_00 25:15

Okay, well, uh I think you should take it from a leaf arranger who's been doing this for over 50 years, that trees do not have a conscience, but we can act ethically towards them. We can we can entice their leaves to fall where they where we wish. It's like it's like if you um, you know, it's it's like it's like it's like providing a trellis for a vine.

SPEAKER_01 25:40

Okay. See the thing I'm struggling with is that you I mean you s you s I don't know if the tree actually is doing its free will.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

Okay, I don't know why you're so caught up with the tree, Linda.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

I mean it's it's well it's just that you said you don't like to interfere with the trees, but it just sounds to me like you are, because you're making them, you know, lose their leaves. They might not want to, they might have gone attached to these leaves, they might actually like the way they look on them and not want to lose them. And you're making them like shed these, desiccate these leaves. Your words, not mine.

SPEAKER_00 26:15

That's a technical term. Linda, Linda, Linda. These these trees are inferior creatures, okay? Humanity, we are the superior creature. We rake, we desiccate, we arrange. Trees don't arrange. We arrange.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Right. Well, it's interesting you should bring bring that up because I have read your book. Oh, yes. Uh, and dare I call it actually a manifesto.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

Oh, well, yes. My my manifesto is trees are not people. That's my yes. True.

SPEAKER_01 26:52

And there's no argument from me with that. Well, finally. No, well, I'm not meaning to be argumenting, I'm just seeking some clarity because in your book. I'm giving you clarity, Linda. Have the standpoint that trees are inferior.

SPEAKER_00 27:06

Um which was just uh uproarious to the gardening community.

SPEAKER_01 27:12

Well, uh well, understandably, because um I mean you know, you're neglecting if uh the rights of nature to Well, there's a hierarchy. Well okay, well, who's established this hierarchy then?

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Well, uh it's a natural, it's n it's nature herself, Linda. So Nature's a woman? Uh yeah, yeah, sure. Yeah. I don't know. I haven't met her. I mean, I have, but Nature's an actual woman. She told me, she gave me this manifesto, Linda.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

Like an actual woman.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

Like a woman walking. Yes. And her name is Nature.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

Yes, and she was seven feet tall, covered with leaves and ivy and a hair. She gave you the book. She did.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

She gave it to me and she said, Arnold, you must go out and you must tell the people that trees are not people.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

And tell the trees that they are not people. So that's also what we do when we arrange leaves.

SPEAKER_02 28:15

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

I tell the tree, I t I come to the tree and go, You are not a people.

SPEAKER_02 28:21

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:21

I whisper that. And that's what that as I pull down, as I entice the leaves to I See, I don't think that was an error.

SPEAKER_01 28:30

I think maybe there is a little bit of force, a little bit of pulling down.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

Maybe adjusting a limb or two. When there are sometimes there are trees who uh have not paid their protection costs, maybe they're paying you to protect them from what the roses.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

The roses.

SPEAKER_00 28:53

There's a hierarchy. The roses are at the top.

SPEAKER_01 28:57

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:57

Roses are people.

SPEAKER_01 28:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:02

Like um I had a friend. Her name was Rose.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 29:08

So she's a people.

SPEAKER_02 29:11

She was she was a real person.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, she uh she worked at um the uh fish bunkers.

unknown 29:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

Are you are you alright? You seem to be backing away from withdrawn from taking this all in, taking this one. Um yeah. Oh, we we have our email address. Oh, we do. In case people would like to.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

Yeah, folks, thanks for listening to another episode of Linda Tells James He's Wrong About Improv. Um, if you would like to write to us with um a discussion topic or a point of view, or whatever, whatever. Whatever, whatever, um, our email address is lynda tellsjames at gmail.com. Linda tellsjames at gmail.com. That's linda with an eye and james with a penis.

SPEAKER_00 30:00

That I'm going to sheath now. Fine. Thank you, thank you. But yeah, um, thank you for listening. We'll see you all another week. Yeah, next week.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Bye, everyone.

unknown 30:11

Bye.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Bye, James. I love you. Love you too. Bye.