BALDWIN OF THE WEEK!
Micah Sherman
Winter 2014
1. Welcome to The Baldwins! What do you look forward to this year?
Chuckles and hahas.
2. How did you get started doing improv?
Doing short form with the Chapel Hill High School Improv Company.
3a. Do you have any favorite improv transitions/tools/techniques?
Having the most fun possible.
3b. What is your favorite form (like the Deconstrucion, Harold, or Monoscene)?
World Form Improvisation.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Whatever the scene/show needs.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I'm a pretty good backgammon player.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Immortality because then there is nothing to fear anymore.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
I was born in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. There.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
Backgammon, ping pong, basketball, film.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Dumb & Dumber is the best movie ever made.
The Naked Gun trilogy- every time you watch one of those movies you notice new
bits you didn't catch before. Well done Zucker bros.
Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip -this special ages like a comfortable pair of jeans, that make you laugh, and make you uncomfortable to be a white person. So, like a good pair of quality FUBU jeans.
Ghostbusters can be enjoyed just as much when you're a kid as when you're an adult but for different reasons.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - Jim Carrey is the Michael Jordan of comedy.
Django Unchained. Was that a comedy? Also, was that 6 movies? Or 8?
9.What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Electronic cigarettes.
10. How big is your Griggsness (Gosh, I wonder who thought up this question)?
On a scale 1 to 10 I'm 33% Griggsy.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
Honky.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
Climbing trees with reckless abandon.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Autonomy.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
A basketball playing monk.
15. (Answer from Brigid today) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
Successful.
Brigid Boyle
Fall 2011
1. Welcome to The Baldwins! What do you look forward to this year?
Doing lots of shows with the Baldwins and getting into this colored jeans trend that is happening RIGHT NOW.
2. How did you get started doing improv?
I took my first improv class about a year after I'd graduated from college. I had a horrible job and was looking for something creative to do, so I signed up for a level 1. I remember the class was on Sunday, which is my funday so I wore sweat pants to almost every session.
I salute myself on that.
3a. Do you have any favorite improv transitions/tools/techniques?
Love tag outs.
3b. What is your favorite form (like the Deconstrucion, Harold, or Monoscene)?
Monoscene.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Characters.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
Cheerios with peaches are a special meal to me.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Spider webs that shoot out of my wrists, because everyone else said flying.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
This is making me question my life choices.
I spent one summer living in Vail, CO and that was pretty great.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
NY Times crossword puzzles, the Real Housewives,
doing volunteer work with the 52nd Street Project, eating, colored jeans.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Wet Hot American Summer
2. Zoolander
3. Pineapple Express
4. Big Business
5. Parent Trap (the original one feat. Haley Mills)
9.What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Improv.
10. How big is your Griggsness (Gosh, I wonder who thought up this question)?
69 inches…deep.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
BB, Bri, Beeble/Breeble
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
Camp.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Purses.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
a secretary.
15. (Answer from Brigid today) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
an executive assistant.
Doing lots of shows with the Baldwins and getting into this colored jeans trend that is happening RIGHT NOW.
2. How did you get started doing improv?
I took my first improv class about a year after I'd graduated from college. I had a horrible job and was looking for something creative to do, so I signed up for a level 1. I remember the class was on Sunday, which is my funday so I wore sweat pants to almost every session.
I salute myself on that.
3a. Do you have any favorite improv transitions/tools/techniques?
Love tag outs.
3b. What is your favorite form (like the Deconstrucion, Harold, or Monoscene)?
Monoscene.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Characters.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
Cheerios with peaches are a special meal to me.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Spider webs that shoot out of my wrists, because everyone else said flying.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
This is making me question my life choices.
I spent one summer living in Vail, CO and that was pretty great.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
NY Times crossword puzzles, the Real Housewives,
doing volunteer work with the 52nd Street Project, eating, colored jeans.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Wet Hot American Summer
2. Zoolander
3. Pineapple Express
4. Big Business
5. Parent Trap (the original one feat. Haley Mills)
9.What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Improv.
10. How big is your Griggsness (Gosh, I wonder who thought up this question)?
69 inches…deep.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
BB, Bri, Beeble/Breeble
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
Camp.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Purses.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
a secretary.
15. (Answer from Brigid today) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
an executive assistant.
KEVIN CRAGG
Spring 2011
1. What do you look forward to this year?
A reason to quit my job.
2. How did you get started doing improv?
I was not leaving my house and I was becoming very self conscious.
I thought improv would be a good way to change both of those things.
3a. Do you have any favorite transitions and forms?
I love the deconstruction.
3b. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Older women characters and smarmy dudes.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I love the musical 1776 .
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Invisibility.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
The Canadian Rockies.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
Reading the New Yorker, walking around New York City listening to my iPod,
watching the Detroit Red Wings.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Dr. Strangelove, A Night at the Opera, Nashville, Bringing Up Baby, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
9. What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Configuring electronics.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
2 and a half men big
11. What was your nickname growing up?
My sister had 32 nicknames for me one of which was Commodore Snevsky.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
Hours and hours of ice hockey.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Not thinking everything is a big deal.
14. (Answer from Kevin as a kid): When I grow up, I want to be a New York Islander.
15. (Answer from Kevin today): When I grow up, I want to be healthy.
A reason to quit my job.
2. How did you get started doing improv?
I was not leaving my house and I was becoming very self conscious.
I thought improv would be a good way to change both of those things.
3a. Do you have any favorite transitions and forms?
I love the deconstruction.
3b. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Older women characters and smarmy dudes.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I love the musical 1776 .
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Invisibility.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
The Canadian Rockies.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
Reading the New Yorker, walking around New York City listening to my iPod,
watching the Detroit Red Wings.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Dr. Strangelove, A Night at the Opera, Nashville, Bringing Up Baby, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
9. What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Configuring electronics.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
2 and a half men big
11. What was your nickname growing up?
My sister had 32 nicknames for me one of which was Commodore Snevsky.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
Hours and hours of ice hockey.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Not thinking everything is a big deal.
14. (Answer from Kevin as a kid): When I grow up, I want to be a New York Islander.
15. (Answer from Kevin today): When I grow up, I want to be healthy.
Matt Love
February 24-March 3, 2010
1. Welcome to The Baldwins! What do you look forward to this year?
Easy answer: hanging and playing with all of you. Moreover: I think we may be on the cusp of something special. Let's push each other and see what we can do.
2. How did you get started doing improv?
I did short form in high school; I was a spaz. Early in college I determined to start a group. After being actively threatened by the local arm of Comedy Sports despite their contestable grip on trademark (given coexisting Comedysportz and Theatresports) and a couple of failed rehearsal processes, we auditioned some people who were going to stick with it. Some of those people remain my best friends.
3a. Do you have any favorite transitions (like the Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Character Monologue)?
Organic: touchy-feely, I suppose, but I like edits to be part of a show, not just editorial punctuation.
Also: the Butt Cup. Ask me about it!
3b. Or any favorite forms (like the Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene)?
Guess I'd have to say it's Ptolemy's conceptual notion of creating a form AS you do the show; highly challenging, and probably more prone to failure than the others but when it works, it's a testament to careful listening and the intimacy of group communication.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion—the other two mean very little without it.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I have a grapefruit fetish that no woman has attempted to address. Probably because it would be a mess. But I tell you, when they're ripe, that smell --
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Ah, hell. Flying I think would be pretty fantastic. Something about it says freedom to me.
(Not in that bald-eagle-American-go-team sort of way.)
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
Hm. Don't know. I want to live in Paris for a while. Loved tooling around the Greek islands... my favorite was Patmos. Oaxaca I thought was delightful. But I do live in New York.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
Writing, primarily. Journalism, fiction and comedy. Love running around the city, eating, walking through strange doors and generally acting like I don't live here. Laughing 'til it hurts is also pretty important.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Ghostbusters
2. Rushmore
3. Blazing Saddles
4. Brazil maybe?
Also: Hey Jim Carrey, Come Over Here So Maybe Those Rabid Dogs Will Stop Raping You - !
No? Okay.
9. What is the nerdiest thing you like?
I can get pretty geeky about books and music though they are not in and of themselves nerdy—maybe cheese-pop nuggets like Player's "Baby Come Back" or Ambrosia's "Biggest Part of Me"?
I care for an awful lot of plants.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
When will you learn it ain't the bigness of your Griggsness but how you pack your Snowak?
11. What was your nickname growing up?
Nothing exact. I do remember envying some kid in a book because he was called 'Goat' but turns out any derivation on my last name was and is a natural, though occasionally embarrassing, fit: Love, Love Man, Lover, etc. In Boy Scout camp one year they called me Wheezer because I had a sinus infection.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
Being coddled and free from responsibility. Negotiating for dessert.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Having the power to make my own decisions. Never negotiating for dessert.
14. (Answer from when Matt was younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
Batman.
15. (Answer from Matt today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Useful.
Lucas Kavner
February 17-23, 2010
1. Welcome to The Baldwins! What do you look forward to this year?
I'm damn excited to get to know and perform with all of you lovely people.
It's funny - a lot of us "knew" each other but didn't really "KNOW" each other, you know what I mean? (That sounds more sexual than I intend it, I think, but so it goes).
2. How did you get started doing improv?
In 7th grade we were learning improv in an acting class and
I did an impression of Robert de Niro as a slavic man. I was hooked ever since.
3a. Do you have any favorite transitions (like the Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Character Monologue)?
I'm a big fan of organic edits - not so much in the throwing things-around-and-all-becoming-robots way, but more in the scenes-seemlessly-flowing-into-other-scenes way.
3b. Or any favorite forms (like the Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene)?
I'm not sure if I can pick a favorite. I think it totally depends on the group. I consider all forms like my mutant children whom I love individually and for their own unique appeal.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion to the max.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I am obsessed with manatees.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Flying, because I never understand why anyone who is asked this question says anything but flying.
Who in God's name wouldn't want to fly? Not any friend of mine.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
The Czech Republic.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I play music a lot and record it. I like to try to learn to cook things. Sort of.
Also, I perform in Swords, every Friday at 9:30 pm at the PIT.
And I host a monthly variety show at Ars Nova called Showgasm. www.arsnovanyc.com
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Wet Hot American Summer
2. Annie Hall
3. Groundhog Day
4. Dumb and Dumber
5.Final Destination 2
9. What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Movie blogs.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
My Griggsness owns five sharks in a huge tank in its ten-story house.
And the sharks don't have names, i.e. they're not friendly.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
I've always fought with the "Luke" equation, but mostly avoided it. Somehow in college I acquired the nickname "Kavbox." I don't know how it happened. I think I signed an email "Kavbox" once and it started to catch on. My friends bought me a magazine subscription for my birthday one year and still, to this day, the magazine comes addressed to Lucas Kavbox.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
The lack of "networking" events.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Algebra is behind me.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
A baseball player. Or a magician.
15. (Answer from Lucas today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Happy and content. Also some money would be fun.
I'm damn excited to get to know and perform with all of you lovely people.
It's funny - a lot of us "knew" each other but didn't really "KNOW" each other, you know what I mean? (That sounds more sexual than I intend it, I think, but so it goes).
2. How did you get started doing improv?
In 7th grade we were learning improv in an acting class and
I did an impression of Robert de Niro as a slavic man. I was hooked ever since.
3a. Do you have any favorite transitions (like the Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Character Monologue)?
I'm a big fan of organic edits - not so much in the throwing things-around-and-all-becoming-robots way, but more in the scenes-seemlessly-flowing-into-other-scenes way.
3b. Or any favorite forms (like the Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene)?
I'm not sure if I can pick a favorite. I think it totally depends on the group. I consider all forms like my mutant children whom I love individually and for their own unique appeal.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion to the max.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I am obsessed with manatees.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Flying, because I never understand why anyone who is asked this question says anything but flying.
Who in God's name wouldn't want to fly? Not any friend of mine.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
The Czech Republic.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I play music a lot and record it. I like to try to learn to cook things. Sort of.
Also, I perform in Swords, every Friday at 9:30 pm at the PIT.
And I host a monthly variety show at Ars Nova called Showgasm. www.arsnovanyc.com
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Wet Hot American Summer
2. Annie Hall
3. Groundhog Day
4. Dumb and Dumber
5.Final Destination 2
9. What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Movie blogs.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
My Griggsness owns five sharks in a huge tank in its ten-story house.
And the sharks don't have names, i.e. they're not friendly.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
I've always fought with the "Luke" equation, but mostly avoided it. Somehow in college I acquired the nickname "Kavbox." I don't know how it happened. I think I signed an email "Kavbox" once and it started to catch on. My friends bought me a magazine subscription for my birthday one year and still, to this day, the magazine comes addressed to Lucas Kavbox.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
The lack of "networking" events.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Algebra is behind me.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
A baseball player. Or a magician.
15. (Answer from Lucas today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Happy and content. Also some money would be fun.
Steve Sidell
February 10-16, 2010
1. Welcome to The Baldwins! What do you look forward to this year?
Well thanks for having me.
This year I look forward to playing less from my head and more from my instincts.
2. How did you get started doing improv?
I started doing improv in college with Recess at the illustrious George Washington University. I started in 1998 and long form was starting to go critical with the college improv crowd. It was that 1998-2000 time frame that we all started reading Truth in Comedy and doing really terrible long form shows.
It was a very heady time. Because I was on drugs.
3a. Do you have any favorite transitions (like the Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Character Monologue)?
Edits are weird for me. I'm hyper-critical of anything that I find 'gimmicky' and it's to my own detriment because most things I scoff at can be really cool.
And I'm trying to scoff less, but I tend to be a simple sweep edit kind of guy.
3b. Or any favorite forms (like the Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene)?
This is like edits. If I have to answer, I like a straight up Harold. But I also don't really care about form. I've seen many shows where I was blown away but it was never because of the form.
I think form is like municipal infrastructure. I'm glad it's there and I hope it works,
but do I really want to argue the finer points of bus routes?
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion. 100%. I think it can be the most difficult, but I know it can be the most rewarding.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I really, really like Cirque de Soleil.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Invisibility. It would take my habit of people watching to a whole new level.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
Tough to narrow down. I really like Ten Sleep Canyon in Wyoming. But Hanoi is pretty boss too.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I ride bikes. Some times I ride bikes in search of pork and chive dumplings.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Big Lewbowski
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. Annie Hall
4. This is Spinal Tap
5. Ace Ventura Pet Detective
9. What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Beside Cirque de Soleil? I like all things Carl Sagan. I sometimes get mad at people if they don't get excited about the big questions of the universe. I'm also fascinated by nuclear weapons.
But in a nerdy techno-awe kind of way, not in a despotic kind of way.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
Well lets just say that out of necessity, my Griggsness has a real 'can do' attitude.
Maybe that's why I'm fascinated by nuclear weapons.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
My mom calls me Blue, like little boy blue from the nursery rhyme,
but she is the only one who ever calls me that. A few years ago I acquired the nickname 'Sidewinder' at work. Mostly because when I work, I look and dress like that creepy janitor from your highschool...
you know, the one everyone called Sidewinder.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
I miss making machine gun noises and not caring how I sound.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
It's cliche but, no school. I have a nightmare at least once a week that I'm still in school and it's awful.
14. (Answer from when Steve was were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
An inventor.
15. (Answer from Steve today) When I grow up, I want to be :
Uninhibited.
Well thanks for having me.
This year I look forward to playing less from my head and more from my instincts.
2. How did you get started doing improv?
I started doing improv in college with Recess at the illustrious George Washington University. I started in 1998 and long form was starting to go critical with the college improv crowd. It was that 1998-2000 time frame that we all started reading Truth in Comedy and doing really terrible long form shows.
It was a very heady time. Because I was on drugs.
3a. Do you have any favorite transitions (like the Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Character Monologue)?
Edits are weird for me. I'm hyper-critical of anything that I find 'gimmicky' and it's to my own detriment because most things I scoff at can be really cool.
And I'm trying to scoff less, but I tend to be a simple sweep edit kind of guy.
3b. Or any favorite forms (like the Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene)?
This is like edits. If I have to answer, I like a straight up Harold. But I also don't really care about form. I've seen many shows where I was blown away but it was never because of the form.
I think form is like municipal infrastructure. I'm glad it's there and I hope it works,
but do I really want to argue the finer points of bus routes?
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion. 100%. I think it can be the most difficult, but I know it can be the most rewarding.
4. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I really, really like Cirque de Soleil.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Invisibility. It would take my habit of people watching to a whole new level.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
Tough to narrow down. I really like Ten Sleep Canyon in Wyoming. But Hanoi is pretty boss too.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I ride bikes. Some times I ride bikes in search of pork and chive dumplings.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Big Lewbowski
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. Annie Hall
4. This is Spinal Tap
5. Ace Ventura Pet Detective
9. What is the nerdiest thing you like?
Beside Cirque de Soleil? I like all things Carl Sagan. I sometimes get mad at people if they don't get excited about the big questions of the universe. I'm also fascinated by nuclear weapons.
But in a nerdy techno-awe kind of way, not in a despotic kind of way.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
Well lets just say that out of necessity, my Griggsness has a real 'can do' attitude.
Maybe that's why I'm fascinated by nuclear weapons.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
My mom calls me Blue, like little boy blue from the nursery rhyme,
but she is the only one who ever calls me that. A few years ago I acquired the nickname 'Sidewinder' at work. Mostly because when I work, I look and dress like that creepy janitor from your highschool...
you know, the one everyone called Sidewinder.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
I miss making machine gun noises and not caring how I sound.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
It's cliche but, no school. I have a nightmare at least once a week that I'm still in school and it's awful.
14. (Answer from when Steve was were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
An inventor.
15. (Answer from Steve today) When I grow up, I want to be :
Uninhibited.
Meg Griffiths
January 4-10, 2010
1. Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner?
Breakfast. All day, everyday.
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I love maps! Also, I played Trombone for 9 years and marched in a Chicago Bears half-time show at the old Soldier Field. My slide froze because it was a blistery 10 degrees, so I hummed the song Bear Down, Chicago Bears.
3a. Organic Edit, Swinging Door, or Character Monologue?
Organic Edits. They depend on intense listening, group mind, and add that je ne sais quoi to a show (favs include: ocean waves, a flock of birds, or a transition I once saw Kurt Braunohler do where he edited a scene by following a quarter that fell out of a telephone booth, down through the sewers and pipes, and onto the floor another scene).
3b. Deconstruction, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
I like the abbreviated Harold, "The Donnelly," we're basically doing now. I also enjoy the structure and storylines—the web, the Deconstruction provides. When we first started performing the Deconstruction last year, we made-up some Openings called "Three Card Monty" and "Bumpershoot" that I'd love to see us bring back into the fold.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Characters fueled by Emotion, chalk full of Wants.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
The much-lauded Robot Show, Brett-As-A-Baby, and 70s Key Party show were B'win classics.
I loved our old dance intros (complete with guest choreographers*).
Usually though, my favorite moments happen when I'm caught off-guard by something funny or surprising that a Baldwin says or does on stage, which means I laugh a lot on the sidelines.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Flying = freedom, an easy get-away, a cool perspective from high-above the ground (there are beautiful patterns in property lines, farms, highways, and rivers that you just don't see when you're on the same level).
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
I am meant to live in New York. No question.
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and my whole family lives there,
so I will always have hometown love and pronounce "hard A's".
My favorite visits are: Alaska and Montana in the summer, Los Angeles, and Cape Town, South Africa.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
During the day, I am the Manager of Special Events at the New York City Opera. By night, I try my hand at stand-up, writing, and am currently producing the first comedy show in the history of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, http://comedynightatbamcafe.tumblr.com.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
I count these as my favorites because I've seen each of them at least 25 times and they still make me laugh.
1. Big Lebowski
2. Roxanne
3. Coming to America
4. Tootsie
5. Clue
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
I Google everything, love Science (I identify cloud formations, look for Jupiter on my walk home every night, and am slightly perturbed there isn't a more complete field reference for Spiders available online),
have seen every episode of Star Trek: TNG, and wear glasses.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
Sometimes it's so big it won't fit through the door, other times it's so deflated it can slide right under.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
My full name is Margaret Ellen Griffiths (my initials spell Meg), so my friends and family have been making up nicknames my whole life: Megs, Meggie, M.E.G., Megatron, Meggles, Meglett, Megulon, Megulette, Meggus, Mega-Butt, Meg Ryan, Margaret, Marge, Margie, Large Marge, Peg Leg, Pog, Smeg. Those who can't distinguish me from my twin sister Liz, call me: Liz, Elizabeth, Hey You, The Other One, and The One with the Glasses.
With so many options and more, please try not to call me Megan.
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
Letting your imagination run wild with reckless abandon.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
No homework! And, not having to get permission to do (most) stuff.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
A bus driver.
15. (Answer from Meg today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Paid for doing what I love: comedy.
*Baldwin Bonus Question: Who was the first and only person to ever win the award for
Best Guest Baldwin Dance Choreographer?
Breakfast. All day, everyday.
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I love maps! Also, I played Trombone for 9 years and marched in a Chicago Bears half-time show at the old Soldier Field. My slide froze because it was a blistery 10 degrees, so I hummed the song Bear Down, Chicago Bears.
3a. Organic Edit, Swinging Door, or Character Monologue?
Organic Edits. They depend on intense listening, group mind, and add that je ne sais quoi to a show (favs include: ocean waves, a flock of birds, or a transition I once saw Kurt Braunohler do where he edited a scene by following a quarter that fell out of a telephone booth, down through the sewers and pipes, and onto the floor another scene).
3b. Deconstruction, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
I like the abbreviated Harold, "The Donnelly," we're basically doing now. I also enjoy the structure and storylines—the web, the Deconstruction provides. When we first started performing the Deconstruction last year, we made-up some Openings called "Three Card Monty" and "Bumpershoot" that I'd love to see us bring back into the fold.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Characters fueled by Emotion, chalk full of Wants.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
The much-lauded Robot Show, Brett-As-A-Baby, and 70s Key Party show were B'win classics.
I loved our old dance intros (complete with guest choreographers*).
Usually though, my favorite moments happen when I'm caught off-guard by something funny or surprising that a Baldwin says or does on stage, which means I laugh a lot on the sidelines.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Flying = freedom, an easy get-away, a cool perspective from high-above the ground (there are beautiful patterns in property lines, farms, highways, and rivers that you just don't see when you're on the same level).
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
I am meant to live in New York. No question.
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and my whole family lives there,
so I will always have hometown love and pronounce "hard A's".
My favorite visits are: Alaska and Montana in the summer, Los Angeles, and Cape Town, South Africa.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
During the day, I am the Manager of Special Events at the New York City Opera. By night, I try my hand at stand-up, writing, and am currently producing the first comedy show in the history of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, http://comedynightatbamcafe.tumblr.com.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
I count these as my favorites because I've seen each of them at least 25 times and they still make me laugh.
1. Big Lebowski
2. Roxanne
3. Coming to America
4. Tootsie
5. Clue
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
I Google everything, love Science (I identify cloud formations, look for Jupiter on my walk home every night, and am slightly perturbed there isn't a more complete field reference for Spiders available online),
have seen every episode of Star Trek: TNG, and wear glasses.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
Sometimes it's so big it won't fit through the door, other times it's so deflated it can slide right under.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
My full name is Margaret Ellen Griffiths (my initials spell Meg), so my friends and family have been making up nicknames my whole life: Megs, Meggie, M.E.G., Megatron, Meggles, Meglett, Megulon, Megulette, Meggus, Mega-Butt, Meg Ryan, Margaret, Marge, Margie, Large Marge, Peg Leg, Pog, Smeg. Those who can't distinguish me from my twin sister Liz, call me: Liz, Elizabeth, Hey You, The Other One, and The One with the Glasses.
With so many options and more, please try not to call me Megan.
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
Letting your imagination run wild with reckless abandon.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
No homework! And, not having to get permission to do (most) stuff.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
A bus driver.
15. (Answer from Meg today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Paid for doing what I love: comedy.
*Baldwin Bonus Question: Who was the first and only person to ever win the award for
Best Guest Baldwin Dance Choreographer?
Chris Griggs
December 21-27, 2009
1. Graceland, The Grand Ole Opry, or Radio City Music Hall?
I'm gonna go Grand Ole Ory since a little known fact about me is that I sang on their stage once.
Although, Graceland is cool.
Where else can you find out that it is indeed possible to carpet a lamp.
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I was told once I might never be able to walk again. Oh wait that's a downer. I snuck onto the movie set once of "Unnecessary Roughness" and pretended to be sweeping, part of the production crew, etc. I worked myself into a conversation with Sinbad and told him this movie idea had been done before.
3a. Organic Edit, Swinging Door, or Character Monologue?
Ahh you don't see the swinging door much anymore. I'll go character monologue.
It's fun and you find out fun things about the character and yourself in the process.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
I'll go the Donnelly (trademark pending) although the deconstruction is a close second.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
How about a structured character at the height of emotion? Hey-Oh!!!
I'll say emotion. Emotion makes a lot of things work on stage.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
The horse show is probably my fav. This year it's a tie between the Brett picture show and the train show. A moment that I always laugh about is when I was playing an evil grandmother
and got pimped into kissing Steve for the show blackout in an Oddbody show.
There was a look of terror in Steve's eyes that was great.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
I think unlimited creation and manipulation of force fields would be cool. I could deflect bullets and even use force fields to almost fly around. And you punch people in the face with your force field.
I could hang out underwater in the ocean with my force field. Covers a lot of ground for only one power.
My second choice would be to become immortal.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
I love New York the most from anyplace I've ever been. London would be my favorite place I've visited. Now my favorite "place" to be in all the world for whatever reason is Poet's Walk in Central Park.
It always has this effect on me.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
Standup, movies and all things Dexter, chess, tennis.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Raising Arizona, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters,
Wedding Crashers (minus the feel good ending), The Big Lebowski.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
HUGE Star Trek nerd - mostly the original but I dig Next Generation as well.
Chess is pretty nerdy too I guess. I love ping pong.
I used to work on kid's commercials so I started and still keep up with this odd collection of small kid's action figures. Which is kinda nerdy and possibly a first step towards becoming a serial killer.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
When the moon is right, it is in fact bigger than a breadbox.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
I had two. Spock because I was a trekkie freak/logical even as a kid and also Bubba.
Bubba was what my folks called me.
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
My flybacks were pretty cool.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
You can at least try and make your own big decisions.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
Someone that actually built their own Starship Enterprise.
15. (Answer from Griggs today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Someone that actually built their own Starship Enterprise.
(Oh, and someone that gets paid doing things they love.)
I'm gonna go Grand Ole Ory since a little known fact about me is that I sang on their stage once.
Although, Graceland is cool.
Where else can you find out that it is indeed possible to carpet a lamp.
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I was told once I might never be able to walk again. Oh wait that's a downer. I snuck onto the movie set once of "Unnecessary Roughness" and pretended to be sweeping, part of the production crew, etc. I worked myself into a conversation with Sinbad and told him this movie idea had been done before.
3a. Organic Edit, Swinging Door, or Character Monologue?
Ahh you don't see the swinging door much anymore. I'll go character monologue.
It's fun and you find out fun things about the character and yourself in the process.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
I'll go the Donnelly (trademark pending) although the deconstruction is a close second.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
How about a structured character at the height of emotion? Hey-Oh!!!
I'll say emotion. Emotion makes a lot of things work on stage.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
The horse show is probably my fav. This year it's a tie between the Brett picture show and the train show. A moment that I always laugh about is when I was playing an evil grandmother
and got pimped into kissing Steve for the show blackout in an Oddbody show.
There was a look of terror in Steve's eyes that was great.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
I think unlimited creation and manipulation of force fields would be cool. I could deflect bullets and even use force fields to almost fly around. And you punch people in the face with your force field.
I could hang out underwater in the ocean with my force field. Covers a lot of ground for only one power.
My second choice would be to become immortal.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
I love New York the most from anyplace I've ever been. London would be my favorite place I've visited. Now my favorite "place" to be in all the world for whatever reason is Poet's Walk in Central Park.
It always has this effect on me.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
Standup, movies and all things Dexter, chess, tennis.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Raising Arizona, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters,
Wedding Crashers (minus the feel good ending), The Big Lebowski.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
HUGE Star Trek nerd - mostly the original but I dig Next Generation as well.
Chess is pretty nerdy too I guess. I love ping pong.
I used to work on kid's commercials so I started and still keep up with this odd collection of small kid's action figures. Which is kinda nerdy and possibly a first step towards becoming a serial killer.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
When the moon is right, it is in fact bigger than a breadbox.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
I had two. Spock because I was a trekkie freak/logical even as a kid and also Bubba.
Bubba was what my folks called me.
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
My flybacks were pretty cool.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
You can at least try and make your own big decisions.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
Someone that actually built their own Starship Enterprise.
15. (Answer from Griggs today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Someone that actually built their own Starship Enterprise.
(Oh, and someone that gets paid doing things they love.)
Pat Shepherd
December 14-20, 2009
1. Springsteen, Bon Jovi, or Frank Sinatra
(this is a state-mandated question for all New Jersey residents)?
I guess of the 3, I'd have to go with Sinatra, for the classic-ness. I did serve beers to Bruce Springsteen once though. He was very nice, even when he stiffed me.
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
Lots of times, I'll say "What?" even when I've heard what you said because I get annoyed by inefficient speaking.
It's honestly something I can't even help. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything.
Bonus: I've seen the film "Silence of the Lambs" at least a dozen times
and can quote, at length, much of the dialouge.
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
Swinging door. Although it is a form of tagout, I like it because it requires a certain in and out intensity.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
Deconstruction. I enjoy dissecting every facet of a scene or a moment and finding all the possible inspirations those facets can have. It's like taking a building apart and making a brand new beautiful building out of the bricks.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
To me they're all connected. Different structures demand different character depth. And character can easily grow from emotion. In the end, emotion is the seed which germinates into all forms and pieces.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
It's relatively new but our train show a couple months back was pretty awesome. That the whole show took place on the same train was incredibly satisfying. I had a show high for days from that one.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
The power to save money. As it is something that is basically impossible for me, it's on the same level with flying.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
During college I spent a semester in Ireland. I lived in a small town called Maynooth, just west of Dublin.
It was the most fun I've ever had in my life.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I'm in group called Threat. We've been performing together as a group for over ten years. Although we're sort of on hiatus right now with our members scattered all over the country.
I also have a one-man show I'm performing at the PIT. It's called "Disengaged" and it's pretty hilarious.
12/14 at 7pm and 12/21 at 8pm.
Come check it out! I also teach level 4 at the PIT.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Caddyshack
2. Anchorman
3. Blazing Saddles
4. This is Spinal Tap
5. Groundhog Day
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
Star Trek: the Next Generation. I'm secretly a huge nerd. I've seen almost every episode.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
I'd say 7.5.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
When I was in grammar school, I was Paco because that was my name in Spanish class (even though Patricio is Spanish for Patrick.) Then during college and since then I've been The Good Time Kid or GTK for short.
Also, Paddy. (Usually pronounced, "Pad-DAY!!)
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
Playing. Just going off into a world inside your own mind and living there for awhile. I have a lot of young kids in my family and during family parties, they're some of my favorite people to hang out with.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
No school.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
A magician.
15. (Answer from Pat today) When I grow up, I want to be:
A magician...of comedy!
(this is a state-mandated question for all New Jersey residents)?
I guess of the 3, I'd have to go with Sinatra, for the classic-ness. I did serve beers to Bruce Springsteen once though. He was very nice, even when he stiffed me.
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
Lots of times, I'll say "What?" even when I've heard what you said because I get annoyed by inefficient speaking.
It's honestly something I can't even help. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything.
Bonus: I've seen the film "Silence of the Lambs" at least a dozen times
and can quote, at length, much of the dialouge.
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
Swinging door. Although it is a form of tagout, I like it because it requires a certain in and out intensity.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
Deconstruction. I enjoy dissecting every facet of a scene or a moment and finding all the possible inspirations those facets can have. It's like taking a building apart and making a brand new beautiful building out of the bricks.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
To me they're all connected. Different structures demand different character depth. And character can easily grow from emotion. In the end, emotion is the seed which germinates into all forms and pieces.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
It's relatively new but our train show a couple months back was pretty awesome. That the whole show took place on the same train was incredibly satisfying. I had a show high for days from that one.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
The power to save money. As it is something that is basically impossible for me, it's on the same level with flying.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
During college I spent a semester in Ireland. I lived in a small town called Maynooth, just west of Dublin.
It was the most fun I've ever had in my life.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I'm in group called Threat. We've been performing together as a group for over ten years. Although we're sort of on hiatus right now with our members scattered all over the country.
I also have a one-man show I'm performing at the PIT. It's called "Disengaged" and it's pretty hilarious.
12/14 at 7pm and 12/21 at 8pm.
Come check it out! I also teach level 4 at the PIT.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
1. Caddyshack
2. Anchorman
3. Blazing Saddles
4. This is Spinal Tap
5. Groundhog Day
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
Star Trek: the Next Generation. I'm secretly a huge nerd. I've seen almost every episode.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
I'd say 7.5.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
When I was in grammar school, I was Paco because that was my name in Spanish class (even though Patricio is Spanish for Patrick.) Then during college and since then I've been The Good Time Kid or GTK for short.
Also, Paddy. (Usually pronounced, "Pad-DAY!!)
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
Playing. Just going off into a world inside your own mind and living there for awhile. I have a lot of young kids in my family and during family parties, they're some of my favorite people to hang out with.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
No school.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
A magician.
15. (Answer from Pat today) When I grow up, I want to be:
A magician...of comedy!
Sarah Nowak
December 7-13, 2009
1. Halloween, Christmas, or the National Buffalo Wing Festival?
Halloween all year round! I don't dress up for halloween, I just enjoy it.
I don't look it but am deeply creepy. I think I might be Goth inside.
I love Christmas, but I think a month of it each year is plenty. Wing festival? I can only eat like 3 at the most before I get grossed out. Dyngus Day is THE Buffalo party of the year.
http://www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com/
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I keep my tv on the Soundscapes channel when I am hanging around the house,
to make me feel like I am living in a yoga studio.
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
Organic. I am a sucka for theatrics.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
All wonderful, though a well done monoscene is super satisfying to watch.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Yes and! hahah. I am just kidding. I used to be all character,
but I find myself pushing emotion. Your face can tell the whole story.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
So many in just under a year that I have been with you guys,
but I really liked the Brett Wean in a frame show, and of course, our 1972 swinger show was a
blast. I am sad I wasn't on the team yet for the Robot Show, or, apparently, the horse stampede.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Ubersexual Attraction, for world peace.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
Edinburgh, Scotland. I only spent one day,
but it was the best day of my life, start to finish.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I am in two other improv groups,
Sid Viscous! And Best New Artist, which is a musical improv group.
I enjoy playing games, petting cats and watching scary movies. I also like improving myself. Slowly.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
I am changing this to horror movies because I can't think of any comedy movies
I like a super lot at the moment.
1. the Prince of Darkness
2. The Orphanage
3. Session 9
4. Timecrimes
5. Kairo
Wait I just thought of one: Ghostbusters.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
I just started playing d&d recently. It's a good time. Also, Smashmouth.
I just plain love Smashmouth.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
Bigger than his, I can tell you that.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
Sarie Bearie. Still warms my heart when people call me that, though my nickname now is Snowak,
which isn't so bad. All the women in my family go by Sissy when we're home. It's cute.
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
My imagination was a force beyond my own control. I could amuse myself anywhere.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult:
Knowing stuff about life.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
Nun/Folk Singer.
15. (Answer from Sarah today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Rich/ Performing for a living/ a Mom.
Halloween all year round! I don't dress up for halloween, I just enjoy it.
I don't look it but am deeply creepy. I think I might be Goth inside.
I love Christmas, but I think a month of it each year is plenty. Wing festival? I can only eat like 3 at the most before I get grossed out. Dyngus Day is THE Buffalo party of the year.
http://www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com/
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I keep my tv on the Soundscapes channel when I am hanging around the house,
to make me feel like I am living in a yoga studio.
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
Organic. I am a sucka for theatrics.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
All wonderful, though a well done monoscene is super satisfying to watch.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Yes and! hahah. I am just kidding. I used to be all character,
but I find myself pushing emotion. Your face can tell the whole story.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
So many in just under a year that I have been with you guys,
but I really liked the Brett Wean in a frame show, and of course, our 1972 swinger show was a
blast. I am sad I wasn't on the team yet for the Robot Show, or, apparently, the horse stampede.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Ubersexual Attraction, for world peace.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
Edinburgh, Scotland. I only spent one day,
but it was the best day of my life, start to finish.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I am in two other improv groups,
Sid Viscous! And Best New Artist, which is a musical improv group.
I enjoy playing games, petting cats and watching scary movies. I also like improving myself. Slowly.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
I am changing this to horror movies because I can't think of any comedy movies
I like a super lot at the moment.
1. the Prince of Darkness
2. The Orphanage
3. Session 9
4. Timecrimes
5. Kairo
Wait I just thought of one: Ghostbusters.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
I just started playing d&d recently. It's a good time. Also, Smashmouth.
I just plain love Smashmouth.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
Bigger than his, I can tell you that.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
Sarie Bearie. Still warms my heart when people call me that, though my nickname now is Snowak,
which isn't so bad. All the women in my family go by Sissy when we're home. It's cute.
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
My imagination was a force beyond my own control. I could amuse myself anywhere.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult:
Knowing stuff about life.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be:
Nun/Folk Singer.
15. (Answer from Sarah today) When I grow up, I want to be:
Rich/ Performing for a living/ a Mom.
Stephen Soroka
November 30-December 6, 2009
1. Pierogis, Bigos, or Pizza Hut?
Is that a Polish joke? Because let me tell you something.
I know a place that serves Pierogis so good you'll head will explode. Next question!
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I am very popular. Oh wait, EVERYONE knows that.
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
Tag Out. Has anyone said Organic?
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
Monoscene. I've been pushing for a monoscene for 3 years! I love the minutiae that can come out in a monoscene. Jen won't let us do one though! Ha!
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
While I'm a structure guy, but really, all 3 are awesome. And, as I tell my students (oh, did I not mention that I teach Level 1 at The PIT - NEW CLASS starting next Tuesday, Dec 8th!) if you have nothing else but emotion, you'll be fine. Emotion is A #1 important in my book.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
Too many! The horse stampede, yes. Any moment where the whole audience is laughing (and maybe some of us on stage too) that is the best. And Sarah makes me laugh.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
The ability to teleport. It would save so much time. Or maybe shape-shifting.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
Right after college I lived on a fishing charter boat off the coast of Cyprus for a year and a half.
Beautiful water, beaches, dancing, eating.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
There's BoF (best of friends) my sketch team/web series. Next show is December 16th at 8pm at UCB and NEW episodes of the web series can be found: steveandmamrie.wordpress.com.
Also, aside from improv I am a young leader of NYC's green movement and I am make furniture.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Election, Rushmore, Scream, The South Park Movie, and any combo of 3 or 4 Golden Girls episode assembled to make a movie.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
Crossword puzzles. Is that nerdy? And my perfect day would consist of watching the History Channel for hours interspersed with going to Wikipedia to fact check.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
Oh please.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
The only nickname that ever stuck is Joe Briefcase. That was my nickname in college amongst one group of friends. I used to carry a leather messenger bag (it was not a briefcase)
with beer in it and drink all over campus (not all the time) and the name stuck.
At a friends wedding last year, the groom's relatives introduced me as Joe Briefcase.
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
The lack of responsibilities. Being able to relax and not worry about bills, insurance, jobs,
the future, hair lines, etc.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Alcohol comes to mind. Also, being more in control of your life (although that can suck sometimes too.)
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be...
...a taxi driver.
15. (Answer from Steve today) When I grow up, I want to be...
...able to afford a taxi whenever I want!
Is that a Polish joke? Because let me tell you something.
I know a place that serves Pierogis so good you'll head will explode. Next question!
2. Tell us one thing about yourself that no one else knows.
I am very popular. Oh wait, EVERYONE knows that.
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
Tag Out. Has anyone said Organic?
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
Monoscene. I've been pushing for a monoscene for 3 years! I love the minutiae that can come out in a monoscene. Jen won't let us do one though! Ha!
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
While I'm a structure guy, but really, all 3 are awesome. And, as I tell my students (oh, did I not mention that I teach Level 1 at The PIT - NEW CLASS starting next Tuesday, Dec 8th!) if you have nothing else but emotion, you'll be fine. Emotion is A #1 important in my book.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
Too many! The horse stampede, yes. Any moment where the whole audience is laughing (and maybe some of us on stage too) that is the best. And Sarah makes me laugh.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
The ability to teleport. It would save so much time. Or maybe shape-shifting.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
Right after college I lived on a fishing charter boat off the coast of Cyprus for a year and a half.
Beautiful water, beaches, dancing, eating.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
There's BoF (best of friends) my sketch team/web series. Next show is December 16th at 8pm at UCB and NEW episodes of the web series can be found: steveandmamrie.wordpress.com.
Also, aside from improv I am a young leader of NYC's green movement and I am make furniture.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Election, Rushmore, Scream, The South Park Movie, and any combo of 3 or 4 Golden Girls episode assembled to make a movie.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
Crossword puzzles. Is that nerdy? And my perfect day would consist of watching the History Channel for hours interspersed with going to Wikipedia to fact check.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
Oh please.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
The only nickname that ever stuck is Joe Briefcase. That was my nickname in college amongst one group of friends. I used to carry a leather messenger bag (it was not a briefcase)
with beer in it and drink all over campus (not all the time) and the name stuck.
At a friends wedding last year, the groom's relatives introduced me as Joe Briefcase.
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
The lack of responsibilities. Being able to relax and not worry about bills, insurance, jobs,
the future, hair lines, etc.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Alcohol comes to mind. Also, being more in control of your life (although that can suck sometimes too.)
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be...
...a taxi driver.
15. (Answer from Steve today) When I grow up, I want to be...
...able to afford a taxi whenever I want!
Brett Wean
November 23-29, 2009
1. Weekly Journals, Graphic Novels, or anything Oprah recommends?
First of all, Website Captain Meg, I want to thank you for selecting me* as Baldwin of the Week, and tell you that you just pushed the second half of my day into the "good" category, following what I would definitely characterize as a "bad" or “stressful” first half. Though I shouldn't do that. I should receive that seemingly crappy first half of my day, and just be like, "I love you." As part of my own effort to “take back the night,” as it were, I went to a Restorative Yoga class to try and push the stress out. Restorative Yoga, in case you don’t know, is basically like you hand them your money, and they have cushions out, and they tell you specific ways to lie around. And you’re like, “Am I in this pose correctly? It just sort of feels like I’m lying here.” And they’re like, “You’re perfect, let me make this slight adjustment,” and they place a handkerchief behind your ear for added support. And you’re like, “This is nonsense,” but then sometimes, sometimes, it’s over and you’re like, “Wait, why do I feel completely energized? Did they tap right into my Chi?” Anyway, today was not one of those times. I was just lying around surrounded by chicks who I assume were judging me for not being in a “real” yoga class. (There was one other guy there. I think he was judging me, too, for some reason.) But the teacher did quote something interesting about how if you’re being chased by a snarling dog, rather than running away from it, you should stop and just call the dog over as though you’re summoning it. Which I’m pretty sure is terrible advice, unless it’s an imaginary dog, in which case you’ve got bigger fish to fry. You should not be hallucinating unfriendly dogs. My point is, finding out I’m Baldwin of the Week just unleashed my Chi. Come here, Chi! Good puppy. It’s like the Queen song “Don’t Stop Me Now” just went on.
What’s that? Oh, graphic novels. We can say comic books. Let’s just cut through the pretense. Oprah’s quitting, so I plan to stop reading, anyway. And what’s a weekly journal? Something from 1955?
2. Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner?
I notice you don’t mention Brunch, which makes me think this is a trick question. Brunch is obviously the best meal out there. It combines the fun and whimsy of the best of breakfastés (notice the e with an accent I added in to indicate the plural pronunciation) with the heartiness and appetite of a great lunch. This also seems an opportune time to mention my Sunday bi-weekly PIT Drop-In class, which if you look at the description on the website, happens at 3, which makes it a perfect thing to do after having brunch and comfortably digesting. Why not have brunch with a bunch of your improv buddies – people from your class, your team, your practice group, what have you – and then come do the Drop-In class. Or stop by, yourself, and make some new improv buddies? It’s the best thing you can do for your weekend. The class is just a general longform improv workout – scenework, characterization, maybe some structural stuff if people want to work on that – but the description on the website basically just talks about brunch, because that’s really the whole point. Here it is, if you don’t believe me:
http://www.yesand.thepit-nyc.com/classes#SunDropInLong
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
I love a great Organic Edit, but the whole team has to totally give themselves up to it, or it’s just weird artsy nonsense. Great improv – I’m not joking around here, just for a second – is, I have come to believe, truly about Faith. Trust your subconscious, trust your teammates to trust the subconscious of the group as a whole, trust the art form. And then, I promise you, 99% of the time you’ll end up with something wonderful and revelatory.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
I’m gonna say Monoscene, just because I think the first longform improv show I ever really experienced here in the city was a monoscene. It was the original four UCB peeps (Amy Poehler and the like), with Ali and Horatio Sanz. It blew my mind. It was before they had their own theater. Just a long, weird narrow space. I think the show they did all took place in a pizza parlor or something. It blew my mind how it all came together at the end. Aside from being smart and hilarious.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion. Everything else comes out of emotion, which is the manifestation of our reaction to things. And what else is character but how we react to things? They all run into each other. But I say emotion is the primary chickenegg. I’m gonna get all philosophical and deep here for a minute, and wonder aloud: maybe structure, not just in improv sets, but also in real life, is derived from emotion and our own character and how we react to things? Maybe, depending on how you live and process your life, your experience of the world manifests itself as either a Monoscene, or a Deconstruction, or a La Ronde or whatever? Chew down on that for a little while. You’re welcome.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
Oh, I couldn’t answer that. Well, hmm. Without getting into details, there was one evening where I think one of us was upset about something, and to some extent I found myself caring a little bit less about the audience reaction than trying to make sure that that person had a good, fun experience. And there was one particular moment where I think I did something goofy that I’m pretty sure got a smile out of that person.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Y’know, I answered graphic novels to that first question, and here we are at super powers. So there seems to be a comic book theme happening here. I remember being a kid and loving comic books, and feeling patronized when one of my parents indicated that they were fine with me reading them because they knew I would just grow out of them anyway. And just on principle, I felt so angry. “This is a valid art form!” And then I grew out of them. I felt like I had betrayed something in myself, though I genuinely had lost interest. But then in my 20s I got back into them, so HA.
Getting to your question—am I a hostile witness at this point?—I would say that the actual super powers in comic books aren’t all that interesting in and of themselves. What makes comic books interesting for me is always the character and relationship-oriented stuff, just like in improv. So what should I say? Probably power over arrows.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
I haven’t traveled as much as I would want. In a way, I guess it was going away to college, just because I was away from home, and it was the first time I wasn’t sort of sheltered. I was autonomous. Your question makes me think of that old song: “I've been to paradise but I've never been to me...” Which I’ve always thought was by Diana Ross, but according to Wikipedia was in fact a sleeper hit performed in 1976 by American singer Charlene Oliver née D'Angelo.
“Oh, I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
when I sipped champagne on a yacht
I moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo
and showed them what I've got
I've been undressed by kings
and I've seen some things that a woman ain't s'pose to see
I've been to paradise but I've never been to me...”
Is that my answer? That’s my answer. But not literally. And I have been to me, but not all parts of it yet. I’m sailing around to the different islands of myself.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
Writing. I’d been working on a novel for a while, and what I had was fine, but I got kind of stuck at a certain point. And then I took advantage of the PIT’s screenwriting classes. I’d majored in film, and screenwriting was something I wanted to get around to, anyway. And aside from banging around a draft or three of a screenplay, I now find that understanding screenplay story structure has really freed me up in terms of the novel. Which brings me back to your earlier question about super powers. One of the characters in my novel is a famous comic book writer who’s known for having created an oddly passive superhero named The Conscience, who would appear next to bad guys right as they were about to do something evil, and say things like, “Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, it’s up to you, be my guest, but I mean...these people have families.”
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Off the top of my head: Horse Feathers. Harold and Maude. Manhattan. Broadcast News. I’m sure there’s some really important one I’m forgetting. I tend to like movies most that have both comedy and drama in them. Because then they’re more believable, since real life is both funny and sad. So you can’t dismiss them as easily as you could a movie that presents a world that’s either totally bleak, or totally silly. Horse Feathers, of course, is just silly. It’s the one where Groucho plays a college dean and there’s a big dance sequence with terrible choreography in the very beginning. If I have a choice, I will take all silly over all bleak. At my wedding, we had a harpist play the song “Everyone Says I Love You,” which is a song from that movie.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
The first thing that comes to mind is Fall Out Boy. (I don’t own the album.)
10. How big is your Griggsness?
How big is anyone’s?
11. What was your nickname growing up?
Obviously I got some shit for my last name. But there was a really, genuinely annoying kid one grade below me whose name was Weiner, which is a little worse. He took a lot of the heat off.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
Maybe I’m just in a special place, but honestly, not one thing comes to mind at the moment. My dogs. “The Boys,” as we refer to them. Lancelot, Merlin, and Gatsby. Shelties. Like little collies. I didn’t have what I would consider a horrible, horrible childhood, but I don’t think we tend to remember the horror and anxiety and stress of many of our childhood situations as accurately as we might. School, and mean kids, and tests, and sometimes dark family stuff we don’t quite understand or have control over. A lot of the time I was perfectly happy, but I was little, and shy, and I had a big nose and a huge Jewish Afro.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
I grew into my nose.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
I think I realized I wanted to be a writer when I was in fifth grade, and a substitute teacher had us write our own versions of Greek myths. I wrote sort of a parody where I added “-efecles” to the gym teacher’s last name. And I trotted out the old joke, which I think I’d heard from my grandfather, about someone “slipping on Greece, and landing in Turkey.” That’s when I think people realized I was funny. (You had to be there.)
15. (Answer from Brett today) When I grow up, I want to be __________.
Right where I am?
First of all, Website Captain Meg, I want to thank you for selecting me* as Baldwin of the Week, and tell you that you just pushed the second half of my day into the "good" category, following what I would definitely characterize as a "bad" or “stressful” first half. Though I shouldn't do that. I should receive that seemingly crappy first half of my day, and just be like, "I love you." As part of my own effort to “take back the night,” as it were, I went to a Restorative Yoga class to try and push the stress out. Restorative Yoga, in case you don’t know, is basically like you hand them your money, and they have cushions out, and they tell you specific ways to lie around. And you’re like, “Am I in this pose correctly? It just sort of feels like I’m lying here.” And they’re like, “You’re perfect, let me make this slight adjustment,” and they place a handkerchief behind your ear for added support. And you’re like, “This is nonsense,” but then sometimes, sometimes, it’s over and you’re like, “Wait, why do I feel completely energized? Did they tap right into my Chi?” Anyway, today was not one of those times. I was just lying around surrounded by chicks who I assume were judging me for not being in a “real” yoga class. (There was one other guy there. I think he was judging me, too, for some reason.) But the teacher did quote something interesting about how if you’re being chased by a snarling dog, rather than running away from it, you should stop and just call the dog over as though you’re summoning it. Which I’m pretty sure is terrible advice, unless it’s an imaginary dog, in which case you’ve got bigger fish to fry. You should not be hallucinating unfriendly dogs. My point is, finding out I’m Baldwin of the Week just unleashed my Chi. Come here, Chi! Good puppy. It’s like the Queen song “Don’t Stop Me Now” just went on.
What’s that? Oh, graphic novels. We can say comic books. Let’s just cut through the pretense. Oprah’s quitting, so I plan to stop reading, anyway. And what’s a weekly journal? Something from 1955?
2. Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner?
I notice you don’t mention Brunch, which makes me think this is a trick question. Brunch is obviously the best meal out there. It combines the fun and whimsy of the best of breakfastés (notice the e with an accent I added in to indicate the plural pronunciation) with the heartiness and appetite of a great lunch. This also seems an opportune time to mention my Sunday bi-weekly PIT Drop-In class, which if you look at the description on the website, happens at 3, which makes it a perfect thing to do after having brunch and comfortably digesting. Why not have brunch with a bunch of your improv buddies – people from your class, your team, your practice group, what have you – and then come do the Drop-In class. Or stop by, yourself, and make some new improv buddies? It’s the best thing you can do for your weekend. The class is just a general longform improv workout – scenework, characterization, maybe some structural stuff if people want to work on that – but the description on the website basically just talks about brunch, because that’s really the whole point. Here it is, if you don’t believe me:
http://www.yesand.thepit-nyc.com/classes#SunDropInLong
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
I love a great Organic Edit, but the whole team has to totally give themselves up to it, or it’s just weird artsy nonsense. Great improv – I’m not joking around here, just for a second – is, I have come to believe, truly about Faith. Trust your subconscious, trust your teammates to trust the subconscious of the group as a whole, trust the art form. And then, I promise you, 99% of the time you’ll end up with something wonderful and revelatory.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
I’m gonna say Monoscene, just because I think the first longform improv show I ever really experienced here in the city was a monoscene. It was the original four UCB peeps (Amy Poehler and the like), with Ali and Horatio Sanz. It blew my mind. It was before they had their own theater. Just a long, weird narrow space. I think the show they did all took place in a pizza parlor or something. It blew my mind how it all came together at the end. Aside from being smart and hilarious.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion. Everything else comes out of emotion, which is the manifestation of our reaction to things. And what else is character but how we react to things? They all run into each other. But I say emotion is the primary chickenegg. I’m gonna get all philosophical and deep here for a minute, and wonder aloud: maybe structure, not just in improv sets, but also in real life, is derived from emotion and our own character and how we react to things? Maybe, depending on how you live and process your life, your experience of the world manifests itself as either a Monoscene, or a Deconstruction, or a La Ronde or whatever? Chew down on that for a little while. You’re welcome.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
Oh, I couldn’t answer that. Well, hmm. Without getting into details, there was one evening where I think one of us was upset about something, and to some extent I found myself caring a little bit less about the audience reaction than trying to make sure that that person had a good, fun experience. And there was one particular moment where I think I did something goofy that I’m pretty sure got a smile out of that person.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Y’know, I answered graphic novels to that first question, and here we are at super powers. So there seems to be a comic book theme happening here. I remember being a kid and loving comic books, and feeling patronized when one of my parents indicated that they were fine with me reading them because they knew I would just grow out of them anyway. And just on principle, I felt so angry. “This is a valid art form!” And then I grew out of them. I felt like I had betrayed something in myself, though I genuinely had lost interest. But then in my 20s I got back into them, so HA.
Getting to your question—am I a hostile witness at this point?—I would say that the actual super powers in comic books aren’t all that interesting in and of themselves. What makes comic books interesting for me is always the character and relationship-oriented stuff, just like in improv. So what should I say? Probably power over arrows.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
I haven’t traveled as much as I would want. In a way, I guess it was going away to college, just because I was away from home, and it was the first time I wasn’t sort of sheltered. I was autonomous. Your question makes me think of that old song: “I've been to paradise but I've never been to me...” Which I’ve always thought was by Diana Ross, but according to Wikipedia was in fact a sleeper hit performed in 1976 by American singer Charlene Oliver née D'Angelo.
“Oh, I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
when I sipped champagne on a yacht
I moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo
and showed them what I've got
I've been undressed by kings
and I've seen some things that a woman ain't s'pose to see
I've been to paradise but I've never been to me...”
Is that my answer? That’s my answer. But not literally. And I have been to me, but not all parts of it yet. I’m sailing around to the different islands of myself.
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
Writing. I’d been working on a novel for a while, and what I had was fine, but I got kind of stuck at a certain point. And then I took advantage of the PIT’s screenwriting classes. I’d majored in film, and screenwriting was something I wanted to get around to, anyway. And aside from banging around a draft or three of a screenplay, I now find that understanding screenplay story structure has really freed me up in terms of the novel. Which brings me back to your earlier question about super powers. One of the characters in my novel is a famous comic book writer who’s known for having created an oddly passive superhero named The Conscience, who would appear next to bad guys right as they were about to do something evil, and say things like, “Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, it’s up to you, be my guest, but I mean...these people have families.”
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
Off the top of my head: Horse Feathers. Harold and Maude. Manhattan. Broadcast News. I’m sure there’s some really important one I’m forgetting. I tend to like movies most that have both comedy and drama in them. Because then they’re more believable, since real life is both funny and sad. So you can’t dismiss them as easily as you could a movie that presents a world that’s either totally bleak, or totally silly. Horse Feathers, of course, is just silly. It’s the one where Groucho plays a college dean and there’s a big dance sequence with terrible choreography in the very beginning. If I have a choice, I will take all silly over all bleak. At my wedding, we had a harpist play the song “Everyone Says I Love You,” which is a song from that movie.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
The first thing that comes to mind is Fall Out Boy. (I don’t own the album.)
10. How big is your Griggsness?
How big is anyone’s?
11. What was your nickname growing up?
Obviously I got some shit for my last name. But there was a really, genuinely annoying kid one grade below me whose name was Weiner, which is a little worse. He took a lot of the heat off.
12. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.
Maybe I’m just in a special place, but honestly, not one thing comes to mind at the moment. My dogs. “The Boys,” as we refer to them. Lancelot, Merlin, and Gatsby. Shelties. Like little collies. I didn’t have what I would consider a horrible, horrible childhood, but I don’t think we tend to remember the horror and anxiety and stress of many of our childhood situations as accurately as we might. School, and mean kids, and tests, and sometimes dark family stuff we don’t quite understand or have control over. A lot of the time I was perfectly happy, but I was little, and shy, and I had a big nose and a huge Jewish Afro.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
I grew into my nose.
14. (Answer from when you were younger) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
I think I realized I wanted to be a writer when I was in fifth grade, and a substitute teacher had us write our own versions of Greek myths. I wrote sort of a parody where I added “-efecles” to the gym teacher’s last name. And I trotted out the old joke, which I think I’d heard from my grandfather, about someone “slipping on Greece, and landing in Turkey.” That’s when I think people realized I was funny. (You had to be there.)
15. (Answer from Brett today) When I grow up, I want to be __________.
Right where I am?
Jen Curan
November 16-22, 2009
1. Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner?
Breakfast. All the time.
2. Barefoot Contessa, Joy of Cooking, or Julia Child?
Barefoot Contessa. I love that lady.
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
I've never been 100% comfortable with organic stuff. Steve knows.
I'll take Swinging Door. I don't use it enough, but I like it.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
Deconstruction.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
The horse stampede comes to mind.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Flying. Get places faster.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
My favorite place I've ever lived...right where I live right now (in a big apartment in Brooklyn).
My favorite place I've ever visited...maybe Greece?
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I own a new bakery called Fanny & Jane. I just quit my desk job to pursue what brings me joy in life, hence the bakery. I blog at www.follow-my-bliss.com. I'm also in a sketch comedy group called Harvard Sailing Team. I love yoga, running and I love to travel even though I don't do it enough.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
The Princess Bride, Father of the Bride, Look Who's Talking, Waiting for Guffman, Ace Ventura Pet Detective.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
Cats? Yup, it's cats. And blogging. What a dork.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
I don't have one.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
Jenner, Jenifer Mary, Nosy Pokered Elf (an exclusive Grandfather/Granddaughter nickname).
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
Daydreaming about how amazing it would be to get older.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Time spent waiting at the doctor's office or for an airplane seems to pass much more quickly now.
14. (Answer from when Jen was younger) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
An "author," an actress, a writer, an artist.
15. (Answer from Jen today) When I grow up, I want to be __________.
Happy. And well fed.
Breakfast. All the time.
2. Barefoot Contessa, Joy of Cooking, or Julia Child?
Barefoot Contessa. I love that lady.
3a. Organic Edit, Tag Out, or Swinging Door?
I've never been 100% comfortable with organic stuff. Steve knows.
I'll take Swinging Door. I don't use it enough, but I like it.
3b. Deconstrucion, "Donnelly" Harold, or Monoscene?
Deconstruction.
3c. Characters, Emotion, or Structure?
Emotion.
4. Name your favorite Baldwin moment on-stage.
The horse stampede comes to mind.
5. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Flying. Get places faster.
6. What is your favorite place that you have ever lived/visited?
My favorite place I've ever lived...right where I live right now (in a big apartment in Brooklyn).
My favorite place I've ever visited...maybe Greece?
7. What are some of your extraBaldwincurricular activities?
I own a new bakery called Fanny & Jane. I just quit my desk job to pursue what brings me joy in life, hence the bakery. I blog at www.follow-my-bliss.com. I'm also in a sketch comedy group called Harvard Sailing Team. I love yoga, running and I love to travel even though I don't do it enough.
8. What are your top five favorite comedy movies?
The Princess Bride, Father of the Bride, Look Who's Talking, Waiting for Guffman, Ace Ventura Pet Detective.
9. What is the most nerdy thing you like?
Cats? Yup, it's cats. And blogging. What a dork.
10. How big is your Griggsness?
I don't have one.
11. What was your nickname growing up?
Jenner, Jenifer Mary, Nosy Pokered Elf (an exclusive Grandfather/Granddaughter nickname).
12. Name 1 think you miss about being a kid.
Daydreaming about how amazing it would be to get older.
13. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
Time spent waiting at the doctor's office or for an airplane seems to pass much more quickly now.
14. (Answer from when Jen was younger) When I grow up, I want to be _________.
An "author," an actress, a writer, an artist.
15. (Answer from Jen today) When I grow up, I want to be __________.
Happy. And well fed.
