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Ahhhh… MCG Memories & Out-Takes

Recently, I’ve been going through a bunch of the archive footage from various Misplaced Comedy Shows, rehearsals, various out-takes and all the fun Improvisational material and joking around that would occur in between everything we’ve done over the years…
Some of the best stuff usually happened when the camera(s) weren’t rolling, but a Ton of the stuff that was actually caught on video / film is priceless.

For those who were a part of it all, you guys may not remember the following clips, as they are out-takes which took place in between our costume changes, working on sets, smoke breaks, and various script and blocking changes….

For those just reading this, or visiting for the first time (not knowing what we went through in getting ready for our Misplaced Mayhem Showcase in 2006-07), Let me fill you in and help you “imagine the setting”….

This was Prior to us being listed in American Idol Magazine as being one of the “Best Emerging Artists” of the year… (vol 3, Issue 2).

It was Florida, in the middle of Summer-November 2006….
The average temperature was 94+ degrees, with 100% humidity… and that was at night. Heavy liquids were a must, as our shows usually have us running around constantly, changing into various costumes and what-not.

For our rehearsal space, We had the luxury of utilizing a large 3 bay garage, which was a part of a security surveillance company (That Jan’s husband, Terry {R.I.P} worked as an installation technician). It was originally an old auto repair place. The surveillance company were only using the office part of the building and not the garage itself… So, For the price of promoting the company’s logo on our large video screen and a bunch of mentions during our showcases, we were granted permission to use the premises… as long as it wasn’t during business hours.

For us, it was perfect. It was large enough to build our sets, rehearse our dance and musical numbers, and have plenty of privacy…. Privacy was crucial, as several of our previous ideas for showcases were… how can we say politely… Stolen. (which is another story all together).

Little did we know that the owner(s) had trouble paying their utility bills, as well as having any pest control… Sometimes rehearsals would run late into the night, which made us all even more silly.
We offered to assist in funding for the utilities, but no one ever got back with us… So, we just kept on developing our show.

By the time we were rehearsing our show in it’s entirety, none of the bathrooms worked. There was no running water or air conditioning. …And Rats, the size of a medium sized cat, were watching our show from the overhead loft & rafters… They literally lined up to watch us perform, as if they were our studio audience. Some may say it was kind of cute or cool that these huge rats were experiencing comedic culture at it’s finest, while (in reality) most everyone there were like, “WTF ARE THOSE!!! HOLY SHIT!!!” But as long as we didn’t bother them, they just watched us in wonder.

One week, we didn’t have any electricity… so, we ran several 100 foot extension cords together and hijacked some electricity from the corner mini market to the garage. We then had some make-shift lights and a few large fans running on the nights we had rehearsal. Ohhh… it was a blast! Eventually, the lights were turned back on, but those bathrooms remained useless.

Come to think of it, after our first string of shows in Sarasota, Florida… we had returned to the garage to hold an After Party… the lights were out again. So, we hung out in the parking lot on the middle of 301…. Hung out with some homeless people walking around giving them beers. …man, they could drink more than a pledge in college!
The garage is still there, now under new ownership.

But no matter what dilemma we were faced with, in our time(s) together… We made the best out of it and had the best of times.

Enjoy a few of these out-take moments….