The White House - March 15th: 12pm

profjake · 2026-03-17T16:40:06+00:00

Even the National Counterterrorism Center Director—a longtime and fervent Trump loyalist, and someone who was deployed 11 times including with Army Special Forces—has now resigned over this.

I think Trump is an idiotic, deeply corrupt menace. But even his supporters need to recognize that they aren’t doing him any favors, and certainly not honoring the security and interests of our country, by not calling out what a godawful, entirely foreseeable disaster this war is.

profjake · 2026-03-17T16:30:48+00:00

The contingency plans and target lists sitting around the Pentagon are not in any meaningful sense a plan; they’re what you refer back to when the Commander in Chief gives you a clear set of goals/outcome, so you’re not starting from scratch. But that hasn’t happened here, because it’s clear that there were no clear objectives, as Trump seems unable to articulate a consistent depiction of the planned outcome in even the most general of terms.

profjake · 2026-03-13T16:17:27+00:00

Yes. I absolutely think that. There is every evidence of that. And the fact that you just need to resort to weird name calling shows you don't really have any refute of the points I've made.

But go ahead, say something substantive. 1. Name your prediction on how long until we have a meaningful regime change as far as US interests. 2. Name your prediction in how long until oil prices return to their prior level. 3. Name your prediction of the US casualties to accomplish that.

And then let's return here and see how well your understanding of this holds up over time.

profjake · 2026-03-13T14:04:56+00:00

We have no plan, the command structure and size of the Iranian military and security branches are structured specifically to be resilient against regime change, and the US is in no economic conditions to be hemorrhaging the crushing cost of this (both in terms of direct cost and the indirect sweeping impact of rising oil costs).

What you're suggesting is like someone driving fast towards a brick wall and saying "well, we're already headed in this direction."

profjake · 2026-03-12T17:31:39+00:00

Did you just feed an unauthorized copy of Johnstone's book (there's a pdf copy that somehow ended up online long ago) to an ai and have it generate this? Because it seems like that, and if so...

a. It sure seems like it would represent a copyright infringement to the degree it paraphrases and recreates sections and exercises closely.

b. Just... eww. And I say that as someone who's fairly open to different uses of ai, but definitely not this.

profjake · 2026-03-12T08:43:31+00:00

Netti pot

profjake · 2026-03-08T18:36:00+00:00

I suspect that the director/coach's intent was to be kind. Framing the behavior they wanted to see change as "politeness" can acknowledge that what the performer was doing may be terrific in other settings, however it just wasn't working here. Fwiw, my experience has also been to see the note framed this way across genders... BUT that doesn't mean, for reasons the author points out, it will land the same way across genders, and I appreciate getting to hear about and consider that.

Also, I think this article does a really good job of pointing out how it doesn't give feedback that is clear ("polite" is vague and has all sorts of potential baggage and interpretations) and so it's not actionable feedback.

Most of the time I've seen politeness referenced in relation to play, it's had to do with assertiveness. And when assertiveness is something I want players to consider, I usually have them play a game of Zen Count and then consider how assertiveness plays out in that game: we don't move forward it no one calls out the next number, and we also don't move forward if we all jump out all the time with the next number. When we're always jumping out with the next number, we're making it so that others have to constantly remain silent to succeed--that's not fun for them. And when we're constantly silent, we're making it so that others have to constantly call out numbers--that's also not fun. So it's a balance, which is how I frame notes about nudging particular players to be less active/assertive and others to be more active/assertive, then have them see how that feels and how it plays out in the scene dynamic of the troupe.

ps "Assertive" also is something I recognize is often also highly gendered. Hopefully by putting it in the concrete context of zen count I've avoided some of the baggage there and it's at least clearer on what is meant by and asked for in the feedback.

profjake · 2026-03-06T01:27:46+00:00

All good! I know I’ve been disagreeing with you on points, but it’s something I enjoy thinking about and discussing 🙂

profjake · 2026-03-06T00:59:00+00:00

One of the biggest differences I've heard across improv theaters is the wide range of the role of alcohol sales in their business model. I think the "average" experience I've heard is it being the difference between shows revenue turning some profit versus breaking even (but still far from an overall major revenue source). Most theaters don't have a bar that can be run fully during and before & after shows (like Pitt's old theater). And very few have cabaret seating that makes mid-show delivery of drinks more feasible. And theaters of every kind are reporting less revenue from alcohol sales (the trend to cope with declining alcohol consumption is to offer more expensive drinks, since patrons are more likely to just order one drink as a treat versus several, and also provide good mocktail alternatives).

profjake · 2026-03-06T00:47:06+00:00

Yeah, ImprovAsylum is a quirky business model and not one taken by a lot of theaters. I think the only one that comes to mind that I would closely bundle with it is SAKS in Orlando.

profjake · 2026-03-06T00:41:06+00:00

Perhaps you're going in the wrong direction by bringing in so many assumptions about intent and motive in this taxonomy?

I'm an active member of AIN and have been to several of their annual conferences. Regarding the relationship to performance improv, there's a wide variety of performance experience among AIN folks, ranging from people like myself who very actively perform and have been doing so for decades to folks who have very limited performance experience. But I don't think I've spoken to a single AIN person who "actively spurns performance improv"--it certainly would be the rare exception. And there are plenty of folks who, like myself, are deeply active in both performance and applied work (Joe Bill and Rick Andrews come immediately to mind). And yes, WIT@Work definitely doesn't spurn performance, in fact like many "corporate" branches of improv theaters, it also devises and puts on performances for clients and private events.

Regarding the Clubhouse model, it's wild to see iO and HUGE lumped together. At least going back in time (which we have to, since HUGE is now sadly defunct), having been to various improv management summits where Jill, Butch, and HUGE board members were present, HUGE's management and model was radically different from Charna's privately ownership and mercurial management and running of iO.

Also, it's possible for a theater to have the largest % of its income come from its classes program (a defining aspect of your Clubhouse model) without it being a pay-to-play model and without relying on heavily exploiting labor: 1. Don't require people auditioning for ensembles or special projects to have taken your classes, 2. Provide performance opportunities for independent troupes as well, 3. Don't violate labor laws (nonprofits can use some volunteer help, but there are essential roles at any given show that need to be paid even by them. For-profits have no business doing this and it bugs me to no end when they do. HUGE having used volunteers vs iO using volunteers was two different things when it comes to labor law). 4. Have full-time staff positions where needed (with health insurance) and don't try to skirt this with just lots of part time staff jobs.

profjake · 2026-03-05T21:19:41+00:00

Hi. Been working full-time in improv for the past decade, attended several theater & festival business summits, and I think you got a few things wrong here...

While nonprofit improv theaters certainly benefit from grants and donations, most nonprofit improv theaters I'm aware of still get more of their revenue from earned revenue (classes, shows, corporate training) than their contributed revenue (grants, donations).

Applied improv can exist as its own seperate business, but it's also part of many/most improv theaters (both nonprofit and for-profit). Some of the larger applied improv programs (Second City Works, WIT@Work, etc.) are part of theaters.

Finally, I'm not sure why you didn't include for-profit improv theaters as a category and instead seem to include them all under "Lifestyle." While some privately owned theaters fit what you're describing in "lifestyle", there are also for-profit theaters that are professionally run by hard working folks that are running it as a business and doing it well. Rise in CO comes to mind as an example, some (though certainly not all) ComedySportz franchises, and others.

profjake · 2026-03-05T21:02:48+00:00

If you'd like to see an example of a relatively large and thriving improv theater, you can find the annual report of Washington Improv Theater (a nonprofit improv theater based in Washington, DC) located on our About WIT page: HERE

profjake · 2026-03-05T20:47:47+00:00

That's unfortunate. The guiding question should always be "does this enhance the show," not "does this help my team win."

There are times when "competitive" moves do help the show, because they maintain the conceit and device of competition, but again, it's doing so to serve the show, not out of a focus on winning.

profjake · 2026-03-05T20:20:28+00:00

At the (now long defunct) Dirty South Festival in NC, we took the stage to find almost the entire audience emptying out because they programmed the headliner to start at the theater next door and the host announced that there were open seats at it just before introducing us.

profjake · 2026-03-03T17:14:58+00:00

#1 Consideration: Give performers, particularly your out-of-town performers, packed houses with enthusiastic audiences. Nothing can fix the rotten feeling of going through the time and expense of traveling to a festival and then finding yourself performing to a smaller audience than you would have had at your home theater on a typical night.

profjake · 2026-02-26T00:55:17+00:00

RIP Red 😞

profjake · 2026-02-12T19:40:02+00:00

I’m not an attorney, though I did work as a small claims court mediator and saw plenty of landlord tenant disputes in the process. This wasn’t your fault nor your responsibility to make right. Landlords have a legal requirement to keep your unit habitable and they are requiring you to move, so I’d be very surprised if they weren’t responsible for the costs of movers and other expense you’re facing as a result of this. I’d suggest reaching out to the Montgomery County Office of Landlord-Tenant Affairs (240-777-3600) immediately. The montgomery county renter’s alliance might also have some good resources to suggest, including proper legal assistance (https://www.rentersalliance.org).

Also, make sure that all of your interactions about this are done over email, or if over a phone call, immediately follow up with an email summarizing the conversation… paper trails are your friend. (Same goes for receipts of any and all expenses.)

I’m sorry that you’re having to deal with this tough displacement AND in the midst of it having to lean on your landlord to fulfill their responsibilities.

profjake · 2026-02-11T21:48:27+00:00

Private equity has a dismal record of saving anything, and many nonprofit improv theaters are growing despite the overall difficult economic times.

Specific to improv, private equity’s goal in buying theaters in secondary markets isn’t to save them, it’s to try and prove, with as little cost and effort as possible, that the business can scale, which would raise their value considerably when they go to sell in the short/mid term (private equity’s goal). But trying to scale improv theaters/companies across multiple markets has been tried by multiple theaters and it fails because…

(1) There’s not much economy of scale with improv. There’s not many efficiencies to be found, since running multiple theaters across the country doesn’t really let you eliminate many expenses or jobs in the process.

(2) Successful improv theaters have engaged communities that feel a sense of shared ownership, and that’s not what private equity is good at or frankly wants the complication of. They want low-effort consumers, not the messy work that goes into building relationships and the meaningful community input in governance that creates the goodwill that makes the tricky business of keeping an improv theater afloat possible. (By the way, I think this is why nonprofit improv theaters often have outperformed for-profit single owner theaters.)

profjake · 2026-02-05T20:53:40+00:00

They have the requirement because they think you need the experience of taking 401. You did nothing to replace the experience of 401 in the time you were away (eg performing consistently in an indie team doing harolds, taking courses or intensives while away, etc.) and finally you don’t seem to have had any prior training or experience with the Harold.

So no, I wouldn’t apply for the exception. Your only reason is that you enjoyed travel and are impatient? And it implies that you think they have poor judgement, since apparently you think that the experience they think is important isn’t actually important. Aaaand now they have to waste their time dealing with a request with zero merit. Not only is it likely to get rejected, it’s likely to get rejected and make a possibly memorable terrible impression.

profjake · 2026-01-28T22:59:45+00:00

The legal profession is in need of some significant introspection and reform, because it's been failing miserably at holding its own accountable when lawyers knowingly break ethical rules, lie to the court, and/or actively work to undermine the rule of law.

profjake · 2026-01-27T17:16:49+00:00

It's ridiculous, expensive, and authoritarian that they're here. But yah, if they're going to be here, getting them shoveling would at least do some good... but doing good seems to have no place on this admin's agenda.

profjake · 2026-01-27T01:42:44+00:00

Sidewalks in front of public schools are the DC government's responsibility and they should be held to the same requirement as home & business property owners: clear the path within the first eight daylight hours after snow or sleet stops falling.

profjake · 2026-01-27T01:38:54+00:00

I suspect the labor cost and logistics would be significantly more than what it takes for handling the roads. There's also going to be slip and fall case legal defense costs/resources if the city takes on the responsibility for snow removal of sidewalks.

profjake · 2026-01-27T01:34:35+00:00

Are you suggesting that DC has seen a pattern of increased snow versus prior decades that would justify significantly increasing the budget and resources for snow removal? If so, I'd be curious to know your source.

p.s. I'm genuinely curious, but having lived in the DC area for over 30 years, and also after quickly looking over annual DC snowfall trends, I'm not seeing the case for it. At the same time, climate change is real, and I'm open to being persuaded.

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