This one goes up to 11!

RBIT getting musical at the Spectum Playhouse. 
Left to right: Dave Thrasher, Barb Cardillo, Jeremy C., 
and Neil Von Flatern. Photo courtesy RBIT.

My buddy Frank and I were reminiscing last night about how long our improv group has been together... he remembers the time when the group had to decide whether or not to perform the day after 9/11 for a previously scheduled show for group of tourists to the Berkshires (they did by request of the group). I remember joining the group around that same time, not long after I had moved to the Berkshires and found the group's wacky faces staring at me from a front page story in the local newspaper. My other friend and fellow improviser Lisa observed today that June 2012 marks the 11th anniversary of The Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe (RBIT)--that's an impressive feat, which says a lot about the dedication and friendship that has kept the group going strong for so long.

The Berkshire Advocate has a nice article in this week's paper (written by journalist Jeremy D. Goodwin) about the ten years that RBIT has been together. I was interviewed for the piece, along with the group's co-founders, Frank La Frazia and Alexia Trainor. Here I am quoted about the great creative benefits that can arise from doing improv:

"You go back to when you were a kid and at the playground, just making up stories and adventures. It’s good fun. And you kind of lose that as you get older. It’s going back to a certain sense of play."

I do think improv helps you not only as an actor, but also in life: taking chances, listening to others, working as a team, and learning to be "in the moment."

I look forward to many more moments to come... RBIT has been a decade-long collaboration and friendship that I am proud to be a part of... we're kind of hilarious too!

Related Links:

"Improv troupe going strong after 10 years of laughter," The Advocate Weekly, April 25, 2012

www.berkshireimprov.com