Today we’d like to introduce you to Einstein Simplified.
Hi Einstein, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In 1994 an ad was placed in the MetroPulse, simply asking “Do you think you’re funny?” and a number to call. That number was to David Alley who taught an eight week, twice a week course on improv. At the end of that course, the twelve of us that took the course got fifteen minutes of stage time at the Monday open mic night at Manhattan’s (now the Gig and Reel) on August 22, 1994. As we were stepping off the stage the manager said, “That was great, would you be willing to do thirty minutes next week?” The answer was of course yes. Next week we did thirty minutes, and once again the manager came up as we were leaving the stage and said, “I can give you 60 minutes and have you go on before the open mic if you want.” We did, and we did. We were the openers for the open mic night at Manhattan’s for about three or four months before the manager decided to drop the open mic, and just give us the night. We did shift to Tuesday’s and were at Manhattan’s for about 7 years, at which point we moved to Patrick Sullivan’s which became our on again off again main home for about 9 years during which time we expanded and participated in comedy/improv festivals, did numerous radio and television appearances, assisted with fund raising via Canstruction, and did numerous private and corporate gigs. We also switched our shows a few times between Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, finally landing on Tuesday as our night.
During all this time in the Old City we had members leave the troupe and new members join after going through an audition and improv training. We’ve had lawyers, waitstaff, video editors, actors and actresses, programmers, and many other professions over the years. It was during the first 15 years that we began to refine and improve the process so we are comfortable with how it is now, yet always ready to refine and improve it. Currently we have six active members, with only one of the original members still with the troupe.
After all that time in the Old City, Market Square becoming more prominent, and things changing we became more nomadic for a few years performing at The Square Room, Side Splitters, and The Well for about a year at each location. They were good, but not quite the right fit. Then the stars aligned and we had the opportunity/need to find a new performance location and Scruffy City Hall was available to us and looking for something on a Tuesday night. So our first show was May 6, 2014, and we have been at Scruffy City Hall since then, our longest run at any location, and what we consider home now.
We currently perform our weekly Tuesday show at 8:15pm(ish) and it runs about 90 minutes. There is no cover or minimum but we do pass a tip jar and have a Venmo. We are unusual in the improv world for a troupe our size to have been performing this long, staying together, and having a show every week. Most troupes our size last from 6 to 18 months before they disband. Discounting the major comedy groups like Second City and The Groundlings, to the best of our knowledge, we are in the top three of longest consistently performing troupes our size in the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is no such thing as a smooth comedy road. Over the years we have had some bumps and dead ends that we have navigated and over come. During the Old City Years we went through Manhattan’s closing four times, a temporary venue that lasted three, yes three, shows, our number decreasing down to only four performers for a longer than appreciated stretch, and other issues. The quest for a venue when your current venue closes is one of the tougher struggles, which is why we appreciate having a stead home base in Scruffy City Hall. One of the toughest hurdles was the lock down. We did not have a show for 18 months, and during that time we, along with everyone else, were not sure if we would have an in person show again, or when it would happen. We did come back, and apart from a week where half of us got Covid, we have been back to every week (except for two weeks off at the end of the year) since then.
One of the things that does get us through the struggles is the recognition that we are a troupe, and that while an individual may have a stand out moment during a show, when one of us does well, we all do well. That “group mind” has kept us going, and keeps us going.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What we do is short form improv, much like what you see on Whose Line is it Anyway. We do a 90 minute show with about 12 to 15 games per show based on audience suggestions. More specifically we call ourselves comedy improv, because beyond all the improv games and setup we are funny. I would say we are most proud of the fact that we are funny and can entertain people and keep them interested at essentially a bar. Some may call us bar prov, but we are bar prov and damn proud of it. Our longevity is also another pride point as previously mentioned, 31 plus years plus is an impressive milestone for anything, especially a small comedy improv troupe.
Any big plans?
For the future we plan to continue doing our weekly Tuesday shows, participate in festivals, meet new comedy and improv friends at those festivals, and look for more people to join our troupe. We are available for private and corporate gigs, and hope to increase those now that we are further out from “the dark times” (pandemic lockdown) and also we are working to get our name out even more through social media and articles. No big changes, just big ideas and wanting to make more people laugh.
We do hope to begin processing our videos and update our YouTube channel with more current shows. Time is the challenge there as we all have day jobs and other real world obligations.
Pricing:
- No Cover, No Minimum
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.einsteinsimplified.com
- Instagram: www.instgram.com/EinsteinSimplified/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EinsteinSimplified
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EinsteinImprov
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/einsteinsimplified
