Curb MY Enthusiasm

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a free improv seminar taught by Jeff Garlin. He is the Executive Producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm and plays, Jeff, who is Larry David's Manager.

I thought it would be fun and informative to take his class since the show is improv based and really, really funny.

The class started at 3pm, so I was in my seat at 2:50, ready to learn. There was one other guy sitting in the row ahead of me. We said hello to each other and then went into our own worlds, probably dreaming of Jeff picking us to be on his show.

3pm hits and no one else is there but us two. 3:05 and still no one. The guy ahead of me laughs and says,

"I forgot. Actors."

Which I thought was funny because it is true. I don't know how people expect to make it in this tough business when they can't even handle the simple things like showing up on time.

So around 3:10 people filter through the door and at 3:15 Jeff Garlin walks in and starts the class.

He tells us that he is going to teach us what he knows, and how to audition for Curb Your Enthusiasm using improv. Most of the day he hands out slips of paper that has a couple of sentences on it describing the characters or situation you will improvise. Then you went up and did the scene and he critiqued you and gave suggestions to everyone about how to audition better.

I thought it was really interesting when he told us that when people come into audition for CYE, they audition with the real actors from the show, and not just casting directors.

I went up a couple of times and he seemed to like what I did because he didn't have much criticism for me. Towards the end of class he was going to have us improvise situations from this movie that he just wrote and directed. He set up the scene and then it happened. He pointed right at me and said,

"I want you to do this, and you to do this", and he pointed at another woman that I thought had done a good job.

I thought that was really, really cool. He hadn't done that before and didn't do that after, so I felt proud that I had made an impression on him.

We do the scene and then more people do the scene and then class ended.

I walked up to Jeff who was getting his stuff together on a set of stairs that goes up to the balcony section of the theater, and told him thank you. I did so by raising my right arm and kind of giving him a little wave. He said that it was his pleasure and I brought my hand down and hit the tip of my elbow on the metal banister. HARD. It made a loud hollow noise and I just walked out quickly. Not sure if Jeff saw that, but I was pretty sure that I had destroyed any good impression that he might have had of me.

I walked out into the lobby and paused to rub my elbow because it hurt bad.

But not bad enough to ruin that day.