CRUMBS more Switzerland and more pictures

So yes, I'm slacking on the updates. I post some words and some pictures and I take too long, and I'm behind on my posts and the words and pictures aren't in order. I seem to care more about posting pictures than really giving you any updates. I'm sorry.

Well, here is some sort of update.

We started the tour off in Switzerland. We then went to Berlin and took part in a wonderfully huge IMPRO Festival. Now we're in Austria working with TiB creating a show we are both excited about.


First of all, Switzerland.

We went to a place called Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It was our first time there. This is one of those pretty little Swiss towns that everyone wants to go to and take pictures of. I even posted a picture from this town in the last post. We were there to do a show at some sort of conference, which is different than what we usually do, shows for people who know what improv is already. So after a little longer than usual getting the audience warmed up to the idea of us making up a show, they were on our side and loved it.

The Show:
Secret evil shoes accidentally sold to a rich woman who is the matriarch in a rich family. The shows were developed by a Russian spy mastermind and turns the wearer of the shoes into an assassin. Of course she developed laser eyes.
The show also involved an astronaut who has never had mission without someone being killed, usually the whole crew. Here he is on one last mission, this time to the moon. This time with a bunch of kids, one of whom just happens to be his friend's son. Oh the crazy crazy adventures we make up.

We then went to Baden to do a show. Baden is just outside of Zurich. We've done a lot of shows there in the past, which means that the audience knew exactly what they were getting into.

*I must mention that in Baden backstage... we were sooooooo well taken care of. We ate amazing food (home made vegan dips and spreads for Lee and I and hotdogs for Tyler... I think he ate a hundred hotdogs!)

*I must also mention the fun we had backstage in Baden.

The Show:
A young couple are expecting their first child, this leads us to discover that her mother-in-law will take a walk into the woods during a storm and die, as is a tradition in their family. The young mother goes out to save the old mother and convinces her that there is something to live for... free sex sex and more sex. The mother-in-law then enjoys anonymous groups sex at secret swinger clubs.
What a life.

We also explore the world of base jumping and extreme sports as one famous base jumper comes out of retirement to do one last stunt for a whole ton of money to prove he's better than the new base jumper who is getting all the glory. I don't want to spoil it for you... he dies at the end.

Then we went to Winterthur. They have an amazing theatre there that we've played before. This time we were invited to take part in a comedy showcase show. The show was taped live for TV and will be broadcast across Switzerland. It turns out that we were the very first Canadian group on the show. Neat huh?

The Show:
A child psychologist who uses his influence to amass criminal masterminds at a young age. And a cuban couple who find love right before being eaten by a shark just off the coast. Tragedy and comedy... fit for Swiss television.

We also spent some time in Zurich doing wonderful Zurich things... like teaching the Swiss improv workshops. Zurich is great, expensive, but great.

Next stop... well... Next post... Berlin IMPRO Festival 2013!

CRUMBS the Euro Touro in Pictures

While on tour throughout Europe, we take picture. Here are some of those pictures we've taken so far.

 The crazy monkey fountain in Switzerland

 The "work 4 donuts" store

 The Friends Bar (yes this is real)

 Lee's birthday fireworks

 The famous "Naked Guy and Eagle" statue in Zurich

 The famous "Red Mohawk riding a Quad" in Zurich

 Insane Eyeball coat on a random older lady in Zurich

 Nice town in Switzerland

Bird's eye view of Zurich

 Flying to Berlin for the IMPRO Festival

 The London Police mural in Kreuzberg 36

 Me and Zurich down below

 Car crash, gas station, church

 On stage at the opening show in Berlin

 Another mural in Kreuzberg 36

 In Germany, wearing a Swastika is illegal except when in performance. This is from a performance at the Berlin IMPRO Festival.

 Oh crap, someone bought a bunch of ice and then spilled it while taking it home in their shopping cart.

 Me as an American soldier circa 1948

 A couple American soldiers sharing a smoke break

 Matt and Naomi sharing a dance at the end of the show. We played in three eras; 1981, 1948 and 1927

 Street art in Berlin is plentiful

The General and the Hippie (with Lee White and Randy Dixon)


There are still some word updates to come. The rest of the Switzerland updates as well as the Berlin IMPRO Festival update. Don't worry (I know you aren't worried). Thanks for reading and looking and being cool.

CRUMBS Euro Touro: Switzerland Part 1

Well, CRUMBS has arrived safely and in one piece. We are now in Europe and into our tour. We didn't necessarily all arrive in Europe at the same time (but that is another story).

Our first stop on the tour this year (2013 for those who are confused) is and was Switzerland. We arrived in Basel and set up our headquarters for fighting the jet lag battle. Our first show was in Basel and it just happend to also be Lee's birthday, though the show had nothing to do with birthdays until the very end when a birthday cake was presented and the candles were then blown out (good job Lee).

Thank you all Basel folks for making us defeat jet lag so nicely! (Semi-Circle & Die Impronauten)

The Basel show:

A zoo. In the zoo we see the relationship between the retiring janitor and the lone hippo. The hippo is sad to see the janitor go (and nothing is sadder than a crying hippo it turns out). The hippo escapes to find the janitor while the janitor returns (with a stripper... long story) only to be locked in the cage by a chimpanzee. They are reunited and the hippo goes on to kill the chimp while the stripper, stripped of her stripper clothes, rides him (it all made sense at the time).

In another story, a husband and wife dealt with their relationship problems (of course, rarely does a show not involve problems). The problems centered on the fact the the husband (being a businessman) was obsessed with numbers and the wife just wanted to live a life of care free wonder. So while trying to work through their problems, they go to the park and find some abandoned children (another long story). They find their true calling in life by "adopting" the children. Happiness ensues.

And so our first was done. The tour is a go. And the next post will be our show in Schaffausen (we'd never heard of it before either).

CRUMBS in Winterthur

CRUMBS returned to Switzerland on our tour. We went to Winterthur, which is a lovely little place close to Zurich.We played at an amazing theatre called the Casinotheater. We've played there before, but it had been awhile. It's a gorgeous building that has a gorgeous theatre, amazing backstage area, a gourmet restaurant attached and apartments on the top floor. So yes, we could get used to playing there.

The show we played was a theatresports show, something we almost never do anymore. When we first started to tour Europe, we would do a lot of "matches" in the theatresports style of competitive improv. But as we toured more and more with our longform improv show, and taught longform improv workshops. People wanted to do longform shows with us instead of shortform shows. I won't go into the long and short of the difference between these two styles (pun intended). I'll just say that it is rare that we do any theatresports shows, but it's still fun to play an improv show in this style.

Oh yeah, the show also happens to be the 100th theatresports show at the Casinotheater, so it was a special celebration as well as a fun show. Yes, there was champaign. Yes, we did then eat delicious food at the gourmet restaurant . Yes, we did continue our party upstairs in the apartments. Yes, we could really get used to the Casinotheater.

 

Had some fun in Winterthur, as you can see.We went to the Photography museum.

Got into a fight with the Kung Fu Panda.

Saw some balloons.

Saw the world famous candy shop.

So exciting. And then we said goodbye to Switzerland (and the expensive expensive life of the Swiss) and continued on our tour. Next stop.... Bremen, Germany!

CRUMBS in Zurich

CRUMBS are in Zurich... which is giving Oslo a run for their money for "city that mosts runs with money". A show, a workshop and some sun and some rain. That is what Zurich is made of. That, and money. Here are some Zurich impressions.

 This guy is a typical Zurich person. You can see he's trying to put his cigarette on one of those really long cigarette holders. He's classy.

 This statue is the typical Zurich style statue. A naked man trying to feed an eagle. Figure it out.

This is Tyler and his typical Zurich style cigar.

 This is a typical couple of fisherman in Zurich catching seagulls.

This is Lee rising up with his Ape brothers... typical.

What's that? You want to know what the show in Zurich was about? Okay...

The show we did in Zurich was at the Topferei theatre. A nice little theatre. And a nice little show. As suggestions we got "a Catholic priest who gets married" and "young love". This of course meant the show was filled with love and sex... which always seems to be the show we do in Zurich. Zurich (and Switzerland in general) is quite sexually repressed and absolutely needs a CRUMBS show to be sexual overt. It's part of the healing process.

One story followed an old couple who were looking to spice things up in their relationship as they reflect on "what could have been". They opt to invite their neighbours over for a dinner party to introduce them to the idea of "swinging". This of course ends in disaster, as the two wives end up hooking up. In the awkward morning after they decide that maybe "what could have been" might just end up being not as good as "what already is".

The other story was about Francine and her love and devotion for the town priest Father MacMurphy. He constantly preaches the teachings of Ezekiel over Jesus and gets into some trouble with the Arch Bishop Ferdinand (not to be confused with the Arch Duke of the same name). It turns out that Francine not only is in love with the priest, but also is the reason the church makes any money at all with the success of her amazing bake sales. After confessing her love and being turned down, she decides to leave town. The church goes bankrupt and the priest is forced to leave too. This unites the priest and Francine. They marry and start a new church based on bake sales and the teachings of Ezekiel. Ah, true love.

To follow the rest of the CRUMBS tour click HERE