>> >>ERIK ANDERSON: COMEDY TROOP HAS CREATED A SHOW ABOUT SAN DIEGO AND BOY, ARE THEY PLOWING
SOME FERTILE GROUND.
KPBS CULTURE REPORTER ANGELA CARONE VISITS THE LA JOLLA PLAY HOUSE TO FIND OUT WHAT'S
SO FUNNY ABOUT QUOTE, AMERICA'S FINEST CITY.
>> >>: LIVE FROM SAN DIEGO, THE BOB FILNER SHOW.
>> >>: WHEN THE LA JOLLA PLAY HOUSE INVITED THE SECOND CITY TO CREATE A SHOW ABOUT SAN
DIEGO, IT WAS BEFORE SCANDAL ERUPTED AT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
MONTHS LATER, THE ENSEMBLE REALIZED THEY HAD STRUCK COMEDY GOLD.
>> >>: WHEN WE FIRST DID REHEARSAL, WE ALL WALK UNDER TO THIS LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT.
>> >>: MITCHELL PLAYS THE MAYOR AS WELL AS OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE SHOW.
>> >>: THE COMEDIC SKIES OPENED UP AND RAINED ALL GOOD FORTUNE ON US, THAT UNFORTUNATELY
FOR THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO, ARE IN A BIT OF TROUBLE.
>> >>: I WILL BE GOING ON A TWOWEEK VACATION., SEX CAMP.
AND I CANNOT WAIT TO MEET ALL OF MY COUNSELORS.
>> >>: MARLA HAS BEEN DOING IMPROV FOR 10 YEARS.
>> >>: IT WAS THE MAYOR FILNER, IT'S CHRISTMAS MORNING EVERY DAY, JUST SO MUCH.
THAT WAS EASY.
FOR ALL F OF US TO JUST GET EXCITED ABOUT.
>> >>: ¶¶ ¶¶ THANK YOU SAN DIEGO, THAT'S HOW THE STORY GOES ¶¶ ¶¶
>> >>: THE SECOND CITY IS LEGENDARY FOR ITS IMPROV COMEDIES.
THE COMPANY HAS DONE COMPANY HAS DONE CITY SPECIFIC SHOWS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE SAN DIEGO VERSION IS CALLED THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE I5.
>> >>: THEY WOULD TAKE US AROUND TOWN AND TALK ABOUT WHAT'S SPECIFIC TO SAN DIEGO, WHAT
DO SAN DIEGANS FIND FUNNY.
>> >>: LOOK AT YOUR HELMET, THIS IS NOT AN ADULTSIZED HELMET.
>> >>: THE WRITERS DEVELOP A SCRIPT BUT ONE THAT ALLOWS FOR A LOT OF IMPROVISATION.
IT ALSO HAS TO BE FLEXIBLE IN CASE A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE,
SAYS ONE OF THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS.
>> >>: WE WERE CONVINCED THE SECOND PRESS CONFERENCE HE WAS GOING TO RESIGN THEN, EX
COME OUT SAY I'M DONE, I'M OUT OF HERE, AND THEN HE DIDN'T.
BUT WE HAVE STRUCTURED A LOT OF THE STUFF SO THAT IT CAN MANEUVER NO MATTER WHAT HE
DOES.
STAYS IN OFFICE, RESIGNS, HE ESCAPES AND, YOU KNOW, JUST GOES ON THE RUN THINGS LIKE
THAT.
THERE'S ALL THAT BUILT IN AND WE CAN HANDLE IT.
>> >>: SAN DIEGO OFFERS MORE THAN A MAYOR TO MAKE FUN OF, THERE'S COMICCON, MEDICAL
MARIJUANA, AND THE SEALS IN LA JOLLA COVE.
THE ZOO GETS ITS OWN RAP SONG.
>> >>: SAN DIEGO ZOO, WHAT'S THE MAIN FEATURE, YOU KNOW I GOT TO LOOK AT ALL THE WILD CREATURES.
>> >>: SOME OF THE FUNNIEST MATERIAL COMES OUT OF IMPROVISED SCENES BASED ON AUDIENCE
SUGGESTIONS.
>> >>: HORSEBACK RIDING.
>> >>: HORSEBACK RIDING, REALLY?
>> >>: HE'S HERE.
>> >>: MEMBER AUDIENCE MEMBERS ALSO END UP ON STAGE.
THIS IS THE THIRD SHOW TRAVIS TURNER HAS DONE.
>> >>: HAVING AN AUDIENCE MEMBER COMPLETE A STAGE CIVILIAN COME ON STAGE IN FRONT OF
THIS CROWDED THEATER AND DO THIS THING AND PLAY WITH US IS REALLY WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A HUGE TRIUMPH.
MY ONLY HOPE IS WHEN THEY GO BACK TO SIT DOWN THEY FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHAT THEY DID.
>> >>: IMPROV IS SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE A SCENE WILL END UP.
IMPROVISERS HAVE CERTAIN RULES THEY FOLLOW TO KEEP A SCENE GOING.
ONE OF THEM IS YOU NEVER SAY NO TO YOUR ON STAGE PARTNER.
>> >>: IF SOMEONE SAYS NO TO YOU, WHERE DO YOU GO IN THAT MOMENT?
OKAY.
IF I SAY I'M HOLDING A GUN AND I'M GOING TO SHOOT YOU, YOU SAY THAT'S NOT A GOOD.
OKAY, WELL, WHERE DO WE REALLY GO FROM THERE?
SO IT'S SORT OF MUCH BETTER FOR THE CREATIVE PROCESS, AND FOR JUST THE ARK OF THE SCENE
IF YOU SAY OKAY, YOU'RE HOLDING A GUN TO ME.
I'M TERRIFIED RIGHT NOW.
>> >>: MARLA SAYS THAT REQUIRES A LOT OF TRUST IN YOUR FELLOW IMPROVISERS TO NOT LEAVE YOU
HANGING.
>> >>: WE HAVE A SAYING BEFORE WE GO ON STAGE, PAT EACH OTHER ON THE BACK AND SAY I GOT YOUR
BACK.
WE'RE THERE FOR EACH OTHER.
>> >>: THE LAST FEW WEEKS WILL GO DOWN AS SOME OF THE MOST TUMULTUOUS IN SAN DIEGO HISTORY.
THE ARRIVAL SECOND CITY MIGHT BE JUST WHAT SAN DIEGANS NEED.
>> >>: ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES IS CHARLIE CHAPLIN SAID TO TRULY LAUGH YOU NEED TO BE
ABLE TO TAKE YOUR PAIN AND PLAY WITH IT.
I THINK THAT'S WHY COMEDY IS SO GREAT.
IT'S GREAT WHEN IT'S FUN, IT'S GREAT WHEN IT'S NOT.
>> >>: ANGELA CARONE, KPBS NEWS.