Check out this great interview with Ramapalooza's director, John Porter

John Porter was  contacted by Chelsea Hanson, a free lance journalist for VCU,who is writing a feature story on Ramapalooza and if it will become an annual event.

I am delighted to talk with you about all things Ramapalooza. It’s been an amazing journey and I’m

very proud of all the writers, performers, and technical wizards that came together to make it happen. I’m not sure of what the future holds for the show, it’s a little early to make predictions, but there are meetings about the show’s future starting Monday.

Right off the bat, I’ve got to offer all sorts of respect for Theatre Chairman David Leong  for having the vision to create the show and the confidence to make it happen. Without those key ingrediants the show would never have come together.

Now, to your questions:

How do you feel Ramapalooza turned out?

From where I sat Ramapalooza was a great success. We had 20 comedians working on material and honing their stage presence three nights a week for about six weeks. They were given a copy of Judy Carter’s book, THE COMEDY BIBLE, the best book ever written on how to be a stand-up comedian. A few of the comedians got a chance to work with Judy last semester, and they were hungry to repeat the experience. They all worked hard and it was very difficult to tell four of them that they were going to be understudies, but they were all great about it and were ready to perform at a moment’s notice.

The sketch portion of the show was again very positive. All of the participants came together and wrote all of the sketches we saw each night. When we - that is the theatre staff - were discussing the logistics of putting on this half of the show, there were some concerns that we would have enough good material to perform. But we ended up cutting so many great sketches that we could have done another hour at least. These writer/performers created scenes for everyone and were willing to give their friends some juicy characters to play. Their professionalism was inspiring to watch.

Dixon Cashwell, The Funniest Ram on Campus

What was your role/responsibilities in the production?

I was the project manager/director of each show. I used my background as a comedian to work with each of the participants on developing their stand up. I have to emphasize, they wrote all their own material but I helped them edit it or structure it. I kept reminding them that it was them on stage not me, so they had to be comfortable with their material. As far as sketch went, I held veto power and taught them how to write a sketch - but they wrote the material. Again, I edited some material and helped them find an ending for some sketches, but didn’t write the sketches themselves. I decided on the order of the sketches and had a lot of help working the transitions so that there was a good easy flow between sketches.

Do you think the outcome of Ramapalooza was great enough for it to return next year and become an annual event?

I certainly  hope so, although it really is out of my hands at this point. I hope the department feels the same way, and that maybe we can find ways to increase outside participation.

Becky Granger, 2nd Funniest Ram

What are you and other people doing or planning for Ramapalooza to return?

There is a meeting scheduled to discuss the pros and cons of Ramapalooza on September 30. I hope that there is enough support to go forward with it. Since I am a guest artist with TheatreVCU (despite my long history with them), I will offer my input and hope for the best. If there is enough input from the rest of the university, maybe that would help the decision...

What will it mean to you if Ramapalooza returns next year?

i would hope that I would return as the project manager, but that’s up to the Chairman. If we do return, I would like to be able to create a core group of performers in order to make it the best possible show.

Elliot Duffy - The 3rd Funniest Ram

What do you think it’ll mean to the Richmond comedic community?

It would introduce some great performers into the comedy mix. These comedians would enhance any of the local stages and I think a consistent sketch group could be a nice draw for a comedy venue or represent VCU on various fringe stages.

Is there anything else you’d like to comment about Ramapalooza?

Ramapalooza could not have happened without a lot of work by people who are never seen. Without David Leong’s vision, Glynn Brannan doing anything to get people in the seats or the guidance of Wesley Broulik and Bonnie Brady, it would have been a much different show. I think that this is an amazing opportunity for students to get a chance to perform comedy as a main stage production instead of as a late night cabaret. For many students, it’s difficult to learn how to create and perform a show like this until you get out of school and learn by putting yourself on the line and failing time and time again. Now, they’ve had support, been taught how to be professional, and tasted great success. It’s a rare gift.

Thanks very much for your time.

John Porter

PS from the Bloginator:

If this article runs - it will be the third feature appearing in the Commonwealth Times. Looks like VCU was comedy starved and Theatre VCU just might save the day!!