Some Assembly Required

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Ten Years of Some Assembly Required

Ten years ago, I was a year out of college, and I really missed performing improv. I was bummed because I had a call back for an improv troupe, but I didn't make the final cut. So I called up my improv college pal, the lovely Heather Wood, and asked if she wanted to start an improv troupe with me. Thankfully, she said yes, as I don't think I would have gone through with it on my own. We put out an ad on Craigslist, held auditions in a park, and crossed our fingers that we would meet some cool folks.

After two rounds of auditions, Some Assembly Required was born. We had rehearsals in my grandparent's backyard until we secured a residence at a the NoHo Arts Center, and then started performing wherever we could from universities, to coffee houses, to festivals, to black box theaters, to well known theaters, and private events. The years have flown by, and although members have come and gone, and we've stopped performing as regularly as we once did, I'm so incredibly thankful for all the experiences, both challenging and rewarding, and for all the amazingly talented people that I've met along the way.

Scroll through a brief history of S.A.R. in photos:

Cast of 2004

Rehearsal - 2004

Cast 2004 (John was in Germany)

NoHo Arts Festival May 2005

Coffee House in Atwater Village - 2005

Rehearsal - 2006

Show Promo - 2006

Post-Show Party - 2007

iOWest Main Stage CageMatch - 2007

First show of 2008

Promo for our Mardi Gras Show - 2009

Hollywood Show - 2009

The Comedy Store Show - 2009

Hollywood Show - 2009

Promo for our Dec. Show - 2009

Promo for our 5yr Anniversary Show - 2010

5 yr Anniversary Beach Party - 2010

Cast of 2010

San Francisco Show w Tilted Frame - May 2010

Variety Show - July 2010

80's Show - 2010

Nerdy Show 2011

Our SF friends came down to play w us for our 7yr Anniversary Show - May 2011

7yr Anniversary Show - May 2011

Hollywood Show - Dec. 2011

Hollywood Show - 2012

North Hollywood Show - 2013

Hollywood Show - 2014

Audience selfie at our Hollywood Show - 2014

Our next show is June 28th, 2014!

(Fun Facts: Nathan Black, went to college with Heather Wood and I, and we were all on the improv team together. John Baumgaertner, was among the people we met through the Craigslist auditions. Jaimie Paulson joined S.A.R after performing in a sketch show with John, and I asked her to audition for us. Jaimie took a class at iOWest with LaKendra Tookes and asked her to audition for us. Paul Baumgaertner is John's brother, who is the only person in S.A.R that doesn't have a background in acting, and joined S.A.R in 2006 when he moved to California.)

Friday, June 4, 2010

We made a video!

We've entered into a contest and created a 60 second video for a Bluetooth company. All we need is people to watch our video - no signing up, logging in or voting - just take 60 seconds and laugh! We hope you enjoy it! To view the video click here.

Or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.jawbonecontest.com/watch/steal/74194_148112

Written by: Misa Doi
Directed & Edited by: Cullen Wright
Produced by: Misa Doi, Mikey Garratt, Greg Hadwick, Cullen Wright
DP: Greg Hadwick
Assistant DP/Boom Op: Mikey Garratt
Featuring: Justin Baker, Jaimie Paulson, Jordan St. Jean, Paul Baumgaertner and Paul Leo Dietz.

Check out some photos from our shoot!