Shirley Yau
Professor Tenneriello
IDC 1001H
21 October 2013
Interviewer: Shirley Yau
Respondent: Megan Gray
Location: Pret a Manger on 29th Street 7Th Avenue
Time/Date: 6:00 pm October 15th, 2013
Megan Gray is from Staten Island, New York and graduated NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in Dramatic Writing. Not only is she the Artistic Director of the Magnet Theatre but also a writer, performer, and Impov teacher as well. She has taught improvisation at numerous universities including Columbia Business School and Brookdale Community College. She produces and hosts a female improv show “We Might Just Kiss” as well as many others. Before the Magnet Theatre, Megan written for MTV and Comedy Central but ended up quitting to focus her career on artistic directing.
Question: So, tell me how you got your start.
Answer: I guess in comedy. Even though I went to NYU for dramatic writing, I always found myself leaning towards comedy. In my senior year my friends and I decided to take an improv class at the UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre). I originally started taking improv to get ideas out, like writer’s block, but I quickly became addicted to performing. Then I started at the Magnet, where I am now. After becoming a Level 1 Improv teacher, I found a greater appreciation for performing. I want to show my students that I practice what I preach. Every year, I learn something new; the job is a lot of trial and error. How you gage the success of a show is really interesting. Improv takes much more time to develop than a written show does; it’s trying to work out those little kinks that makes it fun.
Question: What exactly is an artistic director?
Answer: Its basically quality control; I’m captain of the ship. I make the schedule and decisions on what shows were going to keep or cut. I always check in with the all directors of the different teams to make sure everything is running smoothly. If I’m the captain, they’re like my first mates. I’m the liaison to our performer, so a lot of my job is emailing and contacting people. I also need make sure that our shows maintain the specific criteria: is it funny, does it showcase our performers well? Is it maintaining the voice of our theatre? The shows have to be funny but at the same time, intelligent. Because it’s improv, you never know what you’re going to get. Everyone is really supportive and I’m glad the theatre is growing. I basically keep the ship going.
Question: What are your favorite and least favorite aspects about your career?
Answer: The most rewarding is when our performers are doing a great job and a packed house to see it. Then, everyone is just so happy. It’s frustrating when there’s a really great show but no one to see it. Also in improv, nothing is pre-planned. There is no same show twice, which I think is what makes it so magical. It’s the purest form of theatre; all we have is each other, no script, props, or costumes. The feeling of if you weren’t there, that sucks because you cant recreate the show. It’s amazing.
What really sucks is when you have to tell people no. People take things really personally because they care, so when I have to give notes to them about how to improve, they tend to assume “I hate them,” and I just feel really bad. Sometimes I have to be the bad guy and tell people “this is not a magnet show,” or “there’s not enough room.” In the end it’s fine, but in the moment you feel bad. It also doesn’t pay great and you get a ton of e-mails. Sometimes it feels like ugh, what am I doing this for? And then when it’s successful, I’m like oh, this is why. You have to trust yourself.
Question: How would you define your style of performing arts?
Answer: I always go for the fun. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone not having fun on stage. At the theatre we always say, play to the height of your intelligence. Don’t play dumb. You can play child-like but don’t play childish. Fun and smart. That’s my style. I’m a fast, funny performer rather than a slow and patient performer, but I think it’s important for the theatre to have both methods.
Question: Who do you admire the most in your field?
Answer: This is probably the same for any woman improviser, but it’s Amy Pohler. She’s one of the original founders of the UCB. She’s just always been so consistently funny, and I love the fact that no one ever says she’s a funny woman. Everyone just always agrees, she’s hilarious, and it’s true. I think she embodies the perfect improviser. Whenever I see her perform, she’s always so fun and energetic. I honestly think everyone secretly has a girl crush on her. For improv, it’s definitely her.
Question: What characteristics do you think define a great improv performer?
Answer: Being open to failure. In improv, you fail so many times you become numb to it, and I think that’s great for any line of work. You really have to keep doing it to unlock the part of your brain that is not judging you or is not afraid to fail. I think listening to what others have to say about your work but at the same time knowing when you’re right about something. Being open-minded is important because if you get stuck on one thing, you’re closing off a possibility of a different kind of success. Also, you shouldn’t be afraid to look silly! The best stars are the ones who are open to doing anything, those who have a sense of humor, such as Tom Hanks on SNL.
Question: What role do you think improvisers plays in our current society?
Answer: There’s a reason why improv is becoming so popular. I think in the face of technology, so much of our interactions are online, whether it’s texting or just Facebook, that we don’t interact with real people anymore, which can be alienating. I believe people still need to hang out with people. Improv is a great way to make each other laugh and feel creative in a way that is sort of lost now. Face to face interactions are just seen less and less these days. It brings a spirit of yes to the community and helps people accept and listen to others. It’s also great for the community, workplace, and everybody really. It lets our imagination run wild, which is hard to do in this day and age, because there’s no editing in improv.
Question: What is an artistic outlook on life?
Answer: I think artists are really great at deconstructing things. For example, if someone says chair, being able to take it apart and ask questions like who might be in this chair? Is this an electric chair? Is this a kid in a kindergarten, is it an old person, is it a bored person? Who might be in there, and what does it mean? We look at things with different perspectives. There are a lot of awful things out in the world, so being flexible in your thinking is super important. Things don’t always have to be serious. “Even the mightiest oak must bend.” When you give in a little, that’s when you get the reward.
Question: What’s your all time favorite show?
Answer: Monty Python and Kids in the Hall are the two iconic sketch comedies. The State is another sketch comedy show. It’s just so absurd and silly and ridiculous. It’s really smart comedy. Monty Python and Kids in the Hall are the two shows I can watch over and over again.
