Cold Turkey

Thanks to everyone who attended our last show of the season on Saturday! It was the perfect way to end a wonderful season. Our Flash Fiction prompt this show was "My New Year's Resolution," and as usual, our audience came through. Here are some of our favorite that didn't make the air:

I am giving up cold turkey.
- Sarah B.

I will choose my ruts carefully.
- Mike L.

I hereby resolve: no more resolutions.
- Marj R.

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Saturday night was quite a show! Some light Oedipus chat, a Battle of the Similes between House Poet Scott Poole and Paulann Peterson, and one heckuva giant finale with the 13-piece powerhouse Typhoon. You'll hear it all in upcoming weeks, but until then, here's a taste of our favorite Flash Fiction entries from the show. We asked our audience to write their life stories in 6 words. Here's what we got:

Missed the boat. Built my own.
     - Lauri S.

Wonder Woman drives a mini van.
     - Lisa G.

It made sense at the time.
     - Elizabeth P.

Born in Alabama, still hear banjos.
     - Maria L.

W T F? L O L.
     - Ron S.

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Wow, what a show on Saturday night! We couldn't have asked for more intelligent, funny guests or a better audience. Can't wait for you to hear the shows, but until then, check out the fruits of the audience's labor: it's Lilliputian Literature! We asked our audience to write six-word stories based on the prompt, "My Life Story." Here are some of our favorites:

He said he was a doctor. 
-Molly R.

Summers off seemed worth it, initially.
- Brandi K.

You're too tall. You scare me.
- Barb M.

Things work out, unless they don't.
- Kristin L.

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We've done it before.Read more

Live Wire Radio Seeks Comic Voice Actors.

- Do you have an agile voice and quick wit?
- Do you enjoy performing LIVE in front of an audience?
- Are you easy-going, with a one-page performance rider that includes a tuna sandwich and a hug?

Then WE WANT YOU!
Live Wire is seeking one male voice, preferably with radio or voiceover experience, to add to the cast of Faces for Radio Theater (our sketch comedy troupe) as well as other voices to fill in when needed. Faces for Radio perform 6-8 sketches per 2.5 hour taping.Read more

If you were one of the people at the workshop, you know that we couldn't shut up. At least our fingers couldn't shut up...writing, writing, writing, editing and writing like crazy people right up until the doors opened at...well, at 8:30. So 8 1/2 hours. So sue us.

An experiment in speed writing.
This was a new experience for Lizz, and for the 20 writers who attended. Start brainstorming at 12:30, have a show structure by 1, then first drafts of sketches by 3, and final drafts at 5:30. Oh. That'll be easy. No problem.

Weeeeelll. Okay, first draft by 3:30, final versions. By 6. No, wait...7. 7:30. Final drafts by 7:30!!!  We mean it!

Lizz was taking no prisoners. If she asked for suggestions once we had a show structure and you raised your hand and suggested a new show structure? Shut down. First rule of writing under the gun: Make a decision and STICK WITH IT. Be decisive. Read more

If you were hoping to spend the weekend with Lizz Winstead, writer, comic, co-creator of The Daily Show, well, you're in luck!

Lizz is coming to Portland for our show Friday 6/3, which is fun enough. (More info on that here.) But wait, THERE'S MORE. On 6/4, Lizz will perform her new standup show at the Alberta Rose (get tickets here.) But wait, THERE'S EVEN MORE!

THE SO-CRAZY-IT-JUST-MIGHT-WORK-WORKSHOP!
What's the point of a writer's workshop if you don't come out of it actually having written something? And what if that something were a show? That you performed? THE NIGHT OF THE WORKSHOP? Read more

We asked Mike Russell, cartoonist, film reviewer, man-about-town to come to our show Read more

Did you miss our last show 'til the end of the summer with John Roderick and Richard Russo? Well, you can hear the podcast. It was FUN. So if you've been paying attention, you may have noticed that in the spring this year we DOUBLED the number of live shows to two a month and moved to a smaller venue at the Mission for many of them. Read more

An open letter to the person in charge of new punctuation.
I have invented a new punctuation mark, and I am writing to ask you to consider introducing its usage into the American Punctuation Lexicon.Read more