In 1995, after nearly 20 years as a full-time professional musician, I was ready to pack it in. I wasn't making much money, the gigs weren't getting any easier, and I wasn't getting any younger. None of that would've mattered much except for one big problem: I was thoroughly bored with the idea of spending my evenings in some crappy bar, fighting ESPN for the attention of patrons who were there for any number of reasons other than to listen to me play music. I wasn't enjoying life as a musician anymore, and anyone who's been in show business knows that once it becomes a chore, it's time to get out.Then, a funny thing happened on the way to retirement - I discovered improv.
I signed up for a couple classes at Cuyahoga Community College, thinking this was the first step toward some sort of degree that would get me into a different occupation. My very first class was (what else?) English 101, and my instructor was Theresa Zeleznik. During the course of this class, Theresa and I got to be friends, and she came out to hear me play a couple times.
Theresa's office was directly across from another office inhabited by theater professor Bob Ellis, one of the founding members of the Something Dada Improvisational Comedy Company. Something Dada was looking for a musician to play for their improv shows, and one day Bob happened to mention this to Theresa. She immediately replied, "I know just the guy!"
Next thing I knew, I was at Cabaret Dada, playing my first ever improv show. I knew nothing about theater, nothing about improv, nothing about how to deal with actors. I saw one performance, went to one rehearsal, and the rest of my training was acquired on the job. I was very lucky; the cast welcomed me with open arms, treated me as one of their own, and gave me a supportive environment in which to discover their (now mine, too) wonderful art form. And the more I learned, the more I realized that my career as a musician was far from over - indeed, it was just beginning!
In the five years that I've devoted to the study, performance, and teaching of theatrical improvisation, I've experienced unprecedented growth both as a musician and as a person. Although I'm still fairly active as a studio musician, producer, and occasional sideman on live dates, improv is now my art form of choice.