WIT NEWS ITEM | FIST Interview: Baltimore's Safeword

FIST INTERVIEW: BALTIMORE'S SAFEWORD

POSTED 3.20.08

After a fast and furious three weeks of competition, the Tournament of the FIST is down to four teams in the Friends of WIT bracket.

Two of those teams hail from the Baltimore area; one of those teams is Safeword. Bob Carter and Ethan Cooper sat down ahead of their Thursday night showdown to reflect on the tournament so far and the state of improv in Charm City...


Hello, Safeword! Take a second to tell us who you are and where you're from in the improv world.

Bob: Hello! Bob Carter. I perform with Mister Licorice while Ethan and Kami Locklear perform with Ice Cream Social and The Moving Walkways. We're all members of the Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) and we got our start by taking classes wth BIG.

Ethan: I'm Ethan Cooper, and I've been with the Baltimore Improv Group for a little over two years. That's my only improv experience.

So how did Safeword come about? Both the team and the name, if the latter is a story you're comfortable telling...

Bob: Ethan came up with the name but I have to admit that our show isn't nearly as risqué as the name implies!

Ethan: It's not an especially interesting story. Bob was the one who found out about the FIST and sent the e-mail around to BIG. We wanted to send a whole bunch of teams down, but in the end it was just us three that could do it. The name doesn't really have any significance. I sent the email entering us into the tournament at the very last minute and there was no time to come up with a name collaboratively. I remembered Kami had thrown out "Safeword" as a suggestion for the name of a different troupe the week before, and so that's what I put.

How long have you all been playing together? How would you describe your playing style?

Ethan: We only started playing together for this tournament, although Kami and I have been in troupes together for a while. Our style is one long scene with intermittent flashbacks, which is loosely based on a three-person troupe we saw at the Chicago Improv Festival last spring. They're from LA, I can't remember what they were called. It was just their last names.

Bob: I had never played with Ethan or Kami before forming Safeword for FIST. I think our playing style could be described as "honest characters who like to visit crazytown."

Anything interesting about the team that might not be obvious?

Bob: We were really nervous at our first FIST match!

Ethan: Sorry guys, Kami's engaged! That's what it would say on the Ed Sullivan show.

What about a dark secret? Everyone's got one of those... what's Safeword's dark secret?

Ethan: We can't stand each other. Our warm-up is slapping each other and pulling each other's hair.

Bob: We have a secret improv crush on Topher.

Congrats on your tournament success so far... any thoughts or observations going in to the final four of the Friends Bracket this weekend?

Ethan: I don't think we really imagined we'd get this far, so we feel very fortunate. With the Mime Hunters' victory, two of the Final Four are Baltimore teams, which I think is cool.

Bob: FIST has been a really amazing experience so far- great crowds and great competition.

Knowing that all FIST matches are decided by applause, have you been bringing a caravan of friends and fans on the road, or taking your chances with the DC crowds?

Bob: For our first match, about 10 performers from BIG came to support us but getting people down to DC on a weeknight is a bit of a challenge. I've been going through my rolodex to see who I know that lives or works in the DC area. Luckily the DC crowds have been very enthusiatic and welcoming!

Ethan: We've been lucky enough to have BIG people in the audience for both shows. I have a hard enough time getting my friends to come to our shows in Baltimore, though, so DC is a tough sell.

Your next match pits you against local WIT friends HAZMATs... will your strategy change at all for this match, or will you just bring the usual thunder?

Ethan: I personally have no idea what HAZMATs' style is. Maybe we should have been doing some recon, I don't know.

Bob: This sounds like a sports cliché but I'm really just focused on having fun and making strong choices; after that I put my fate in the hands of the improv Gods. May the best team win!

Many of our WIT readers might not be as familiar with the Baltimore improv scene despite being just down the road. Tell us a little bit about it.

Bob: Baltimore has been on the rise since BIG was founded four years ago. We do two to four shows per month and our troupes are starting to get invited to to the major improv festivals. Our proudest achievement is the Baltimore Improv Festival, which was a major success last year and will be held again this year the first weekend of August. We're also starting to experiment with some new forms, including a full length improvised play this July.

Ethan: It's a pretty new scene. Actually, BIG models itself in large part after the example set by WIT. Like WIT, it's a big umbrella organization that has several troupes within it, offers classes, sponsors workshops, etc. We're all really happy about the growth of it.

Many teams emerged from last year's tournament with three-person shows that could stand on their own. Will you all continue to play as Safeword beyond this year's FIST? Have you seen other shows so far that have given you any ideas you're itching to play with?

Ethan: I guess we'll have to wait and see. I didn't see Grandma Molly and the Wayback Machine (I think that's what they're called), but I heard them from behind the door. I enjoy dorky historical references so maybe we'll steal their format and bring it to Baltimore.

Bob: Yeah, definitely! We're all hungry to perform so after FIST is over I think we're going to sit down and see how we can get together and perform in Baltimore, DC, or beyond.

Who are your improv or comedy heroes? Why?

Ethan: Wow, there are too many to name. Well, having already said how much we look up to WIT, I'll also give a shout out to Rare Bird Show from Philly.

Bob: Grouch Marx- he was a genius and he just looks like he's having such a good time when he performs. Definitely Monty Python as well for being so off the wall and absurd. One of my favorite comedic actors is Peter Sellers- I love the Pink Panther movies! As for improvisers... too many to mention, there's just so much great improv out there.

Ravens, Redskins or Other? Explain.

Bob: Ravens definitely. But I'm more of a baseball guy- the Yankees were my team as a kid growing up in New Jersey and I still follow them.

Ethan: Ravens, I guess. I personally long for the day when the Orioles/Nationals are good enough to be in this question and not football teams.

Safeword, thanks for making the trip all the way down on the weekends, and thanks for your time here. Best of luck this Thursday in the next round... any parting comments before you get on the road?

Ethan: This was my first time ever performing in DC on a WIT stage, so it's been a great experience. This is a really well-run event... thanks for letting us play down here.

Bob: Thank you to WIT for being such a gracious host for this tournament and special thanks to Justin Purvis for doing such a great job organizing everything. Opening up for WIT troupes is always an honor; we're thrilled when you guys come up to Baltimore and we look forward to playing together in the future!


The tournament of the FIST continues at Flashpoint until April 12th. Get your tickets now and check it out!

WANT MORE FIST INTERVIEWS?

Click here to hear from the FIST Commissioner!
Click here to meet student team Princess Trainwreck!
Click here to learn more about the FIST theme song!
Click here to get to meet Grandma Molly and Her Wayback Machine!
Click here to see what happens when WIT co-workers face off in battle!