Mr. Froggies Playground

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to perform again for the Um...Gee...Um 20th anniversary. It was great to do show again with the current members and many of the old members who could make it. It was a blast. I realized I was the only member who performed regularly with all of the players. One of the Cool things was different members sending in some memories of their time with the group. I thought I would post those memories. I'll start with the oldest members and work my way toward the newest members.

Rachel Klem remembers:

We were just a bunch of kids who met in an Improv class taught by Wilma Marcus (Chandler) and thought it might be fun to try something a little more committed. We had a hard time naming the group. It took several meetings and arguments, but our last discussion ended with, Well, ummwe could call ithmmmgosh Then we started making fun of ourselves, 'Duh' would be a good one. It finally broke down to UmGeeUm, the ellipses being very important. I'm not sure who finalized the nameprobably Scott or Pogi. There was a bit of concern that we would get sued by MGM, but I guess that never happened. One of the names we threw out was Take as Directed which became the name of our first show. I still have a poster of it, although it's almost dust. Congratulations to Um...Gee...Um! What an accomplishmentwho would have thought 20 years ago...

Logan Pogi Howard remembers:

We were sitting around a table at the old Café Chameleon on Front Street trying to think of a name for the new Improv group. Somebody actually muttered ...umgeeum and we all quickly agreed that we had to have it as a name. We were shameless about planning our `skits' in the beginning, but eventually saved up for some classes in San Francisco where we learned to fly blind with style.

Jay Martin remembers:

We once did a scene in which Safety Scout (me) met Wave Dave (Logan Howard). It was a moment in which something partly planned (me) looked upon glorious spontaneity (Logan), and all the audience joined in my joyful amazement. Logan is the one who thought up the UmGeeUm motto: Discovery with Every Breath.

Melissa Berry Munnerlyn remembers:

We were doing a performance art piece, and the audience suggestion was `Life.' Pogi Howard walked out on stage alone and physically went from birth through old age and death in the span of 30 seconds. The audience exploded! They loved it so much, they wouldn't stop applauding until he did it again.

I also loved the series we used to do. From the simplicity of Leg Man, to the melodramatic saga of Ms. Fire, to the complicated premise of Memory Lane, they were ever-challenging and always fun.

John Maloney remembers:

One week, when we were performing on Mondays at Actors' Theatre, everyone was busy, some wires got crossed, and no one realized exactly who was coming to do the show. On Monday night only Pogi, Doug (our musician at the time), and I showed up at the theatre. At first Pogi and I were laughing, then freaking out, then laughing again. We didn't want to cancel, but a two-person show just seemed like a tough cake to slice. Then Doug got really animated and suggested a night of all musical improv, something he'd been wanting to do for a long time, but had never really had the chance to bring up.

Pogi and I had been dealing with the situation like it was a problemtrying to figure out how to make the unusual situation fit the "usual" formatbut Doug saw the opportunity. I learned a lot that night, and we had such a great show! Not a single moment of situational familiarity or staleness. It was all just fun risk and, "Hey, let's try this." Lots of great failures and near misses. And some precious moments. I'll never forget how happy Doug was that night. He was on fire on the keyboards, pushing Pogi and me to keep going farther, and catching us when we slipped.

Suzanne Schrag remembers:

After the Anniversary Show, the first year after I joined the group, we went across the street from Actors' Theatre to the Jahva House. Everyone was sitting around telling UGU stories`Remember that time we were on Mars and the amphibicar wouldn't start'and I remember thinking, `Wow, these people and I have all these vivid memories of shared experiences with each other, and none of them actually happened ...'

But, of course, they didjust not in the off-stage, so-called real world. We forged such strong bonds and had so much fun with each other living in the worlds of our shared imagination that those things were part of our collective consciousness and just as memorable and meaningful to us as experiences in our day-to-day lives. I loved and continue to love that about UmGeeUm.

Sue Leijten Brenner remembers:

I recall our strong ensemble and how much we truly loved each other. I think that showed up there on stage. In one scene in 1994, (I remember the time frame because I was in a graduate certificate theatre program at UCSC) we sang an opera that was so vivid. I played the leading lady, while the men of the group-John Maloney, Pogi Howard, Paul McGrath and Scott Wiilliams-sang their serenades to me. They kept one-upping each other about what they would do for my love. Then Pogi stepped forward and sang opera style: `I'll kill myself with a swordfish' and mimed stabbing himself with the fish. Full commitment! It was so hard to keep a straight face!

I also want to say how much I appreciate and respect our audience members, past and present. You make our shows what they are-discovery with every breath.

Avondina Wills remembers:

I have a few memories that I cherish about being a frogger. First, I was really honored to be invited to join the group, having seen numerous performances. The rehearsals were magic to meto be able to play with all these talented people. It was so much fun, and it just great to be a part of. On stage, I remember there was the time Susie rolled herself up and I carried her onstage. I can't remember the story, but she was a tomato and the audience loved it.

Last but not least, I remember:

Early in UGU history we performed a Christmas special show at the Front Street Pub. One of the skits we did that night was a kind of race. Jay would try to eat a whole fruit cake before the rest of the group had finished singing The 12 Days of Christmas. Unknown to Jay, we bought the heaviest fruit cake we could find. It must have weighed 2 pounds. So, Jay starts eating and the rest of us start singing The 12 days of Christmasreally fast. By the end, I could hardly sing because I was laughing so hard.

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