The History of Trapped In A Rumor

It all started with a workshop...

In 2008, Ron Llenado assembled a group of performers at Under the Sun Studios in Concord who just wanted to work on their craft and have fun. Ron requested that his friend, Joe Saam (Big Joe), join them to help him break out of his shell. Together, the group would improvise, play games, perform scenes, create characters, songs, dances, just about everything under the sun. After half a year, they started doing performances and inviting friends to come and watch.

In January of 2009, Joe announced that he wanted to create a theatre company of his own. In Febuary of 2009, Big Joe formed Trapped In A Rumor (TiR). Joe was looking to branch out from the Improv he’d been doing at the studio, focusing on shortform improv and, due to its history in Concord, exploring the Harold form. Joe chose four players to start TiR. They developed material in rehearsals and used the best pieces for their first show only a few weeks after forming. The first show drew about 15 people and it grew from there.

Mission Statement

TiR's mission is to master improv, unleash its power, and through the process discover and expand improv's potential. One day, we hope to save the world through improv - or barring that, entertain as much of it as we can.

GOOD STUFF

Good stuff

Get yourself ready

• Emergency Preparedness Fair -- 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. The annual San Ramon Valley Emergency Preparedness Fair will be held at the Latter-day Saints Church, 655 Orchard Road, Danville. Free admission, free BBQ lunch at noon and free emergency kit to the first 500 people. The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District will show how hydraulic "Jaws of Life" machines work, tours will be offered of a Red Cross shelter, and visitors can check out the Second Military Medical Brigade from Camp Parks, as well as a display from the U.S. Army's critical response unit. There will be a carseat checkpoint, classes on stranger awareness and first aid for pets. There will also be reduced-cost immunizations and microchip implanting for pets. Sponsored by San Ramon, Danville, AT&T, San Ramon Regional Medical Center, Farmers Insurance, the San Ramon Valley school district. San Ramon Valley Fire and the church. www.bereadysrv.org

Let's improvise

• Trapped in a Rumor -- 8 p.m. Friday. The improv troupe Trapped in a Rumor performs an unrehearsed, unpredictable show rated PG-13. The troupe also partners with local charities to raise money. Village Theatre, 233 Front St., Danville. Tickets are $8 for students and seniors and $10 for adults. Buy tickets at www.villagetheatreshows.com. or call Advertisement 925-314-3400.

Preschool fun

• Dan Chan the Magic Man -- 10 a.m. Friday A Preschool Performance with top-level entertainer Dan Chan who merges several specialties from the world of variety arts into a singular experience. Village Theatre, 233 Front St., Danville. Tickets are $3, buy them at www.villagetheatreshows.com. or call 925-314-3400.

Past times

Sept. 8 1965:

The top stories in the Pleasanton Times:

From the Sept. 8, 1965 Pleasanton Times:

Headline: "This East Bay College Moves and Expands"

"Construction on Chabot College (Hayward) continues as the campus plans to hold 30 buildings on 94 acres of "Prime East Bay Land." The campus is planned to host 15,000 students broken up into day and night classes --10,000 during the day and 5,000 at night."

Groceries: Safeway featured a two-pound can of MJB coffee for $1.19. Bananas were two pounds for 29 cents. Steaks -- boneless, top round USDA Choice -- were 98 cents per pound. A five-pound can of Clover honey was 99 cents.

Real Estate: John J. Amaral Realty listed a three-bedroom, three-bath home with a double fireplace in Pleasanton Heights for $23,500.

Danville's Trapped in a Rumor improv comedy troupe to start 2011-12 season

Eric Louie

DANVILLE -- The improv comedy troupe Trapped in a Rumor will start its second consecutive year with the town of Danville starting Friday.

The shows will be held roughly once a month at the Village Theatre, 233 Front St. in downtown.

They are scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday and Oct. 7; at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10; 8 p.m. Dec. 9 and Jan. 19; 7 p.m. Feb. 18, Mardh 7 and 8, and April 15; and at 8 p.m. on May 10 and June 8.

Tickets are $8 for students and seniors and $10 for adults. For more information go to www.villagetheatreshows.com or call 925-314-3400.

Comedy Group Hopes To Raise Money For Historic Landmark At Jack London Square

Kristin Bender

Trapped In A Rumor, an improvisation troupe, is holding a benefit next month to benefit for the cash-strapped USS Potomac, a National Historic Landmark docked at Jack London Square in Oakland.

Earlier this year the Potomac, a nonprofit organization, announced it had lost half of its operating income during the past two years and could be in danger of closing. They still need to raise about $167,000 before the end of the year.

The improve troupe is sponsored by the city of Danville and the benefit will be held 7 p.m. May 14 at the Village Theatre, 223 Front Street, in Danville. Tickets are $10.

The troupe will perform unrehearsed live comedy based on audience suggestions and participation.

Potomac Executive Director Marti Burchell said more than 250,000 people have toured and sailed aboard the ship that was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidential yacht until his death in 1945. Thousands of school children have also come aboard for educational programs.

The Potomac is struggling because of the down economy and until two years ago, the Port of Oakland kicked in about half of the annual $120,000 that goes to maintenance, insurance and other necessities, said Burchell. For more information, go to www.tirimprov.com or for tickets go to www.VillageTheatreShows.com.

Trapped In A Rumor

Fran Miller

Take one improv group, add a flow of worthy charities, bring them together monthly in a historic entertainment venue, and what have you got? The answer is “Trapped in a Rumor,” perhaps one of the best-kept entertainment secrets in the East Bay.

With their distinctive style of improv - fast-paced, funny, high-energy and usually PG-13 rated – the eight members of Trapped in a Rumor (TiR) perform monthly at Danville’s Village Theater. Scenes are unrehearsed and unpredictable and almost always involve audience participation. Fans who miss the long-running, now defunct, television show “Who’s Line is it Anyway?” will feel they’ve found a suitable replacement with TiR.

TiR troupe members bring to their craft a variety of experiences and backgrounds, which naturally lends to the frenetic on-stage energy. All have ‘day jobs’ and regular lives. Included in the bunch are a teacher, a project manager, a contractor, a merchandiser, and an advertising executive.

Troupe member Jon Cordova joined the group in 2009. A tech executive by day, he was seeking something to take him out of his comfort zone, and he found improv. “Improv challenges me in a way I don’t get in the business world,” says Cordova. “I get to use the artistic side of my brain. I’ve found that it’s helped me slow down, and even listen better.”

TiR founder and director Joe Saam has been acting since attending De La Salle High School. He was drawn to the unpredictable nature of improv, and the ‘not knowing what’s coming next’ aspect continues to inspire him. “Improv allows you to feed off of the audience reaction,” says Saam. “I love the spontaneity.”

TiR skit styles include ‘Comedy Sliders,’ creating songs on the spot and short-form improv games based on audience suggestions; ‘Improv SmackDown,’ or competitive improv; and ‘StoryForm,’ involving a narrator and story suggestions. No two shows are ever the same.

“Sometimes we nail it and the audience is roaring,” says Cordova . “And sometime s we don’t , and the audience is laughing even harder.” But all kidding aside, the philanthropic aspect of TiR’s monthly performances is no laughing matter. Last year, TiR performed all of its shows as benefits for Contra Costa County charities, raising more than $5,400 to support 12 organizations including St. Vincent de Paul, Relay For Life – American Cancer Society, Nicholas Colby Fun, Animal Rescue Foundation, and The Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center.

Chris Celio, staff psychologist at Concord’s Hume Center, credits the generosity of groups like TiR with the Center’s ability to expand its services to prevent mental illness. “That Trapped in a Rumor donates all of their proceeds from their share of ticket sales is a steal for the charities lucky enough to work with them,” says Celio.

It’s a win/win for all involved. As the selected recipient of proceeds from TiR’s December show, the Hume Center’s role was to get the word out, fill the theater and take full advantage of the opportunity. Celio met with Saam several times over the months before the show to carefully craft a marketing message. The more attendees, the more the donation. Celio used the December show for three purposes: a networking event, a social event, and a fundraiser. He invited all of the community leaders, partner agencies, and other organizations with which the Hume Center regularly consults. He set-up information tables in the lobby and stationed staff members to answer questions about the Center.

“We used this wonderful opportunity as a great social event to promote the wellness and community of those who work at our many clinics,” said Celio. “I must say that I have never put on an easier fundraiser. Trapped in a Rumor is such a talented professional group that they provide a great draw and the venue is fantastic. The show itself is quite professional. As a fan of improv, I can recommend it highly to anyone looking for a night of laughter.”

Saam originated TiR in a warehouse in Concord, which the troupe quickly outgrew. In searching for a new performance venue, Saam forged a partnership in 2009 with the Town of Danville which agreed to co-sponsor TiR, providing them rehearsal space and the town’s Village Theatre to perform their monthly shows. Average attendance is about 100; tickets are $10 each and the family friendly show includes 15 to 20 skits over a two-hour period – with intermission. The next performance is Saturday, February 19th at 7pm.

TiR is currently seeking beneficiaries for its 2011 season. Participation is simple: contact TiR, bring 100 friends, and have a great night of fun. For more information, visit www.tirimprov.com.