Hang Or Drang

It's an interesting test of my state of mind that happens many Sunday nights. It's Sundays that they have "Top Story Weekly" at iO West, and as I've said before, it's been my pleasure to write jokes and sometimes sketches for them. Most weeks I get something in, and most of those weeks I attend. It's not an easy thing for me to do, as antisocial as I remain. I commonly head out wishing for nothing more than to stay in the comfort and safety of my home.

I can override that. Mostly I get to the theater about half an hour before the show. Sometimes I get a drink, sometimes I don't. Either way I hope to locate someone I know and to chat with them before the show. It's very important that it be before the show. The bar area leading to the theater space is relatively empty half an hour in advance. It's not dangerously crowded as the show begins. As the show ends, it's packed to the damn rafters.

Now, the way that Top Story plays out is important to my chances of hanging around. If my contributions are numerous and well-received, I'm likely to be in high spirits and eager to hang around. I'll want at least to stay for the next hour of shows, which is good for my ongoing education in the ways of sketch comedy. There are some great teams at iO, and thanks to my comps from Top Story, I get to see them all for free. That's really nice.

Now, if I'm to stay beyond the second hour of shows, that requires something more. It helps some if I've been drinking, but what's critical is that I've done well at socializing. If I've been hanging out with friends a lot to this point and feeling good about it, I'm very likely to want to keep it going as long as the theater permits. It seldom goes that far. Most of the time, I flee as soon as I see the crowds of people in the bar. I just can't take it.