Conversations with Melanie Blue

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Blue.

Hi Melanie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Ha! I have such trouble answering questions like these. My story is so vast and multi-faceted with so many paths and alleys and iterations. I never quite know which story to tell.
I guess I’ll focus on the ‘Now’ because everything I’ve ever been and done has brought me here right now. I’m so grateful for who and where I am today. At every point in my life I have that exact realization. I think that’s the trick, always being exactly who and where you are and being grateful for that. This doesn’t mean that I don’t have my flaws, fails and follies, I absolutely do and will continue to, because that’s a part of life and living. But I choose to appreciate all the moments I get to have- good or bad- because they evolve me. And here we are now, creating Coachella Valley’s first ever home of improv and I couldn’t be happier!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think my biggest struggles are internal. My main obstacle was fear. It can be hard to have the courage to even have a dream, then to actually say the dream out loud, and finally to follow that dream. At a commencement speech I heard a speaker say “fear is a mile high and a mile wide and only an inch thick”. I find that to be true. Taking the leap is scary but experience shows us we always land, and often- we fly. Once I let my dream breathe and actively pursued it, the world supported it. Looking back I can actually see the universe was supporting my dreams the entire time. Every life experience brought me some skill or perspective that completely enhances what I do today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My job is literally to spread laughter, joy and a sense of play- to help people be present, get out of their heads, not take themselves too seriously and make each other look good. I teach improv and it’s one of the greatest honors I know. I’ve recently been gifted a performance venue: the legendary Arthur Newman Theatre in Palm Desert. We are thrilled to take up residency in this storied theatre to present improv shows throughout the season. There is no other venue for improv in the entire Coachella Valley.
I grew up in Chicago where improv is abundant and wildly available. I was a toddler in the audience at Second City shows and grew up in their conservatory and more influentially, under the brilliant tutelage of the great Del Close. At IO (aka Improv Olympic) with Charna Halpern & Del, I was spoon fed the philosophy of honesty in comedy and raised on the beauty of truthful moments on stage. Del took me under his wing and encouraged me and affirmed my instincts. He masterfully directed me in his shows and instilled a barometer in me that recognizes and reveres authentic improv. He taught me improv doesn’t have to be funny, that by definition it is theatre made up in the moment and can be dramatic, poignant, honest and breathtaking. Together, we created an array of shows and magic such as: THE MELANIE GAME (an autobiographical improv), NIGHT OF THE MUTANT HAROLD (deconstructing the famous format he had created years before) and TALKING TO OURSELVES: WITH & WITHOUT MELANIE (where the use of monologues in improv verged on performance art). Del & I were kindred spirits, our relationship was one of love, mutual admiration and creation. His death was a meteor crash in my life and it took me years of swimming through unspeakable darkness to find light.
More than a lifetime later- after a globetrotting pilgrimage to find myself- the universe dropped me exactly where I needed to be- Palm Springs- a vivacious community of artists and creatives. Thriving as Palm Springs was, I had a striking realization, there was no improv here. It seemed an obvious hole that needed filling, a world that needed building. So with Del’s spirit alive inside me and my little whisper of a dream- I set out to create an improv scene here in the valley!
And here we are- 7 years later and it’s all happening. I’ve taught enough classes over the years to breed an entire community of improvisers ready to play! Now, thanks to the awesome visionaries at the Joslyn Center (Alex Garcia, Greg Murphy & Tomm Belanich) we have a home! I’ve aptly named our venue THE SCENE because that’s exactly what it is- an inclusive scene of improvisers, actors, artists, misfits, playful personalities and truth seekers.

Amazingly, while I’ve been building my little empire here in the valley- the world is evolving to embrace improv more as well! There is definitely something to be said for universal consciousness! Improv becomes more mainstream every single day. We’ve got improvisers winning Emmy’s, Oscar’s and making movies and tv shows that are fully improvised. We’ve got improv training in our corporate world, our senior centers, our hospitals and our schools. I’ve been lucky enough to teach improv in all of those environments and can honestly say the therapeutic value of improv is unparalleled and the world is finally seeing that!
Improv makes us better humans.
Also, as Del always said, Improv IS an art form in and of itself. Improv IS the final product & the main attraction. Del Close and Bernie Sahlins of The Second City had an ongoing dispute about whether improv could ever be more than just a tool to develop sketch comedy. Del believed it could and that improv can stand on its own as a performance. Del would be amused that the world has finally caught up to him.
Speaking of, I attended the very first ever IMPROVCON (thank you Chris ‘Jazz’ Colthurst) this year in San Diego and I felt Del’s work absolutely everywhere there. Finally, a convention for improvisers- the art of, the business of, the history of, the training of, and the unifying love of IMPROV! It was life-changing. There were spellbinding, heart wrenching, silly, vibrant-and yes, even funny- improv performances throughout the weekend. My heart burst open and I felt a great sense of pride.

Del Close used to compare improv to jazz-the connection, the collaboration, the spontaneity and the transcendence. I think we are universally moving into the realization that improv is absolutely everywhere, and we are better for it. We are, all of us, improvising at life every single day. Stumbling and succeeding, learning and growing, looking for meaning and connection. All of us just making it up as we go along, supporting each other, riffing off each other and finding the rhythms & patterns & meaning in the moments. Improv teaches us to be present and to listen with a willingness to be changed. I don’t think there’s a more underused or undervalued skill in life- truly being there and listening to each other with our ears, our eyes, our hearts and our souls. Listening with everything.

What I am building with THE SCENE is a place for improv to live and to thrive in an already artistically rich valley. It was a missing component of the theatre & arts scene here in Palm Springs. I hope THE SCENE can create community and ignite passion for this extraordinary art form. Improv truly lives at the heart of all creation. Master of improv- David Pasquesi- once said that when we perform improv, we are creating something, in the moment, that exists fully in the final stage of evolution, and I absolutely believe that.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Follow your dreams. Do the thing. Dream big and dream audaciously. Del Close used to say “Follow the fear”. It’s taken me years to realize, it’s absolutely the same thing

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Themelanieblue.com