Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Agent, Codi Georges, Tami Alfasi, John Fairbairn and Sam Skolnik.
So, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We met as students at The Groundlings. We formed Grasping at Straws in July of 2018, and we have rehearsed at least once a week, every week since. We started solely as improvisers and now we perform sketch comedy and create digital content as well.
We spent seven months rehearsing before we even considered booking shows and venturing onstage. In those first seven months especially, we took a lot of time in and out of rehearsal getting to know one another better (beach days, trips to Six Flags, helping each other move…). Now our social lives are tightly intertwined (there are some weeks where we see each other more days than not) and it is because we put in the time to have real relationships with one another offstage that we can have such a strong group dynamic and an implicit trust in one another onstage.
Before every show, we pat each other on the back and say “I’ve got your back.” We’ve always meant it, but it took time to really feel and understand how important it is to know that if someone drops a line or really butchers a moment, the rest of us are there to break the fall and save the scene. Because at this point, we have all dropped lines and butchered moments. Many times.
Our style is defined by our unique sense of humor, and we put what makes us laugh on the highest pedestal. The main reason we decided to team up in the first place was because we can make each other laugh about the stupidest, smallest things for hours. It’s happened before that we’ve farted during rehearsal because we were laughing so hard. Okay, one of us did.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly, it has been a very smooth road! The only struggle that comes to mind would have to do with scheduling. We are five individuals with vastly different schedules, but we’ve somehow made it work. We’ve never canceled or bailed on a show. We treat Grasping at Straws like it is our own little start-up business, and we have eliminated many of the typical struggles faced by groups similar to us because of our commitment to each other and the group. We are building this thing in our garage during every free moment after work and on the weekends—we’re like the freakin’ Bill Gates of comedy!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Grasping at Straws – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We bring the laughs, baby! We’re a comedy group known for our big characters and our commitment to whatever the audience suggests. A blessing-in-disguise is our punctuality—we usually arrive to shows at least 30 minutes early because being late stresses all of us out a lot. That gives us ample time to warm-up and feel out the venue if we’ve never performed there before.
We are probably one of the only groups that perform short-form improv comedy in LA. Additionally, we stick to what is fun and we focus solely on what makes us laugh. We don’t go for the easy jokes. We make it very hard on ourselves. As difficult as possible.
We consider ourselves very lucky because we are a very drama-free group and we always take the time to make sure everyone’s voice is heard. We have equal partnership in every performance and in everything we produce. Everyone’s opinions are taken into consideration, no matter who is writing or performing in a sketch. In our most recent sketch show, A Straw is Born, we started with over twenty sketches before finally paring our options down to the final seven. And from there, the selected seven were all greatly influenced by each of our own unique comedic voices. Our general rule of thumb is: If all of us are not happy with the final product, we don’t do it.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We would like to continue providing our audience (READ: family and friends) with at least ten opportunities each month to see us on stage. In addition, we are hoping to have a residency by the end of the year where we can regularly produce a full-hour sketch show that runs for a month or two at a time. The Groundlings is a primary source of comedic inspiration for us, and we really admire how their shows are formatted—we would hope to do something similar. Also, we are looking into a nude theater. And one of us might get pregnant.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @strawscomedy
Image Credit:
Special thanks for photos to Jeff Hilliard, Eliza Hill, and Brynna Blaker.
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