This story about the Made-Up Theater was first broadcast during the live Ohlone Tri-City News program on December 7, 2022.
Sean Siquig, Reporter
Andrei Domantay, Photographer
REPORTER (V/O):
The Made Up Theater on Washington Boulevard has been around since before the pandemic. What is it like to start performing in improv?
Grant Ewing, Staff & Performer:
I’ve never done improv outs ide of made up theater. This is my first and really only space. I was teaching and realizing I don’t have a chance to really do theater anymore because the services are just so time consuming. So taking a class once a week was really doable.
Victoria M., Performer:
Well, I actually am trained as a scientist, so I had no experience in improv whatsoever.
REPORTER (V/O):
Since 2018, Made Up Theatre has changed locations, now existing on the second story above a coffee shop, which is one of Fremont’s oldest buildings, built back in 1889.
Grant Ewing, Staff & Performer:
Getting to be above a coffee shop in a historical area of Fremont definitely gives the whole space a really intimate and like high culture. Feel like to know that you’re performing in a space it’s over 100 years old is such an amazing feeling as well as like we now have a much fuller set up of lights. We’re able to stream our shows online. We have our classes have expanded hugely. We got Venmo and QR codes on everything.
REPORTER:
Covid-19 had an impact on many small businesses around the world. How did Made Up Theatre’s owners adapt during quarantine from their usual hosting of weekly in-person improv shows?
Sean Taylor, Co-Owner & Improv Coach:
Like all theaters, comedy venues, concert halls, you know, we had to stop in person activities and shows, and that was really tough for us because we had only done in-person events and shows. As the weeks went by, we were like, We need to adapt to this. This is going to last for a while. So what we did is we just started doing shows from our living room.
REPORTER (V/O):
Improv is just one form of entertainment through acting; so what intrigues actors to participate in improv?
Sean Taylor, Co-Owner & Improv Coach:
You know, our connection here wasn’t very good. We had an okay connection in our house. So we just did shows every Saturday night at a pay what you want, kind of like ticket fee to come check us out. And it was very odd, you know, not to have that audience participation, that feeling of like like, you know, getting validation from an audience. And, you know, it’s something that especially during the pandemic, we didn’t have. So I think, you know, a lot of people said, you know, oh, my gosh, I really miss this, you know, having to do shows online via Zoom or just any anything without a live audience to give you that immediate feedback, you know, was so missing during the pandemic. So now we get to kind of re explore, you know, our connection with a live in-person audience. And that has kind of just been, you know, such a breath of fresh air for these people who have been kind of deprived of it for the past two plus years. There’s a lot of things I like about I love the relationship that you develop with your fellow performers, and I love that feeling of being surprised as and being able to surprise them.
Grant Ewing, Staff & Performer:
Because I’m so used to like scripted theater where you’re like, you have your lines, you might have to improvise if something goes off, but there’s a very clear narrative you’re heading to and there’s a saying in improv, it’s like, if you know you’re going, you’re already too far. Like you’re you’re you’re out of the space, you know, you’re going like it’s not improv anymore.
REPORTER (V/O):
The Made Up Theatre offers private improv coaching for those interested in becoming more experienced.
Sean Taylor, Co-Owner & Improv Coach:
This is an interactive improv comedy experience in our classes as well. You get to learn the skills that we utilize on stage, but the skills that we utilize on stage aren’t just for comedy or acting. They’re also very helpful for professional development. Personal development people take our classes, they take it maybe to be an actor or a comedian and our performers, as they go through our levels, you know, we might take performers from our classes or do auditions. And, you know, coming year is kind of like their escape for the week. You know, not all of them have like the ambitions to, like, you know, go to L.A. and become an actor. This is just a place where they get to have a creative outlet and, you know, express themselves.
Made Up Theatre is an improv comedy venue. We have shows every week. We teach classes, we do teambuilding and private events. It’s essentially, you know, something to do in Fremont that is something that it can be very lacking right now. And it’s something I’m happy to provide for the last ten plus years.
REPORTER (V/O):
This is Sean Siquig for Ohlone Tri-City news.
Dec 7 2022
Made-Up Theater
This story about the Made-Up Theater was first broadcast during the live Ohlone Tri-City News program on December 7, 2022.
Sean Siquig, Reporter
Andrei Domantay, Photographer
REPORTER (V/O):
The Made Up Theater on Washington Boulevard has been around since before the pandemic. What is it like to start performing in improv?
Grant Ewing, Staff & Performer:
I’ve never done improv outs ide of made up theater. This is my first and really only space. I was teaching and realizing I don’t have a chance to really do theater anymore because the services are just so time consuming. So taking a class once a week was really doable.
Victoria M., Performer:
Well, I actually am trained as a scientist, so I had no experience in improv whatsoever.
REPORTER (V/O):
Since 2018, Made Up Theatre has changed locations, now existing on the second story above a coffee shop, which is one of Fremont’s oldest buildings, built back in 1889.
Grant Ewing, Staff & Performer:
Getting to be above a coffee shop in a historical area of Fremont definitely gives the whole space a really intimate and like high culture. Feel like to know that you’re performing in a space it’s over 100 years old is such an amazing feeling as well as like we now have a much fuller set up of lights. We’re able to stream our shows online. We have our classes have expanded hugely. We got Venmo and QR codes on everything.
REPORTER:
Covid-19 had an impact on many small businesses around the world. How did Made Up Theatre’s owners adapt during quarantine from their usual hosting of weekly in-person improv shows?
Sean Taylor, Co-Owner & Improv Coach:
Like all theaters, comedy venues, concert halls, you know, we had to stop in person activities and shows, and that was really tough for us because we had only done in-person events and shows. As the weeks went by, we were like, We need to adapt to this. This is going to last for a while. So what we did is we just started doing shows from our living room.
REPORTER (V/O):
Improv is just one form of entertainment through acting; so what intrigues actors to participate in improv?
Sean Taylor, Co-Owner & Improv Coach:
You know, our connection here wasn’t very good. We had an okay connection in our house. So we just did shows every Saturday night at a pay what you want, kind of like ticket fee to come check us out. And it was very odd, you know, not to have that audience participation, that feeling of like like, you know, getting validation from an audience. And, you know, it’s something that especially during the pandemic, we didn’t have. So I think, you know, a lot of people said, you know, oh, my gosh, I really miss this, you know, having to do shows online via Zoom or just any anything without a live audience to give you that immediate feedback, you know, was so missing during the pandemic. So now we get to kind of re explore, you know, our connection with a live in-person audience. And that has kind of just been, you know, such a breath of fresh air for these people who have been kind of deprived of it for the past two plus years. There’s a lot of things I like about I love the relationship that you develop with your fellow performers, and I love that feeling of being surprised as and being able to surprise them.
Grant Ewing, Staff & Performer:
Because I’m so used to like scripted theater where you’re like, you have your lines, you might have to improvise if something goes off, but there’s a very clear narrative you’re heading to and there’s a saying in improv, it’s like, if you know you’re going, you’re already too far. Like you’re you’re you’re out of the space, you know, you’re going like it’s not improv anymore.
REPORTER (V/O):
The Made Up Theatre offers private improv coaching for those interested in becoming more experienced.
Sean Taylor, Co-Owner & Improv Coach:
This is an interactive improv comedy experience in our classes as well. You get to learn the skills that we utilize on stage, but the skills that we utilize on stage aren’t just for comedy or acting. They’re also very helpful for professional development. Personal development people take our classes, they take it maybe to be an actor or a comedian and our performers, as they go through our levels, you know, we might take performers from our classes or do auditions. And, you know, coming year is kind of like their escape for the week. You know, not all of them have like the ambitions to, like, you know, go to L.A. and become an actor. This is just a place where they get to have a creative outlet and, you know, express themselves.
Made Up Theatre is an improv comedy venue. We have shows every week. We teach classes, we do teambuilding and private events. It’s essentially, you know, something to do in Fremont that is something that it can be very lacking right now. And it’s something I’m happy to provide for the last ten plus years.
REPORTER (V/O):
This is Sean Siquig for Ohlone Tri-City news.
By Webmaster • Stories