The Care Bear Stare
| The Care Bear Stare | |
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| Theater | The Hideout Theatre |
| Directed by | |
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| Initial Run | Jun 2013 |
| Subsequent Run(s) | Jun 2014 |
The Care Bear Stare was an improv format inspired by the Care Bears cartoons and the planning for the 44 Hour Improv Marathon.
History
In a fit of zeal, first time producer Ryan Hill posted on his Facebook wall that he would do anything the Marathon players asked. Lisa Jackson seized the opportunity and said that she wanted to see her friends, Roy Janik and John Ratliff, and her husband, Josh Gill, in Care Bear costumes. In the spirit of improv, Ryan and Roy (the Artistic Director of the Marathon) decided to make it happen.
John and Josh were quickly on-board and Cat Drago, who regularly watched the entire Marathon, was also recruited to play a Care Bear. Ryan did some research and concocted a skeleton of a format with Roy, where the Care Bears assisted the Marathon players (playing heightened versions of themselves) with their problems. The Care Bear characters chosen by the players were more grown up and comical, playing off of the extreme schmaltz of the actual Care Bear cartoons. Ryan designed and purchased custom t-shirts with some of the Care Bears belly symbols on them. He also procured fake bear ears to round out the minimalist costumes.
The show in hour 40 of the 44 Hour Improv Marathon was well-received. Michael Joplin, a Marathon player, was also recruited to be a Care Bear. Roy sported a shirt with a smiling sun on it (originally Funshine Bear's symbol), and played "Desperately Cheerful Bear," who always thought things were going just great, no matter how bad they got. Josh wore a shirt with a crescent moon on it (originally Bedtime Bear's symbol) and played "Blaze Bear," who explained in detail how to use marijuana and hash to assist in dealing with problems. Michael Joplin had a rainbow symbol (originally Cheer Bear's symbol) on his shirt and played "Gay Bear," who worked out a lot and solved problems through dating. Cat wore a shirt with a rain cloud symbol (originally Grumpy Bear's symbol) and played "My Parents Didn't Love Me Enough Bear." John wore the shirt with a heart on it (originally Tenderheart Bear's symbol) and played "Rationalize Everything Until It Gets Better Bear." Kaci Beeler commented, "It was way better than it had any right to be."
The show was brought back for the The 45-Hour Improv Marathon. Kareem Badr and Lisa Jackson were added into the array of Care Bears. Some Care Bear characters reprised their roles from the previous year, some had pre-meditated their characters, and some made theirs up on the spot. There were new t-shirts, a few custom designed for specific characters, and new ears.
Media
Videos
- The show in the 44 Hour Marathon.
More Information
- The characters that inspired the format.
