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DRiBBLE FUNK: THE SHOW

"McEntire achieves, nay, creates new levels of hilarity..." ~ The Dallas Observer

"Brad McEntire is easily as funny as Jenna Jameson, and he looks better dousing himself onstage. If the legit entertainment profession won't have him, porn should snap him up as soon as they can" ~ Armistad Smathers, AVN

"McEntire's knack for creating intricate story arcs, wacky characters and surprise angles on audience suggestions isn't to be missed." ~ The Dallas Observer

"More than once, the audience finds itself unable to stop laughing." ~ Dallas Morning News

what the hell is "Dribble Funk?"

Dribble Funk is a completely improvised (i.e. NOT scripted) solo performance format developed by Brad McEntire in early 2005. The piece lasts up to 45 minutes, and starts with a short, informal Q and A with an audience member. This chat becomes the fodder for a spontaneous performance. During the Dribble Funk, the solo performer portrays multiple characters in a cascading, interrelated network of improvised scenes, songs, monologues, abstractions and audience interactions that evolve into unexpected multipronged story arcs. The structure of the format continues to evolve with each performance.

a history of sorts...

I performed sketch comedy and long-form improvisation for a number of years. Booking these groups into festivals and venues around the country became, I noticed, a pain in the ass. Sketch involved coordinating rehearsals with everyone, supplying travel and lodging for multiple troop members, including transporting and storing props, setting up tech rehearsals, and a hundred other logistics that had nothing to do with the actual performance. Improv groups were the same (except for the props). People inevitably complained or became upset and the shows suffered.

I began searching for a very portable alternative that would also offer more challenge for me personally. What could I do with no props, and for that matter, nobody else on stage. I began doing traditional scripted solo theatre work around this time. I'd heard of Andy Eninger and his Sybil format in 2003 or 2004 (I later directed one of his plays). I never saw him perform solo, but I figured hey, if someone is doing it... About this same time, my friend Bearded Lamb also began doing solo improv. I discovered the actual sub-arcana of solo improvisation is pretty scarce. After all, who'd be crazy enough to actually do this stuff? Improv is rough enough with a whole group of people.

Solo improv brought with it lots of technique/performance problems regular improvisers never have to deal with. I figured the best thing to do was workshop it. I believe in process and experimentation and by running the beast in front of live audiences I could constantly tweak, rearrange, re-develope and whittle away at it. I got to work on DRiBBLE FUNK to create a completely original solo-improvised format that includes multiple characters, multi-pronged story arcs, unique interactions with the audience, live music, and interactive artworks. The goal was to develop a fast-paced, utterly original hybrid theatrical event: a unique celebration that is an abstraction of ordinary long-form improvisation!

For a time, in late 2005 and early 2006, I teamed up with a kick-ass guitarist, Mr. Jaymes Gregory (who's a performer in his own right). Mr. Gregory accompanied the performance with an improvised score as I unfolded a refracted, cascading improvisation. Mr. Gregory and I took this version of the DRIBBLE FUNK to various venues in the Dallas area. Then, Mr. Gregory bailed on a show and I realized in order for it to be truly solo improvisation I'd have to keep developing the format. The addition of live music, especially as an opener to the evening, however, proved integral.

For any wayward souls remotely interested, the show was initially workshopped at Dallas' WEst End Comedy Theatre in February and March of 2005. I've left the original premise of this unique one-man show below:

DRiBBLE FUNK: The Show (the genesis) is made up of two sections. Section one is composed of a rotating menu of short written and conceptual pieces- rants, songs, audience interactions, monologues, sing-alongs, puppets, etc.- think of it like a sketch comedy troupe, except it's just one poor guy doing all the sketches. The second section of the show is improvisation. Stuff starts with a short chat, maybe a Q & A, or some other interaction with an audience member or members. McEntire uses this as a springboard into a completely improvised (i.e. NOT scripted) set with multiple characters, interweaving relationships, and inter-related storylines. Sometimes it comes off like a brick shit-house. Sometimes it comes off like that, but without the brick and house modifiers.

I call what I do "performance art" and other times I refer to the work as "solo performance." Labels rarely do justice to what they are describing and being categorized as a "performance artist" is rough, because, well, as soloist Kristina Wong puts it "performance artists are like the Kenny G.'s of the arts world." The show's kind of Andy Kaufman/early Steve Martin meets Kids in the Hall meets ImprovOlympic meets Winston Churchill*!

for performance dates and times, click here.

* I just threw in the Winston Churchill reference as an extra...(*)

(*) ...like a small wonderful prize you find in a Crackerjacks box. [*]

[*] Does anyone still eat Crackerjacks?