First Round Draft is a tacit reference to the first graduating class of the We Could Be Heroes school of improv comedy. A side project of some of the WCBH players, First Round Draft balances innovation with solid, fundamental play to stretch our players' abilities without injuring anyone.

Of course, we have to say that. If we said we offered a buffet of tepid, unchallenging pablum served up by unmotivated players just going through the motions and phoning it in, ... uh ... well, you probably wouldn't come out to see us. Which would be pretty sad, really. Which is not to say that we know anyone doing that. Even if we did, we wouldn't mention it. That would be catty.

Anyway, there are a bunch of troupes in Austin which kick ass, um, excel in their respective genres. Barprov, experimental theatre, game-oriented short form improv, scene-oriented short form improv, long form improv, thematic improv, sketch comedy, and even traditional comedy and drama. Where we fall in this comedic constellation depends on what we feel we need to work on at any given moment.

Why? The primary goal of First Round Draft is to develop our players' skills through compelling and innovative performance (wow, that sounds like it was just excreted by some MBA candidate showing off his 1337 m15510n 57473m3n7 5ki11z. Or something.) Our players come from the Johnstone school of improvisational theatre which focuses more on scenework and the dramatic than on games and audience participation. This isn't a value judgment; realistically, we can't (and don't want to) compete with troupes whose forté is game-oriented short form improvisational comedy. We've done it, we've learned from it, we had fun, it's time to move on.

So what does this all mean? What can you expect from one of our shows? We could give you that standard, wry improv answer "I don't know; maybe we'll find out..." but that's a cheap and easy out. At a guess, you'll probably see directed scenework with a few games pitched in to balance the show. Then again, if we're field-testing a new format or working on a themed show, it could emphasize spacework and non-verbal communication as in our show The Silent Treatment. You probably won't see a lot of poo jokes or an evening of stock improv games or naked people slapping themselves with meat or a Gilbert and Sullivan sendup of "The Gulag Archipelago." Probably. Though if you've heard rumors that we're crossing Mobile Suit Gundam with Battleship Potemkin to create Mobile Suit Potemkin, we cannot confirm or deny them, save that if the project ever sees the light of day, it will be mercifully short.

Or we're lying through our teeth and we live out our days in mortal fear that someone will soon discover we have no idea what we're doing.

And that we like it that way...