Talk:Harold (improvisation)

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[edit] Purple Crayon

When first inserted, the Purple Crayon reference suggested that that the well-known children's book may have been the source of the name. That seemed like speculation, yet the connection, coincidental or not, seemed interesting enough to leave in. (If you've ever seen the book, it is remarkably improv-like.) The improv group here functions as proof that some people have made this connection, that it's not just original research. (I have no connection to the improv group or to Yale--I know nothing about them other than their name.) Nareek 12:43, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Up to his death, Del Close repeatedly said:

• The name Harold means nothing
• He regrets naming the form Harold, because it's silly and means nothing. He wondered how Eistein would have felt if the theory of relatively was named "George."

Theories about the Harold would be relevant if it were up to debate. Especially a college improv group's. It's as off topic as posting about the Poughkeepsie Community Players on a David Mamet page. Sandofsky 21:10, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

It's not a theory about where the name comes from--it's a connection between the name of the improv form and another cultural artifact that has been noted by some improvisers. It's not unlike the way the wiki article (I assume) notes that the origin of the name is in a Hawaiian taxi stand, but that other people interpret as meaning "what I know is". It seems like the sort of surprising connection that is appropriate to an article about improv. I think it would make Del Close happy. Nareek 23:14, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

One group's feelings aren't pertinant to the Harold. The story behind a Beatles cover band in Tuscon is irrelevant when talking about the Beatles. Start a subsection about its effects on the improv world, and supply more examples. Otherwise, it looks like a plug for a group nobody has heard of or cares about.Sandofsky 02:05, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

I think the Yale improv troupe:Tuscon cover band analogy is inapt. A cover band is an imitation of a band, whereas an improv troupe is really doing the Harold; Tuscon is not known for its music scene, whereas Yale is one of the country's most prestigious drama schools.

But the claim is not that the Yale improv troupe is notable; the claim is that the synchonicity between the randomly chosen name and the famous children's book character is remarkable. To say that it's not relevant because it's not what Del Close had in mind is like saying that an improv is a failure because it's not what the person who shouted the word out had in mind. The improv troupe functions simply as a footnote showing that some people who participate in improv make this connection, that it's not simply OR. Nareek 12:51, 30 August 2006 (UTC)