The Rose's dating show parody at Upright Citizens Brigade's DCM improv fest in NYC June 14th
"Notarized" filmmaker Natalia Rubio among troupe members
By D Menzies
In 2018, Mary Chauvin created and directed “The Rose: Pleasure Lagoon” at ColdTowne Theater in Austin, Texas. The improv parody of dating reality shows debuted to sold-out crowds, and director and improv teacher Amy Knop would produce the next year’s spin-off, “The Rose: Trouble in Paradise,” and has been a fixture of the troupe’s seasons ever since — including The Rose performing in Upright Citizens Brigade’s Del Close Marathon’s in NYC, (UCB Theatre, 242 E 14th Street) on Sunday, June 14th at 11:30 a.m on the main stage.
“What I love about The Rose is it brings together a diverse set of performers from across Austin’s vibrant improv comedy scene to make an incisive parody of reality TV franchises like ‘The Bachelor,’” Knop said.
One guidepost of The Rose is to do what not many reality dating shows have, and that’s explore relationships beyond heteronormativity.
“Co-director Tiana Stuart and I look for players who can bring big characters to the stage but also fearlessly support, share focus with, and listen to their scene partners,” Knop said. “I’m always astounded each season at how quickly our cast comes together to make magical chemistry on stage happen; it could have been scripted but it wasn’t.”
Knop has also been intrigued by exploring the nature of reality TV — “something that purports to be ‘real’ but is actively edited and produced toward a certain narrative,” Knop said. “So we also explore that with behind-the-scenes moments in testimonial booths where performers can really let their interior motivation shine. Everyone is so funny and talented -- and most importantly a supportive scene partner!”
One of those scene partners is Natalia Rubio, who earlier this year shepherded her first short film, “Notarized,” with some of the skills she had honed as actor and performer shining through.
“I initially started taking improv classes because I wanted to start acting,” Rubio said. “When I had first moved to Austin, I looked up affordable acting classes and the first thing that came up was the Diversity Scholarship at the Hideout Theater. I applied that night and I’ve been performing ever since. Improv appealed to me mostly because it’s a fun and collaborative art form. I get to be part of a team that makes each other —and hopefully the audience — laugh. I particularly enjoyed learning at the Hideout because of their emphasis on narrative improv. They specialize in improvised plays and narrative storytelling, which is right up my alley.”
A few months before Rubio joined the cast of The Rose, she became a founding member of the troupe Misterios (having their season finale performance in Austin on June 12th, FYI).
“I auditioned for and joined the cast of The Rose a few months after (that). This was in the fall of 2024,” Rubio said. “I was interested in The Rose due to its narrative nature. It’s essentially an improvised parody of The Bachelor and other dating style reality shows. I get to create a character and develop them throughout the show. It’s fast-paced yet deeply relational and I have a great experience every time I get to be in it. The cast is also incredibly talented and some of the funniest people I know. Most of the fun for me is honestly just getting to watch my castmates perform.”
This dynamic underlies what Rubio believes is the main principal for improv — one that may not be so obvious as to why it works so well when it does, to someone outside of it and on some level used to seeing “me, me, me!” cultural norms
“For me, (that’s) understanding that we are working as a team,” Rubio said. “It’s not a group of people where each person is trying to be the funniest person on stage. It’s a group of people who are helping each other create a story and build off of each other. Being in a troupe is mostly about listening to each other and paying attention to each other’s behaviors. The best improv is authentic and that can only happen when you genuinely react to what is happening in front of you. The best part is that the more you work together, the funnier the show ends up being anyway.”
“… Questioning power structures with comedy that punches up”
For Knop, The Rose and third spaces (a social environment that isn’t home or work) where improv can be performed have a particular resonance.
“As performers, exploring an artform (improv) that centers authentic connection, listening, and levity feels significant,” Knop said. “Third spaces in communities are dwindling — except maybe on pickleball courts — and having reasons to connect with each other in-person as performers and audiences feels grounding. We know that audiences are looking for a laugh — but also art reflects and provides a space to digest the times we’re in.”
Knop says that even as The Rose is parodying a silly reality TV show, “the larger social power structures behind it often come up — whether an in-character stage manager explains to The Rose contestants why they’re not covered by OSHA for their sky-diving date, or the Bachelor questions the network’s insistence upon getting married immediately as the only type of love. Theater can be an easy entry-point to laughing at, and questioning, the absurdity of it all, while being together in-person in a supportive atmosphere builds community networks.”
Knop has a postcard on her desk with a statement credited to Sarah Crowell of the Destiny Arts Center:
“We make art to reimagine the world and deconstruct systems that don’t work for everyone.”
“Improv comedy may feel like a silly way to do that (make the world better for everyone) but by activating imaginations, encouraging creativity, building social networks, and questioning power structures with comedy that punches up, I believe we can do that,” Knop said.
The Rose lineup for June 14th’s performance is comprised of Adam Mueller, Alisa Hernández, Knop, Bobby Austin, Doy Roberts, Kim Egner, Louis Birdsong, Mary Hayes (tech),Rubio, Rachael Empson, Rebecca Andrews, Scarlett Bell, and Nidhi Reddy.
Learn more about The Rose cast and buy passes for UCB’s DCM26 at https://ucbcomedy.com/show/the-rose-austin-tx/. The Rose is also on Instagram @TheRoseImprov.
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