We welcome summer and all its blockbusters with this edition of Video Extras, featuring Mike Kane and his story about Star Wars. More specifically, Mike’s story, from our May 2015 show, The Mamas and the Papas: stories about moms, dads, and kids, is about taking his girls to an “epic” Star Wars parade. Watch the video below and then dive into Mike’s bag of storytelling and Jedi mind tricks.
Mary: What’s your process for developing a story to perform?
Mike: Typically, I find myself telling them to friends — not like I’m rehearsing them, but just telling them a story of what happened to me last weekend or, “the time that BLANK happened.” Once I’ve found myself telling it a fifth, maybe sixth time, it occurs to me that the story is entertaining enough to tell on stage. Then I start to work through the story on my own, crafting it, trying to make it tighter and tighter until the time of the performance.
Mary: What did you do to prepare to tell this story?
Mike: I kind of knew as we were driving home from the event that very day that this was a performance story. Obviously, we returned home and my wife asked me, “How was it?” As I was telling her what happened, I was sure this was something I wanted to perform. After that, it was a matter of a creating voices for the characters and editing out the fat in the story. I’ve told this story on stage in longer iterations before. I’ve trimmed it each time.
Mary: Were there any details you had to cut — either for time or they just didn’t fit the narrative — that you’d like to share?
Mike: At one point, Darth Vader removed his helmet during the lecture. When I told this beat in previous iterations, I realized that, as I described the man under the helmet, it sounded mean and judgmental. I find that stories about my kids don’t afford that sort of commentary. There was an innocence about this story that I liked…it was the simple misunderstanding of what the event was that made the situation funny. My judgments on what type of people would host an event like this are somewhat irrelevant, so I cut it.
Mary: Were there any moments when you performed the story that got a different reaction than you anticipated?
Mike: Not in this story. In fact, I love this story so much because it always does get the exact intended reactions. I have stories where moments that I think are hysterical get zero laughs and it leaves me scratching my head. Or it feels tight when I go through it in my head, but as I perform it, it feels like I’m rambling. In this one, I feel like the heart comes through where it’s supposed to. The laughs come at the appropriate time. And the irony seems to be realized as intended.
Mary: When was the first time you saw Star Wars?
Mike: My father took me out of kindergarten on the day Return of the Jedi was released. We went and saw a matinée together. It’s one of my favorite childhood memories. The other vivid memory I have is when my oldest daughter was five, I introduced her to Star Wars on DVD. We got less than 15 minutes through it before she wandered off. In her defense, it does feel like a slow burn by today’s standards.
Mary: On a scale of 1 (you’ve seen it once) to 10 (you’re a super-fan), how much do you like Star Wars?
Mike: I’m by no means a fanatic. Star Wars played a huge role in my childhood. I saw all of the movies countless times, collected the action figures, et cetera. But as I started to get older and my tastes matured, I’ve become less of a fan. Certainly the nostalgia of the original trilogy makes them seem more impactful than they really were.
Mary: Based on my observation of my friends, former co-workers, and ex-boyfriends, it seems that many men in their 30s or 40s wanted to be Han Solo when they were younger. Why do you think that is?
Mike: Do they? I was always more of a fan of Luke Skywalker. I think his archetype rings truer to young boys. I guess Han Solo’s archetype is more suited for a grown man. He’s kind of the drifter cowboy who has no roots, but when push comes to shove, can’t leave town if injustice happens to good people. He’s the space age version of Shane.
Mary: Ewoks — love them or hate them?
Mike: Totally love. The cool thing to say here is “hate”. But if you’re my age, you were five when Return of the Jedi came out. And if the Ewoks didn’t capture your heart, you don’t have a pulse.
Mary: What’s your opinion of Episodes 1-3?
Mike: They sucked. In fact, going back to the, “Are you a fanatic?” question, I think, had those movies really been done correctly, they could have recaptured the hearts of my generation and turned me into a lifelong fanatic. But they were so bad, I pretty much quit on the franchise. I never even saw the third one.
Mary: Are you looking forward to the new Star Wars movie?
Mike: YES! Early indications are that the movie was done RIGHT! So psyched!! (Now I sound like a fanatic again.)
Mary: Yes. Yes, you do. Moving on…When was the last time you dressed up in costume?
Mike: When I was like 10. Nothing rubs me the wrong way more than adult functions where people dress up. A lot of adults I know throw themed parties and you’re supposed to dress up as your favorite character or something. You’ll have to tell me how it was, because I’m not going.
My wife helps my girls with elaborate Halloween costumes. I love watching them get all decked out in their fairy gear or their princess costumes. That’s a whole different kettle of fish there.
Mary: What’s your nerdiest hobby or interest?
Mike: Fantasy football is pretty lame. But I do it…
Mary: When choosing one-day activities for your family, what’s the typical balance between your interests and your daughters’?
Mike: 99.9% their interests. The other .1% lands us at costume lectures at the public library.
