Gearing up for Phoenix Improv Festival

At Six Flags (Credit: Nicki Escudero/Metromix)

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Improv is one of my favorite art forms to watch in the Valley, and lucky for you, the Phoenix Improv Festival showcases some of the best improv from around the country all weekend long.

The basic premise is that audience members give performers random suggestions that the troupes then turn into theatrical, humorous scenes grounded in reality that often take bizarre turns.

Tickets to the fest are pretty cheap, at only $10 for more than four hours of improv on Thursday night by almost 10 local troupes.

Friday and Saturday, there are two shows each night, and it’s $15 per show. These feature national performers and some more great local actors.

Live music candy: After the festival, I’ll be headed to see James Morrison at Martini Ranch. If you haven’t already heard this young Brit’s tunes on shows like “The Hills,” head to www.myspace.com/jamesmorrisonmusic now to check out the soulful pop singer. He’ll be playing Coachella on Saturday before coming to Scottsdale, and I am so stoked to see this talented guy in such an intimate venue. Tickets are $23.

Just like a teenager: On an unrelated note, this past weekend I headed to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif. (only about a five-and-a-half to six-and-a-half hour drive depending on your speed.) Amid all the talks of Six Flags’ stock plummeting, I really wanted to go in case the park closed from financial troubles. (Read more about that here.)

I went on a Monday, which was seriously the perfect time to go. The whole morning, there were no waits for any of the rides—it was almost as if I had the park to myself.

Mid-afternoon, there were more people in the park, but I still never waited more than 15 minutes for a ride, other than the X2, the park’s most thrilling ride. That one, which spins your seat in circles as you go on the track, was about a half-hour wait.

We stayed at a Best Western about three minutes away from the park, and it was a really cost-efficient little vacay that was so reminiscent of all those high school church trips I took.

The new Terminator Salvation wooden roller coaster ride opens Memorial Day weekend, but if you can, I’d highly recommend going on a weekday to avoid long lines.