Staff Writer
Improv group allows pursuit of passion
Both were his passions growing up and he has found a way to, once again, have both in his life.
John Kalinowski knew he wanted to be a lawyer since middle school. The University of Florida Levin College of Law graduate has been with the State Attorney’s Office since 2001. He also developed a passion for improvisation as an undergraduate theater major at UF. While he found that both passions can benefit each other, he stepped away from acting when he joined the State Attorney’s Office.
“Out of law school, I really focused on my job and spent most of my time thinking about it or preparing,” said Kalinowski. “I was working too many hours to consider it.”
Four years later, he discovered the Improv Jacksonville group and, after settling into his job, set aside time for rehearsals and performances.
“While I’m still working the same amount of hours and dedicated to the practice of law, I have been able to carve out some time for the group. I enjoy it. It helps balance me out,” he said.
He is assigned to the State Attorney’s homicide/major crimes unit, which is more intense than performing in front of a live audience while creating the show on the spot in a pizza shop.
“It can be a challenge,” said Kalinowski, of the new home of the Mad Cowford Improv troupe, Northstar Substation on Bay Street. “I’ve performed in a variety of venues, dorms, bars, big halls, and every location has its own challenges.”
Improv relies on the participation of the audience, and, currently, the group’s challenge is to draw the audience’s attention from their food long enough to help create the show. The audience helps shape the performances by telling the actors, for example, what famous person they are portraying, what job their character has and what environment they are performing in.
While the menu can distract the audience, Kalinowski really likes performing at Northstar Substation.
“People really don’t know that something like this exists,” he said. “With the big open windows at the front of the restaurant, people can look in at what’s going on and we get a lot of business that way. They get curious and come back the next week.”
The location also makes for a short commute for Kalinowski after work. The State Attorney’s Office is a block away and the Duval County Courthouse is two blocks away, which puts both stages in his life quite close to each other. While the decorum in the courtroom is the opposite of what happens at a Mad Cowford Improv performance, Kalinowski benefits from both experiences.
“The more I can be in front of people, the more comfortable I am in that situation,” said Kalinowski. “There is a lot that happens in the courtroom that you have to improvise and adapt to. No matter how much you prepare, you have to be able to react and this helps.”
Kalinowski’s unshakable demeanor is appreciated by other members of the group.
“John always has a calm head,” said Bill Welch, vice president of marketing and a player in the group. “It’s a group effort and we spend a lot of time together, and, sometimes, we don’t always agree on how things should be done. So it’s good to have that calming effect that John brings.”
Mad Cowford Improv performs every Friday at Northstar Substation at 8 p.m. For information on how to join the group go to www.myspace.com/madcowford.
356-2466