Spitfire Spotlight: Doug Harwood
What's your day job?
I'm a physical therapist assistant at an outpatient clinic and home health agency.
Do you have any hobbies outside of improv?
I love sailing, yoga, fitness, and healthy living in general. I enjoy reading self-help, sci-fi, fiction, historical fiction, and, of course, improv books.
What drew you to improv?
I love the TV versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway and comedy in many forms. A friend who also plays at Spitfire told me about Spitfire Theater and the classes being offered, and it was a no-brainer. I'm here to get out of my head and break out of my long-suffered shell.
What do you like to do most on stage?
My knee-jerk style of comedy tends toward the crude, but I honestly like making scenes that are both funny and smart. I don't know if I do it well, but I love it when a line comes through as an intelligent choice.
Doug playing Speechless in Whose Line, where he must improvise a speech with a slideshow he’s never seen before.
What makes a good scene in your opinion?
Strong character choices, strong points of view, and good synchronicity between the players (all of which I'm working hard to do right). It doesn't always have to be about the guffaw. I love the craft of improv and seeing good players combine funny and serious to create a realistic snapshot of life.
What's the most memorable moment you've had at Spitfire?
My first Whose Line show, Austin Culp and I were doing a game where we had to talk as one person as an expert on a topic, microbiology if I recall. We were being interviewed by Trish and she asked us what the smallest thing we know of is, and we looked at each other and said without missing a beat, "your brain." The photo from Austin's spotlight is from that exact scene.
How would you explain Spitfire shows to someone who's never been?
It's comedy in an unexpected way. The lack of a script makes the personalities of the players show through, so you get to see a little of the real people as well as the scenes they create.
How would you describe the Spitfire community in 5 words or less?
Insanely creative, artistic, spontaneous, outlandish.
Doug playing Airplane with Gabe and Paul in Whose Line St Pete.
You can see Doug perform in Whose Line St Pete. He’s also on the team Leveling Up and regularly comes to our 1st and 4th Wednesday workshops, The Cypher and The St Pete Improv Jam.