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Improv Comedy

Apr 3, 2013

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Stage· 122 messages
Apr 3, 2013
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Peter Crysdale · 9:00 PM

Hi Nannette!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:00 PM

Hi Peter, Nannette here. :)
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Peter Crysdale · 9:00 PM

Thank you for joining us today!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:01 PM

My pleasure. You'll have to forgive me if I'm a slow typist and make some mistakes. This is certainly a new sort of interview for me.
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Peter Crysdale · 9:01 PM

Not a problem!
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Peter Crysdale · 9:02 PM

I wonder if we could start by just having you tell us a little about yourself
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:02 PM

Sure.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:04 PM

As you can see from my profile listing above, my name Nannette Deasy Baumgardner and I am the Artistic Director of IRTE, the Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:05 PM

As you can see from my profile above, I am Nannette Deasy Baumgardner, the Artistic Director of IRTE, the Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble.
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Peter Crysdale · 9:05 PM

Great!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:05 PM

Oops, sorry for the repeat. Having a little trouble with the keyboard
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Peter Crysdale · 9:06 PM

So how did you become the Director of an Improv theatre
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Peter Crysdale · 9:06 PM

surely those positions are few and far between
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:06 PM

We are an ensemble of comedy actors and writers who develop, produce and perform a season of original themed improvisational shows and video sketches, following the basic model of traditional repertory theatre.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:06 PM

Well, I became the AD by starting my own company. :)
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Peter Crysdale · 9:07 PM

Well, that sounds like a great way to go about it!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:07 PM

I'd been a part of many other groups and companies before and found that a lot of them had been missing what I found interesting about improv and improvisational theatre
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Peter Crysdale · 9:08 PM

What was it that they were missing?
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Peter Crysdale · 9:08 PM

★ Spotlighted from Blake Ian

Hey Nanette! checked out your site... very cool. Love the design. http://npdeasy.wix.com/nannettedeasy

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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:08 PM

I'd actually been the AD of another improv company, but was frustretde that since it wasn't my own company, that it had another owner, I couldn't make the changes I thought was necessary to be succesful or interesting to me.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:09 PM

(By the way, thanks, Blake!)
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Peter Crysdale · 9:09 PM

So let's take a step back
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Peter Crysdale · 9:09 PM

What inspired you to get into improv in the first place?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:09 PM

(Sorry, as I said I'm a slow typist)
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:10 PM

Okay, going back...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:10 PM

I am and have been an actor in NYC for many years. I first saw improv comedy at Chicago City Limits and thought it was hugely entertaining...
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Peter Crysdale · 9:11 PM

Still, it's a big leap!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:11 PM

So... I started taking classes there and at other theatrers...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:11 PM

improv is a great form of theatre because it is so immediate...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:12 PM

creating a scene, a character, a world from nothing...
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Peter Crysdale · 9:12 PM

I can imagine that, even for a trained actor, being on stage without a script can be extremely nerve racking!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:12 PM

but what you and your partners bring onstage right then and there..
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:13 PM

and it can also be hugely funny when played honestly and without self judgement
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:13 PM

Yes, very often, but it can also be very liberating
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Peter Crysdale · 9:14 PM

Was there a point at which you crossed the line from feeling scared to feeling liberated?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:14 PM

plus from a producers point of view, there's also much to be said about not having to worry about complicated light and set design, royalties, etc...
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Peter Crysdale · 9:14 PM

Or has it always felt liberating from the start?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:15 PM

The more you improvise, the more comfortable you can become. It's a muscle that can be trained
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:15 PM

No, at first it was terrifying!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:15 PM

Not being able to control everything
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:15 PM

but once you let go, it's like a ride
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Peter Crysdale · 9:16 PM

You mentioned the players on stage. There must be a strong bond between you and your fellow improvisors.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:16 PM

Acting is about listening and reacting. Improv really forces you to embrace that, because you don't have a set script to rely on.
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Peter Crysdale · 9:17 PM

How do you go about building an improv troupe and creating trust?
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Peter Crysdale · 9:17 PM

★ Spotlighted from Blake Ian

Trial by Fire!

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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:18 PM

Oh, yes, there is a bond. The members of IRTE and I have played together for years. Even though, IRTE was founded only last year, I have known the ensemble from other companies and theatre groups for years. Some of us continue to play in other
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:18 PM

non-IRTE shows, so we're very comfortable with each other
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Peter Crysdale · 9:19 PM

Do you ever accept new members? People that you don't know as well?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:21 PM

When I put together the group, I thought it was important to invite members who I already knew and had played with, who shared much of my sensibility and were interested in sharing the responsibility of production as well as the creative side. We're
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:21 PM

all co-producers because you have to be...
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Peter Crysdale · 9:22 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rachael Workman

Improv sounds like the scariest thing ever. I could never.

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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:23 PM

The group stays at roughly 8-9 people. If someone has to take a show (or even a season) off, they can, (hey, we're all working actors) and we invite other improvisers we know and have worked with to be a guest.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:23 PM

As was the case with two of our guest performers from last year, they so,etimes then become members of the regular ensemble
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:24 PM

Hi Rachael, well, as with other forms of performance, there are tools you can learn and train, so improv can become less scary and more invigorating
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Peter Crysdale · 9:25 PM

I guess improv isn't for everyone either. Do you think some people are more suited to it than others?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:26 PM

Maybe... If you like a certain amount of control in your life or want to be more of a solo artist, then improv probably wouldn't be much fun
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:26 PM

stand up maybe would be more enjoyable
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:27 PM

I like improv also because you can create any sort of show in the world without waiting for a playwright
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:27 PM

you just go ahead and do it.
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Peter Crysdale · 9:28 PM

Do you find there are certain themes or scenarios that come up frequently?
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Peter Crysdale · 9:28 PM

Certain scenarios that you know are always going to be funny so you keep coming back to them show after show.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:29 PM

It depends on what sort of situation you are talking about - do you mean when we ask for a suggestion in short-form or the genre shows we in IRTE put together?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:29 PM

Oh, you mean bits...
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Peter Crysdale · 9:29 PM

I do mean bits.
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Peter Crysdale · 9:29 PM

But you bring up a great poinr
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Peter Crysdale · 9:29 PM

*point
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:30 PM

Well, I'll talk about bits first...
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Peter Crysdale · 9:30 PM

How does "short-form" differ from the "genre shows"?
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Peter Crysdale · 9:30 PM

But yes, please address bits first
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:32 PM

Short-form is a game based improv show (like the TV show "Who's Line Is It, Anyway). The "genre" shows I'm referring to are long-form improvised shows that are like improvised plays, where there's a story that follows certain characters in a world.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:32 PM

For nstance...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:33 PM

The Groovy Gang Adventures is an improvised spoof of the Hanna Barbera mystery teen adventure cartoons of the 60s and 70s, like Scooby Doo and Josie and the Pussycat...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:33 PM

Groovy Gang is our show openng this Saturday at Gotham City Improv
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:33 PM

Now, back to bits...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:34 PM

As an improviser you generally want to stay in the moment and not plan things in advance. You'll get better scenes if you avoid pre-plannig. However, some shows that IRTE does, we might have characters that we've pre-established. For instance, in
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:36 PM

Groovy Gang I lay Lorna Blue, the "Velma" type spunky girl detective. Another actor plays Chompers, the anthropomorphic talking alligator drummer and another Clara, the spoiled rich girl..
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:37 PM

Now, we don't have bits (although we do have some choreography for our theme song - you'll have to see it - and a bit of choreography for a chase sequence to avoid physically running into each other and hurting someone), we don't pre-plan "jokes" or
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:38 PM

funny moments. We do, however, have strong characters with a strong world view point. So we do rehearse as these characters..
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:38 PM

At least for this show...
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Peter Crysdale · 9:39 PM

How do you rehearse a character with no lines?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:39 PM

Good question
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:40 PM

As long as you know who you are and how you feel about the other characters onstage with you and have a very strong view point, you can improvise just about any situation.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:40 PM

We do have a structure to improvise within, sort of like a 2 Act play
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Peter Crysdale · 9:41 PM

So do you rehearse together without an audience?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:41 PM

Oh yes. You have to
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Peter Crysdale · 9:41 PM

all in character, but improvising?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:41 PM

Yes
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Peter Crysdale · 9:41 PM

What does the structure look like?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:42 PM

We also have a director. Pat Shay is directing Groovy Gang
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Peter Crysdale · 9:42 PM

Is it like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style or does the show end the same way every time?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:43 PM

Oh boy, that's gonna be a long answer. :) It's like the outline of a play. It never ends the same way. It's very much like a choose your own adventure.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:43 PM

Now we are going to have 5 very different improvised comedy shows this season, so each one is going to have a different theme, genre, set up and structure
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:44 PM

but none end the same way. Its always a different show week to week.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:45 PM

For Groovy Gang, we start out asking the audience for 3 suggestions - their favorite Halloween costume (we then have them create a mask out of a paperbag and some markers - that becomes the villain's mask), a spooky location and a common fear.
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Peter Crysdale · 9:46 PM

Wow, this sounds like quite a show!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:46 PM

Thanks! then we follow a structural outline - as in we have a split screen scene, 3 character scenes, a tag out type of scene called a La Ronde, and a chase montage. That's the first ac
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:47 PM

We'll then have a musical guest - Jessica Delfino on Saturday, Summer & Eve on the 10th and Mr. Big Head (an indie band) on the 20th
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:47 PM

second act are call back scenes and the big reveal.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:48 PM

so you can see, while we have a frame to hang our acting on, nothing about plot or how everything unfolds is pre-decided. We take our inspiration from the audience suggestions
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Peter Crysdale · 9:49 PM

very, very cool
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:49 PM

thanks. It's really fun
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Peter Crysdale · 9:49 PM

Unfortunately we are coming to the end of our time
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:49 PM

Oh so soon? Wish I was a faster typist
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Peter Crysdale · 9:49 PM

But I wonder if you could just restate the dates and times of your upcoming shows?
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:50 PM

Yes...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:51 PM

April 6 & 20, 8:00pm, Tickets $6 nGotham City Improvn48 West 21st, 8th Floor - Buzzer #801nNew York, NY 10010n212-367-8222nhttp://www.gothamcityimprov.com/index.phpnn?n?April 10, 8:00pm, Tickets $5nThe PIT Undergroundn?The Peoples Improv Theatern123
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:51 PM

April 20th back at Gotham City Improv, 8pm
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:51 PM

We also have special deal...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:52 PM

If you email me at IRTEinfo@gmail.com, we can offer groups of 3 $3 tickets to the Gotham shows
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:52 PM

Plus high school and college (and heck junio high students) can get in to IRTE shows at Gotham for $3 with advance reservation. Just email me.
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Peter Crysdale · 9:53 PM

Those are very low prices!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:53 PM

Then we have more shows throughout the summer...
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:54 PM

We try to keep them low.. For the students, I think its important to encourage kids to see live theater.
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:54 PM

For the adult groups, I like to encourage anyone who might like to get to know us. :)
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Peter Crysdale · 9:55 PM

That's really great!
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Peter Crysdale · 9:55 PM

Well thank you so much Nannette for tawking with us today!
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:55 PM

Thank you, Peter, it was very nice "tawking" :)
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:55 PM

For people out there, please check us out at http://irteinfo.wix.com/irte
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:56 PM

or on Facebook or twitter
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:56 PM

https://www.facebook.com/pages/IRTE/312498052101722
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Nannette Baumgardner · 9:56 PM

If anyone has any other questions, certainly feel free to email me at IRTEinfo@gmail.com
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Peter Crysdale · 9:57 PM

Great!