Sarasota Improv Festival
Sarasota Improv Festival
Slather on the sunscreen, because the11th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival is going to be HOT!
The 11th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival is heading for Sarasota July 12 and 13 with over 25 performances of non-stop, fully-improvised comedy. This year’s Festival will bring together over 20 of the top improv troupes from across the nation and as far as Canada and the UK to Florida’s Gulf Coast for a whirlwind weekend of laughter. Since its founding in 2009, Florida Studio Theatre's Sarasota Improv Festival has become a destination event, and the premier Festival of its kind in the Southeastern United States.
Headlining this year's Fest is Quartet (Los Angeles), featuring four of the very best improvisers in the country.The Festival also features two international groups: The Maydays (United Kingdom) and 2-MAN NO-SHOW (Canada). Plus, several returning favorites including Available Cupholders (Austin, TX), ImprovBoston (Boston, MA), Parallelogramophonograph (Austin, TX), SAK Comedy Lab (Orlando, FL), and of course, Florida Studio Theatre's own home team, FST Improv.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Friday, July 12
6PM - FST Improv (Sarasota, FL)
7PM - Alligator Alley Comedy Hour: Just The Funny (Miami, FL) and Square One Improv (Naples, FL)
7PM - Happy Karaoke Fun Time (NYC)
7PM - Parallelogramophonograph (Austin, TX)
8PM - Available Cupholders (Austin, TX)
8PM - Dad's Garage (Atlanta, GA)
8PM - 2-MAN NO-SHOW (Toronto, Canada)
9PM - ImprovBoston (Boston, MA)
9PM - The Maydays (United Kingdom)
9PM - Quartet (Los Angeles) *Single Ticket Only Show* - HEADLINER
10PM - Festival All-Stars
Saturday, July 13
11AM - Improv Fest Family Show
4PM - Sarasota Showcase: Come What Will, BUSTED!, and Early Bird Special (Sarasota, FL)
5PM - StaceJam (Chicago, IL)
5PM - Tampa Bay Improv Invasion: Dear Aunt Gertrude (Tampa, FL), The Third Thought (Tampa, FL), and Definitely Not Murderers (St. Petersburg, FL)
5PM - When X Meets Y (Sarasota, FL)
6PM - 2-MAN NO-SHOW (Canada)
6PM - Available Cupholders (Austin, TX)
6PM - ImprovBoston (Boston, MA)
7PM - Big Bang Improv (Sarasota, Boston, NYC)
7PM - Parallelogramophonograph (Austin, TX)
7PM - The Maydays (United Kingdom)
8PM - Dad's Garage (Atlanta, GA)
8PM - Happy Karaoke Fun Time (NYC)
8PM - SAK Comedy Lab (Orlando, FL)
9PM - Quartet (Los Angeles) - HEADLINER
10:30PM - All Play
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Saturday, July 13
9 - 11AM
Slow and Steady Wins the Scene -SOLD OUT-
Led by The Maydays
The pressure of “funny” and having to do something at the top of the scene sometimes leads us to fast, panic moves that stop us from noticing what’s already in front of us. We will explore slowing down at the beginning of scenes so that you can notice details, subtext, and really find out the potential of your scene. You will get the chance to explore ways of reading your scene partner, using what is already in the scene, and playing with detail that might have otherwise got lost. It’s a great chance to do less and get more from it.
You're It!: Creating A Narrative Through Tag Outs
Led by The Third Thought
Telling an improvised narrative can be complex and might seem daunting. This workshop will be a quick study in how to create a strong story from scratch and advance, justify, and heighten with the use of tag outs. The Third Thought have performed hundreds of sets using these skills and will prepare you to create exciting and cohesive performances too!
Genre & Style Crash Course
Led by Parallelogramophonograph
Audiences love well-done genre theatre and improv, but do you know the dirty secret of genre improv? It can make improvising more fun, effortless, and inspiring for performers. Join the internationally-renowned Parallelogramophonograph as they take you through some of their favorite tips and tricks for trying on genre styles, from Shakespeare to Jane Austen, from Noir to Sci-Fi, Westerns, Hot Vampire Dramas, and more!
Short-Form Remastered
Led by Mike Carr & Corey O'Rourke of ImprovBoston
Short-Form is great but is often thought of as a "beginners" format due to the rules dictating the structure. In this exciting and fast-paced workshop, we take the focus off of the "rules" of short form and put it back onto you and your partner, helping you to rediscover the joys of playing short form by doing good, grounded scene work. You'll leave the workshop with a bunch of new games, a fresh look at how the rules of the game can work for you, and a reinvigorated love of Short-Form Improv.
Level Up: How Deep is Your Yes, And?
Led by Available Cupholders
Wanna have an unbelievably fun time onstage with your scene partners? Looking for a way to feel super inspired (instead of frantically searching) when you improvise? We learn the basics of saying “yes, and” early on in improv training but did you know that we can go DEEP with YES, AND and SPECIFICITY to make our work more fun for ourselves, our scene partners, and most of all, the audience? Level Up your excitement with Ace Manning and Kaci Beeler of the award-winning Available Cupholders in this crash-course 2-hour workshop.
Intro to Musical Improv
Led by Stacey Smith of StaceJam
Love improv? Love to sing? Combine the two! This workshop will focus on basic song structure, chorus building, rhyming, harmonizing, theatricality, and creating that perfect show-stopping solo, duet, or group number!
11:30AM - 1:30PM
Meeting Alzheimer's with Improvisation: "Yes And..." Can Heal
Led by Jade Angelica
Acknowledging that persons with Alzheimer’s Disease make great “offers,” this workshop takes participants into a world where improvisation creates possibilities for healing, growth, and even personal and social transformation. Beyond the authenticity, flexibility, and joy that arise during the practice and performance of improvisation - just waiting to be noticed - are practical applications for enhancing the quality of life for the millions of persons who are living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, as well as their millions of caregivers. This workshop is designed to enlighten and inspire those who have loved ones with any form of cognitive impairment as well as any improvisers who may want to offer this “Yes, And…” form of healing to people in need in their own communities.
Going Bigger and Beyond: The Technique of Play -SOLD OUT-
Led by 2-MAN NO-SHOW
2-MAN NO-SHOW brings their high-octane spirit of play to SIF this year! In this workshop, we will focus on heightening our sense of play with a fierce commitment to following the fun above anything else. Through a series of improv and clown exercises, you will be given the keys to accelerate your connection with your scene partner so that you may ultimately risk more and feel freer in the process.
Burn Your Fear -SOLD OUT-
Led by Happy Karaoke Fun Time
This class aims to light your improvisation on fire. It will help remind you what you love about improv, slap you out of whatever fear is holding you back, and cut out the naysaying voices in your head that cloud your inspiration. We will look at how we sometimes censor or bail on our choices out of a need to make the “right choice" when improvising. Instead, let's agree that there is no right or wrong choice, only a weak or strong one, and see what happens when we give ourselves the freedom to simply trust and commit to whatever comes up. We will marry a sense of playful abandonment with actionable techniques to start scenes boldly, live in the present, heighten them via specific and surprising choices, and employ context (who, what, where, when, why, etc.) without getting in our heads about it. This class will move quickly, keep you on your feet, and challenge you with personal feedback. Let's bring the whimsy to your make-em-ups!
All-Form Dissection and Play
Led by Ben Scurria and Sara Burns of ImprovBoston
All-Form is the signature form of ImprovBoston, combining elements of short form, long form, music, scenework, and audience interaction to create a wholly unique format every single time. In this workshop, students will get to engage with a variety of tools to give every audience what they are looking for, and a diverse number of tools to move between scenes. Students will also find inspiration in different moments, and be able to transform that inspiration, forming a connected show that jumps from fun moment to fun moment.
Getting to Know Will (Shakespeare)
Led by SAK Comedy Lab
Are you tired of just adding “th” at the end of all your words in Shakespeare scenes? Unpack the beautiful language that is Shakespeare and apply it to your short- and long-form improv! Explore key Shakespearean language devices such as allusion, alliteration, and antithesis (and that’s just the a’s!) and see how they can add authenticity, color, and comedy to your work. No prior Shakespearean experience needed, but a little advanced reading or YouTube binging couldn’t hurt!
2PM - 4PM
What Are You Doing Up There
Led by Bob Dassie of Quartet
This workshop is for those who want to work on making their partner look good by honing their skills of improvising from a base of truth and also understanding what it is we are pursuing when we get up on a stage. This workshop concentrates on initiating strong scenes, playing in the moment, reacting to your partner and exercising good scene-work skills. We’ll work on creating a solid foundation on which to build from and then sustaining play by exploring relationship and character and the dynamic of a two-person scene.
Truth in Song -SOLD OUT-
Led by Katy Schutte of The Maydays
Learn how to improvise songs in the moment based on your personal truths, opinions, and stories. Practice organic ways of rhyming, creating melody, and finding the structure of a song as you go along. In a supportive and relaxed environment, we will help you create musical theatre inspired by the styles of Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown, and weave rich tales and scenes through teamwork and group mind. Suitable for intermediate to advanced improvisers with zero to lots of experience in musical improv. Ability to sing is not a pre-requisite.
Inner Game of Improv -SOLD OUT-
Led by Available Cupholders
What just happened? What’s happening now? Do you know? Are you trapped in your head? Do you pre-plan your scenes? Do you have trouble staying in the moment? In this workshop you will learn to slow down your mind and build your awareness. Learn techniques to help you focus on what’s important - building scenes one moment at a time. With Bill Stern, Michael Joplin, and Jeremy Sweetlamb
Characters -SOLD OUT-
Led by Jean Villepique of Quartet
Spend a little time building characters from the ground up. Do you make the same three choices? Time to switch things up! Using traditional Viola Spolin exercises, we will revisit the basics and open your creative channels so that you can even surprise yourself! Solo work and scene work will be explored. Get ready for something new!
Troupes
2-MAN NO-SHOW
Available Cupholders
Big Bang Improv
BUSTED!
Come What Will
Dad's Garage
Dear Aunt Gertrude
Definitely Not Murderers
Early Bird Special
FST Improv
ImprovBoston
Just the Funny
Happy Karaoke Fun Time
Parallelogramophonograph
Quartet
SAK Comedy Lab
Square One Improv
The Maydays
The Third Thought
When X Meets Y
Festival All Stars
2-MAN NO-SHOW (Toronto, Canada) One of the hottest Canadian acts around, the absurd and unpredictable tag-team improv duo of Isaac Kessler and Ken Hall take you on a bizarre ride of indefinable funny comedy. Tired of talking heads? So are we. Using their charismatic charm, manic delivery, and balls to the walls physicality, 2-MAN NO-SHOW creates a whimsical and fantastical world of heartfelt characters connecting in genuine and hilariously unexpected ways.
Available Cupholders (Austin, TX) Based in Austin, Texas, the Available Cupholders have been performing improv together for over 15 years. Their over the top energy, antics, and willingness to take risks have made them Sarasota Improv Festival favorites. Consisting of five of Austin’s top comedians and actors, the Cupholders are dedicated to producing improvisational comedy that pushes the boundaries, explores untouched territories, and create memorable theatrical experiences. The group believes that improv is the theatre of everyday existence. “No one walks around with a script telling them how to feel and what to say all day,” explains Michael Joplin. “We are all improvising all the time. When we do it on a stage we are tapping into the truth and comedy of everyday life.”
Big Bang Improv (Sarasota, Boston, NYC) Boston style free-form that has been wowing New England audiences and at festivals around the world for years. The entire set moves seamlessly from one scene to the next at the rate of over a scene a minute, all following the group play philosophy of "follow the funny." The show builds rapidly and culminates in a series of surprising and organic callbacks done through the unique editing styling and storytelling of this Boston super-team. This is a high-energy improv experience that redefines itself with every performance.
BUSTED! (Sarasota, FL) BUSTED! is an all-female improv troupe. Starting from a one word suggestion, BUSTED! delivers their full-length improvised talk show, The Flow. With high energy, big characters, catchy dances, and nothing holding them back, BUSTED! is sure to take you on a wild adventure! BUSTED! is a Florida Studio Theatre house team. A student showcase.
Come What Will (Sarasota, FL) Established in the summer of 2018 at Florida Studio Theatre, Come What Will performs long form narratives using the themes, styles, and language of William Shakespeare. A student showcase
Dad's Garage (Atlanta, GA) is a comedy improv theatre located in Atlanta, GA. where you can find scripted plays, improv classes, and Atlanta improv comedy every Thursday - Saturday. Dad’s Garage engages, cultivates and inspires artists and audiences alike by producing innovative, scripted and improvised works that are recognized locally, nationally and internationally for being undeniably awesome.
Dear Aunt Gertrude (Tampa, FL), or DAG for short, is one of the longest running, long-form improv teams in the Tampa area. Their home theater is at the Box in Tampa, off Fowler. You can see what’s going on at the Box at BoxImprov.com. And a special thanks to Crystal Haralambou for making it all happen. Without her there would be no Box. Performing in Tampa Bay Improv Invasion.
Definitely Not Murderers (St. Petersburg, FL) is the musical improv House Team at American Stage in St. Petersburg, FL. We perform various longform musical styles, from montage to narrative. We love fracturing your favorite stories, films, or books, and giving them a new twist. Some of our favorites include, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE BROOKLYN, CHARLOTTE'S EXISTENTIAL WEB, THE VEGAN THREE LITTLE PIGS, and CINDERELLA AIN'T NEED NO MAN. Check us out on 3rd Saturdays at Pinellas Ale Works, and last Thursdays at Hideaway Cafe in downtown St Pete.
Early Bird Special (Sarasota, FL) The Birds, as they call themselves, is comprised of a group of 5-7 experienced improvisers with an average age of about 63, each with several years of comedy improvising under their belts. Some of them have experience from Improv theaters in NY, Chicago, and LA, stand-up sets at McCurdy's, and various other comedy performances. The Birds have evolved into not only FST's first house team, but an independent group with regularly scheduled performances at churches, communities, and events throughout Florida. A student showcase.
FST Improv (Sarasota, FL) Sarasota's Original Anti-depressant. FST Improv is the place to go when you're looking for some fun, need reminding that everyone is nuts, or if you have nowhere else to go. Taking what is right in front of them, in the form of audience suggestions, FST Improv creates characters and sketches on the spot. No one – not even the performers themselves – knows what is going to happen next. It is this element of the unknown that makes every Improv show unique, and what makes for some exciting moments onstage.
ImprovBoston (Boston, MA) - ImprovBoston has been called the “masters of comedy” by the Boston Globe and been voted "Best of Boston" by The Phoenix, The Improper Bostonian, and The Weekly Dig. Their performers have included film stars, Emmy Award-winning comedians, and acclaimed producers, directors, musicians, and writers. alumni are featured on The Daily Show, America's Got Talent, Funniest Wins, Real Time with Bill Maher, Last Comic Standing, and John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, to name a few.
Just the Funny (Miami, FL) Miami's Home for Improv and Sketch Comedy since 1999 is going to bring the heat with their award-winning "Miami-style" brand of longform improv comedy based on YOUR suggestions. Big energy, big fun and not for the faint of heart, Just The Funny is going to leave you begging for more!
Happy Karaoke Fun Time (NYC) It’s Happy Karaoke Fun Time! Come to the opening (and closing) night of a brand-new, improvised one-act musical every show! NYC's finest musical improvisers make up the scenes, choreography, and original lyrics to karaoke songs you know and love, all based on the title of a musical YOU shout out! You never know which tracks we'll leap into, remix and make all our own -- pop queens, R&B divas, boy bands and classic crooners are all fair game. It's a different show each time!
Parallelogramophonograph (Austin, TX) Since their premier in November of 2005, Texas Quartet Parallelogramophonograph has been fiercely dedicated to the craft and art of improvised theatre and held an award-winning weekly show non-stop since 2006. They’ve toured the country and the world performing and teaching their unique brand of improv with ensemble appearances in over 50 cities in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and the UK. Check out PGraph.com for more information.
Quartet (Los Angeles) Formed by Bob Dassie in the late 20th century, Quartet has had several incarnations and ensemble members over the last 20 years in Chicago and Los Angeles, all of which have focused on slow and patient relationship and character-driven improvisational comedy, usually (but not always) featuring 4 people!
SAK Comedy Lab (Orlando, FL) Nowhere else in Florida will you find a place like SAK Comedy Lab. Since 1991, our professional ensemble of improv actors has entertained audiences with our unique brand of live improvised comedy. We take your suggestions and make up characters, scenes, and songs on the spot. Our comedy is fun and edgy for adults, but also widely enjoyed by our younger fans.
Square One Improv (Naples, FL) People say that fairytale love stories don't happen in real life. But when the players from Square One Improv met, they proved the world wrong. Square One is the sweet union of a lawyer, a real estate agent, a contractor, a drug rep, and a recording artist. Sound like the setup for a hilarious joke? That's because it is. Performing in Alligator Alley Comedy Hour.
The Maydays (United Kingdom) The Maydays are an award-winning British company formed in Brighton in 2004. The Maydays travel and perform globally and host two residential improv festivals each year in the Dorset countryside.
The Third Thought (Tampa, FL) The Third Thought began performing in early 2011 in various locations around Tampa Bay Florida. The Third Thought is grateful to be making their 8th appearance at the Sarasota Improv Festival. TTT offers workshops and classes throughout the area along with corporate and specialized teaching opportunities.
When X Meets Y (Sarasota, FL) Inspired by one location and three random notes on the keyboard, the cast of FST Improv’s When X Meets Y weaves a story where two strangers meet, fall in love, fall out of love, and then work to come together for the future of their relationship. When X Meets Y has been performing to sold out audiences in Sarasota, FL for the last three years.
Festival All Stars Closing the Festival is its famous finale, All Play, where all 40+ Festival artists squeeze themselves onto one stage for a raucous, completely un-scripted 60 minutes of collaborative fun. Artists from varying groups go head-to-head in friendly comedy competitions that highlight the unique styles and strengths of the Festival’s full lineup.