If you’ve been to any festival in the last year, the odds are above average you ran into the folks of Glassworks Improv. They’ve been almost constantly on the road performing across North America and crashing on couches (mine included). They never take for granted what its like to be a traveling performer and they’ve learned a lot about treating visitors well. They’re gearing up for a new improv festival in Eau Claire, WI and I got chance to sit and talk with the board.
Last year was your first year as a national festival. What things surprised you? What was the audience reception?
It was very exciting to see that teams were willing to try out a festival in a city that they have never heard of! We brought in acts from NYC, Phoenix, Chicago and from around the Midwest. The teams that came had a great time and the thing that shocked everyone was the size of the audience! Our Saturday night show had over 300 people in attendance. Our Friday night show had roughly 250. Folks here in Eau Claire really love and support improv and had nothing but great things to say about the teams that we brought in.
We were also surprised to see that most teams opted for our personal housing option, which places travelling teams with a host family instead of having to pay for a hotel or sleep in the car. Switch Committee was more than happy to crash in the spare bedroom of a rundown university household.
Very few people travel quite as frequently as Glassworks. What have you guys learned this last year travelling that you’ll be bringing back to the festival?
We’ve had some really special opportunities to travel and play shows a lot of places. We’ve met some great people along the way. The coolest part of getting to help run the festival is getting to bring these people in. We met Rick Andrews while we we’re playing at the Omaha festival a few years back and he ended up coming the next year for our festival. It’s really great to get to show improvisers around the country what we’ve got going on in Eau Claire. We’ve also played several festivals now and can’t wait to bring back some information. Seeing the Detroit Festival this summer was great. They do all the little things so well. I know this year we’re going to bring that level of focus to our festival so everyone involved has a great time.
One of the biggest things that we’ve noticed was that our favorite festivals all took more time to take care of the teams they brought in, getting to know everyone and helping them find food and lodging. We hope to do more for the teams that come this year. There will definitely be an in-home housing option again this year for teams that want to save the hotel fee.
What sorts of activities can visitors find in Eau Claire while they’re in town?
Well you need to keep in mind that this festival takes place in the winter meaning most activities will be limited to indoor spaces, but there is still plenty to offer. First of all, we will have workshops for beginner-advanced improvisers, which will be announced in the next month or so. Besides that we have several local shops downtown for browsing, plenty of local cafes and coffeehouses, multiple breweries in town and nearby for drinking and tasting, plus a thriving bar scene for the 21+ crowd. Our festival is based in the downtown, which nestles itself along the banks of the Chippewa River. The city is dotted with parks and forests are only minutes away. Sledding is also an option!
What kinds of shows are you looking to bring out this year?
We plan on having quite a few folks from the Magnet in NYC come out to our festival again this year. They are all incredible to work with and have really enhanced the scene here in EC. Last year we featured Rick Andrews, and this year we will bring out Elana Fishbein. We also have Jill Bernard from Minneapolis coming to perform her show! And of course all of the teams that will be accepted from around the country.
What are your hopes for the festival this coming year?
This year we hope to expand the overall size of the festival. We will feature multiple shows in one night at multiple venues, whereas we have only used one venue per night in past years. We are excited to announce that there will be a high school showcase on the Friday night, which will be open to any school in the country. The festival has always coincided with the opening show of the Memorial Improv Team and was essentially how and why Amber Dernbach first decided to have the festival. There will also be a greater variety of workshops offered for performers and community members. One of our goals is to further the education and awareness of improv in the community. Our headliners will be working in the public schools and we will be offering free workshops for beginners.
Submissions are open now!
Currently Bill is an instructor at The Torch Theatre and producer for the Phoenix Improv Festival. He tours teaching and performing across North America.
