Meet the New Submission Tool

Posted by Bill Binder on November 20, 2014

The very first submission on the site was nineteen months ago, almost to the day. Since then we’ve heard a lot of feedback from both troupes and festivals on how to improve the tool. I don’t intend for that communication to end, but I’m very excited to announce the new submission tool which went live this week based on the feedback from folks. So grab a tasty beverage and I’ll give you a tour.

For Troupes

One of the things festival organizers have asked for is more customized information. More information is always great, but if we start making troupes fill out complete forms for each festival, the whole point of the instant submission tool is kind of lost. So the submission side isn’t too terribly different. You can still submit with one click, but if you need to include a little extra information, there’s now a way to do it.

Let’s look at the main submission page for any festival. It looks pretty similar to the old tool, except for some minor visual tweaks. You still have all of your troupes listed with a checkbox on which groups to submit.

When you check the box, you’re ready to submit, but you’ll notice a new sidebar shows your troupes availability and has a small area for any notes to the festival producers.

If you’re unable to make a certain day of the festival, that’s really helpful information to send to the festival producers, so you can uncheck any days you won’t be available to travel.

After that you’re good to go. That’s it. Hopefully still a very simple process.

Just a reminder though. One thing that hasn’t changed is that while we can program changes to our own website, we can’t reprogram PayPal’s website. Sometimes PayPal takes up to 15 seconds to complete your transaction and send confirmation back to the submission tool. If you don’t wait it out for those few seconds, your submission might not be recorded properly.

For Festival Organizers

The rest of this blog post is mostly for festival producers, but for everyone else; if you’re curious about what the submission process looks like or you want some extra tips on how to let your best side be seen, then read on.

One thing that has been added for anyone that is reviewing a festival is a quick link on their main profile page. Just below their troupe and theatre information will be a link to take them directly to the festival page. This saves some clicks of going to find it int the list. This link is only visible to the reviewers (meaning other people won’t see the festival link on your profile page) and will disappear once the festival starts.

Once on the festival submission list, you’ll be presented with a lot more information right away.

Immediately visible will be the name and avatar for the troupe, their city and state, their availability, any notes left by the troupe, their home theatre, time of submission and status.

Not all troupes connect their troupe with a home theatre, and they certainly aren’t required to, but it is often helpful to help festivals have a bit of background on your troupe. If you want to connect your troupe to your home theatre, you can contact your home theatre’s admin and request to be added.

The Status pull down is only visible to the event’s administrator (other festival reviewers will see text in its place). This is so multiple people aren’t undoing each other’s work. The check box area can be set to “SELECTED”, “WAITLIST” or “REJECTED”. Once one of those options are selected, a second drop down appears to let you track if a group has been contacted and whether they’ve confirmed or declined an invitation.

That last part was important to me personally. I know it can be heartbreaking to not get into a festival, and even moreso when you find out about it from some other group’s Facebook post. Contacting “all” groups, both accepted and rejected is really a best practice for festivals and this status box will hopefully help producers better facilitate communicating with groups.

The last thing you may have noticed is the (Not Paid) tag next to certain troupes. You won’t see that often, but it will happen. Earlier in this post, I mentioned waiting for PayPal to send confirmation back to the website. 95% of the time, people do that. But once in a while, a group will leave the PayPal page before letting everything finish up. We certainly don’t want to penalize groups who have troubles with PayPal, so on those occasions where a group didn’t quite finish the PayPal portion of their submission properly, it will still show up in the submission list with a not to try to get in touch with those groups and finish the submission properly.

And of course, since there are more options on the submission review list, there’s also an “Update” button to save your changes. Actually, for festivals with very long submission lists, there are a few “Update” buttons, spaced out along the page to prevent a lot of scrolling, but there’s no need to stress over which one to use. They are all identical.

Whew!

So that’s the new submission tool. Big thanks to the folks at the OC Improv Festival, Alaska State Improv Festival, Twin Cities Improv Festival, Phoenix Improv Festival, Detroit Improv Festival and Houston Improv Festival who offered a lot of suggesstions and helped with occasional beta testing on these new tools.

So what’s next? There are some more tools coming soon, but none of them will require a complete replacement of the tool. Those features will just start popping up in the next little bit. Curious? Here’s a sneak peek at some of the features coming in the 2.1 version of the submission tool:

Who’s Reviewed This? Soon each reviewer for a festival can mark individual troupe submissions as viewed. This will allows the submission committee to track who has seen which shows. (Hint: everyone should see every show)
Mark Complete Nothing huge technologically here. Just an option to set your review process as complete. This will remove the link from reviewers profile pages.
International Options More flexibility for festivals overseas (currency, timezones, etc).
Contact Now An option to directly email groups from the submission list. This will automatically set the group’s status to “Contacted”

I hope the new tool makes people’s lives a little easier and give festivals and troupes the opportunities to put on the best shows for audiences. As always, suggestions for the future of the tool are always welcome.

Currently Bill is an instructor at The Torch Theatre and producer for the Phoenix Improv Festival. He tours teaching and performing across North America.

3 Tips To Break Your Routine

Posted by Ryan Nallen on November 18, 2014

Routines are the worst. That’s right. I said it. Why? Because I am a human and I can say things. Oh, sorry, why did I say that first thing? Because doing the same thing over and over is boring, repetitive, and eventually no longer productive. When you first did that thing, maybe it was a sketch show or a stand-up joke, it was great. That’s because it was new and fresh. You found it exciting and you were eager to share it with people who wanted to hear it. Then you did it 50-100 times. The excitement and passion you had in the beginning has faded. It got boring.

It’s important to start over or start fresh sometimes. If you want to push yourself as a performer or a writer, you need to change it up. If you’re an actor, doing the same thing over and over, will most likely get you typecasted. Sometimes that can work in your favor (we need a guy who does physical comedy) or in your detriment (he just throws his body around the stage). By changing it up, you are constantly challenging yourself and telling the world, “Hey I’ve got more ideas than that one thing I showed you I’m good at.” You need to be a mover and a shaker. Here are 3 tips on how to successfully break your routine so that you can keep challenging yourself on a consistent basis:

Recognize it.
The best course of action is to recognize what you’ve been doing, how long you’ve been doing it, and to…stop doing it. If the routine has been going on for a while, try doing something different. This pretty much applies to everything in life. If you haven’t picked up a book in the past year then pick up a book and read something for God’s sakes. Like Amy Poehler’s new book “Yes, Please” which is great. Let’s say, for example, you’re an improviser and you’ve found that for the last 6 months you’ve consistently played straight-man characters every show. Then for your next show plan to play a wild outlandish character. I don’t mean PLAN in the sense that you have a character monologue and you walk out during an improv scene and steamroll everyone as Anastasios Papagologis, The Pastry King. (This is my wheelhouse character and I’m only using it as an example for this article. Don’t get any ideas!) As I was saying, no, don’t plan, instead, just know that at some point during that show you’re going to do something unlike what you’ve done before character-wise. That could be anything from a new physicality to a voice. Sames goes for the contrary, if you’ve played ridiculous characters all year, take a step back and play it straight. If you never do object work then start the scene holding, grabbing, or touching something. If you’re a writer and you’ve only written satirical jokes for the past 4 months, try writing something new like non-fiction or a short story. Change is good. Change is your friend. Changes opens the door for more creativity.

Throw it away.
Literally take what you have been doing and throw it in the trash. If it’s a page in a notebook, tear it out and throw it away or turn the page and literally write ‘new routine’ on. If it’s something you refer to such as an online document, create a new folder entitled OLD, and drag the document into it. The physical act of moving it from one place to another or throwing it away is key. That act is in itself refreshing. It’s like throwing an ex’s stuff they left in your place in the dumpster. Out with the old and in with the new. Make room in the cupboards for creativity by throwing away the reserves you’ve been relying on to get by.

Write something new everyday. That might seem daunting, but it’s not. I said write something. That means anything whatsoever. It can be a brief summary of your day or an idea that pops into your head on your commute to and fro. There is no limit and there is no restriction. If you’re not ready to jump into 3 mandatory pages a day as prescribed by The Artist’s Way then write whatever you can. But, it has to be every single day. You can either buy a notebook and literally write or draw in it, use the note-taking app on your phone, or download other cloud-based note-taking apps like Evernote, Google Keep or Google Drive so you always have them backed up and stored. With those apps, you won’t have to worry about losing all your ideas if you lose your phone or your notebook. The constant act of writing everyday will eventually get you into the habit of having new material to draw from. You’re probably thinking, wait a minute, isn’t that a routine? Well, smarty pants, yes it is. However, it’s a good routine to help you break out of your bad routine. In addition it’s something NEW you haven’t been doing already. Think of it as a routine to generate new material rather than a routine that stalls your creativity. Sure, 90% of what you write each day might be garbage, but that other 10% is gold and you better mine it like it’s 1848.

In the end, the goal is to continuously challenge yourself. Not only as a performer, but as a person. Routines can be good, but they can also stall us and leave us too comfortable to be productive again. Doing the same thing over and over is soul-sucking and exhausting, but starting something new can be exciting and rewarding. Now, if you’ll excuse me, back to writing my Anastasios Papagologis, The Pastry King, monologue.

Ryan Nallen is a writer and performer in Chicago. He is a graduate of iO, Second City Conservatory, and the Annoyance. He plays with his independent team Risky on the Rocks, with the Harold team Denver at iO Chicago, and with the Incubator team Desperado at The Playground Theater. He is an Associate Producer for Big Little Comedy, on the Marketing Committee at the Playground, and a Midwest Representative for the National Improv Network. You can also follow his online ramblings at @TheRyanNallen.

Welcome Ryan Nallen to the NIN Team

Posted by Nick Armstrong on November 13, 2014

We are happy to announce that Improvisor Ryan Nallen will be joining the NIN team. Ryan has been contributing very resourceful blogs for the last year and will now join our NIN team helping spread the word and making the site even better. I had a chance to interview Ryan:

Tell us about your improv background…What schools have you gone to?

I’ve been improvising now for around 7 years. I originally went to college to wrestle at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana. I had taken a theater class because I was told it was a blow off (easy) class by my student advisor. For the final exam we had to do a student written play and half way through I forgot my lines. I just started rambling and making things up to justify what was happening. The class laughed at the nonsense coming out of my mouth and afterward my teacher pulled me aside and said, “You should look into doing this. You have a natural talent.” After the season finished, I decided to take that teacher’s advice and quit the team. I have been acting and improvising ever since. As for my training, I am a graduate of iO Chicago, the Second City Conservatory, and the Annoyance Theatre.

Who are you favorite improv instructors?

Thats a tough question for me because I feel like every teacher I have had has taught me something valuable or has provided me with great insight based on their own experiences. You can always learn something from somebody and I try to maintain that belief with every class or workshop I take.

Switch Committee

Tell us about Switch Committee and how you guys formed? Why do you travel to festivals?

Switch Committee had originally formed out of iO. Dave Karasik and I were in level 1 together and enjoyed playing together so we decided to form a group inviting other people we’d played with who we felt we had good playing chemistry with. Since the group has formed, we have had 2 runs at iO, performed at almost every venue in Chicago, and have traveled to and taught at over 10 festivals around the country. I really love traveling to festivals because I enjoy meeting new people who love doing the same thing I love to do. It’s something very special to get people from all over the country together to sit and watch each other do make believe. Traveling to new places to meet and see how other people are improvising is very exciting to me. Also, it’s like a vacation and who doesn’t love a vacation?

You’re becoming a part of the NIN team. What has NIN meant to you?

First of all. Thank you! This is awesome and I’m honored! I think NIN is an invaluable resource to the improv community. The purpose of it and how the people involved work so hard to bring performers and teachers from all over the country together speak volumes about the kind of support and collaboration that exists in our small world. Through NIN I have been able to connect with people and festivals that I might not have been able to connect with otherwise. It’s given me a central place to go to find festivals and more importantly groups and people with shared interests. It is because of NIN that I can say I have improv friends in almost every state in the country.

Where do you see improv heading?

We are in a weird, but GOOD, growth phase right now. A lot of theaters are growing, moving, and getting larger, which is fantastic for the performing arts community in which we belong. For example, in Chicago, iO and the Annoyance recently moved to new locations, Second City is expanding, and multiple other theaters like The Playground and M.C.L. (Music Comedy Live – formerly Studio Be) are rebranding and establishing new programs. Then you’ve got other shows popping up in attics and garages (the S%$& hole) generating the entire support of the community simply because they’ve created a judgement-free environment inviting pretty much anyone (sketch, stand-up, improv, musicians, etc.) to come and play free of charge.

With that, there will always be a show to see. I’ve seen it first hand here in Chicago. You don’t need thousands of dollars or a theater license. All you need is a space to play in and people who want to play in it.

How do you feel about the national improv scene?

I think its great. I absolutely love traveling to festivals and seeing what other people are doing in terms of their form and playing style. It’s also great to see the support that everyone has for one another. Rather than “oh I don’t know you you’re from another state” its “hey we love doing the same thing tell me more about you and your group.” It’s like a family and everyone is eager to watch each other play. Nationally its continuing to grow as well with more theaters and festivals popping up and existing theaters moving/expanding. I see it continuing to grow and people continuing to try new things. I see it getting bigger with more opportunities for people to perform both locally and nationally. It’s very exciting!

Nick is Camp Director and Founder of Improv Utopia an improv retreat for adults in California and Pennsylvania. He is also one of the founding members of the National Improv Network and performer and teacher at iO West as well as member of The Sunday Company at The Groundlings. He has also taught many workshops around the country.

Crime Time

Posted by Nick Armstrong on November 4, 2014

That’s right everybody. It’s CRIME TIME! Queue the 1990s-esque intro with kids striking poses with their arms crossed and hands on their hips looking “tough” with sideways hats on while Pearl Jam’s guitar intro from “Even Flow” plays and the word ‘CRIME’ flashes across the screen in neon lettering. It’s time to talk about something we sort of look past or don’t really discuss when it comes to festivals and traveling. While festivals do amazing jobs promoting the local landmarks of the town, they sometimes don’t mention the ‘shadier’ not so good areas. Let it be known that this article is not to be discriminatory of any race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or any of the sort. It is merely to meant highlight a topic that not many festivals or performers think about when they travel to a new town and to bring awareness to the fact that crime is everywhere and you should keep that in mind when going somewhere you’ve never been before. Everyone gets so caught up in the excitement of what’s to come that they aren’t thinking about what could go wrong right now.

This has never been something that I have heard a festival come out and say outright. Mainly because talking about the bad things isn’t really something you want to highlight. It’ll make people not want to come to your festival, right? Yes and No. The sad truth is that the ‘bad’ happens everywhere. Crime exists everywhere you go. It’s next door, down the street, on the train or bus and everywhere you look. However, half the battle is being AWARE of it and knowing where it’s most prevalent. I’m not saying put up street advertisements or marketing in your festival promotions that there are certain places you shouldn’t go, but just by word of mouth you could be keeping a lot of people safe.

If you’re a performer and you’re reading this, just be aware of your surroundings and keep in mind that you are in a new town and you might not know the specifics of what goes on in that area. That means you should ASK where the best places to go are and where the best places to avoid are. There is no harm in asking. We’re talking about safety here. There are certain parts of Chicago that I will never go to or travel to on the train at night. Why? Because the crime statistics and the everyday news indicate there’s a damn good chance I’ll get robbed, beaten up, or worse. That’s not a dig at anyone who lives in those areas, but a fact reinforced by the local news and crime reports.

Furthermore, I learned this first hand at a festival recently. I remember we decided to walk around and see the sights and sounds of the city. We practically screamed “WE’RE TOURISTS” as we waltzed around pointing at things uttering “ohhs” and “ahhhs.” It was the middle of the day and we were excited to wander so we weren’t really on alert for anything. Note: Anything can happen at any time; especially when you least expect it. Unfortunately, we went down the wrong block, which resulted in us being followed for the next two blocks by two guys who were sending off the tell-tale signs that they were going to jump us. Luckily, we spotted them, stopped walking, and were in an open area looking right at them so their element of surprise sort of went right out the window. Once we made eye contact with them they slowed their walking down and crossed the street. The one guy who was trailing behind ran up to his friend and put his hands in the air while mouthing, “What happened?” Now, I could be completely wrong. They could have been coming up to say “hey welcome to our city let us take your picture”, but given the mean looks on their faces, the clinched fists in their hands, and everything I’ve ever heard about muggings I would have to argue otherwise. Later I would discuss this with local performers who said, “oh yeah you shouldn’t walk around there.”

Another way to fully grasp the issue is to look at it from the criminal’s perspective. If I was a criminal (I’m not but if I was), I would rather rob or steal from someone who doesn’t live around the area rather than somebody who does. Why? Because the people traveling are unsuspecting and they aren’t going to tell the police, “Hey I saw him last week walking down State Street!” Distancing yourself from the crime is bad guy 101. This is why criminals travel across the city, steal someone’s iPhone on the train, and then go back to where they live which is 10-15 miles away. By you being the one who is traveling, you’ve just made their job a lot easier. In short, for the criminal, you’re a better target because you’re not from around there and you’re not suspecting it.

In conclusion, if you’re traveling to a festival and you’re going to go walking around the city please make sure to ask the local performers where the best places to go are as well as the not so good places. If you’re a festival producer or local performer, pass any and all information you may have about troublesome areas around town so as to keep everyone safe. As stated before, the sad reality is that crime is everywhere, but we can most certainly combat that with awareness. Being knowledgeable and aware is going to be all the difference. It’s better to know than to not and wish you had later. Keeping everyone safe and knowledgeable about what is happening in your town should be at the top of the list of the many wonderful things you’re offering to your performers.

Ryan is a graduate of iO, The Second City Conservatory, and the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. Ryan performs improv comedy with his independent team Switch Committee as well as on the Playground team Desperado. In addition, he is an Associate Producer for Big Little Comedy, which is responsible for the Big Little Comedy Festival each year. In 2013, he completed an entire month of comedy by performing 31 days in a row for the month of January. He’s a frequent blogger (here, The Second City Network, and the iO Water Cooler) Instagramer, Pinterester, and Tweeter in his spare time. You can follow the madness @TheRyanNallen.

Over the Rhine

A review of the IF CINCY Improv Festival of Cincinnati

Posted by Bill Binder on October 30, 2014

A few weeks ago, I was very fortunate to perform with Switch Committee at the first ever improv festival in Cincinnati. The festival, produced by OTRimprov, went off without a hitch. They were very well organized months in advance in terms of preparation, marketing, and hospitality. This festival was run very smoothly and it looked like they have been doing it (running festivals) for a while even though it was only their first year. They were more than prepared in terms of providing performers with hotel deals and all the essential information visitors to their city would need (local restaurants, coffee shops, bars, uber/lyft info) for the festival. Everyone involved was so nice and hospitable. So, rather than being vague and saying “it was great” over and over, I’ll give some specifics on the things I loved. Here goes:

CINCINNATTI! It is a very hip and stylish city with buildings designed with beautiful murals and street art. Before our workshop, we went to a coffee shop down the street from the theater called the Coffee Emporium. I got something called a Milk Way. Write that down. Milk Way in Cincy. There are a few areas of town that could be considered a little shady, but doesn’t every city have that? If you’re visiting to perform I would just ask the organizers or other local performers where the best places to go are instead of meandering around town on your own. It’s also really close to Kentucky, which we did not know. We thought our phones were messed up numerous times throughout the weekend while we were driving around.

Swag Bags We got bags which contained t-shirts, lanyards, chips, water, and other knick-knacks. I’m a big fan of the swag bag and most importantly the lanyard because I collect them trading cards. For some festivals, you have to purchase a t-shirt, but they were kind enough to include them in the bags. Free t-shirts may be expensive, but if you have the budget it’s definitely something I suggest the festival do. Keep in mind, you want performers to wear those t-shirts and represent your festival when they get back home. “Oh that’s a cool shirt, how was that festival, I think we’ll submit next year” is something that could come out of providing your performers with shirts.
Team Dinner They offered dinner to all the performers at the local hotel everyone was staying at. There was bread, croissants, cookies, pop, green beans, and mac n’ cheese, potatoes, and roast beef. It was a very nice gesture and I know all of the teams appreciated it. They didn’t have to do that, but they did and that speaks volumes about how they welcomed the performers to the festival.
House Dad We were assigned a house dad who was available to answer any questions we may have had while on our visit to Cincinnati. I love this because it gives visitors the ability to interact with a local performer and find out more about the place they are visiting. Phoenix does this too and it is extremely helpful for the performers in getting accommodated and feeling welcome.
The Know Theatre The theatre is beautiful and perfect for an improv show. There are two performance spaces within this theater. The ‘underground’ Cabaret stage right when you walk into the theater, which is a small and quaint stage perfect for a 2-man show and the ‘Mainstage’ upstairs, which is fully equipped theatrical venue with an enormous amount of space and a turquoise carpet perfect for a 10+ person ensemble. We got to play upstairs and very much enjoyed the amount of space provided.
Workshops They offered workshops to the performers. We were fortunate enough to be able to teach a workshop and it went extremely well. I know Susan Messing also taught a workshop and if she’s teaching a workshop that’s just another reason you should be at this festival.

All in all, OTRi did an incredibly fantastic and amazing job producing their first ever improv festival. I mean, hell, they got Susan Messing to headline their first year! That’s big time baby! The bar has been set and it’s pretty high. At the end of the weekend, the whole festival was a major success and I’m very excited to see how it grows and develops in the years to come. Teams looking for a new improv festival to go to should put this one on their radar.

Congratulations IF CINCY! Great Job!

is a graduate of iO, The Second City Conservatory, and the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. Ryan performs improv comedy with his independent team Switch Committee as well as on the Playground team Desperado. In addition, he is an Associate Producer for Big Little Comedy, which is responsible for the Big Little Comedy Festival each year. In 2013, he completed an entire month of comedy by performing 31 days in a row for the month of January. He’s a frequent blogger (here, The Second City Network, and the iO Water Cooler) Instagramer, Pinterester, and Tweeter in his spare time. You can follow the madness @TheRyanNallen.

Spotlight On: The 14th Annual Phoenix Improv Festival

Posted by Nick Armstrong on October 28, 2014

The Phoenix Improv Festival celebrates it’s 14th year in 2015! I had a chance to interview Executive Director and NIN Co-Founder Bill Binder to chat with him about what we can expect this year.

What makes PIF 14 different than other improv festivals?

Last year we shared the building with another event. I’m sure the other event was great and I heard good things about it, but I overheard a conversation between two of the ushers. The first usher was concerned about sending people to the correct event and the head usher said “If they’re here to see art, send them to the Improv Festival.”

That’s something I didn’t ever think I’d hear. Your question was how we’re different than other festivals, and certainly we’re not unique at all in celebrating the art of improv. But what is unique here is how much our city celebrates it as art. We play in a beautiful venue that seats about 400 people and – of course – there are performers in the audience. But there are also hundreds of people who may or may not see improv throughout the year, but they come to the festival to celebrate the cultural landscape of their city. Our audience members see improv in rotation with the opera and the ballet in town. And let me tell you, you know that old saying, “Treat your audience like poets…” it works the other way. This audience will treats us like professionals and artists and the work we get to do in response lives up to that. It feels great to play in that kind of environment.

What can we expect from PIF 14 this year?

Kind of tagging onto the last question, this is our 14th year and our audiences are coming to a grown-up event, so we are going to act like grown-ups. There will defiitely be some parties, but the performances themselves, we’re going to try to treat the festival and performers like we’re there on purpose, not some kids who stumbled into a theatre. I think this year we’re going to go even further in treating our visitors like the professionals they deserve to be treated as.

What can an improvisor get if they are accepted into PIF 14?

All performers play the mainstage. There is no sidestage or second smaller venue. Each group gets put up for one night at the Holiday Inn across the street from the venue. Each group gets a den mother who is available 24 hours for them to give them rides, get them food, show them around town, get them to the festival, etc. There are two parties with transportation to and from. There will be a photoshoot on Saturday. All groups get a video of their performance for submitting to other festivals. We have workshops on Saturday as well as our third unconference to discuss the art and business of improv. We will have panels and possibly a return of Jam City.

Besides the Improv Festival, why else should a troupe take a trip out to Phoenix. What’s the Valley of the Sun have to offer?

Well, Oprah’s favorite pizza place for one. people always ask about that. But if you really want good pizza, there are plenty of other places we can get you. Downtown Phoenix has plenty of museums, and many of them are great, but I won’t list them all because the names mean nothing. But the Musical Instrument Museum and Butterfly Wonderland are pretty self-explanitory. There are no baseball games in town that weekend, but there are plenty of places nearby to watch games. The Roosevelt Row area is a more Bohemian neighborhood right next to the hotel where many small local bands, galleries and restaraunts are within walking distance. If you really want to experience “the old west”, there are plenty of scenic parks and fairly inauthentic ghost towns your den mother can get you to. And of course, the hotel has a pool.

You’ve been at it for 14 years. What have you seen change in improv from year 1 to year 14 in your community?

In 2002, the love of improv was huge, but in a very small circle of people who didn’t have the knowledge or the skill to share that love. Only seven years ago, I ran a listing for classes and the person running the mailing list kept insisting that I put the words “zany” and “wacky” in the listings. When I refused she said “OK, but you’ll be yelling into the wind.” We’re not yelling in the wind anymore. There are six great improv theatres in the area and many smaller groups. The community knows what improv is and there are hundreds, not dozens, of people meeting each week to practice, or just discuss the craft. There are a dozen great shows every week somewhere in Phoenix, and those folks come together to put on an amazing event each April.

Nick Armstrong

Nick Armstrong is Founder and Camp Director of Improv Utopia an improv retreat for adults in California and Pennsylvania. He is also one of the founding members of the National Improv Network and performer and teacher at iO West as well as member of The Sunday Company at The Groundlings. He has also taught many workshops around the country.

Spotlight On: E-MPROV – Improv Online Worldwide

Posted by Nick Armstrong on October 16, 2014

A few months ago I participated in an improv show online on E-mpov. I saw the potential of Improv online as a way to connect the improv community worldwide. I had a chance to interview the Artistic Director of this online adventure Amey Goerlich to chat with her about:

NICK: How did E-EMPROV start?

AMEY: Terry Withers Created E-MPROV.COM here is what he had to say about it:

I wanted to perform more than I was. My son was 6 months old and Jenn needed help. I was still doing improv shows when I could but they put an amazing strain on our day to day. I knew about video conferencing and I decided to look into it. I couldn’t believe that you could just broadcast a video conference. That blew my mind. I decided I would try to figure out how to do that, certain that either my lack of tech knowledge or old computer would stop me. Somehow they didn’t. I wanted there to be a way for a show to happen and build momentum for the next one. YouTube didn’t really lend itself to that. I decided I would try to design a website, guessing that my lack of tech knowledge or old computer would stop me. Once again I was wrong. Then I invited a bunch of improvisers to give it a shot. Since improvisers tend to be wonderful people, they agreed to give it a shot.

NICK: What is the goal of E-MPROV?

AMEY: E-MPROV is dedicated to embody and celebrate the principals of long form improv as an equal opportunity performance option to all. We are devoted to the widespread promotion of long form improv nationally and internationally. Combining electricity and improv to create a new way to universally connect to others through the power of Improvisation.

NICK: What do we have to look forward to with e-mprov?

AMEY: We are creating a lot of new shows like our College face offs where we have two college improv teams compete against each other and the team with the most likes on their e-mprov set will move on to the next College face off.

We are also connecting with improvisers globally. We have one international team that performs live every sunday at 10am and we just started International Jams.

We have Improv talk shows, Bit shows, Regular house teams which includes a High School improv team. I’m even doing a monthly show where i improvise with kids under 4 years old called Look who’s talking improv.

NICK: How can improvisors get involved?

AMEY: Easy go to our website E-MPROV.COM and on the bottom of our front page you can register as a team or an individual. We have 3 Jam shows a week one being international where you can play with people from France, Tokyo, England, Australia and many more countries.

NICK: What have been your biggest challenges?

AMEY: Probably the technology on google hangouts. We have so many ideas and it’s just a matter of trying to play with the format to do different things with it. Also the international aspect of E-MPROV is tough because they want to also do shows live but at prime times for them which usually means 7 or 10am EST in the US. But we are game for anything.

Nick Armstrong

Spotlight On: Eau Claire 2014

Posted by Bill Binder on October 14, 2014

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.

10 Years of Funny

A review of the San Francisco Improv Festival

Posted by Elliot Heinz on October 7, 2014

I had the honor of being a part of the 10th annual San Francisco Improv Festival this September with my team Glassworks. This festival was huge! Well, compared to most festivals that is. The SFIF hosted over thirty teams from across the country, featuring performers like Adsit & Eveleth, Razowsky & Hamilton, Susan Messing, Armando Diaz and more. Plus workshops! And it all happened over the span of two weeks. Yep, two weekends jam packed with top-notch performers guaranteed to make you feel some sort of way (and hopefully a bit of laughter).

The festival made its home at the Eureka Theater in the heart of San Francisco. It is an excellent theater with a capacity of over 200 people. All of the seats are fixed in place, lined with red velvet. The stage is pretty large, allowing scenes to grow with the environment whether it is a dance studio, farmstead, or food court. Though I must mention that a larger space calls for an intense focus on projection from the performers. Soft-spoken scenes were often too easy for the audience to miss.

Check out this rad poster design! Now that’s some smart advertising right there. An attractive poster is always a plus at festivals.

Our team received several preparatory emails leading up to the festival, including individual board representatives to answer any and all of our questions beforehand. The fest made sure to tackle technical details a month ahead of time, which is extremely comforting for both the performers and the folks running the festival. You don’t want to be scrambling to make everything work on the night of the show. Kudos to you all at SFIF! It was our responsibility to figure out the rest of the details once we arrived in the city. Things like finding the theater, figuring out if there was anything we needed as a performer (e.g. badges, wristbands) and finding a place to sleep. I’m happy to say that we were able to complete all of these tasks on our own.

I was only there for a few nights during the second week of the festival and am sorry to say that I did not have much of a chance to meet other performers from the festival, but did have a chance to meet two of the producers, Jamie Wright and Chris Hayes. Both of them were incredibly friendly and had open arms when we needed help. The entire SFIF staff was always ecstatic, willing to help in any way they could.

Guys, the bay area is absolutely beautiful! During the day we were able to swim in the Pacific Ocean! I’m from Wisconsin, so that’s pretty special. We explored the city, ranging everywhere from the cliffs on the western shores to Haight & Ashbury to the cities surrounding the bay. Parks dotted the landscape, trees grew high into the sky and the water was clean. There’s definitely a reason that improv is deeply rooted in San Francisco. The 60’s brought The Committee and now the city has improv theaters and training grounds like Leela, EndGames, BATS, and Un-Scripted Theater.

Overall I really enjoyed my time in San Francisco! The performer wristband granted me access to EVERY SHOW, the variety of talent was incredible to watch, and the city is truly special. Do yourself a favor and check out this festival when it comes back for its 11th year! Also be sure to schedule in plenty of time to explore the area. You won’t regret it.

Elliot currently resides in Eau Claire, performing with Glassworks and helps run the festival there. He also used to operate an underground venue called “The Playhouse” in Eau Claire, running shows nearly every weekend with both musicians and improv.

5th Annual Red Rocks Improv Festival Review

Posted by Mike Brown on October 2, 2014

There it is! Another amazing improv festival in the books! Once again our friends from Off The Cuff in Cedar City, Utah have brought us three nights of amazing comedy to enjoy, experience, and to learn from as the 5th Annual Red Rocks Improv Festival hit the ground running in classic improv fashion.

First of all, I need to point out the amount of planning and preparation that went into this festival. Don’t confuse the RRIF as another one of “those” festivals where you show up and “check-in”, only to sit around and wait for your performance time slot to approach, all-the-while wishing that you’d been able to meet a few other performing teams at the bar and network. Sound familiar? Of course it does. Because unlike mega-festivals (ie DCM, LAICF, and CIF) this is a smaller intimate group setting. The producers of the RRIF did that intentionally so as to create a community away from your home. This serves two purposes:

1) It actually allows you to mingle and to get to know other teams in a one-on-one basis.

2) It enhances your performance on stage. It really does. For instance, how many times have you performed at LAICF and the crowd was so small (assuming there IS a crowd) that you throw in the towel and say “screw it”. Instead of being focused on “what form are we going to do for the festival” you find yourself in a much more relaxed/social environment where you focus on each other. You are LITERALLY BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS offstage, which in turn translates to building relationships onstage. See how that happens? So yeah! A huge round of applause to Off The Cuff for creating an intimate social environment for all to enjoy!

The second aspect of the festival that I’d like to point out is the extra curricular activities. I am specifically referring to the hikes out in Zion National Park. These hikes are breathtaking and super fun! I mean, just check out that view:

You really want to pass THIS up? And this is just one of many hikes this region has to offer.

I could go on and on about how much I loved the hikes, but I’ll let Yelp do that for me. In the meantime, visually munch on these pics I snapped.

Now for the comedy aspect of the festival. I mean, wow. Just….wow! The RRIF has a way of finding some of the BEST improv teams out there! Just to highlight a few of the showstoppers, teams like Beehive, Fancy Football, The Comedy Project, Old Vegas, Melissa? and Pawn Takes Queen were among the best of the best. You may not have heard of some of these teams, but trust me…you won’t soon forget them!

And especially as an east coaster, I’m am super thrilled to get to know and mingle with more than just teams from New York and Boston.

Attending improv festivals is seriously one of the best things you can do as an improviser as it allows you to showcase your talents, network with other teams, improve your skills by building relationships off stage, and experience something completely new that you normally wouldn’t have the chance to see in your own hometown.

Cross-pollination, people! That’s what we are trying to accomplish here!

Oh! Here’s something I forgot to mention: the STAGE! Wow! What an amazing theater these guys have created! The theater at OTC is part of a strip mall including stores like Big Lots, The Dollar Tree, and JoAnn Fabrics (not quite sure if those businesses are accurate, but you get my gist), but don’t hold that against them because once you get inside….holy crap! It’s beautiful! For starters, it’s an open-air room with a full size elevated stage located in the rear of the space, and individual padded chairs facing forward. The ticket counter is smartly located right as you walk in the theater, which doesn’t sound like a big deal, but trust me. It is. Many other theaters either don’t have an established ticket counter, or if they do it is all the way in the back or easy to miss. So yeah. It’s a big deal that the first thing you see is where to purchase your tickets. Immediately on your left as you walk in is the tech booth. Again, not a huge deal to point out, but in OTC’s case it is. For those of you who have had to tech shows in the past, how cumbersome are most tech booths? They are small, tiny, cramped spaces that aren’t usually large enough to accommodate more than two or three people at a time. And even that’s a stretch of the imagination! Off The Cuff’s tech booth is probably 15×10 feet in surface area, and has a full range of your standard lights, sound, and projection, but it is also equipped with a full video editing station so you can receive a copy of your performance before you go home!

Long story long, the theater at OTC is one of my favorite to perform on because you actually feel like you’re performing on a stage. As a performer, that’s huge! I’ve done festivals in the past where my “stage” is a 5’x3’x5″ off the ground, and the room feels like a glorified broom closet. (Not exactly praising your performers here, guys). But the stage at OTC’s Red Rocks Improv Festival make you feel like a rock star!

In summary (what a clichéd way to end a review), the Red Rocks Improv Festival is certainly one of the BEST I’ve ever been to! (And I’ve been to a lot!) Sure, it might take you a while to get there, but once you do you won’t regret it!

Mike began his comedy career in 2005 as a Philadelphia Phillies “Phanstormer,” performing on-field sketches for the crowd. He founded The Mike Brown Solo Improv Extravaganza and was a member of improv teams “Trapper John”, “Robot Junkie”, and “Ha-Prov”, and currently performs two-prov with “God’s Little Athiest”.

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