OKC Improv, Oklahoma’s premiere showcase for improv comedy and theater, will be starting a brand new five-week run of shows at Ghostlight Theatre Club (3110 N Walker) this Saturday, March 26, 2011. The weekly shows will take place at 8pm and 10pm every Saturday through April 16 and on Friday, April 22. Tickets are $10 each. $5 for improvisers and improv students. Admission is FREE if you’re celebrating your birthday with us! Many shows sell out so reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made via E-Mail at okcimprov@gmail.com or by calling (405) 343-1570. For more information go to http://www.okcimprov.com/.
Twinprov will bring their acclaimed Rap-sody show back to the OKC Improv stage on April 9 at 8pm and April 22 at 10pm in anticipation of performing at the world famous Chicago Improv Festival (April 25-May 1). Rap-sody is an original musical improv form in which an audience suggestion is dynamically explored and expanded upon through a series of alternating improvised scenes and rap/hip-hop songs. Twinprov are the first act from Oklahoma to be invited to perform as part of this prestigious festival which features 90 acts from 31 cities in 9 countries.
As always, the upcoming run will also include several new acts, the first of which will be the world premiere of Alternate History on April 9 at 8pm. Directed by OKC Improv producer and instructor Buck Vrazel, Alternate History is a new long-form show inspired by the work of author, artist and writer Professor Jeff Provine. Utilizing Provine’s ideas and essays on alternative history, also known as “contrafactuals,†that pose questions like “What if Ghengis Khan were born in 1900?†the intrepid improvising chrononauts will answer these questions in a series of original scenes resulting in narrative mash-up that will span the course of human history.
Stretchin’ It will be bringing their unique brand of transgressive sketch and improv comedy back to the OKC Improv stage on April 9 at 10pm for an adults-only Blue Show that will also include the world premieres of new student-created short form group called The Laughing Stocks and far-out comedy duo The Adventures of Puddles and Fartbox.
A brand new sketch comedy group directed by OKC Improv producer and instructor Clint Vrazel entitled Sketchers in the Wry will make its world premiere on April 16 at 10pm. Comprised of a diverse group of comedic talent from the improv and stand-up communities and beyond, Sketchers in the Wry will be the first locally produced sketch-only show to perform on the OKC Improv stage.
A Red Dirt Improv special project entitled Counterpoint will make its world premiere on April 22. Created by and starring James Murray and Curt Coy, the original form will see the performers take on suggestions from the audience debating them with every increasing degrees of insanity, breaking away at times to expand upon ideas raised in the debate.
The upcoming run will also include the return of recent newcomers such as improvisational Shakespeare troupe Fortune’s Fools and short-form powerhouse Short Order Crooks and established audience favorites C-4, Everybody and Their Dog, The MiDolls, The Ones Your Mother Warned You About, Red Letters, Two’s Company, Villain: The Musical, comedians Brad Porter and Dan Skaggs and magician and mentalist William Rader.
OKC Improv will begin a new session of weekly improv classes for adults starting Saturday, April 2, 2011, continuing through May 14 at Ghostlight Theatre Club (3110 N Walker, OKC).There will be no class on April 30. The Level 1 class will take place from 2-4pm followed by Level 2 from 4-6pm. Drop-ins are always welcome in the Level 1 class. The first class attended is free. $10 for each additional class. To enroll call (405) 343-1570 or E-Mail okcimprov@gmail.com. For more info. on classes go to: www.okcimprov.com.
OKC Improv is non-profit community arts organization devoted to building a thriving Oklahoma improv scene by providing regular performance opportunities at a quality venue for area improvisers and by working to raise awareness and understanding of improv as an art form among audiences and practitioners through publicity, outreach, and education including ongoing classes and workshops.
Since debuting on December 4, 2009, OKC Improv has entertained over 2000 people at 71 shows (over a 3rd of which were sold out) with 40 different acts from OKC, Stillwater, Tulsa, Dallas, and Austin. We have taught over 50 classes, graduating 3 sections of Adult Level 1 and Level 2 Classes and 5 Middle School Classes. In the last 15 months, the number of active performance groups in the metro has increased from 5 to 25 with the promise of more groups and projects to be developed during the course of the next year!
The creation of co-producers Marcy Fleming, Buck Vrazel, Clint Vrazel, and Eric Webb, OKC Improv is the culmination of over a decade of work in the Oklahoma improv scene. For more information: www.okcimprov.com.
MARCH/APRIL RUN @ GHOSTLIGHT THEATRE CLUB
Saturday, March 26, 2011
8pm: All-Stars / Two’s Company / Everybody and Their Dog
10pm: Dan Skaggs / Improv-ing The World / The MiDolls
Saturday, April 2, 2011
8pm: The Ones Your Mother Warned You About / Red Letters / Fortune’s Fools
10pm: Short Order Crooks / C-4: A Red Dirt Special / Villain: The Musical
Saturday, April 9, 2011
8pm: Two’s Company / Alternate History / Twinprov: Rap-sody
10pm: The Laughing Stocks / The Adventures of Puddles and Fartbox / Stretchin’ It
Saturday, April 16, 2011
8pm: The Laughing Stocks / Fortune’s Fools / Villain: The Musical
10pm: Brad Porter / Sketchers in the Wry / The MiDolls
Friday, April 22, 2011
8pm: Spotlight Improv Students / Everybody and Their Dog / Red Letters
10pm: Magician William Rader / Counterpoint: A Red Dirt Special / Twinprov: Rap-sody
2011 FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS PERFORMANCE
Sunday, May 1, 2011
3pm: TBA (Cafe Stage)