The San Francisco Improv Festival 2004 Presented by The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative

February 9 2004--Get your who what and where ready. And be prepared to give a lot of suggestions. For Twelve Solid weeks.

This year the San Francisco Improv Festival hosts troupes from the Bay Area and beyond. "We are very honored to have such incredible improv at this festival" says festival producer and founder of the San Francisco Improv Co-Operative Shaun Landry "The idea of having such luminaries as True Fiction Magazine and The Annoyance Theatre is a great honor, not to mention our newer local favorites and innovative troupes like The Defiant Thomas Bros. and the Kihckercast Project."

The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative, known in the Bay Area for its improv shows, jams and e-newsletter, has hosted innovative out of town troupes since Yellow Man Group's first visit in 2001. Co-Founder Shaun Landry, a longtime presence at national improv festivals, decided that this year it was time to really commit.

"We see it as not only a festival but also a series," says Co-Op Co-Founder Sam Shaw. "Instead of having a festival where an ensemble only has one day to shine and pack up and go home...we give them a full run."

Also, unlike most festivals, and directly tied to the mission statement of The San Francisco Improv Co-Op, all performances are geared towards maximum revenue for the troupes. Landry and the SFIC call it Play and Get Paid.

"It is not the US Festival cracks" Landry, referring to the Bob Geldof's money losing festival in the 80's. "The whole goal of the SFIC is to support and produce ensembles in spaces that are improv friendly, and able to pay them for the creative work they bring. We are not your normal producers", smirks Landry who has been improvising for more than twenty years. "We actually try not to screw our artists."

The Festival Line up begins with the powerhouse ensemble from Chicago Illinois, The Annoyance Theatre, well known for hit shows as Co-Ed Prison Sluts and The Real Live Brady Bunch. The festival ends with San Francisco legends True Fiction Magazine. Other Bay Area Ensembles include: Oui Be Negroes, Lucky Dog Theatre, New Humor Group, The Babcocks, Black and Tan Improv, Pharmasupial, The Sam Shaw Show and The Next Stage Theatre Ensemble directed by Marcia Kimmell. Add to these ensembles Chicago's Defiant Thomas Brothers and New York's Kihckercast Project, and the San Francisco Improv Festival will be a Bay Area event to remember.

For online Ticket Reservations for The San Francisco Improv Festival please go to http://www.sfimprovcoopertive.com
For phone reservations: 415-863-1076

Who will be at The San Francisco Improv Festival?

The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents
Premiere National Improv Company Weekend
The Annoyance Productions Chicago
Presents The Annoyance Theatre: Road Trip!
Thursday-Saturday
April 15-17 2004
The Next Stage Theatre
1620 Gough Street at Bush
Tickets $15.00
For SFIC, TBA, Senior and Students 12.00
Group Packages Available

A mixture of Annoyance's irreverent improvisation and sketch directed by Mick Napier, and featuring Annoyance Ensemble members: Sean Cusik, Kyle Dolan, Jennifer Estlin, Tony Mendoza, Mick Napier, Rebecca Sohn, Rich Sohn, and Josh Walker.

The Annoyance Theatre is the nationally renowned improvisational theatre company with such hits as The Real Live Brady Bunch and Co-Ed Prison Sluts. For over twenty years, the Annoyance has brought alternative improv and sketch comedy to the national forefront. They are returning to San Francisco after a successful run of Co-Ed Prison Sluts to The San Francisco Improv Festival.


The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents
Three For Three! Short, Long and One Person Improv
The Next Stage Theatre - San Francisco
The Sam Shaw Show - San Francisco
The Kihckercast Project - New York
Thursday-Saturday
April 22-24 2004
The Next Stage Theatre
1620 Gough Street at Bush
Tickets $15.00
For SFIC, TBA, Senior and Students 12.00
Group Packages Available

The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents Three for Three. In three nights, three incredible groups perform the full spectrum of improvisational theatre!

The Next Stage Improv Ensemble. Spolin based improvisational theatre directed by Spolin Alumni and San Francisco Improv Teacher Marcia Kimmel! If you love improv theatre at Viola Spolin best...The Next Stage Ensemble is a great show of some of the best Improv actors in the Bay Area!

The Sam Shaw Show. Long Form Improv with Sam Shaw and The Sam Shaw Players. Directed by Sam Shaw. Produced by Sam Shaw. Costumed by Sam Shaw. It's not about you. It's about SAM SHAW.

The Kihckercast Project, from New York City, "rises to high levels of inspiration" and is "smart and funny" says Off-Off Broadway Review. TKP was created and developed by Topping Haggerty in 2000 to experiment with and explore theatrical forms of improvisation.

Drawing inspiration from Shakespeare, Chekov, Poe, Simon, Hughes and Fracture Fairy tales, TKP has developed its own unique humanistic style of improv. TKP takes the audience on an emotional free fall into the unique, hilarious, awkward, exciting, touching and absurd day-to-day trials and tribulations of ordinary people in their extraordinary worlds.

The Kihckercast Project performs regularly in New York and has been seen at the Toronto Improv Festival, Out of Bounds Improv Festival in Austin TX, and most recently at The Miami Improv Festival.



The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents
San Francisco Premiere Short Form Improv Ensemble
Lucky Dog Theatre - San Francisco
Thursday-Saturdays
April 29 - May 08 2004
The Climate Theatre
285 9th Street @ Folsom
Tickets $15.00
For SFIC, TBA, Senior and Students 12.00
Group Packages Available

LUCKY DOG THEATRE directed by JOYA CORY Performs FULL SPECTRUM IMPROVISATION. Spontaneous Theatre with Substance.

"….improvised scenarios conceived and practiced with such eccentric passion that one finds oneself literally on the edge of one's seat."
~ S.F. Tribune~
"…Hauntingly personal, hysterically funny, downright provocative… frenetic physicality put to skillful use…"
~Women's Voices~

LUCKY DOG THEATRE, founded and directed by long time Bay Area performer and teacher Joya Cory, is delighted to bring its entirely spontaneous theatre pieces to the Climate Theater as part of the 2004 San Francisco Improv Festival. The veteran improvisers of this masterful ensemble act and sing their way through an outpouring of original, unrehearsed tales ranging in tone from the fiercely comic to the surprisingly personal to the poignantly political. Each performance is unique, with storytelling, multi-character theatrical scenes, and improvised music emerging from a single word drawn from the audience. This is serious fun; smart, funny, sad and savvy.
The actors are accompanied by recording artist YEHUDIT, a well-known Bay Area violinist, a member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, who has also performed with Jules Broussard and Dan Hicks, as well as her own jazz ensemble. Performers: Joya Cory, John Chung, Greg Lejnieks, Michael Sommers.


The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents
The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative Crew
Pharmasupial - San Francisco
The Babcocks - San Francisco
Thursday-Saturdays
May 13th - 22nd 2004
The Next Stage Theatre
1620 Gough Street at Bush
Tickets $15.00
For SFIC, TBA, Senior and Students 12.00
Group Packages Available

The San Francisco Improv Festival BRINGS it with The SFIC Crew. Ensembles culled from the belly and loins of The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative!

PHARMARSUPIAL. Created by SFIC member Dan Wilson. It is long form so cool...you need a childproof cap! Improvisor gleaned from a rotating cast of from the Pharmarsupial Farm...it is a long form to get you medicinally high!

THE BABCOCKS The Babcocks gets to headline at The San Francisco Improv Festival after coming off of the Madagascar Improv and Juggling Festival. The brother and sister act of Bryce and Becky Babcocks...with over 85 years of experience in cocktail lounges and Amsterdam Coffee shops! A show for improvisational mussings!

The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents
Two Person Comedy
Muy Fuerte - San Francisco
Black and Tan Improv - San Francisco
The Defiant Thomas Brothers - Chicago
Thursday-Saturdays
May 27th - 29th 2004
The Next Stage Theatre
1620 Gough Street at Bush
Tickets $15.00
For SFIC, TBA, Senior and Students 12.00
Group Packages Available

The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents Two two-person improv troupes from San Francisco and Chicago!

Muy Fuerte opens the evening of Two Person Improv at The San Francisco Improv Festival!
Muy Fuerte enters its second year with its original members Mike Geometti and Charles Durazo. Mike and Charles have been performing improv in the Bay Area for over 5 years. They have been affiliated with such groups as Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, Kids in the Hall and Saturday Night Live. Their lawyers informed them that being affiliated means they have seen them on TV. Muy Fuerte attempts to dazzle its audience with a two-man long form improv format that has left many an improv artist dead and broke. Come watch an Italian and Mexican explain to the world why they are a little #@#$@$ up.

Black and Tan Improv a two-person woman of color improv ensemble who has toured to The Funny Women's Festival New York The Alteractive Series at the Cincy Playhouse and The Miami Improv Festival makes its home festival debut here in San Francisco! Featuring Shaun Landry and Ana Elizondo, both of Oui Be Negroes.

The Defiant Thomas Brothers are Seth Thomas and Paul Tomas. The Defiant Thomas Brothers have performed at the Miami Improv Festival, the Chicago Improv Festival, Seattle Sketchfest, Chicago Sketchfest, and on the Second City Chicago e.t.c. Stage as a guest of the Second City Unhinged Series.

The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents
Long Form Improv Bay Area Style
New Humor Group - Oakland
Oui Be Negroes - San Francisco/Los Angeles
Thursday-Saturdays
June 3rd - 12th 2004
The Next Stage Theatre
1620 Gough Street at Bush
Tickets $15.00
For SFIC, TBA, Senior and Students 12.00
Group Packages Available

The SFIC proudly presents it full on Long Form Series with two of the most known Long Form Ensembles in The Bay Area.

New Humor Group who wild underbelly style of improv is hard core Del Close with more acid!

Oui Be Negroes the Only African American Improv and Sketch Comedy Ensemble Featuring Shaun Landry, Ana Elizondo, Ronnie Ray, Khristian Leslie and Hans Summers. On their 11th year, Oui Be Negroes is known nationally and internationally as social and political improvisation. Known for doing every sort of improvisational theatre currently performed (long form, short form, improv to sketch)…this festival; they are please to be doing long form improv on The Black Hand Side.

The San Francisco Improv Festival Presents
San Francisco Improv Festival Finale
San Francisco Premiere Ensemble
True Fiction Magazine
Thursday-Saturdays
June 17th - 26th 2004
The Next Stage Theatre
1620 Gough Street at Bush
Tickets $15.00
For SFIC, TBA, Senior and Students 12.00
Group Packages Available


TRUE FICTION MAGAZINE continues to push the envelope of improvisation, exploring new and exciting styles of storytelling. A TFM performance is a full evening of spontaneous theatre, as the troupe takes titles suggested by the audience and creates stories, which move forward and backward in time, interweave and intersect, until the final resolution. Of over 6,000 stories told, they've never repeated one. Each show is unique: it has never been seen before and will never be seen again. TFM's inspiration is the hard-bitten, emotion-driven fiction found in the pulp stories of the 30's and 40's, tempered by their own comic sensibilities, resulting in a myriad of unusual characters and the worlds they live in! The most respected improv company in San Francisco joins The San Francisco Improv Festival. We are honored to have them.

The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative Presents Mick Napiers Master Class Series

Mick Napier is Founder and Director of Annoyance Productions and The Annoyance Theatre, Director of The Second City Chicago and Las Vegas and director of the Comedy Central favorite Exit 57. Mick is an Jeff and Obie Award winner, directing the Troma Pictures release Fatty Drives the Bus. He has taught improv in every place imaginable nationally and internationally and his highly respected throughout the improv, film and theatre community as one of the main innovators of his form. Mick has a new resource book on improv theatre called Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out. The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative is proud to have him teach and lecture for The San Francisco Improv Festival. A master class series that you do not want to miss!

Wednesday April 14th 2004
Mick Napier Master Class Intensive
8:00 - 10:00pm
The Climate Theatre 285 9th Street @ Folsom
An intimate and intensive master class series for Improvisors, Mick Napier will do this workshop focusing on improvisational skills, theatre techniques and improving on pre-established skills to enhance existing ensembles. A must class for Bay Area ensembles and the working actor/improvisor.
Limit 15 Students ONLY
$100.00 Non SFIC Members
$65.00 SFIC Members*

Saturday April 17th
Mick Napier Master Class and Book Signing
1:00pm-5:00pm
The Next Stage Theatre 1620 Gough Street @ Bush
Mick Napier, Founder of The Annoyance Theatre, Director of The Second City Chicago, Director of the hit Comedy Central show Exit 57 and author of the new book Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out will be teaching over twenty years of improvisational theatre. Mr. Napier will also be selling and singing his newly released book Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out. A master class not to be missed.
Limited Seating
$80.00 dollars Non SFIC members
$50.00 dollars SFIC Members*

The San Francisco Improv Festival Group Package Discounts!

The San Francisco Improv Festival is offering Special Group Rates and Packages to fit your festival needs. Whether you would like to come with a bunch of people from the office...see one show every week of the festival...or would like to experience EVERYTHING including the festival Master class, These group rates and packages lets you in on the improv fun without making your wallet feel "Unfunny"

IMPROV NEWBIE PACKAGE
You are totally new to the improv scene and want to dabble in seeing some groups? Well this is just for you. The IMPROV NEWBIE PACKAGE is Five Tickets good for Thursday or Friday Performances of the Next Stage Improv Series to be used anytime during the series. Thursday and Friday Performances Only for you newbies...but a great price to get your feet wet at only $60.00!

IMPROV FAN PACKAGE
The IMPROV FAN PACKAGE is seven tickets to use how you wish (see the same group twice…or all the ensembles once a week…or just bring a crew to one show): $77.00 for being a true Improv Fan of some of the best Improv in the country!

IMPROV GURU PACKAGE
The IMPROV GURU PACKAGE is Seven Tickets to the series be used any way you wish and admission into Mick Napier's Master Class Saturday April 17th. At only $150.00 dollars...it is an Improv Guru joy at earthbound prices.

The San Francisco Improv Festival is Sponsored by The Next Stage Theater, The Climate Theatre, Vendini.com and The San Francisco Bay Guardian.

For more information on All the ensembles, Mick Napier, and The San Francisco Improv Festival, please contact Festival Producer Shaun Landry at 415-863-1076, email at sfimprovco_op @yahoo.com or go to our website at http://www.sfimprovcooperative.com




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