Philly Improv Fest Now Accepting Submissions

PHIF kicks off it’s fourth annual festival this fall, and submissions opened today:

We are now accepting performer submissions for the 4th annual Philadelphia Improv Festival (PHIF4) being held November 13-15 at the Plays & Players Theatre located in the heart of Center City Philadelphia.

Submissions are open to all types of improvisation and all ensemble sizes. Submissions from other forms of live entertainment such as sketch or standup will not be accepted.

Submission Deadline: August 22nd, 2008
Submission Fee: $25

Performers will be getting a few extra things this year:

In addition to their performance slot, all PHIF4 Performers will receive a performer packet that includes:

- An all-access badge good for: free guaranteed seating during all performances and free access to parties and events
- A PHIF4 t-shirt
- A 30% discount on workshops

Applications are being processed digitally this year. Here’s what you’re gonna need:

The form requires general information about the name of your group, your format, primary contact person, individual performer names, technical requirements and other information used to assess your application. In addition to this information, you should also have ready:

Video: A link to streaming video (YouTube, Google Video, Vimeo, etc) of a previous live performance, representative of the type of show you would perform. Videos must contain at least 10 minutes of unedited performance, although 20-30 minutes is preferred.

Photo: A black & white or color digital promotional photograph of your group. Files should be hi-res, 300dpi and be in PDF, PNG, PSD or TIF format.

Submission Fee: A $25 non-refundable submission fee will be assessed at the time of your submission. You will be directed to a page where you use EFT or credit card via Paypal.

It’s time to get in gear and submit your group!

Must See: Shubin Saturday

Today I’ll be kicking off a new department, Must See. These posts will feature shows that I personally recommend that you do not miss. While I will always recommend you seeing the awesomeness of my own shows, these are rather the shows that you’ll be likely to find me in the audience next to you pining for the comedy magic that’s about to happen. So without further ado, my first recommendation…

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE SHUBIN

Once a month PHIT puts together a week of shows at the Shubin Theatre. Most are consistently pretty good, but sometimes the stars align and a lineup comes into existence that will knock the socks off your feet and then proceed to knit you new socks spun with laughter, attitude and tangible awesomeness. This Saturday is one of those nights.

First up is the 8PM show. I can’t even adequately express how damn excited I am for this pairing.

- First off is CUBED, consisting of local improvisers Dan Stabb (DCT North, Troika, my old former PHIT classmate) and Mark Bringhurst (Makeout Clinic, DCT, PHIT Instructor). The duo debuted only a few short months ago, but are already garnering amazing praise. They tackle premise based situation improv (think Bassprov, Code Duello, BWP) as a pair of cubicle dwellers sharing a 4×5 walled partition. The audience provides the name of their company and corporate memos that the two use for inspiration. I guarantee cube farming has seldom been so much fun.

- Next up is DR FANTASTIC, visiting from WIT in DC. Dr Fantastic is, well, aptly named and nothing short of exactly that. The group features Michael Bass, Topher Bellavia, David Johnson, Tyler Korba, Zhubin Parang, Rory Scovel and Molly Woods. These folks are fast, they’re crazy and they’re damn funny. Consistently. I’ve seen them three times and been blown away each time. They aren’t afraid of anything and thrive on breaking convention… but every step of the way they do it together… a seamless group mind that sets the bar about 50 f**king feet in the sky. I’m not going to say any more about what they do so as I think you’ll be the better for not having a clue, but let me just say that they could be in the headlining block of my festival in heartbeat based on what I’ve seen before.

When those two sets are done you’ve got exactly enough time to scoop your gray matter off the Shubin walls, change your shorts and buy a ticket for the 10PM show (or if you’re smart, get an advanced ticket).

The late block kicks off with a set from BARK WHARF. I can’t actually speak for this three-person ensemble as I’ve never seen them perform as a group, but I can most certainly speak for these three people: Matt Klinman, Ali King and Jesse Paulsen. I’ve been around these fine folks in many a workshop and they’re a joy. They are also all alums of Haverford, which if you haven’t put 2 and 2 together yet, churns out batshit crazy good improvisers like it’s their job (Alexis Simpson, Scott Sheppard, the list goes on and on…).

Rounding out the evening is MEG & ROB. This much lauded sketch duo (Meg Favreau and Rob Baniewicz) has been on a quest of world domination, having recently played at Chicago Snubfest and will be touching down at the Shubin right before heading back out to play the Minnesota Fringe Festival. As much as we can see them pretty consistently at Die Actor Die, Bedtime Stories and a rare Troika appearance, their shows always seem to feel fleeting for some reason. It’s a rare treat for me to feel like that watching sketch, so I plan to take advantage of this and take in some fun times from the creators of Reviving the Lecture Circuit, Love Over the Phone and Dan Henkle, Relationship Expert.

PHIT @ THE SHUBIN
Saturday, July 11th
8 & 10PM
407 Bainbridge St
Tickets - $10

Click This: Hail to the Chiefs

Comic Vs. Audience has a great post contributed by Gregg Gethard profiling his top five US presidents throughout history. This is a fun foreshadowing of tonight at the Shubin, when Gethard hosts Bedtime Stories: From Sea To Shining Sea; A Tribute To American History.

A large part of Bedtime Stories’ charm is Gethard’s seemingly endless sea of random knowledge. His hosting is peppered with delightfully specific obscurities, and tonight should be no exception, as this topic is known to be of particular interest to Gregg. The evening will feature themed comedy by the Sixth Borough, Secret Pants, Meg & Rob, Chip Chantry, Aaron Hertzog and many others.

Bedtime Stories: From Sea To Shining Sea
Presented by the Philly Improv Theater
The Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St
Tonight, 8PM - Tickets $10

PHIT Shubin Week

It’s only Tuesday, and the Philly Improv Theater’s Shubin Week is already well underway. Things kicked off last night with the inauguration of the Comic Vs. Audience Comedy Show, just one of PHIT’s new shows debuting this month. Tomorrow night after Bedtime Stories we also see the induction of a new monthly serial, as local favorite Kent Haines invites guests on his new talk show to help him answer the ever-elusive question of Why Am I Not Famous?

Wednesday, 7/9
8PM: Bedtime Stories - From Sea To Shining Sea, A Tribute To American History - $10
10PM: Why Am I Not Famous? w/ host Kent Haines - $5

Thursday, 7/10
8PM: Troika, Round 3 feat. LifeBoyz vs. Connected vs. The Ones Your Mothers Warned You About - $10
10PM: Cagematch - Angry People Building Things vs. Top Secret - $5

Friday, 7/11
8PM: Cubed w/ Angry People Building Things - $10
10PM: Dr. Fantastic w/ Bark Wharf - $10

Saturday, 7/12
8PM: Dr. Fantastic w/ Cubed - $10
10PM: Meg & Rob w/ Bark Wharf - $10

PHIT @ The Shubin
407 Bainbridge Street
Advanced Tickets Available

TROIKA: Round Three

This Thursday will decide the final championship slot for Troika’s 2008 season. The winner of round three will join Auditorium and Velvet Helmet at the Grand Championship on August 14th. This round, your teams will be:

THE ONES YOUR MOMS WARNED YOU ABOUT
Brandon Libby
Dan Rich
Jason Stockdale

LIFEBOYZ
Cole Orloff
Dan Stabb
David Warick

CONNECTED
Meg Favreau
Peter Fey
Rob Baniewicz

Troika, Round Three
Thursday, July 10th
8PM - $10
Shubin Theatre

Y Oh Y, Tongue & Groove

Next week, Tongue & Groove will tackle reality-based documentary improv as part of First Person Arts at the Gershman Y. Joining them will be multimedia artist Rachel Fujita with her project lovehateNYC as well as local writer Elisabeth Erickson.

First Person Arts
Gershman Y | 401 S Broad St
Wednesday, July 9th
7PM | $5 Minimum Admission

Special N Crowd Show This Saturday

As we’ve all been excitedly planning our long weekends long in advance, we know Independence Day falls on Friday this year. In observance, the N Crowd will be moving it’s show this week to Saturday… giving you a chance to see the fireworks and still get in your comedy.

The N Crowd
The Actor’s Center | 257 N Third St
Saturday, July 5th
8PM | Tickets $10

A Night of Competitive Comedy

Tonight at the Shubin, the Philly Improv Theater present an entire night of no-holds-barred competitive improv.

Troika, Round Two
Featuring Generation: Gap vs Mr. Lizard vs Velvet Helmet
8PM - $10

Cagematch
Featuring The Merry Men vs Angry People Building Things
10PM - $5

The Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge Street

Click This: Interviews with Sketchfest Producers

As we mentioned earlier, we’re super stoked for this weekend when sketch comedy takes center stage at the Philly Sketchfest. In the excitement leading up to the event, we’re seeing a lot of talk about the state of comedy in the city, the scene and what we can look forward to not only this weekend, but beyond. Here are a couple of must reads for the sketchophiles out there:

Comic Vs. Audience interview with Dave Terruso & Matt Lally

Phillyist interview with Dave Terruso

Philly Sketchfest ‘08 This Weekend!

This weekend marks a special first in Philadelphia’s alt-comedy scene. Dave Terruso, Matt Lally & Ben Maher have come together to produce Philadelphia’s first ever Philly Sketchfest, running this Friday and Saturday at the Painted Bride.

Over the last year, events like Die Actor Die and Bedtime Stories have created not only awesome comedy, but also some excited networking between the city’s sketch comedians. The result is a culmination of talent featuring eight groups taking the stage in what promises to be two nights of exciting hilarity.

The event is hosted by comic Chip Chantry (Ministry of Secret Jokes) and features sketch groups Animosity Pierre, Bad Hair, the Gentleman’s Rotary Auxiliary, Meg & Rob, Rowan & Hastings, Secret Pants, the Sixth Borough and the Waitstaff.

Philly Sketchfest ‘08
Fri, 6/6 @ 9PM | Sat, 6/7 @ 8PM & 10:30PM
Painted Bride Arts Center | 230 Vine St
Tickets: $15-$25