Houston Improv Festival 2013 Kicks Off Today

Today, April 18-21, some of Houston's most talented improvisers join forces with improv troupes from Austin, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York for this year's uproarious Houston Improv Festival.

"Our intent this year is to showcase the vast diversity within the improv artform," says Todd Boring, the festival's producer.

Leading the charge is the hard-hitting national duo SCRAM! composed of Joe Bill from Annoyance Theater and iO Chicago and Jill Bernard of HUGE Theater and ComedySportz Minneapolis. The University of Houston's Glaundor, the 2013 International College Improv Tournament champions, perform Saturday night at 8pm. Tickets to individual shows are $15. Weekend passes are $45 ($90 value).

The show lineup is as follows:

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 - 7PM

Phortasics (Houston): The University of Houston's latest improv sensation are true students of the craft. They dazzle audiences with their fearless creativity and playfulness.

Bluebonnets Away! (New York, NY): Former Houstonians, Chris Grace and Julia Morales now perform with People's Improv Theater in NYC. Get ready to raise the roof as this dynamic duo brings it on home to Houston.

ComedySportz-Houston: Family-friendly, fast-paced, and funny, ComedySportz entertains everyone from bachelorette parties to your grandmother. It's comedy about sports, not comedy played as a sport!

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2013 - 7PM

Ampersand! (Houston): This hilarious long-form improv show, produced by ComedySportz, is the late-night antithesis to a clean ComedySportz match.

The Adriaens (Houston): Adrian and Adrien are former members of the Rice University's Spontaneous Combustion that draw inspiration from a TJ and Dave show and an All-Powerful Elton John Pinball machine.

Ophelia's Rope (Houston): A two woman show based on the Deconstruction format as taught by Miles Stroth, they take a Shakespearean sonnet as their suggestion and build a beautiful universe which they then tear apart, piece by hilarious piece.

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2013 - 9PM

Shades oF Brown (Austin): Shades oF Brown's format is long form and in true TV Novela style the show exploits the elements of love, lust, murder, jealousy, anger, crying, and the supernatural.

¡Zarzamora! (Austin): ¡ZARZAMORA! takes a suggestion of a minor notable individual (i.e. the guy who invented the aglet,) and portrays all the formative events of their life.

The Faculty (Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; New York, NY;): The special triple-threat combo of the Houston Improv Festival's awesome workshop instructors - Jill Bernard, Joe Bill, and Chris Grace.

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013 - 8PM

The Seven Eight Sevens (Austin): The Seven Eight Sevens perform improv inspired by the big and colorful characters of their hometown: Austin, TX.

Glaundor (Houston): Winners of the 2013 International College Improv Tournament in Chicago, this troupe is known for their hilarious mix of bizarre characters and brilliant wit.

SCRAM! (Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN): Joe Bill and his partner in Improvisation, Minneapolis Improv Goddess Jill Bernard, have been touring the country for the last 3 years with their form- busting show SCRAM! It features 3 interwoven, concurrent scenes for 30-40 minutes. The shows are funny, daring, and theatrical, featuring two performers willing to play compelling emotional depth as well as for laughs.

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013 - 10PM

iScream Sandwich (Austin): iScream Sandwich performs the classic long form format, "the Harold," but adds their own unique flavor to the original recipe!

This Infinite Closet (Houston): TIC performs a form called a Bat - improv in the dark. Performers weave vocal soundscapes, transcend boundaries of time and space and visit settings outside the realm of a typical improv performance.

Baby Knuckle (Houston): Together they will form a completely improvised 30 minute Harold-esque playground, kicking it off with a organic free form opening and exploring that connected universe with richer than rich characters that you care for and fear, stories you must hear, and laughs your belly craves. Nothing is more pure than a baby's knuckle.

Elite improvisers Joe Bill and Jill Bernard, as well as Chris Grace of New York's The People's Improv Theater will conduct a variety of workshops on Saturday and Sunday. Workshops are designed to accommodate all levels of improvisers, from those just starting out to the advanced improviser.

"Being funny or spontaneous is not a requirement," says Todd, "just bring yourself and be prepared to have a blast."

Each workshop is 3 hours long and is limited to 16 students, allowing everyone plenty of personal attention. Workshops are $60 each.

For more information and to make reservations, go to www.houstonimprovfestival.com.

The Houston Improv Festival is a unique event that promotes improvisational theatre in collaboration with the growing pool of comedic talent in the Houston arts scene. The Houston Improv Festival produces a week long improv-iganza every spring and hosts smaller showcases throughout the year. This year's festival takes place today, April 18-21 at the Midtown Art Center. HIF is sponsored in part by No Label Brewing Company and ComedySportz Houston.