The New York Musical Improv Festival Goes Virtual

Magnet Theater presents The (Virtual) New York Musical Improv Festival from July 14-18, 2020 on their virtual stage at twitch.tv/themagnettheater/. Tickets are available for purchase to help keep the festival and the Magnet Theater operating, however, all are welcome to watch every show at no charge.

Visit www.nymif.com for more information and to see the full festival lineup.

Just as they were preparing to kick off Opening Night of The 11th Annual NYMIF on March 12th, Broadway and its neighboring theaters shut down due to growing concerns over Covid-19. As a result, the Magnet Theater made the difficult, but necessary decision to close its doors and postpone the festival indefinitely. Since it is not known when a return to the Magnet Theater will be possible, The New York Musical Improv Festival is going virtual on twitch.tv/themagnettheater.

The 5-day long festival will feature over 100 performers from Barcelona, Brighton UK, Chicago, Las Vegas, London, Miami, NYC, Nottingham UK, Orlando, Paris, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington DC, Vancouver and beyond improvising everything from traditional musical theater fare to hip hop and Film Noir to Sci-Fi! Every note, lyric, step of choreography, and word of dialogue is entirely made up on the spot!

The lineup will include performances from Premiere (Magnet Theater, NYC) The Armando Diaz Experience: Musical Edition (International), Mikki Hommel (NYC), OG Brooklyn (NYC), Rhymes Against Humanity (United Kingdom), Wonderland (NYC), Freeze Frame: The Musically Improvised Sitcom (NYC), On the Spot (NYC), Kittyhawk (NYC), Nightshade (NYC), Off Top (NYC), First Beat (Chicago), Tryangle (San Diego), Salem (NYC), One Take (Las Vegas), Gem (NYC), First Four Names (Orlando), Aunt Darla (NYC), Greece Lightnin' (International), Remotely Interesting (NYC), Scene Pena Improv (Miami), HR Shovin Stuffs (NYC), An Evening with Georgia Tennessee (DC), USS Improvise: TNG (Portland, OR), Redshirts Presents: Deep Space Nine (NYC), B.A.B.E. Presents: I Love Musicals (Portland, OR), Bring Your Own Bob (NYC), La Spazzatura (San Francisco), InterCity Improv (National) Flash Mob Musical (San Francisco), Senza Nome (NYC), and Trudy Carmichael (Las Vegas).

ABOUT THE ACTS:

An Evening with Georgia Tennessee (DC) Real-life improv couple Bizzy & Ryan improvise songs (guitar + two singer-songwriters) in character/in costume as Georgia & Tennessee, their respective home states. Each "hit" is each inspired by a fresh audience suggestion, covering the country music gamut from nostalgia (somethin' you miss from your childhood) to broken hearts (story of love gone bad).

Aunt Darla (NYC) One of Musical Megawatt's newest and freshest teams on the block, Aunt Darla improvises hilarious musicals for your constant enjoyment!

B.A.B.E. Presents: I Love Musicals (Portland, OR) takes performers Betse, Aden, Bill, & Eric (see what we did there?) on a trip into the past. Inspired by the early sitcoms of the 1950s, especially the iconic "I Love Lucy," these 4 (with occasional special guests) embark on a 2 episode journey of antics and admiration, complete with costuming, musical numbers, and even commercial jingles! So gather around the giant 16-inch television with your family for this hilariously full of high-jinks show!

Bring Your Own Bob (NYC) is a musical improv duo featuring Seann Cantatore and Nicole Pascaretta. These extremely kind musical theater nerds use their chemistry that led to an instant real-life friendship, to their full advantage on the stage. They create bold, playful character-driven pieces that inevitably leave the audience feeling good and full of laughter. No matter what musical adventure these two choose, they will always have each other's backs on and off the stage!

Contessa (NYC) A royal court of musical goofballs from New York City, they believe in harmonies and harmony. Contessa is a Musical Megawatt Team based out of the Magnet Theater. Assembled in March of 2019, they've performed on a weekly basis, bringing smart-dumb shows every week and have never met a stage picture they didn't like. Above all else, they love each other and creating infectious fun for all!

First Beat (Chicago) a musical improv team from Chicago that regularly performs as a house team at The IO Theater in Chicago. First Beat is as musical as they are funny, rounding out their group work with some of the best singing and harmonizing and you'll ever hear at an improv show. Directed by the renowned musical improv teacher and performer Stacey Smith and accompanist Dave Asher.

First Four Names (Orlando) performs a musical long-form duo set called The Aftermath where they perform a musical inspired by a seminal moment in an audience member's life. Using details from the audience volunteer's story, they dig deep into the emotions surrounding that powerful moment through the use of a variety of song styles. They are joined by musical director Elaine Pechacek.

Freeze Frame: The Musically Improvised Sitcom (NYC) Give them the name of a sitcom that's never existed and they'll improvise a very special musical episode. The live studio audience will ooh, ah, hoot, and holler for this unique show that will tap into that warm, fuzzy 80's & 90's tv nostalgia. (Cue applause!)

Gem (NYC) A powerhouse all lady group from Magnet Theater making up songs on the spot in perfect harmony.

Greece Lightnin' (International) Comprised of some of the most talented musical improvisers and instructors from the United States, France, United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy; Greece Lightnin' brings to life a full-length musical based on audience suggestion. Join this internationally talented group from as they weave story and song on stage to audience delight!

HR Shovin' Stuffs (NYC) Musical Puppet improv! 'Nuff said!!

InterCity Improv (International) Improvisers from around the world affected by the COVID-19 quarantine, who may or may not play with a theater or troupe, come together to perform long-form improv through the magic of Zoom. 

Kittyhawk (NYC) Musical improv house team Kittyhawk brings the sophisticated vocality of opera, the edgy tones of rock, and the silliest improvised stories together in this hilarious new show. With beautiful harmonies, epic fugues, and brave comedic choices, A KittyRawk Opera will leave you wanting to hear more of our Kitty squawk!

Mikki Hommel (NYC) puts a soulful pop singer/songwriter twist on her musical improv. As a musician and recording artist, she can't resist a good hook or a glimpse of creating the ever classic pop song. She takes multiple suggestions and creates a song, secretly hoping that it might land her a Grammy. Hey, a girl can dream right?!

Nightshade (NYC) is a Musical Megawatt improv house team at the Magnet Theater that performs their original musicals with reckless abandon, unbridled merriment, and unparalleled wit. Don't miss the joyful and zany way they improvise a musical play!

Off Top (NYC) Off Top is a collective of NY's best Hip Hop Improvisers. Scenes break out into freestyle rap songs, frequently accompanied by the best Beatboxers the city has to offer, including several of our teammates.

One Take (Las Vegas) One Take gets a one-word suggestion from the audience and then fully improvises a musical complete with characters and a storyline. With Faustino Solis on the piano, the ensemble creates a musical in just one take, which means it's made on the spot and will never be seen again!

On the Spot (NYC) Five years ago, co-creators Nathan Armstrong and Patrick Reidy devised a way to showcase up and coming actors, artists, and musical theatre stars in one spot! Along with the musical direction of Andrew Whitbeck, On The Spot has been running since 2015 bringing a new improvised musical to their cabaret stage inspired by the scripted songs sung by broadway stars from shows such as Wicked, Once, Waitress, Frozen, Ain't Too Proud, and many more! Every On The Spot is a brand new musical experience, as each show brings the best cabaret performers in the city together with a fantastic cast of musical improvisers - truly blending the world of musical theatre and improv comedy.

Premiere: The Improvised Musical (NYC) features NYC's top comedy performers and instructors! Each week the cast takes a suggestion from the audience and turns it into a fully crafted musical - each character, song and dance number is entirely made up! Led by legendary Magnet Musical Director Frank Spitznagel, and with a cast whose professional credits include Second City, Baby Wants Candy, HBO and Comedy Central.

Redshirts Presents: Deep Space 9 - A Made-Up Star Trek Musical (NYC) Intrepid improvisers who traverse the indie galaxy, creating new life forms, new civilizations, and boldly singing what no team has sung before! Join Redshirts for an improvised musical adventure aboard Star Trek's "edgiest" series. All of your favorites characters will be there: The Commander who's an Emissary, the Major who's never minor, the Doctor who's a GMO, the Trill science officer is everyone's crush, the tailor who's a spy (not that he'd ever admit it), and the whole place is kept safe by a puddle of goo! It truly is the final frontier.

Remotely Interesting (NYC) dynamic duo Nicholas Nieves and Michele Foor make things more than a little interesting! Musical Direction by Frank Spitznagel.

Rhymes Against Humanity (United Kingdom) Voted one of the UK's top ten improv shows of 2019, Rhymes Against Humanity take an audience suggestion and turn it into a musical in a way that Andrew Lloyd Webber never managed - with humour. When the opening number starts, an entire cast's stiff upper lips begin to quiver as another brand new musical begins. You give them a title, they'll give you a musical.

Salem (NYC) A little bit spooky and a whole lot of funny, Magnet Theater Musical Megawat team, Salem improvises hilarious musicals on the spot that will tickle you and invite your to play in their garden of shadows.

Scene Pena Improv (Miami) Improv with a distinct Miami flavor, Scene Pena sprinkles every piece with a little "adobo" and "sazón". With undeniable chemistry, this group of friends brings an infectious energy and shameless approach to improv and life. Tell your friends #scenepenaimprov

Senza Nome (NYC) Senza Nome, an age-diverse group of Musical Improvisers trained at different NYC theaters, performs Anonymous Post Card Secrets. This improvised musical is inspired by Frank Warren's collections of personal secrets, sent to him anonymously, for his Post Card Secret books.

Tryangle (San Diego) Musical Improv like you've never seen before! Tryangle creates unique musical improv with big characters, an a capella opening and a twist - there is no accompanist! Tryangle makes all the music for themselves. Three performers. One guitar!

USS Improvise: TNG (Portland, OR) The crew of the USS Improvise bring to life the characters from the classic (and arguably, best) Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Next Generation in a never before seen episode. What mission does this plucky crew set forth into strange new worlds with? How does this universally diverse crew solve the problems of the cosmos? Oh, and did we mention it is a musical?!

Winston (NYC) Winston was formed in the Fall of 2017 as a Magnet House Team and is currently on its 4th Season. They love patterns, group energy, and following the fun, but without losing the structure that makes musical improv so satisfying.

Wonderland (NYC) is the longest-running Musical Megawatt team at the Magnet Theater in New York! Made up of a group of veteran performers, Wonderland creates a unique story from a one-word suggestion. Follow them down the rabbit hole and experience a musical that will never be seen again!

Flash Mob Musical (San Diego) Flash Mob Musical is an explosive, energetic cluster of excitement, song, and dance. The longest-running musical montage group in SF, Flash Mob Musical will make you laugh, cry, and come back screaming for more!

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