[Memphis, TN] Memphis Comedy Festival - official annoucement

[the other Greg Childers]

The long wait is finally over. After a one year hiatus, the Memphis Comedy Festival 2004 will be held Thursday, September 2nd until Sunday, September 5th (Labor Day weekend). It will be held in downtown Memphis. The venue will be announced within the next week.

The deadline for submissions will be Friday, July 16th so send in your festival application today!

We are looking for long form improvisational troupes, musical improvisational troupes, sketch comedy troupes, duo groups, solo improvisers, and short form improvisational troupes. We are not looking for stand-up comedy, as our focus is on improvisation and sketch performances.

We will need:

• a recently videotaped performance that accurately represents both the cast and the type of performance (minimum 20 minutes in length)
• contact information (contact person, phone numbers, mailing address, email address, etc.)
• a recent black & white (5x7, or 8x10) photograph of you or your ensemble
• any supporting materials; media kit, press releases and/or past reviews

All submissions become the property of the Memphis Comedy Festival and are non-returnable. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 16th. There is no application fee. Performers will be given free admission to their performance, and are encouraged to purchase a weekend festival pass for the remaining shows.

We are looking for two instructors to teach three-hour master class workshops on the Sunday afternoon of the festival. Please contact us if you are interested.

If you would like to apply to perform, teach a workshop, be a sponsor, or if you want more information about MCF 2004, you can contact us several different ways.

Snail Mail:
Memphis Comedy Festival
c/o Greg Childers
3024 Keats Road
Bartlett, TN 38134

Phone:
(901) 213-0331

http://www.memphisimprov.com/festival

 

[the other Greg Childers]

The approval process has already begun. Don't wait until the last minute. Send in your application today!

So far, the following have been accepted to the Memphis Comedy Festival September 2-5, 2004.

From Chicago:

WNEP Theatre's "Defending Your Life"

Defending Your Life takes place in Judgment City, a heavenly limbo where people go to when they die, and where they must defend the motives with which they made their choices in life. If they have learned life’s lessons and overcome their fears, they will move on. If not, they must return to Earth to give it another try.

Comprised of improvisors from a diversity of schools of improvisational thought and directed by WNEP’s Don Hall, Defending Your Life is improv that makes you think and laugh at the same time. They recently performed at the Chicago Improv Festival Showcase stage.

Shaun Himmerick & Fuzzy Gerdes in "Bare"

Shaun Himmerick and Fuzzy Gerdes have been performing together since 1993. They met through an improv group at Purdue University and went on to perform with a variety of improvisational groups, both separately and together-ComedySportz, TheatreSports, serious improvised drama, Chicago-style long form with the ImprovOlympic, and so on.

After a few years at opposite ends of the country, Shaun and Fuzzy reunited in 1999 in Chicago. There they formed Bare to concentrate on all the possibilities of a two man ensemble.

As Bare, Shaun and Fuzzy have performed at the Seattle Festival of Improv Theater, the Toronto Improv Fest, the St. Louis Improv Fest, the Phoenix Improv Fest, the Minneapolis Improv Festival, the Chicago Improv Festival, the SAK Orlando Foolfest, the Toyota Comedy Festival, the YESand.com New York Improv Festival, the Columbia Improv Festival, and at the Toronto Main Event.

 

[the other Greg Childers]

The Memphis Comedy Festival is proud to announce that we've added another group-----goga

goga is character-driven fantasy theatre. goga is Karen Herr and Karen Eleanor Wight directed by Asaf Ronen and accompanied by Hector Coris.

goga is all girl improv!

The women of goga have rocked various improv/comedy festivals both domestically and internationally. These include Orlando Fool Fest, Chicago Improv Festival, Memphis Comedy Fest, Toronto Jamboree, Del Close Marathon, Melbourne Int'l Comedy Fest, and the TV2 Int'l Laugh Fest in Auckland, New Zealand.

Stay tuned to this thread for more information. The deadline is Friday, July 16th. Apply today!

 

[the other Greg Childers]

THE BEATBOX: The Fusion of Hip-Hop and Improv Comedy!

THE BEATBOX: A critically acclaimed show that fuses fast-paced longform improv comedy and classic hip-hop. Scenes are cut, mixed, and transformed by seven improvisers and a microphone. The Beatbox opens with a freestyle off a single suggestion, features battle raps, and ends in a rap jam inspired by the world of characters created for that show.


Storybox

Storybox is a wonderfully imaginative hour-long fully improvised theatre production inspired by Second City Co-Founder Paul Sills' Tony award winning show "Story Theater" and Japan's Noh Theatre to create a single story from multiple ensemble narrative and storytelling techniques. The multi-talented cast of nine features four Second City Training Center faculty members, four Second City Training Center students, and a guest artist. Storybox is created and directed by Jonathan Pitts.

Storybox recently appeared on the Fringe stage at CIF and will be appearing on the Toronto Improv Festival main stage.

Runs With Scissors

Featuring Kevin Bartolomucci (the historian, librarian, chief ramrod, and quasi-mother hen of the group), this troupe has been performing in the Chattanooga, TN and Dalton, GA area. They participated in the Memphis Comedy Festival in 2001 and 2002.

 

[the other Greg Childers]

Jill Bernard's "Drum Machine" - Minneapolis

Jill Bernard has been performing with ComedySportz-Twin Cities since 1993, and is the director of their workshop program. She regularly appears in Look Ma, No Pants, the Scrimshaw Brothers monthly variety show. Her one-woman improv piece, Drum Machine, has been featured at Red Curtain Cabaret, Improv-A-Go-Go, the Chicago Improv Festival, the Toronto Improv Jamboree, Philadelphia’s Female Funny Fest, and the ComedySportz National Tournament. She has also appeared in WNEP’s Defending Your Life and Storybox at the Chicago Improv Festival. She has taught improv all over the country, including at the Dirty South Improv Festival, the Funny Woman Fest, and the Tiny Funny Woman Fest.

Jill Bernard will also be performing with the cast of "Defending Your Life" and "Storybox" at the Memphis Comedy Festival.

Black Sheep - Chicago

The Black Sheep have been entertaining Playground crowds for the last several years, and have appeared twice at the US Improv Festival in Kansas City, MO, five times at the Chicago Improv Festival, three times at the Around the Coyote Festival (here in Chicago) and at the Don't Hate Us Because We're Funny Fundraiser held nationwide.

 

[the other Greg Childers]

Teen Movie High - New York

Teen Movie High takes an audience member's most memorable high school experience and spins it into a story that uses the best-loved characters and scenarios from teen movies. You will soon recognize the kindly science teacher, the vapid cheerleader and the terribly strict parents with the rebellious son in some audience member's high school memories. It's all set to the music of your favorite teen movie soundtracks, and some special surprises.

The students and teachers of Teen Movie High include: Adam Bloom, Liz Eckert, Joe DeFeo, Becky Flaum, Joanna Buccola, Mark Lampert, and Mike Short. The cast is directed by Karen Herr of New York's critically acclaimed improv team "GOGA."

 

[the other Greg Childers]

Hello,

We regret to announce that the Memphis Comedy Festival, which had previously been scheduled for September 2-5, 2004, has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Our goal is to produce the highest quality improvisational & sketch comedy festival that we can, and we are unable to accomplish that goal at this time. We may produce another festival in the future, but it is still too early to determine at this time.

We apologize if we have inconvenienced anyone, and hope that if we do decide to hold another festival in the future that you will apply.

If you are interested in attending an improv festival, we suggest the following:

Jamboree: the Toronto International Improv Festival
Toronto, Ontario
August 16-22
http://www.torontoimprovfest.com/

Out of Bounds Improv Festival and Miniature Golf Tournament
Austin, TX
September 8-11
http://www.outofboundsimprov.com/

BEZHIG Storytelling Festival
Fort Francis, Ontario
September 9-12
http://www.moosegutstheatre.com/upcomingevents.html

Victoria International Improv Festival
Victoria, British Columbia
September 16-18
http://impromaniacs.ca/viif/

Single File Solo Festival
Chicago, IL
September 19-October 10
http://www.singlefilechicago.com/

Southern Improv Festival
New Orleans, LA
October 14-17
http://www.godsbeendrinking.com/menu.htm

Big Red Comedy Festival
New York City, New York
October 21-23
http://www.bigredcomedy.com/

Sincerely,
Greg Childers
Executive Producer
Memphis Comedy Festival