BLACK BOX IMPROV TOURNAMENT returns for its fifth annual installment. Eight comedy teams will battle it out in a relentlessly assault of gut-busting hilarity. At the end of every match, the audience will help decide which team advances and which one gets eliminated. The last team left standing will receive a coveted performance slot in a Black Box Comedy Festival Saturday night show!!

Check out the epic battles of yore in the BBIT Record.

$10 for access to all BBIT events | | Performances at Relapse Comedy Theatre (map).

SAT 9/15 2PM PRELIM 1 - Zombie and Flesh - Toxic Gumby - Salon du Shogun - TruHollywood Storytellers	SAT 9/15 4PM PRELIM 2 - So & So and His Imaginary Friends - Dudemouth - Revis & Zeiss - Drug Money
SAT 9/15 6PM BEER & PIZZA SOCIAL	SAT 9/15 8PM FINALS

DRUG MONEY SHOW: SAT 9/15 4:00PM – PRELIM 2 Reigning BBIT 2011 champs, Drug Money is a team of cut-throat improv thugs assembled by none other than Curtis Smythe, a seasoned veteran of comedy trade. Watch out. Drug Money is gonna get’cha.

DUDEMOUTH SHOW: SAT 9/15 4:00PM – PRELIM 2 Dude, it’s frat party improv, totally gnarly and chock full stuff that’ll make you laugh your butt off. We’ll undoubtedly put you in that keg-stand state of mind. Come out and party down.

SALON DU SHOGUN SHOW: SAT 9/15 2:00PM – PRELIM 1 Atlanta’s finest live neo-comedy show. Yes, it’s as pretentious as it sounds. Be there, or lose… EVERYTHING.

SO & SO AND HIS IMAGINARY FRIENDS SHOW: SAT 9/15 4:00PM – PRELIM 2 Are you home alone playing with made-up people? Get out of your house, come to Relapse Theatre, and bring those made-up people with you to see some amazing short-form, audience-inspired improv.

REVIS AND ZIESS SHOW: SAT 9/15 4:00PM – PRELIM 2 Revis & Zeiss is a thought provoking, improvised theatrical exploration of the human condition. From one audience suggestion Jay Revis and Craig Zeiss create multiple characters and discover their intersecting stories, exposing both the comic and tragic nature of everything that makes us human. Oh, yeah, and they’re funny.

TOXIC GUMBY SHOW: SAT 9/15 2:00PM – PRELIM 1 They are two adult males with varying degrees of facial hair and one adult woman with no facial hair whatsoever. They share one stretchy brain that best expresses itself in spasms of controlled chaos. Toxic Gumby… improv pure and toxic as the driven snow.

TRUHOLLYWOOD STORYTELLERS SHOW: SAT 9/15 2:00PM – PRELIM 1 TruHollywood Storytellers is an improvised VH1 Storytellers based off an audience suggestion of a fake band’s name. From there founding band members Kellan Meador and Russ Kirn delve into the life, times, and greatest hits from your favorite fictitious band.

ZOMBIE AND FLESH SHOW: SAT 9/15 2:00PM – PRELIM 1 One of them is dead and not like the other. He wants to eat his head, but that’s not a bother. Zombie and Flesh.

Check out this slideshow from the BBIT 2011.

1. TEAMS :: Any groups not otherwise performing in the Black Box Comedy Festival can compete in the tournament. Teams may consist of 1-8 people.
2. MATCHES :: Each match pits four teams against each other. Teams with the highest score from the judges win and advances to the next round. The losing teams are eliminated.
3. TIMING :: Each team gets a 20min. performance set followed by a 10min. joint performance set. Each set is strictly timed. Judging occurs after the joint performance.
4. JUDGING :: There is one Representative Judge and two Independent Judges. At the end of the match, the audience votes via applause. The Representative Judge assigns scores based solely on those applause. The Independent Judges assign scores using their improv wisdom. The team with the highest overall score wins.
5. PLAY NICE :: This is meant to be a friendly competition. Harassment and intimidation during, before or after the performance by either the performers or members of the audience will not be tolerated. The host will not hesitate to eject people or disqualify teams for such behavior.
6. STACKING THE AUDIENCE :: Stacking the audience is not only allowed, it’s encouraged.