BBIF 2009 HISTORICAL RECORD

Two Girls Three Eyes performs short-form improv every Friday night at Atlanta’s Relapse Comedy Theatre (RelapseComedy.com). This raw, down and dirty game-inspired improvisational comedy show is hosted by Relapse Artistic Director Bob Wood.

No where to run. No where to hide. 50ft. Vermin’s brand of improvisational theater strikes fear in the bowels of grown men and women. Escape from their wit is not an option, even in the vast reaches of inner and outer space or the depths of the mariana trench. We know because we routinely perform there.

Another Man’s Trash is Eckerd Colleges sole improv comedy troupe. Started in fall of 2008, We have grown in popularity to a final show with an attendance of over 300. We hope to continue to grow our fan base as well as reach out to other groups in the improv community.

Automatic Theater is the culmination of years of work, gathering some of the hottest new improvisers from around Atlanta. The freshest faces from some of the biggest improv theaters in town have come together to show you the future of Atlanta improv. Automatic Theater’s focus is storytelling, narrative and entertainment. They perform improvised theater. So be prepared to laugh, cry, and have an all around good time.

Babies mit Bearden is a troupe of four men who have been friends for ages and now use that friendship as a force of good in improv. The four learned short-form improv on their own before training with Atlanta’s JaCKPie to learn long-form improv. BmB has performed together for many years in both long and short forms in theatre and festivals throughout Atlanta and the rest of the world, including the 2008 Chicago Improv Festival.

What do you get when you throw a bunch of Kamikaze filmmakers in a paper lunch bag with a over-zealous bird watcher? Of course it’s a Baby Named Rage! A whimsical delusion of dexterity, a migration two steps left of social distortion. These modern improv pilgrims bear flowers in their lapels and death in their socks, complete in assorted mystery colors. One can always count on orchestrated lighting to transpire when the “Rage Takes the Stage”, …oh yes, join our carpet ride, we’d love to have you aboard!

Everyone remembers the childhood mantra: “The floor is lava!” where you climb around on the furniture and aren’t allowed to touch the ground. That’s Banana Breakup’s motto. Kit FitzSimons and Eitan Lees perform the highest energy two-man longform improv you will see this side of Saturday morning television as they perform every scene ABOVE the stage. Banana Breakup will amaze you, they’ll entertain you, they’ll make you fear for their safety. Banana Breakup: GO!

Eight teams enter, one team wins in an elimination-style improv comedy tournament. These champions have clawed their way through three comedic death matches at BBIT and their prize is 15 minutes to showcase their talents at the Big Show. Come see what made these comedians BBIT 2009 Champions. >>More Info

This five person improv group from Charleston, SC’s hotbed of Improv — Theatre 99, features Greg Tavares, Jason Groce, Andy Livengood, Brian De Costa and Anne Bowen. CHC find the comedy in the mundane. Scenes start out normally but soon become a ticking time bomb of insane hilarity. A show may start out with a scene about a parent teacher conference or a board meeting, but by the end chickens have risen up and taken over the world and cavemen file class action lawsuits. If you like your improv unpredictable then Cats Hugging Cats is for you… oh yeah and everyone in the show is totally hot as shit. CHC Preform long form improv that focuses heavily on “game of the scene” style of play.

Cineprov is Atlanta premier movie mockery show, performing every Friday night at Relapse Theatre in Midtown. We make fun of movies so you don’t have to. It’s a live improvised version of MS3K… without the puppets.

Dad’s Garage is a casual theatre in Atlanta where you can get a drink, sit with your friends, and watch award-winning Comedy Improv and never-before-seen plays. Theatre in America is often thought of as elitist and Dad’s Garage is a perfect example of artists working to change that label. We do the kind of theatre we would want to see. Our improv shows are made up on the spot, our mainstage shows are all innovative and original, and our children’s show is the only one of its kind being done. When we’re on stage, there are few boundaries and hardly any rules. We believe in taking chances. The riskier, the better.

The Doug Dank Project is a new long-form style improv show, fusing the unpredictable and impulsive nature of improvisation with the steadiness and permanence of true life stories. The world renowned monologist Doug Dank once declared: “Feed your dog, and she’ll be your bitch for life. Kick your cat, and you may have discovered a game.” A guest monologist will be spilling their guts and providing the inspiration for a bevy of groundbreakingly funny (or possibly heart wrenching) scenes. The show continues where Doug Dank left off before he mysteriously disappeared in the early 1980�s� attempting to capture a similar sense of eccentricity, unconventional style, and irreverent behavior.

The Decatur yoUth Comedy Krewe (D.U.C.K.) is a troupe of high-school-aged comedy improvisers from the Decatur, Georgia. You have to check us out. No, seriously, we know you have stuff to do, but you actually _have_ to. It’s like a law or something. Someone we know got in trouble for not doing it. D.U.C.K. – we’ll quack you up! (Our parents liked that corny slogan, so we kinda feel like we have to keep it…)

Empty Suits are corporate America’s answer to unhealthy fast food, 60-hour work weeks and three-hour daily commutes. Since their premiere in October 2008, Empty Suits’ signature improvisational comedy has been scientifically proven to burn calories, cure ulcers and produce endorphins. Countless testimonials have affirmed the team’s ability to turn audiences into fitter, happier, more productive members of society. Hot off their performance at the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, Tx – Empty Suits is ready to bring it to BBIF 2009

Extra Crispy, an improv/sketch comedy group based in Lexington, KY. We are a 7-person group comprised of local stand-up comedians, actors and actresses.

The members of Four Ate Five began working together in 2005 in short form and later established their roots with Atlanta’s own Jackpie Theater Workshop. Their long form highway style takes a journey with many twists and turns with a few bumps along the way. Enjoy the ride.

Comprised of filmakers, actors, musicians and puppeteers, Free Kittens is known for their intense energy, group mind and insane group games. Their form is the Harold as created by Del Close at Improv Olympic in Chicago.

FuseBox Theatre is a non-profit, multimedia improv and sketch comedy company. We were founded in January 2008 by veterans of the Nashville improv scene with the intention of expanding the community for improv, sketch comedy, and live theatre in Nashville and beyond. We also maintain FuseBoxTheatre.com, a community resource for improv articles, interviews, videos, and more.

Girls Girls Girls Improvised Musicals is Austin Texas’ only all-female and oldest continuously running improvisation troupe. They have won numerous awards including Austin’s Best Improv Troupe. They appear regularly in improv festivals around the country including the Twin Cities Improv Festival and Out of Bounds and produce LAFF (Ladies Are Funny Festival) every year at home in Austin. Their mastery of the long-form musical format makes them uniquely entertaining.

Matt Griffo, from Upstate NY, has been performing comedy for half a decade. Matt now lives in Chicago and has trained at I.O., The Second City, and the Annoyance in improvisation, music, and writing. He is a founding cast member of The Second City Musical Improv House Ensemble, has music directed for Second City’s Brownco Company and is a member of the improv group Wheelhouse. He plays the piano and ukulele and loves them both dearly. Matt performs non-stop as an actor and musician, averaging over 150 shows a year.

Improv Monster is an improvised comedy show featuring a select cast of JaCKPie Alumni. Each show is geared to showcase the best JaCKPie has to offer by building upon the essential skills uinque to JaCKPie’s training curriculum. The formats and cast for Improv Monster will vary and may include all sorts of mixed media or even musical accompaniment to inspire the improv.

They are mercinarys who, with the help of the ever dependable DMV, discarded their previous identities. They are soldiers of misfortune. They do not belong to any one affiliation, but are instead a movement for the people, by the people. They are IN HARMS WAY ………let them save you too.

The same institution that revolutionaized the Atlanta improv scene with its long-form improv university is now bringing you their fresh and unique style of sketch comedy. Lead by Head Writer and Sketch Director, Bran Peacock and featuring a rotating cast of JaCKPie performers, this groups has quickily developed a catalog of hillarious sketches and continues to roll out new ones every show.

J*, founder and artistic director of The Basement Theatre in Atlanta, and Taylor Peterson, The Basement’s youngest player come together for JAILER from The Basement’s 2X2 series of two player shows. For nearly 6 years The Basement has striven to create new and interesting formats that challenge their players, and entertain their audiences. Drawing on improv and theatre teachings from around the world, they work to bring a theatricality to all of their shows.

Laughing Matters is Atlanta’s longest running improvisational comedy troupe. We’ve performed for thousands of groups since 1985 and have been voted Atlanta’s best improv troupe by Atlanta Magazine! Let us get you involved in a great time! Laughing Matters is also the leading provider of interactive corporate entertainment on the East Coast! Troupe members and alumni regularly perform on stage and screen! Laughing Matters has also developed programs that have been used in product launches, national team building exercises, and award presentations. Whether you want to come see one of our public improv shows, book a private murder mystery, or help your organization communicate more effectively, Laughing Matters is your turn key solution!

Let’s Try This! is the offical theatre improv troupe of DramaTech. The troupe was formed in the summer of 1989, inspired by workshops taught by Robert Lowe, who has remained a constant source of help and inspiration to us. As our name suggests we will try many things, from games to short scenes to long-form to what-in-the-world-was-that? We have many directors with different styles amongst ourselves making our shows quite diverse, however we all share a common belief in being in the moment and making our partners perfect.

Made of Bees performs fast paced, aggressive improvisation. With just one suggestion, these improvisers thrust you into a world of bold characters that are guaranteed to give you a comedy buzz. Made of Bees: improv that stings.

mitOsis just needs a word, a sentence, or a phrase and they will create a scene so seamless you’ll think it was scripted. Smart, fast and almost psychic as players, Colby Davis and James Lee Walker II are Charlotte’s improv phenom.

Mix tape is a one man show that is fully improvised in front of a live audience. Using principles of theatrical playwrighting combined with long-form improvisation, Jim performs a 30 to 45 minute production based on the information provided from music on a Mix Tape. Jim does not know the content of the MixTape until the show is underway.

Mock Turtle Soup is the official improv troupe of Clemson University. Formed in the Fall of 2002, MTS has provided Clemson and the surrounding area with 6 years of quality Short-form and Long-form improvisation. Their style is smart, engaging scenes with strong relationships and high energy.

Hugely popular in San Francisco, The Naked Stage makes its Atlanta debut at BBIF 2009. Presented by the Improv Playhouse of San Francisco and starring Tim Orr, Regina Saisi, Dave Dennision and Lisa Rowland – it takes place on a single set, in traditional stage-play style. The improvisers play one character each with no built-in transitions or scene breaks. All the actors have is the bare stage, a simple suggestion from the audience, and each other.

Hailing from Central Florida OFFSIDES has performed at the Gainsville Improv Festival, Miami Improv Festival and the Black Box Improv Festival as well as other venues throughout the Orlando area. OFFSIDES’ vivid and textured shows are its hallmark.

The OTC (Off the Cobb) offers comedy improv shows that are interactive and fast paced and allow the audience to help the actors create scenes on the spot. The troupe has headlined at Atlanta’s Punchline and has performed for such diverse corporate audiences such as Solvay International, Realistic Home Solutions and AutoTrader.com to name a few. Recently the group was asked to be on the pilot episode of Mark Burnett’s Reality series, Jingles on CBS.

Often described as rambunctious, charming, and downright silly, OneTwoThree takes their real life personality traits and liquors them up, resulting in a sobering bond between pissed off, stupid, and sexually ambiguous.

Recapitulation is an original musical comedy ensemble performing both short-form and long-form musical improvisation. It was founded in Chicago, IL in 2006 as a result of a group of actors desiring to carry on long-form musical improvisation shows after meeting, training and performing on various theatre stages.

Atlanta Improv Guru and author of “Improvisation, Inc.: Harnessing Spontaneity to Engage People and Groups” leads a performance that will boggle your mind. No one knows what will happen or even who will be in the show. Not even Robert Lowe himself! But you can be certain that he will expose the spontaneous creative potential of the human mind right before your very eyes.

SIDESHOW is a multimedia comedy improv show. Each week we feature a new Editor who creates a film of slides and moving images that the improvisors perform in front of – using it as a suggestion and as an environment. One moment we might be put in a commercial for Smokable Snack Crackers, the next we’re at an awkward Korean wedding. It’s all up to the twisted mind of our Editor.

The Sunday Group is the elite long form branch of Theatre Strike Force. TSF is the premier improvisation group as The University of Florida. TSF performs dozens of shows on campus every semester and tries to take every opportunity to travel to other places to learn and practice the art of improvisation.

Underage Sugar Addicts (usa) are an independent teen improv group. Independent in that usa is not affiliated with any other theatre or school. Performers are ages 13-17 and have performed at festivals in chicago, toronto, milwaukee, st. louis, north carolina and virginia as well as sold out crowds at several chicago theatres. usa focuses on creating and fine tuning long form styles that embrace the natural energy of a teen ensemble.

The UCB Theatre is one of the greatest producers of comedic talent in America today and the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company brings the very best of their theatres in NYC and LA directly to BBIF 2009. It’s your chance to see stars of today and tomorrow live on stage from the theatre that brought you comedy greats like Horatio Sanz, Amy Poehler, Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, MTV’s Human Giant, the Daily Show’s Rob Riggle and many many more.

The Victims from Dallas, TX formed in 2006. They perform regularly in Dallas, and have traveled all over the country to perform at various theater, clubs, and festivals.

The Village Theatre is Atlanta’s own “House of Comedy” in Cabbagetown. The Village Theatre focuses on improv comedy (short and long form) with live improv shows each Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at 8:30 pm. Each unique improv show consists of long and short form improv and lots of audience participation. The Village Theatre also hosts other performance groups in sketch comedy, stand-up, and scripted works.

The Wilhelm Scream is a part of the Smarty Pants Theater Company, LLC which has been performing improv in Ohio since 2001. Smarty Pants debuted the Wilhelm Scream as their long form improv show in 2008.

What do you get when two hot Pumas walk into a bar and find three dudes in their 20′s buying rounds of shots? … and then they realize that they aren’t shots. And the three dudes are paramedics, who are there because the two hot Pumas have fallen down, broken their hips, and have pushed each other’s life alert necklaces. What do you get…? Your Mom’s Mom. Harold style, group edit, audience inspired improv at its best. Like grandma’s homemade cookies. But better. YMM – Getting older never looked so good.