Improvising Laughs at 8th annual Sarasota Improv Festival

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The improv troupe Parallelogramophonograph, better known as PGraph, from Austin, Texas, is among the new acts at the 2016 Sarasota Improv Festival. group features, from left, Kaci Beeler, Kareem Badr, Roy Janik and Valerie Ward. PHOTO PROVIDED BY FST

The improv troupe Parallelogramophonograph, better known as PGraph, from Austin, Texas, is among the new acts at the 2016 Sarasota Improv Festival. group features, from left, Kaci Beeler, Kareem Badr, Roy Janik and Valerie Ward. PHOTO PROVIDED BY FST

Since it started eight years ago, the Sarasota Improv Festival has made it clear that there’s a lot more to improv comedy than the quick-paced theater games that are the bread and butter of many companies.

It has featured large groups and small who take audience ideas and spin them into wildly divergent tales. Some focus on creating one extended story, while others turn those ideas into musical sequences or create full-length plays in the style of William Shakespeare.

New twists get added to the mix this year, with an original French farce, improvised episodes of “The Twilight Zone” and one international troupe that performs without words.

The eighth annual festival at Florida Studio Theatre comes at a time of growing interest in improv nationwide.

“The industry as a whole continues to evolve and grow,” said Rebecca Hopkins, the theater’s managing director who launched the FST Improv troupe and the festival. “There are so many more performers and companies out there now.”

That makes picking troupes to feature at the festival more of a challenge each year for Hopkins and Will Luera, the former Boston-based performer who was hired two years ago as FST’s first director of improvisation.

The Los Angeles-based Impro Theatre will present its Improvised Twilight Zone shows during the 2016 Sarasota Improv Festival. PHOTO PROVIDED BY FST

The Los Angeles-based Impro Theatre will present its Improvised Twilight Zone shows during the 2016 Sarasota Improv Festival. PHOTO PROVIDED BY FST

“Bringing in three new groups is a pretty high percentage,” Hopkins said. “We’re making sure that they’re of the right caliber because everybody on the schedule gets compared to everybody else on the schedule, so the new slots are coveted for that.”

This year’s new groups are the headliner Impro Theatre, which will present its “Twilight Zone UnScripted” show; Speechless, featuring two improv artists from Colombia and a Canadian DJ who perform without words; and Parallelogramophonograph (or P-Graph), a mostly touring team from Austin Texas that will be improvising a French farce, with makeup and costumes.

The New York-based North Coast Improv created a story with a circus theme and elephants in love during the 2015 Sarasota Improv Festival at Florida Studio Theatre. (July 11, 2015) STAFF PHOTO/JAY HANDELMAN

The New York-based North Coast Improv created a story with a circus theme and elephants in love during the 2015 Sarasota Improv Festival at Florida Studio Theatre. (July 11, 2015) STAFF PHOTO/JAY HANDELMAN

They join 15 returning favorites, some of which have been involved from the beginning, including SAK Comedy Lab from Orlando and Dad’s Garage from Atlanta.

The festival opens with an evening of Florida-based troupes performing roughly 20-minute slots divided into two performance sets, followed by the Florida All Star King of the Hill Competition. Friday and Saturday will feature all the other troupes (including three performances by FST improv artists), capped by an All-Play free-for-all to close the event at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

Here’s a look at the troupes performing this year:

The Eighth Annual Sarasota Improv Festival

Runs July 14-16 at Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Tickets are $10 for individual shows ($25 for Impro Theatre); $20 for Thursday night, $49 for all Friday or Saturday shows; $59 for two days and $69 for all three days. For more information: 366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org

Available Cupholders, 9 p.m. July 15; 7 p.m. July 16 (Keating Theatre) — The Austin, Texas performs long-form shows built around audience suggestions. Some members also will lead a workshop at 12:30 p.m. July 16. facebook.com/availablecupholders

Big Bang Improv,  6 p.m. July 16 (Keating Theatre) — This Boston troupe, including ImprovBoston alumni, presents fast-paced free-form shows with constantly changing scenarios. facebook.com/BigBangImprov

Members of Austin's Available Cupholders tell a story of a princess in a Shakespearean style during the 2015 Sarasota Improv Festival. From left, Ace Manning, Bill Stern, Kaci Beeler and Michael Joplin. (July 10, 2015) STAFF PHOTO/JAY HANDELMAN

Members of Austin's Available Cupholders tell a story of a princess in a Shakespearean style during the 2015 Sarasota Improv Festival. From left, Ace Manning, Bill Stern, Kaci Beeler and Michael Joplin. (July 10, 2015) STAFF PHOTO/JAY HANDELMAN

Dad’s Garage,  8 p.m. July 15, 5 p.m. July 16 (Keating Theatre) — The Atlanta-based Dad’s Garage performs in a variety of styles from improv games to soap operas and other sketches in their varied shows. dadsgarage.com

Dear Aunt Gertrude, 7 p.m. July 15 (Bowne’s Lab) — The Tampa troupe, founded in 2009 and featuring a 10-member team, creates themed show in short and long-form styless. Dear Aunt Gertrude

FST Improv, 6 p.m. July 15 (Keating Theatre) -- Marking its 15th year, FST Improv has been building a growing following and expanding its performance style with new games and shows in the last few years. floridastudiotheatre.org/fst-improv

Impro Theatre 8 p.m. July 15 and 9 p.m. July 16 (Gompertz Theatre)  — This year’s headlining act presents “The Twilight Zone UnScripted,” taking audience ideas to create new-styled episodes of the classic series. Improtheatre.com

ImprovBoston, 7 p.m. July 15, 8 p.m. July 11  (Goldstein Cabaret) — This troupe has been performing and teaching theater and comedy for more than 30 years creating varied styles from long-form storytelling to spontaneous games. ImprovBoston.com

From left, David Christopher, Katie Jopson and Kasey Soska from Miami's Just the Funny improv and comedy group perform on the opening night of the 2015 Sarasota Improv Festival at Florida Studio Theatre. STAFF PHOTO/JAY HANDELMAN

From left, David Christopher, Katie Jopson and Kasey Soska from Miami's Just the Funny improv and comedy group perform on the opening night of the 2015 Sarasota Improv Festival at Florida Studio Theatre. STAFF PHOTO/JAY HANDELMAN

Just the Funny, 7 p.m. July 14 (Bowne’s Lab) -- The Miami troupe, founded in 1999, presents its show Fever Pitch, a mix of drama and comedy in which the performers push the limits, both their own and the audience’s. justthefunny.com

North Coast Improv, 10 p.m. July 15 (Keating Theatre) — This New York City troupe returns to create more energetic shows built around improvised hip hop music. Northcoastnyc.com

Parallelogramophonograph 7 p.m. July 15 (Keating Theatre), 6 p.m. July 16 (Goldstein Cabaret) — Known as PGraph, this 11-year-old Austin-based troupe presents a French farce in original styles that the performers have been developing and refining since the start. Pgraph.com

Post Dinner Conversation, 8:30 p.m. July 14 (Bowne’s Lab) — A Tampa-based troupe that performs in a Flashform style featuring narrative, game play and scene work.  facebook.com/postdinnerconversation

SAK Comedy Lab,  8 p.m. July 16 -- This Orlando-based troupe, part of the Sarasota Improv Festival since the beginning, combines rock ‘n’ roll and musical theater and performs “Lights Up: The Improvised Rock Opera.” Sakcomedylab.com

Sick Puppies Comedy 7 p.m. July 14 (Bowne’s Lab)-- The Boca Raton-based group performs a French Harold, a type of longform improv show in which everything happens in one location. sickpuppiescomedy.com

Speechless 8 p.m. July 15 (Goldstein Cabaret) — Colombian improv performers Felipe Ortiz and Daniel Orrantia perform without words but to a soundtrack created by Canadian DJ Mama Cutsworth in this long-form storytelling show. facebook.com/WeAreSpeechless

STACKED, 9 p.m. July 15, 7 p.m. July 16  (Goldstein Cabaret) — Four women and one pianist from Chicago create musical improv in four-part harmony. The troupe also will return for two workshops July 19-20 and two performances July 22-23. facebook.com/stackedmusic

The all-female Chicago troupe STACKED creates musical improv during their performances. They have become regulars at the Sarasota Improv Festival. STAFF PHOTO/JAY HANDELMAN

The all-female Chicago troupe STACKED creates musical improv during their performances. They have become regulars at the Sarasota Improv Festival. STAFF PHOTO/JAY HANDELMAN

The Third Thought, 8:30 p.m. July 14  (Bowne’s Lab)— The longest-running weekly long-form improv troupe in the Tampa Bay area, the group started in late 2010 performs around the state and at improv festivals..thethirdthought.com

Villain Improv, 8:30 p.m. July 14 (Bowne’s Lab) — This Miami troupe is dedicated to the Chicago style of long form improvisation. Villaintheater.com

When X Meets Y 5 p.m. July 16 (Goldstein Cabaret)  Featuring members of FST Improv and other performers, an improvised romantic musical comedy inspired by a location and three random notes on the keyboard.

Zap! Bang! Pow! 11 a.m. July 16 (Bowne’s Lab) — Florida Studio Theatre’s original superhero improv show for family audiences in which kids get to help the hero bring down the villains. floridastudiotheatre.org/zap-bang-pow

Workshops take place on July 16

All workshops take place on Saturday, July 16.

10 a.m. – Scenes without Words by Speechless

10 a.m. – Group Improvisation Made Easy with Jeff Quintana by Villain Theater

10 a.m.  – The Shabaang! An Improvised Graphic Novel with Nicholas Riggs by Post Dinner Conversation

10 a.m. – Intro to Musical Improv by STACKED

10 a.m. – Finding the Funny in the Details with Patrick McInnis by The Third Thought

12:30 p.m. – Reinventing ShortForm with Deana Criess by ImprovBoston

12:30 p.m. – Getting Physical with Kaci, Bill, and Jeremy by Available Cupholders

12:30 p.m. – Intro To Hip Hop Improv North Coast

12:30 p.m. – Instant Committed Characters by Jay Hopkins of SAK Comedy Lab & Jester Theater

12:30 p.m. – Genre, Narrative and what playwrights can teach you about improvising by Impro Theater

3 p.m. – Kiss or Kill by Parallelogramophonograph

3 p.m. – Making It Personal: Putting the "I" in Improv by SAK Comedy Lab

3 p.m. – Advanced Music Improv: Finding the Game by Mike Descoteaux  of ImprovBoston (three-hour class, $39)

3 p.m. – Love the One You're With, with the improv duo Justin and Kelly

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Jay Handelman

Jay Handelman is the theater and television critic for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He also is President of the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association and a two-time past chairman of the association's executive committee. He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4931. Follow him at @jayhandelman on Twitter. Make sure to "Like" Arts Sarasota on Facebook for news and reviews of the arts.
Last modified: July 12, 2016
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