The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is proud to announce the dates for the 9th Annual Del Close Marathon!
This year’s marathon will be the weekend of July 27–29, and will take place on three stages. We’ll also have awesome special shows during the week leading up to the marathon (July 23–27)
And all week long we’ll be offering special workshops. Details TBA.
If you’d like to submit your group to be a part of the DCM, please see our submission guidelines and complete an application at http://www.delclosemarathon.com.
Also — this year we’re looking for more out-of-town groups to submit late-night shows — shows like last year’s Emanciprov!, Warcraft-prov, Dicemen, etc. If you have a great idea for a late-night improv show you want to do — submit it!
And remember — if you’d like your show to be considered for a primetime slot, and we do not already know you or your show, you should send us a DVD or videotape of the show.
The deadline for submission is May 7.
Best,
Anthony King
Something tells me that this year UCB is going to be inundated with applications to perform, so get your application in early kids.
Eugene Cordero of Creep, Bobby Moynihan of The Stepfathers, and Charlie Sanders of Reuben Williams, have gotten together to write one of the funniest sketch shows in New York. Buffoons: Never Gonna Give is preforming this Friday the 13th at 7 pm at the UCB. Don’t miss it. Here is a taste…
The house was packed at 7:50 and although there were a few open seats peppered throughout the theater, there were people sitting on stage and people standing in aisles. While past Harold nights have been growing in attendance, due in part to the huge influx of new students attending classes at the training center, the main draw on this snowy Tuesday night was the debut of the new Harold team Bastian 1.
Original Swarm team: Billy Merritt, Andrew Daly, Andy Secunda, Sean Conroy, Katie Roberts, Dave Blumenfeld, Michael Delaney
The Swarm Returns for One Night at UCBNY! The legendary Upright Citizen’s Brigade improvisational team comes back for a night of sidesplitting improv this Thursday. If you are a serious improviser, which I know you are, this is an important event. Reserve toady!
Normally I wouldn’t be spotlighting to a class show on Improvoker. Class shows are usually a great place to watch students perfecting their craft, but are sometimes a little difficult to watch… but this isn’t an ordinary class show. This is the final performance of a 600 level class taught by instructor Christina Gausas.
Christina is first generation Del. She studied with Del Close, Charna Halpern, Mick Napier in Chicago, taught at IO Chicago, and is now teaching at UCB New York. Her current 600 level class, which is an advanced class, is performing two long form improvisational styles called JTS Brown and Cat’s Cradle. These two forms are by far the most interesting structures of improv I have ever seen. They border on the side of experimental theater, weaving abstract scenework into the long form structure.
Each form is very different from one another. JTS Brown begins with an improviser becoming a character and supporting improvisers becoming that character through a tag out like replacement. Cats cradle is an amorphous set of scenes, which morph from one scene to another through a series of almost dance-like montages.
I heavily recommend checking out this show if you are interested in seeing how improvisational forms can be used to create more complex performances. The ideas inherent in these structures beg the question, “what is possible in an improv performance?”
Del Close thought that improv should be more than just a quick joke. These forms really spotlight that improv can be more.
