Kansas City Improv Festival
Encyclopedia
In 1994, improv was just leaking into TV with the British version of Whose Line Is It, Anyway? Groups like ComedySportz
and Theatresports
gathered their franchisees from around the world at tournaments, but "independent" troupes were scattered all over the country.
Until Spontaneous Combustion—the first KC fest, produced by the now-defunct Lighten Up Improv Co. Groups from Minneapolis, Iowa and Lawrence shared the stage with locals (and the locals shared beer, thanks to a day-of-the-festival approval of their liquor license). The next year, "SpoCom" reached further out, with participants from Seattle, Boulder, Minneapolis, Frederick (Maryland) and the first Chicago troupes.
And then, because the rule of threes is a big deal in improv, things got great big in the third year. At the suggestion of one of our Chicago participants, Rob Reese (Amnesia Wars), the producers boldly invited the three top directors in the improv mecca to try something crazy: At the festival, each would take one member of each performing troupe in a cast, and create a show in two days for the festival finale. The directors: Del Close
(Chicago's heralded—or Harolded—improv guru), Mick Napier
(Second City
artistic director, Annoyance
founder, and the man Del passed his baton to) and Armando Diaz (the guy who taught improv to NYC).
SpoCom continued for four years, until Lighten Up's directors split up and the players rebooted the festival as 5 and 6: The US Improv Festival. Their new troupe, Funny Outfit, kept the tradition going with new big-name directors, adding LA's Dan O'Connor, Chicago's Rebecca Sohn and Joe Bill, improv's answer to Mister Rogers Jeff Wirth, and idea-instigator Rob Reese.
Then things got quiet for a while. People grew up, became responsible adults, parted ways...and the festival took a hiatus for a few years. In the meantime, the folks who attended our festival as young performers went on to rock the improv world. They showed up at Second City
(Mark Sutton, Corey Rittmaster and Tim Mason and many more), on TV shows (Jack McBrayer
and Christina Gausas), TV commercials (TJ Jagodowski) and beyond.
Until the upstarts of the City 3 Project—former students of the Lighten Up Improv Co.'s high school improv league—worked with an original producer, Trish Berrong, to bring it back in 2007 as 7: The KC Improv Festival. With the national improv community more connected than ever before (and festivals all over the country using our model), the new producers decided to focus on KC, and what our community of performers needed to grow.
ComedySportz
ComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green and many others.-Format:...
and Theatresports
Theatresports
Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges...
gathered their franchisees from around the world at tournaments, but "independent" troupes were scattered all over the country.
Until Spontaneous Combustion—the first KC fest, produced by the now-defunct Lighten Up Improv Co. Groups from Minneapolis, Iowa and Lawrence shared the stage with locals (and the locals shared beer, thanks to a day-of-the-festival approval of their liquor license). The next year, "SpoCom" reached further out, with participants from Seattle, Boulder, Minneapolis, Frederick (Maryland) and the first Chicago troupes.
And then, because the rule of threes is a big deal in improv, things got great big in the third year. At the suggestion of one of our Chicago participants, Rob Reese (Amnesia Wars), the producers boldly invited the three top directors in the improv mecca to try something crazy: At the festival, each would take one member of each performing troupe in a cast, and create a show in two days for the festival finale. The directors: Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
(Chicago's heralded—or Harolded—improv guru), Mick Napier
Mick Napier
Mick Napier is an actor, director, teacher and author living in Chicago. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and an award-winning director at The Second City. He has worked with people such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Nia Vardalos, Andy...
(Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
artistic director, Annoyance
Annoyance Theatre
The Annoyance Theatre, or Annoyance Productions as it is sometimes called, is a theater and associated ensemble based in Chicago that deals mainly in absurd, pretentious and outrageous humor. Many people that have performed with the ensemble have gone on to become successful stage and screen actors...
founder, and the man Del passed his baton to) and Armando Diaz (the guy who taught improv to NYC).
SpoCom continued for four years, until Lighten Up's directors split up and the players rebooted the festival as 5 and 6: The US Improv Festival. Their new troupe, Funny Outfit, kept the tradition going with new big-name directors, adding LA's Dan O'Connor, Chicago's Rebecca Sohn and Joe Bill, improv's answer to Mister Rogers Jeff Wirth, and idea-instigator Rob Reese.
Then things got quiet for a while. People grew up, became responsible adults, parted ways...and the festival took a hiatus for a few years. In the meantime, the folks who attended our festival as young performers went on to rock the improv world. They showed up at Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
(Mark Sutton, Corey Rittmaster and Tim Mason and many more), on TV shows (Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
and Christina Gausas), TV commercials (TJ Jagodowski) and beyond.
Until the upstarts of the City 3 Project—former students of the Lighten Up Improv Co.'s high school improv league—worked with an original producer, Trish Berrong, to bring it back in 2007 as 7: The KC Improv Festival. With the national improv community more connected than ever before (and festivals all over the country using our model), the new producers decided to focus on KC, and what our community of performers needed to grow.
See also
- List of improvisational theater festivals
- Improvisational theatreImprovisational theatreImprovisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
- List of improvisational theatre companies