Thursday, March 26, 2009

Open Court continues!


In late 2003 at the Playground Theater in Chicago, Sammy Tamimi (The Geek Productions) and International Stinger came up with an idea of a longform jam. We rented out the Playground Theater on an off night (Thursday nights at 10pm) and began to run one of the most successful improv jams ever. The idea was simple - Not everyone has longform improv experience. Most people who get into improv comedy go through shortform games first. In Chicago there are something like 300 new improv students annually. All these students want to learn everything, want stage time and want to be seen, so we gave them a small opportunity for all those things at Open Court. It quickly took off and has continued to be the best improv jam around.
Now I've brought it here to Portland in our beautiful Curious Comedy Theater. Thursday nights at 8pm will be our Open Court night. The night where all our friends and students can come together and experiment with longform exercises in a comfortable and supportive environment.
At every Open Court we will do our best to support each and every player. All we ask is that two simple rules are followed: 1 - Agreement. improv is nothing without agreement. You must do your best to be on the same page as your team (and scene partner) all the time. It makes for better scenework and better energy.
2 - Positivity. While we are using Open Court as a learning format, it's also a jam. A lot of times a Jam can feel unfair to people who aren't open to new ideas. All we're asking for is that our participants feel the welcoming and positive feeling of the OC and feed it right back.

I hope to see you at the Open Court some thursday night.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Don't be a fool!

Coming soon to a Curious Comedy Theater near you...the Curious Fools Festival! Starting on Wednesday April 1st and going until Sunday April 5th, we'll be hosting a slew of comedic acts on our stage. You'll get to see some of the best acts from the northwest like the Brody Theater, Super Project Lab, The Liberators, and of course the Curious Main Stage Players.

But that's not all! You'll also get to see amazing acts like Gustafer Yellowgold from New York, Unexpected Productions from Seattle, and the Great Miasma from Eugene.

Still not convinced? Wait, there's more! Sunday night at 8pm we'll be treating you to Joe Raiola, editor of Mad Magazine, and his one man show Almost Obscene, a show all about censorship.

So don't be a fool! This is a festival you don't want to miss. Want tickets? Click here!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Open Court Thursday!

If you want to get on stage and do some longform improv in a fun and supportive environment than the Open Court is for you! Stop by on Thursday, put your name in as a performer and you'll be put on a team. The team has a coach and a form. You'll get 20(ish) minutes to perform your form with your new team. At the end of the night, prizes are drawn. Everyone Wins! (prizes are limited, but 'everyone wins' in the sense that you walk away feeling good and supported having done something different and fun).

Friday, March 13, 2009

Friday the 13th!


Come check out our new mainstage show where we mix improv and sketch comedy!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Curious Comedy Main Stage Show

Starting this Friday (the 13th!) the Curious Theater will be starting a new weekly show called the Curious Comedy Main Stage Show. This new show will feature original sketches from the Main Stage Players, as well as short form and long form improv. You also might get to see some stand up, musical comedy, and heck we might even slaughter a goat.

Um...scratch that. We will not slaughter a goat.

This week's show will feature the "Fit to Print" format in the first half and the "Commando" format in the second (don't worry, that doesn't mean we'll be performing without underwear). Each half will be about 45 minutes long and each one will leave you wanting more. But that's why we are doing the show twice a week. So come on Friday and then bring your friends back on Saturday.

Curious Comedy Main Stage Show
Fridays & Saturdays 8pm
from Now until Eternity
$12

Monday, March 2, 2009

Hurricane Dopamine

There's a storm a brewin'! It's headed this way. We will call it Hurricane Dopamine. It's going to be hitting Portland hard throughout the month of March. Come on down to the Curious Comedy Theater to get a first hand look at the mayhem.

Cheap Date: Featuring - Dopamine
Thursday, March 5th, 8pm
$5