If I could turn back time, if I could find
a way, I would transport all of us to last week so that we could
experience the
"http://www.gainesvilleimprov.com/gif">Gainesville Improv Festival
The festival, which began Jan. 19, is an annual four-day event that
showcases some of the best improv and sketch comedy from across the
country. In addition to the shows, people also have an opportunity
to attend workshops taught by some of the nation’s most talented
improv teachers.
Because I’m a member of Theatre Strike Force, the festival also
serves as a family reunion, albeit an awkward one where I meet many
family members for the first time. Many former members have gone on
to become household names in the improv world, so to see them is an
incredibly humbling experience.
The headliner of the festival was
"http://chicago.ioimprov.com/io/shows/23">3033
includes Theatre Strike Force alumni
"http://billarnett.com/wordpress/">Bill Arnett
After their outstanding show, I announced that I would be quitting
improv.
I was kidding, of course, but imagine how intimidating it was to
watch people who were once in my shoes blow anything I knew about
improv out of the water.
Because I was also a performer, my registration in the festival
included tickets to all of the shows and admission to two workshops
of my choice. The experience of learning improv techniques from
someone who has been doing improv as long as I’ve been alive is
both exciting and enlightening.
While the workshops only lasted a total of four hours, I’m pretty
sure everyone walked away from them with a better understanding of
how to perform a great improv set.
I highly recommend attending next year’s festival to everyone, not
just students of comedy. The combination of seeing great shows and
meeting great people left both audiences and performers glowing
night after night.
Skyler Stone and Tom O’Donnell, co-founders of the festival and TSF
alumni, use the festival to encourage people to seek out and
support local improv. The festival also has the added bonus of
fostering relationships between the many generations of TSF.
It’s thanks to the Gainesville Improv Festival and events like it
that keep local audiences excited about Gainesville’s thriving
comedy scene.
