Extended Play saved Improv!

FROM THE DESK OF DAVE JENNINGS:

The odds are very low that I will ever have the opportunity or the reason to excuse myself (in character) off stage during an improv set to run after someone who has just stolen the box office donation box— it will be even more unlikely that Tyler Samples and I will be able to return to stage to finish the set with that little of a break in action. So, if you missed it, wow… too bad. If you were there, even more wow. Thank you to Aaron Caponigro,Jake Schneider, Sean Mogridge, Carmen Christopher, Matt Derda, and Bill Meincke for the roles you played tonight and to Tyler for being an amazing scene partner. Thank you for an audience that laughed and rocked it…. and didn’t let a random guy off the street literally “steal the show.” Out of Bounds Comedy Festival, HERE WE COME!

 

 

Sunday June 19th

As always, the show is free, but we really appreciate your donations to keep the show going!

 

TONIGHT!

It’s a night of duos!

Final Foxtrot, featuring Dave Jennings and Tyler Samples.

Los Dos Dudes with Patriac Coakley and Cole Orloff.

Thrown Together with Kelly Nesheim and Megan Kelleher

One Year Old!

Check it out, Extended Play is turning one year old, isn’t that awesome?

There is a great show this Sunday at the Playground Theater, which is BYOB as usual, and a BENEFIT show for the Franklin Magnet School for Performing Arts– which is new and different.

Visit http://epproductions.org/one-year-show-and-workshops/ for more info

Performers include:
FROM CLEVELAND, OH: GigaBus
Over the past three years, the members of GigaBus have played together as some of the most dynamic members of Cleveland’s growing improv scene. And they are finally making their love and trust for each other official in improv-troupe form.

Liz Huff, Andrew Jorgensen, Deena Nyer Mendlowitz, Kimberly Pride, Matt Rosfelder

FROM AUSTIN, TX: Coldtowne
ColdTowne Theater is Austin’s mainstage for alternative comedy. Our
resident improvisers have performed and taught improv all over the
country, including at some of the world’s most famous comedy

COLDTOWNE!
institutions — The Second City, iO, the UCB, and The Annoyance
Theatre. We have won every major comedy award Austin has to offer, and
have performed at improv festivals all over the country.

Visiting Chicago will be ColdTowne Theater co-founder Michael Jastroch, former Boom! Chicago artistic director and Playground alum Dave Buckman,
Midnight Society’s Nick Ramirez and Boy Toy’s Katie Sicking.

FROM CHICAGO, IL: Pleasant Valley
Susan Messing, Holly Laurent and Jet Evelth. Nothing more needs to be

http://epproductions.org/one-year-show-and-workshops/

No show on July 4th, but a HUGE SHOW on July 11th

On July 4th, we are taking the day off, but just you wait, on July 11th we will be celebrating one year of shows! With:

Pleasant Valley of Chicago: Susan Messing, Holly Laurent and Jet Evelth

Gigabus of Cleveland:Liz Huff, Andrew Jorgensen, Deena Nyer Mendlowitz, Kimberly Pride, Matt Rosfelder

and

ColdTowne Theater of Austin TX with co-founder Michael Jastroch, former Boom! Chicago artistic director and Playground alumn Dave Buckman, Midnight Society’s Nick Ramirez and Boy Toy’s Katie Sicking

Visit ONE YEAR SHOW AND WORKSHOPS for more info

It’s raining comedy tonight!

Tonight is a crazy night.

Lisa Burton (iO Chicago Grad, performer all over town)  and her roommate Tyler Samples (iO Co-Artistic Director of Extended Play, Member of Storytown, iO Grad and Harold team member) will kick ass and take names!

PLAYDATE is a group of improvisers of various levels who are put together for a one-time fun-time! We’ve got top notch performers from Second City Touring Company, iO, Annoyance, CIC, Gorilla Tango, pH Productions, Donny’s Skybox, and your DVD collection who have never played together before! Anything could happen! The Inaugural Playdate Ensemble includes: Dana Quercioli (RedCo! Second City Touring Company), Denise Swindell (All over Chicago!), Rachel Miller (Second City, Boom Chicago), Gregory Hollimon (Second City, Strangers With Candy), Neil Arsenty (Donny’s Skybox, The Playground, and all over) , Leslie Nesbit (Annoyance, iO), Megan Kelleher (Annoyance, pH Productions), Christian Weber– the newbie to the group

Finally, Closing their run at “Extended Play” will be “Matt and Natalie” are total jerks.  Matt Young and Natalie Sullivan have been improvising a combined total of 24 years. However, they just met last year and found out they had something great in common: They are both total a-holes. In Matt & Natalie are Total Jerks they ask the audience to reveal something private about themselves that they may not be too proud of. By exploring topics such as arrogance, infidelity, lust, jealousy, and hatred, Matt and Natalie ask the audience to embrace their darker side as fully as they have.

Closing Night of Vaudville Vivat! And Another Great Week of Extended Play

Saturday night will be your final chance to see “Vaudeville Vivat!”  The improvised vaudeville revue.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of, and $10 day of for performers and students.

Sunday night at 9:30 will be the weekly improv festival: “Extended Play” Featuring  Final Foxtrot, Shoelace Academy, and Eleanor.

FINAL FOXTROT: Final Foxtrot is performed by Dave Jennings and Tyler Samples, and it is described as a “two man/one man improvised theater piece” where the actors take over each other’s characters and further the depth and development by reflecting the relationship from the opposing players point of view. This leads to a complete string of scenes that seem to bleed in and out of the characters minds. The senes are revisited and characters interact with relationships from their lives and sometimes with themselves.

SHOELACE ACADEMY Shoelace Academy is an independent team comprised of twelve improvisers from across the country. As a team, Shoelace has performed at Gorilla Tango Theater, Donny’s Skybox, The Playground, The Underground Lounge and more. In addition to improvisation, Shoelace has also written, produced and starred in two original sketch shows. This past January, Shoelace competed in and place third in the Gorilla Tango Improvisation competition. Members of Shoelace have trained at the Second City Conservatory, iO, the Annoyance, the Second City Musical Conservatory and more. Shoelace Academy looks forward to improvising, acting, singing and dancing their way into your heart. Cast list: Warren Arnold, Patrick De Nicola, Ariel Dumas, Diane Harvey, Zach Hislip, Sam Martin, Vanessa Menton, Kevin Nickolai, Ilana Plen, Jenny Sherman, Jessie Stegner, Maureen Winston

ELEANOR: Eleanor is an all-female improv group that works to make each performance inventive, artistic, and fun.  Now in their second year together, they have performed at CIF, the Kalamazoo Improv Festival, iO’s Experiment, and at their sold-out 7 week run at Second City’s Donny’s Skybox.  Check out Eleanor on facebook, or at eleanorimprov.wordpress.com! Cast List: Allison Yolo, Blythe Haaga, Heather Bodie, Kate Carson-Groner, Nicole C. Hastings, Stephanie Douglass Coach: Craig Uhlir

Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1916? From Broadwayworld.com by Trish Vignola

unday, May 16, 2010; Posted: 12:05 PM – by Trish Vignola

Share |

For those of you who read my column regularly, you know that I love when theatre companies produce original work and take chances. You could only imagine my pleasant surprise when I wandered upon Extended Play Productions’ “Vaudeville Vivat!” running now through May 22^nd at the Playground Theater.  Part improvised, part scripted with a bit of clowning and burlesque, “Vaudeville Vivat!” takes us back to the revue-style comedy of our great-grandparents.   You might be asking, why would a 1916 throwback show be of any interest to me?  I’ve seen “Titanic.”  Well, you know The Second City?  Consider Vaudeville its great-aunt.

First-time Chicago Director, David Jennings, does a commendable job at the helm.  He definitely took a risk with this production. 1916 Vaudeville doesn’t immediately scream commercial success to most.  However, by the time I caught the show, “Vaudeville Vivat!” was pulling in a pretty decent sized audience.

I am pleased that someone attempted to transform the Playground Theater, which traditionally has the charm of a basement with a drippy leak.   Was this production hampered by the space restrictions of the theatre?  Probably.  The stage was cramped and crowded. The lighting was rough, many times resulting in the actors being in darkness.  Prop usage was questionable.  Sometimes they had them.  Sometimes they were improvised.  Sometimes a great prop sat on stage the entire time, never used, driving me nuts.  Sigh… Regardless, “Vaudeville Vivat” definitely has the kernel of a great idea.

Jennings and Extended Play did a great job discovering some relative unknowns to the Chicago theatre community. If they play their cards right though, they shouldn’t be unknowns for too long.  Amanda Murphy, who plays the Gypsy and also serves as Music Director, brings fun comic relief as the revue’s eccentric. Frankly, this lady also rocks on the keys.  Wolfgang Stein, whose Chaplin-esque physicality is underused, has incredible comic timing.  You can’t help but perk up when he’s on stage.  Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Todd Obuchowski.  Wow!  This man has talent. Juggling, spinning plates, you name it and he can do it.  Also, did I mention this guy can act? His facial expressions say more than most people can say in a monologue.  Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd live on in Mr. Obuchowski’s work.

Although it’s a work in progress, “Vaudeville Vivat” is still a great time.  If you want to see something interesting and different, you unfortunately only have until May 22^nd to do so.  If anything go to see the work of Wolfgang Stein and Todd Obuchowski with Amanda Murphy on the keys.  They are worth the price of admission.

http://epproductions.org/vaudeville-vivat

A cold May weekend…

This weekend is set to be cold outside, so come on in and enjoy EP Productions’ Shows!

Saturday night at the Playground enjoy “Vaudeville Vivat!” The improvised vaudeville revue set in 1916 with 2010 bite… the show sold out last week, so buy your tickets in advance through the web!

Sunday Night at Extended Play you’ll see three amazing teams perform improvised theatre in three different ways. We welcome Eleanor– right off their great show at the Chicago Improv Festival, Illocal Comedy– three guys from Wisconsin with comedy in their cheese curds, and Anecdotes– a two person improv team who know the science of comedy, literally.

Tickets for Vaudeville Vivat! are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Extended Play is a suggested $5 donation, and both shows are at the Playground Theater… bring yourself, your friends, and whatever else you need to enjoy the evening

Ticket special LIMITED OFFER!

Vaudeville Vivat! Limited Offer Special $5 tix tomorrow night!  Advance only! http://bit.ly/9T57mu and enter code “1916″ to unlock!

Extended Play 4/25/10

Join Extended Play tonight with Anecdotes, Moberly, and the final EP performance of Valid Hysteria.

9:30pm at the playground $5 suggested donation!