T.I.M. (The Improvised Musical) Wants You! Westhoff Theatre, Tomorrow.

Did you ever watch Whose Line Is It, Anyway? -- either British or American variety -- when they improvised songs? I'll never forget Mike McShane and Josie Lawrence making up a love song about kitty litter for the "Song Styles" section of the British program.  

Who ever thought feline defecation could be such a swell and singular sensation?

I have no reason to think that T.I.M. (The Improvised Musical) ever makes up songs about cat poo, but then again, they very well could. T.I.M. is a Milwaukee-based musical improv group. At each and every show, they promise to "create a whirlwind story in song and dance right before your eyes, based solely on the audience’s suggestions! Plus, the show is accompanied by a 3-piece band that improvises songs you've never heard before!"

That means, if they're going for a kitty litter musical, it will be a whole #@%^ musical, not just one little love song. Take that, Whose Line!

And you don't have to go to Milwaukee to participate or toss them a suggestion, either. T.I.M. is coming to Bloomington-Normal tomorrow night, December 1, with a workshop from 3 to 6 pm and a performance from 7:30 to 9, all at Westhoff Theatre on the Illinois State University campus. This tour is T.I.M.'s first, and ISU is their first stop.

The workshop will include three sections, with info on acting and voice, improvising with the band, and a theatre administration Q and A. They note that you do not have to be present for all three pieces of the workshop, and, in fact, the band portion might just overlap with the theatre administration part. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but then, I'm not a free-spirited master improv troupe that makes its own rules and sets its own schedule.

Part of the schedule they're setting for tomorrow is an opening act, which will be ISU's own Improv Mafia.  I'm guessing the Improv Mafia folks will also be participating in the workshop portion of the afternoon, since... Why wouldn't they? They have T.I.M. coming to play with them!

This event, like so many cool and different theatrical things happening on campus, is sponsored by FreeStage.

Keep the Comedy Coming: Support the Improv Mafia and the CIT

The Improv Mafia, Illinois State University's first and only improv troupe, has enjoyed a great deal of success in years past at the national College Improv Tournament. Third last year and second the year before, they won the whole enchilada in 2009. National champs right there, folks!

Now Improv Mafia is lending a hand to raise funds for that very tournament. The College Improv Tournament has launched an Indiegogo site to try to put together enough cash to do things like provide food and water to teams when they compete, give them a break on lodging, and maybe even offer food and lodging to volunteer judges and videographers. They'd also like to get better video equipment, and if you saw the video from last year's national or regional competitions, well, you know better video would be a very good thing.

If you'd like to contribute to the effort -- and come on, who wouldn't? A sense of the ridiculous is important in an uncertain world! -- you can pop right over here and give anything from $1 to $10,000. They hope to raise $5,000, which isn't so very much after all.

And just look at what you get for your contribution. For only $25, you get a ticket to a regional match, where you just may see the Second City, Improv Olympics, Saturday Night Live or Octavarius stars of tomorrow. At the other end of the spectrum, for $1000, your package includes 6 VIP tickets at the National Finals, food and bev for you and a guest, pictures with the winning team, an autographed poster, an opportunity to give an improv suggestion and co-present an award at the regional, and entry to all the matches at a regional site. That's a lot of stuff!

Keep the improv dream alive! Support Improv Mafia's quest to turn everyone into centaurs, superheros and clowns by visiting the Indiegogo site and kicking in $1 or $10,000 today.

The Whole Scoop on Saturday's ISU College of Fine Arts Celebration

We've talked about some of the bits and pieces of the Big, Huge, Totally LARGE Illinois State University College of Fine Arts Celebration happening tomorrow, like the workshops and performances from the School of Theatre, a host of FreeStage productions, and the PostCard Art exhibit and auction. That's from noon to after midnight on Saturday, April 28, in and around Centennial East and West and the CPA.

So where can you find the whole schedule in one place?

Yeah, I know it's too small here to really read. You can click on that image and see a larger version. Or you can see a bigger version of this nice, crisp, graphically lovely schedule on the School of Theatre's Facebook page. Or scan the not-so-nice, kinda-ugly list version I have prepared for you below.

12 noon to 7 pm: Airport Lounge open for food and beverage (Airport Lounge)
12 noon to 4 pm: 2012 Student Annual Exhibition (University Galleries)
12:30 to 1 pm: Acafellaz performance (outside Westhoff Theatre)
1 to 2 pm: Creative Drama workshop (Centennial West 301)
1 to 2 pm: "Macbeth" presented by Illinois Shakespeare Festival Outreach (Westhoff Theatre)
1 to 4 pm: Open Mic hosted by the Music Business Organization (Airport Lounge)
1 to 4 pm: Screenprinting demo (Westhoff lobby)
2 to 3 pm: FreeStage Outreach presents "The Student Cause Collaboration Project" (Westhoff Theatre)
2:30 to 5 pm: Illinois State Dance Theatre open technical rehearsal (CPA Theatre)
3 to 3:30 pm: Lighting Design demo with JM Montecalvo (Westhoff Theatre)
3:30 to 4:15 pm: Early Music Ensemble performance (Westhoff Theatre)
4 to 5:15 pm: FreeStage presents "An Evening with Tori Allen" (Centennial West 202)
4:30 to 6 pm: Improv workshop with Octavarius (Westhoff Theatre)
5 to 5:30 pm: Q and A with members of the Illinois State Dance Theatre (CPA)
5:30 to 6:45 pm: FreeStage presents "Boom" (Centennial West 202)
6 to 10 pm: Friends of the Arts presents PostCard Art [purchased ticket required] (University Galleries)
7 to 8:15 pm: FreeStage presents "Dinner" (Centennial West 202)
8:30 to 9:30 pm: FreeStage presents "Freeze Tag" (Centennial West 202)
9 to 10 pm: FreeStage presents "Miss Julie" (between Kemp Hall and CPA)
9:30 to 10:15 pm: "A in W" performance (Centennial East 08)
9:30 to 10:30 pm: Improv Mafia performance (Westhoff Theatre)
10 to 11 pm: FreeStage presents "On Stars Not Falling" (Garden area behind University Galleries)
10:30 to 11:45 pm: Octavarius performance (Westhoff Theatre)
Midnight: Theatre of Ted (Westhoff Theatre)

And there you have it -- enough entertainment for any twelve Saturdays! For more information, you can click on any of the links in this post, or go here for the School of Theatre at Illinois State Facebook page.

ISU Schedules a Fine Arts Celebration

Photo credit: Pete Guither

One week from today, ISU's College  of Fine Arts will celebrate and showcase "the exhilarating and thrilling talents of students all across the Schools of Art, Music and Theatre!"

Although no start time is listed yet, Nic Vazquez and the committee behind this event promise: "This full day of programming will consist of many different performances, workshops, and showcases from select passionate members and groups of the School of Fine Arts available absolutely free to prospective students, current students and the community of Bloomington-Normal!"

So far, they're touting performances by groups from the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, FreeStage, Octavarius, A&W and Improv Mafia; workshops offered by the Creative Drama Class; a session on working with light suits offered by JM Montecalvo; an open tech rehearsal and question-and-answer session with the Illinois State Dance Theatre; a display of work created by students; and what is billed as the "Final Theatre of Ted in WESTHOFF THEATRE!"

This is all scheduled for next Saturday, April 28th, at 400 West Beaufort Street in Normal, which puts you in the vicinity of Centennial East and the Center for the Performing Arts. If you have questions or you're a student and you'd like to join the fun and showcase your own talents or host a workshop, you are invited to email the SOT Special Events Committee at isusotspecialevents@gmail.com.

Although there is no specified connection, I am wondering if some of the performances will overlap the senior acting and design showcase scheduled for Monday the 23rd at Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre in Chicago. You can scan the photos and resumes of the graduating seniors who'll perform on Monday if you want a head start on whom to watch for in theaters, on TV and in the movies a few years from now.

ISU's Improv Mafia Prevails Once More

Congratulations to ISU's Improv Mafia for winning the Lower Midwest Regional yesterday in the College Improv Tournament.

The Improv Mafia won the Lower Midwest Regional last year, as well. This year, they defended their title in Indianapolis, earning the right to compete for the national championship in March in Chicago. That makes the Improv Mafia one of 13 regional champions, chosen from a field of 110+ teams nationally.

The Improv Mafia began in 1998, created by Mikel Matthews, who is now over in Champaign acting and directing. The Improv Mafia website tells us that they have "evolved over the years from performing mainly short form games to providing a unique hybrid of short form, long form, musical, and other experimental forms in their weekly one hour shows." (The weekly shows are on Tuesdays, by the way, at the CPA Art Room 145.) Clearly, their hybrid is working, with a National Championship in 2008 and 2nd place at Nationals in 2010-11.

You can see video of their first-round performance here, here, here and here. It's a little jumpy and not complete, but it will give you an idea of what they were doing in Indianapolis, anyway.

As for who was on the winning team, well, I haven't been able to find their current roster anywhere, but I think I spotted Andrew Bogue, Mitch Conti, Carly Heiser and Jason Raymer in the video. If anybody from the Improv Mafia wants to stop by and correct that or offer more complete credits, feel free! Here's the 2010-11 group if you'd like to play Match the Faces with the video.

In the meantime, congratulations and felicitations to ISU's elite improv troupe!