Spotlight on Houston Improv Festival 2015

On of the few festivals scheduled haven’t given me the privilege to visit yet has been the Houston Improv Festival. The festival and it’s producers are growing and doing great things in the city of Houston. I had a chance to talk to Todd Boring about the festival this year. Read this article and then hurry up to submit to a great time in Texas.

Many Festivals are hard to reach for east coast or west coast troupes, but Houston is easily accessible from anywhere in the country. That said, many visitors have never been to the city before. What are some of the points of pride in Houston for people to visit?

The food in Houston is legendary.  We are the #1 Fattest City on most lists for good reason.  Ninfa’s on Navigation is the best Tex-Mex in the world.  The best BBQ debate often comes to blows, and you can hardly go wrong venturing into any Vietnamese restaurant.  Pho?  Pho-get-about-it!  Come to town expecting to sate your wildest food fantasies!

We have several world-class local brewers that generously sponsor live comedy.  The beer here is clearly something we brag about.  St. Arnold’s, Buffalo Bayou, Karbach, 8th Wonder, No Label and Southern Star all have delicious varieties and are all based here in the Houston area.

Generally, there’s a lot to do if you experience improv fatigue: stand-up, live music, museums, ballet, art galleries, theatre, parks, trails … did I mention eating?  The festival hotel is right off Upper Kirby, which has great shops and food options.  The theater is in the heart of Midtown, near the Museum District, and only a few blocks from the light rail.  Plan to improvise and explore.

OrangeShowMonumentWhat are you offering visiting performers? What kind of budget should they be prepared for if they spend the weekend?

New this year, we are offering a single night’s stay at the Houston Improv Festival hotel – the Four Points Sheraton – for all out-of-town groups.  It’s about 5 miles from the theater off Highway 59, and regularly it’s about $80 per night.  On top of that, all performers will get a pass granting them access to all shows (subject to available seating).

As mentioned above, there are tons of great places to eat in Houston, and we really encourage folks coming in from out of town to check them out.  Do yourself a flavor and ignore all the big chains.

If you enjoy Mexican food, then Ninfa’s on Navigation is absolutely not to be missed.  Take a truckload of friends (it is not required to drive a truck in Houston, but it is highly encouraged), and expect to share everything you order.  With a drink and tip you will have more delicious Mexican food than you can eat for around $25 a head.

There are some great little dives on Almeda and on Main just a few blocks from the theater.  The app Urban-Spoon should definitely be your friend while you are in town.  If you are on a tight budget, then you can still eat well at $10 a meal if you limit your drinks to water.

Speaking of drinks, at most bars domestics (Bud, Miller) will cost you in the $3 range.  (A horrible waste of money IMHO.)  Our fabulous selection of microbrews will cost you around $5.  No Label has been our beer sponsor since the festival’s inception and their Hefeweizen is one of the best.  For sampling a wide selection of local beers and eclectic bar food, we highly recommend The Hay Merchant in the Montrose area.

While Houston is expanding its light rail system, you are going to have a much better experience getting around if you rent a car.  Also, maybe you haven’t heard, but we make gasoline here.  Your patronage is appreciated.  Definitely budget for some wheels – preferably lifted with a set of longhorns on the front.

What are some of the ideas in the Houston Improv scene that you really want to showcase to the world?

The Houston scene is finding its footing.  Although CSz Houston has been around for over 23 years, there were only a few independent groups a few years ago.  Today we have two additional established independent theaters with live comedy shows nearly every night of the week that also offer a full complement of improv training.  Groups are forming and re-forming so fast we can’t keep track anymore.  It’s a thriving comedy scene, and it’s growing.

Guest Improvisers will begin relationships with the city that could lead to other opportunities.  There is a hunger in Houston for improv.  It’s a pretty exciting era for us.

On the other side, what kinds of shows are you looking to showcase to the people of Houston?

We are always looking to broaden the horizons of our community and our audience.  Groups doing unique forms and styles at the top of their intelligence are highly desired.

Also, we would really love to see more short-form groups submit.  Frankly, although we think CSz Houston is the best short-form group in the country, we’d love to have some groups submit who could challenge that statement.

Finally, this year we are adding a family-friendly show slot.  In past years we strived to make the Houston Improv Festival a place where performers can share their art without restrictions, and we have no plans to change that for the majority of our show slots.  However, Houston has a lot of young improvisers that we are excited to introduce to this art form, and we are looking for groups willing to work within a PG-rating parameter.

What are your big goals in 2015 to grow from the 2014 festival?


Our goal hasn’t changed since the beginning:

To produce and promote improvisational theater in collaboration with the growing pool of improv acting and comedic talent in Houston.

Bringing Jimmy Carrane to Houston is a big realization of that goal this year.  Jimmy’s Improv Nerd Podcast will allow us to highlight our emerging improv scene.  His Art of Slow Comedy workshops give us a chance to expose a large pool of graduates to the artistry of this craft.

Looking forward to a great festival in 2015.  We hope you will join us! Submissions close January 1, so get crackin’!


Currently Bill is an instructor at The Torch Theatre and producer for the Phoenix Improv Festival. He tours teaching and performing across North America.

Spotlight On: Houston Improv Festival


If your an improvisor on the west coast, you know two things about Texas. First, it’s very big. Second, all the good improv festivals are on the east side. That makes for some pretty long drives with your troupe through less than scenic West Texas. But it’s worth it every time. Houston is a big part of that, and with the opening of The Station Theater and really passionate people like Shyla Ray, Todd Boring, Jessica Brown and a dozen others, it’s going to become more so. Houston is growing quick into a town where fantastic improv is happening all the time. I was fortunate enough to learn a little bit more about the Houston Improv Festival with Jessica.

Houston’s improv scene has really grown quite a bit in the last few years. Many performers – even touring ones – having been out there yet. What’s been happening in the last few years that lead to this growth?

P-Graph

P-Graph

This has been a huge year for improv in Houston. ComedySportz Houston just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Station Theater officially opened its new theater space last April, allowing them to increase their weekly performances and class offerings. The University of Houston’s Glaundor from won the National College Improv Tournament. Rice University added improv to their curriculum with Station’s Shyla Ray at the helm. We also have fantastic independent troupes like Rice University’s Spontaneous Combustion, The Univesity of Houston’s Phortasics, Opehlia’s Rope, Feelings and Babyknuckle.

Additionally, both theaters have welcomed special guest performers like Kevin McDonald of Kids in the Hall, Parallellogramophonograph, Greg Tavares, Chris & Tami, Jill Bernard and more.

Houston improvisers are growing a passionate community. We love what we do and we want to share it with the world. We also want to share the creativity and diversity of the world of improv with Houston.

What’s the scene like now?

The scene has a strong backbone of veteran performers but it is growing rapidly so there is a strong influx of youthful exuberance. Show offerings have drastically expanded. The overall improv audience is not only growing, it is embracing non-traditional forms. There is lot of experimenting and expansion of forms. ComedySportz expanded into long form offerings with Ampersand and their Unscripted series. This Infinite Closet, who performed at HIF last year, took home Best Original Comedy at the Houston Fringe Festival this year for their version of a Bat. Station also took on improvised Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick this year.

I know many of the theatres in Houston have had a lot of shared performers and ideals as other theatres in Texas and Louisiana, as well as their festivals. What are you hoping to bring from their festivals to Houston?

The best festivals and theaters promote the growth of a community and sharing of ideas. We want to continue to bring in strong talent and strong educational opportunities so that this community can continue to grow. We want to embrace all forms and all improvisers yet still keep the spirit of independence that is key to improv.

What are some of the things you think you can actually shake up and make your own?

We have really enjoyed the intimacy of the Houston Improv Festival the last two years. Last year was our first year to offer workshops. It was a powerful experience for groups from local theaters and universities to mix, mingle and share ideas. We want the Houston Improv Festival to continue to be a community building event and an opportunity for attendees to learn from some of the best in the business.

What are some of your goals in terms of exposing audiences to improv this year? What kind of groups are you hoping to submit?

We would like to see a strong mix of long form and short form troupes. Even though we have grown tremendously, Houston’s improv scene is still in its early stages. We want to showcase the diversity of talent in our region so that audiences have a broader understanding of improv overall

What can performers expect outside of shows when they visit? Will there be workshops or other events planned as part of the festival?

Last year we had hang-outs after both Friday and Saturday night shows. Those gave everyone an opportunity to do some networking with our performers and instructors. We are definitely going to continue that this year. For workshops, we are bringing in Jet Eveleth from iO Chicago, and our own Dianah Dulany of ComedySportz Houston. Finally, Sunday afternoon we will be screening “Close Quarters,” a movie featuring some of the improv greats of modern times.

What’s the weather going to be like in April?

One of the reasons we have the festival in April is that the weather is amazing – mid 70s to low 80s and gorgeous. It’s a great time to be in Houston.

When shows aren’t going on? What are some of the things performers can visit and do during the day?

Museum of Funeral History

Museum of Funeral History

There is so much to do in Houston. Of course, we will have our second annual karaoke party at Hefley’s Sports Bar on Saturday night. Our performance venue is not far from the main MetroRail which gives you easy access to Downtown, the Houston Museum District (www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org) and even the Houston Zoo. We have world-class museums like the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Museum of Fine Art Houston, The Menil Collection, The Holocaust Museum and so much more. We also have some unusual museums like the The National Museum of Funeral History, which is probably my favorite museum in Texas. I am in the tourism industry so I am pretty spoiled when it comes to attractions. I tend to go for the unusual!

The Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau website (www.visithoustontexas.com) is a great resource if you want to explore Houston.

When the festival’s over, what would you consider the greatest compliment you could receive?

We had a blast and can’t wait for next year!

There’s so much to do and see in Houston. It’s a great chance to perform and play with passionate people. Submissions are still open, but they’re closing this week. For more info, feel free to contact Jessica directly.

(512) 689-3729
jessica@houstonimprovfestival.com


Currently Bill is an instructor at The Torch Theatre and producer for the Phoenix Improv Festival. He tours teaching and performing across North America.

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