Submitted by Harlequin Productions
Harlequin Productions is gearing up to present The 2nd Annual South Sound Improv Comedy Festival April 3rd and 4th at 8:00 p.m. at the State Theater in downtown Olympia. This festival will feature some of the most acclaimed improv troupes from the Olympia area and the Puget Sound region.
Troupes set to perform include Unexpected Productions, Jet City Improv, Fools Play, Olyimprov, Hat Trick Pony, Generation Friends, and Harlequin’s own improv troupe, Something Wicked. Local favorite stand-up comedian Morgan Picton will serve as Master of Ceremonies.
“This festival aims to celebrate extraordinary improv in our area,” said festival organizer and Harlequin development manager Mark Alford. “I think a lot of people don’t realize how vibrant our local improv scene is.”
Last year the 1st annual festival sold out completely, forcing the theater to turn many patrons away at the door. This spurred the Harlequin staff to make this year’s festival a two-night affair.
“The festival last year was Harlequin dipping its toe into Olympia improv,” commented Harlequin managing artistic director Scot Whitney. “We couldn’t fit the audience inside the theater! So this year we’ve added another night, two more troupes, and the amazing Morgan Picton. We’re preparing for a nice long swim in deep water.”
Modern improvisational theater became a popular form of live comedy in the United States in the 1970’s and 80’s. However, it is still predominately confined to large cities. A scattering of improv troupes can be found among smaller cities and towns, but a festival of this size in a smaller city is not a common occurrence. “This is not some small-town, knock-off version of a big city festival,” Alford said. “We’ve got some of the most popular troupes in the state coming to perform. It’s really cool to be able to present this right here in Olympia.”
“Unexpected Productions is the longest-running show in Seattle. Ever. And Hat Trick Pony is headed by the people behind the popular film series The Gamers and the web series JourneyQuest. Meanwhile, Jet City Improv is one of the most popular improv companies in the Pacific Northwest. Fools Play has been doing comedy in the South Sound for over 21 years. OlyImprov has been a local favorite since 2006. And in my opinion, Generation Friends is one of the best college improv groups in the nation. We’ve got an incredible lineup set to perform.”
Friday April 3 will feature performances by Generation Friends, Hat Trick Pony, Olyimprov, and Something Wicked. Saturday April 4 will showcase Fools Play, Jet City Improv, Unexpected Productions, and Something Wicked.
Harlequin is offering single-day tickets for $20 and two-day passes for $30. Patrons can find more info and purchase tickets by calling (360)786-0151, or by visiting harlequinproductions.org/something-wicked-improv.
Alford summarized his excitement by saying, “This truly is a collection of some of the best improv our region has to offer. They’re gonna blow the roof off the place.”
