Melanie PennStaff

Hi again, Improv Shop! Big thanks to Taylor Snyder for creating a cool new newsletter formatting that helps us link to the website for show descriptions and the wiki for its inventory of teams. 🤝 And happy birthdays to Charles Harris, Taylor Dukeman, Kevin Miko, Emily Hogan, Alfredo Jahn, Michael Weems, Elizabeth Bolhafner, and everyone celebrating birthdays this week! 🎂🎂 Here's some stuff to look forward to: Thursday Show Programming Thu, May 7, 7:00 PM House Team Night & Jam Basement Family, D.I.C.K, Moist Thu, May 7, 7:00 PM The Menagerie Bumblefuck, Plot Twist, Experi-Mental Thu, May 7, 9:00 PM The Merry-Go-Round Catt Map, Goon Platoon, The Nightcaps, It Wasn't Me Friday Show Programming Fri, May 8, 7:00 PM THE ASTERISK* In this show, we give the suggestion to YOU. Every... (This week's theme is "maternal figures.") Fri, May 8, 7:00 PM Big Team Bash An irresponsible number of improvisers enter the s... (The big teams featured for this show will be Floorplay, Heavy Meadow, and Comic Strip!) Fri, May 8, 9:00 PM Cagematch Cobbler, Mansplain Fri, May 8, 9:00 PM TV Dinner: Sitcom Night with Basement Family Basement Family Knotty By Nature The fiber arts craft club Knotty By Nature meets again this Saturday May 9th between 10:00 and 2:00 at Espresso Yourself Coffee & Cafe! Come bring a craft project and socialize with friends. 🧶 Contact Cassie Ema at crepn2@gmail.com for information! Musical Jam This Saturday May 9th is also the second Saturday of the month, so time for another Musical Jam, 5:00-6:15 in sidestage! The Musical Jam is a free dropin workshop open to anyone regardless of musical ability or improv experience, so tell your friends. Big thanks to Tara O'Nay and Brandon Bowers for facilitating and to Rinn Netherton for MDing! 🎹 Saturday Show Programming Sat, May 9, 7:00 PM We Are 40 Alex turns 40 on May 4th. Janelle turns 40 two mon... Sat, May 9, 7:00 PM Shoes Off: An All Asian Improv Show Shoes off, welcoming you into our home of improv. ... Sat, May 9, 9:00 PM 80085 4 U 80085 Sat, May 9, 9:00 PM Grandma’s Den Hang with Mansplain Just some femmes and a them channeling their dude ... (Manplain will be hosting friend teams Catt Map and Bankrupt.) RUNNING CLUB) This Sunday May 10th, the weekly run+jog+walk meetup convenes again, starting 10:15-10:30 at the Stone Shelter in Tower Grove Park. All paces welcome, so bring friends and dogs! 🏃 Monday Jams This Monday May 11th, come out for more miniworkshops 6:00-6:45-ish: Student Jam with Austin Kellogg! Grad Jam with Nathan Engle! Nathan's workshop will focus on yes-and and trust, and Austin's workshop will focus on spatial work à la "Set Design." 😎 Both will be awesome and fun. Monday Show Programming Mon, May 11, 7:00 PM Teams Level 2 Student Showcase Join our Teams Level 2 students as they showcase t... Mon, May 11, 7:00 PM Teams Level 1 Student Showcase Join our Teams Level 1 students every Monday at 7p... Mon, May 11, 9:00 PM The Gift What’s in the box?! Three improv teams take turns ... (...plus a special musical showcase around 8:30 in mainstage by the Musical Level 2 team Ooogly Boogly!) 🎶 Class Registration About one more week before we start closing class registration for the May-July session, so be sure to register by May 13th for core classes and workshops; HMU if you'd like to set up a payment plan or retake a class with a discount. 🤑 I believe that's a wrap for now, fam! Happy Mothers' Day to all the parents, grandparents, stepparents, petparents, grandpetparents, parental figures, guardians, caretakers, cool aunts, and everyone who has complicated familial relationships. Thanks for sharing your time and care with this theater and this artform; hope you have a great week. 🫶

Melanie PennStaff

Happy almost-May, Improv Shop! 🌼 And happy birthdays to Shannon Russell, Tuesday Badell, Kaylee Vanatta, Julie Gill, Mike Shocklee, Alex Ringhausen, and everyone celebrating birthdays this week! 🎂🎂 Here's some updates, gang: THURSDAY PROGRAMMING - Come out for shows this Thursday April 30th: House Team Night at 7:00 in mainstage with 2zin Tarandon, Sophie Tucker, and Songbird The Menagerie at 7:00 in sidestage with Yes Andersons, Panick Attack!, Oh Geez, and Where It's At The Merry-Go-Round at 9:00 in sidestage with We Need A Name, Experi-Mental, hbh51hbh, and Boyride ...plus The Jam at 9:00 in mainstage with some fresh new and old fave shortform games 🤸 FRIDAY PROGRAMMING - This Friday May 1st, new month + new and returning shows: THE ASTERISK* at 7:00 in mainstage ~ this week's theme is ceremony 🥂 Chaos Gremlins at 7:00 in sidestage where three teams - Spit-Take, Zam Pow!, and Some Black People - play with their respective coaches - Tracey, myself, and Alayna - as we try to wreak chaos on our teams 😈 Cagematch at 9:00 in mainstage with returning champions Mid-Tantrum vs. new challenger Mansplain Welcome to Frog Hollow at 9:00 in sidestage ~ it's the pilot episode of a new location-centric, character-highlighting, TV-series-inspired show QUEER IMPROV JAM - It's the first Saturday of the month this Saturday May 2nd, so time for another Queer Improv Jam, hosted by our friends of Yas And! Queer Jam is a free dropin workshop at 5:00-6:15 in sidestage, open to any LGBTQIA+ participants regardless of improv experience, so tell your friends! 🌈 Speaking of Yas And... SATURDAY PROGRAMMING - Another fun show night to be had this Saturday May 2nd: Yas And Friends at 7:00 in sidestage with Yas And and C-Sweet The One Four Fives present an Improvised Musical! at 7:00 in mainstage Dreamscope at 9:00 in sidestage Harold Houdini at 9:00 in mainstage with two full-length Harold teams Floorplay and Potato Wedgies ...plus the Inaugural Improv Shop Derby at 11:00 in sidestage! There will be horse races, musical performances, and mint juleps at the bar; see Charles's post for information and follow the link to submit names for racehorses. 🏇 RUNNING CLUB meets this Sunday May 3rd at Jefferson Barracks Park, starting around 10:15-10:30 at the Taco Bell Fitness Course. Yep, that's a real thing. Sunday forecast should be sunny and 60s, perfect time to be outside. ☀️ MONDAY JAMS - Come out for more miniworkshops at 6:00-6:50 this Monday May 4th aka Star Wars Day: Student Jam in mainstage with Megs Davis! Grad Jam in sidestage with Jeff Sheary! Big thanks to Megs and Jeff for facilitating, and big thanks to everyone for coming out. 💪 MONDAY PROGRAMMING - It's week #6 in this cycle of student showcases - only two more till graduation! That's two Teams Level 2 showcases in mainstage, plus two Teams Level 1 showcases in sidestage, followed by School Night at 9:00. Do like me on a school night in 1999, stay up too late constructing costumes out of a big trash bag of scrap fabric in your bedroom - except instead of constructing costumes you're watching longform improv and instead of your bedroom you're at The Improv Shop. Ok that's a wrap for now, team. Remember to sign up for core classes or workshops by May 13th if you're planning on taking a class in the May-July session, and lmk if there's anything you need. Thanks for being part of this thing. 💛

Charles HarrisStaff

Many have been asking me about the horses racing in the Inaugural Improv Shop Derby. They say "Charles! What are the names of the steeds that will be partaking in this incredible event?" The answer is that I don't know yet because I'll picking from your name submissions. Here's the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepU9SYrsbjKE5er-po4zXM3Sy7tK4yQsWiL4nfBjoVq3SSjA/viewform

Leslie SymondsStaff

There are still some spots available for this one day workshop! Have you been curious about sketch, and want to see how you can use your improv skills as a springboard? Want to learn more about sketch, but you don't want any homework? Do you have availability in your schedule for 3 hours this Saturday? Then come take Improv to Sketch with me! https://theimprovshop.com/workshop/improv-to-sketch/

Alayna HuthsingStaff

oh woah.. could be cool if yall came to this on saturday? basically we’ll do some songs and some games and some fun! featuring OOGLY BOOGLY!

Melanie PennStaff

Happy Earth Day, Improv Shop! 🌏 And happy birthdays to Maddie Janoch, Ben Acland, Jesse McClure, and everyone else celebrating birthdays this week! 🎂🎂 Here's what's around the corner: ELECTIVES UPDATES - There are some limited spots left in the following May-July session electives: The Armando Workshop on Wednesdays 7-9pm Yoga for Improvisers on Saturdays 10-11:30am Poetry for Improvisers on Sundays 12-2pm The Harold Workshop on Sundays 2:15-4:15pm ...plus a very special one-off Improv to Sketch with Leslie Symonds on May 2nd 12-3pm ...plus an all-new six-week High School Level A starting June 6th on Saturdays 12-2pm THURSDAY PROGRAMMING - Today, Thursday April 23rd, is gunna be a fun one: House Team Night at 7:00 in mainstage with BRAINWORMS!, GameBoyz, and Some Black People The Menagerie at 7:00 in sidestage with Floorplay, Nameless, Echoes, and Loitering The Merry-Go-Round at 9:00 in sidestage with Nine Kids in a Trenchcoat, The Uncrustables, Airplane Bathroom, and Humpback Wail ...plus BLANK & ANDY at 9:00 in mainstage! Blank & Andy is a lottery-style show where anyone in the audience can add their name to a list to get called up and play a two-person set with Andy; usually two sets total. We're hoping to make this a monthly tradition, so consider playing and/or coming out to cheer your friends on! FRIDAY PROGRAMMING - This Friday April 24th is another full night: THE ASTERISK* at 7:00 in mainstage ~ this week's theme is April showers 🌦️ The Gift at 7:00 in sidestage with Bankrupt, C-Sweet, and Whoever This Is Cagematch at 9:00 in mainstage with new champions Mid-Tantrum vs. challenger Campy 🏕️ Arbor Day Celebration with Worms at 9:00 in sidestage 🪱 KNOTTY BY NATURE - The fiber arts craft club Knotty By Nature meets again this Saturday April 25th, at Espresso Yourself Coffee & Cafe! Bring a craft project and/or relax with friends between 10:00 and 2:00, and contact Cassie Ema at crepn2@gmail.com for more information! 🧶 OPEN WINDOW - This Saturday April 25th is another opportunity to participate in the monthly storytelling event Open Window, 4:00-6:00 in sidestage! Participants are encouraged (but not required) to share stories inspired by a series of prompts: this month's prompts are 1️⃣ A time when you went through a hard time and came out the other side with something good (the rainbow after the storm), 2️⃣ Are you a spring cleaner? A story about the chores you love and hate to do, 3️⃣ Are you a prankster or not? Hit us with your story of pranks or when you’ve been pranked, or 4️⃣ Are you a poet, and didn’t know it? Share a poem you like and why, or your own! Also, attendees are not required to share stories; this is a free community event for folks to chat, share, listen, and enjoy a potluck provided by the event's organizer Nathan Engle. Big thanks to Nathan for coordinating; see his post here for information! 🪟 SATURDAY PROGRAMMING - Some really fun special shows to celebrate this Saturday April 25th: The Springtime Shortform Jamboree - Musical Edition! at 7:00 in mainstage ~ it's a seasonal sampler of shortform improvisation, this time with all musical games by the current Musical Improv Level 2 cohort Oogly Boogly and some totally optional low-pressure audience participation. 💐 Base Reality Check: Agents at 7:00 in sidestage ~ it's a James Bond parody TTRPG liveplay 🎲 The Funeral: Death by Bangers and Mash at 9:00 in mainstage with Nine Fair Ladies and a proper London sendoff 🇬🇧 RUNNING CLUB meets this Sunday April 26th at Queeny Park! Runners and joggers and casual striders meet up around 10:15-10:30 at the Mason Road entrance. Fingers crossed for sunshine but a little rain on a spring day ain't gonna hurt us either. 🌦️ MONDAY JAMS - Come out for more miniworkshops this Monday April 27th, 6:00-6:50-ish: Student Jam with Megs Davis! Grad Jam with Chase Pierce! Big thanks to Megs and Chase for facilitating, and big thanks to you all who participate! MONDAY PROGRAMMING - It’s week #5 of this cycle of student showcases - only three more until graduation! Teams Level 2 Student Showcases at 7:00 in mainstage Teams Level 1 Student Showcases at 7:00 in sidestage ...plus an additional special showcase by students of last session's Monoscene Workshop in sidestage! LOOKING AHEAD - There's also a couple community events to check out in the following weeks too: 🎭 KTK COMEDY NIGHTS - KTK Productions is hosting another Improv Comedy Night at their venue 3519 N. 14th Street next Friday May 1st and Saturday May 2nd, both at 7:00! If you have a team you'd like to submit, contact Kati Giblin at kati.giblin13@gmail.com for more information! 😽 KITTEN RETREAT - Attention animal lovers! There's another kitten yoga fundraiser event for Rescue Movement Alliance happening Saturday May 9th, 11:00am-3:00pm! Follow the RSVP link for more information and an event itinerary; big thanks to Elizabeth Lindburg for coordinating! Ok that puts a bow on this week, fam. 💝 Keep up the good work; maybe set an intention this week to talk to someone that you haven’t talked to a bunch yet, idk, could be fun. 💁 Much love and gratitude, Melanie Penn