Community Posts

Melanie PennStaff

Happy Thursday, Improv Shop! And happy birthdays to Jodi Werner, Jacob Kepford, Katherine Spearing, Ellie Worley, Griff Moore, Elyse Guttmann, Phoebe Richards, and everyone else celebrating birthdays this week! 🎂🎂 Here's some updates in and around the theater: 📣 CLASS REGISTRATION IS OPEN 📣 for the May-July session - that's a new cycle of core classes plus five electives: The Armando Workshop ~ Wednesdays 7-9pm - prereq = Level 4 Yoga for Improvisers ~ Saturdays 10-11:30am - no prereq Poetry for Improvisers ~ Sundays 12-2pm - prereq = Level 4 Scenework Lab ~ Sundays 12-2pm - prereq = Level 3 The Harold Workshop ~ Sundays 2:15-4:15pm - prereq = Level 4 AMA about payment plans and retaking a class with a discount! HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES - Also, we're also offering a new session for High School Level A, slated to run six weeks on Saturdays 12-2pm starting June 6th (with a week off July 4th). If you have high schoolers in your life that would benefit from classes, sign them up and spread the word! THURSDAY PROGRAMMING - Tonight, Thursday April 9th, is a real teams fest: House Team Night at 7:00 in mainstage with Basement Family, Moist, and On Hold The Menagerie at 7:00 in sidestage with No Helmet, Parrot Trap, Sophie Tucker, and Nine Kids in a Trenchcoat The Open Jam at 8:45 in mainstage with YOU we hope! 🫵 The Merry-Go-Round at 9:00 in sidestage with Enis & Taylor Snyder, Going Down?, I Like You Sweaty, and Soft Meats FRIDAY PROGRAMMING - More shows around the corner this Friday April 10th: THE ASTERISK* at 7:00 in mainstage ~ this week's theme is tax season The Thankies at 7:00 in sidestage with Thank You Next and guest team Floorplay Cagematch at 9:00 in mainstage with new champion D.A.D. vs. challenger Soft Meats Loose Ends at 9:00 in sidestage with Heavy Meadow + Coral, News at 8 + Amanda, and Loitering + Katy KNOTTY BY NATURE - The fiber arts craft club that inspired Loose Ends meets again this Saturday April 11th between 10:00 and 2:00! This week's meetup will be at Espresso Yourself, open to anyone who'd like to socialize with friends and a craft project. 🧶 Contact Cassie Ema at crepn2@gmail.com for information! MUSICAL IMPROV JAM - This Saturday April 11th is also another monthly musical improv jam, 5:00-6:15 in sidestage! Brandon Bowers will be facilitating, and Dean Moran will be accompanying. 🎹 The musical jam is a free drop-in workshop for anyone who'd like to try some musical games and sing in a zero-pressure environment. Open to participants of any and all musical and improv abilities, so bring friends! SATURDAY PROGRAMMING - Speaking of musical improv, we're in luck with more shows Saturday night: The One Four Fives present an Improvised Musical! at 7:00 in mainstage Harold Houdini at 7:00 in sidestage ~ it's Potato Wedgies, Covergirl, and a mystery guest team all performing the traditional longform piece The Harold for a full 30-35 minute set each The Gift at 9:00 in mainstage with Queuecümber, No Helmet, and Goon Platoon Shirts and Skins with Comic Strip and Friends at 9:00 in sidestage with "St. Louis's least clothed improv team" plus fully clothed guest team Mansplain RUNNING CLUB meets again this Sunday April 12th, starting around 10:15-10:30. This week's meetup will be at Forest Park near the Blue Angel Jet by the planetarium entrance. Runners, joggers, walkers, saunters of all paces are welcome - and doggos too! 🏃 MONDAY JAMS - More opportunities to work, play, and meet people in these free dropin miniworkshops both 6:00-6:50-ish this Monday April 13th: Student Jam in mainstage* with AJ Surrell! Grad Jam in sidestage* with Kevin Puetz! *Due to the big turnout of Student Jams, we'll be swapping rooms counter to last week! MONDAY PROGRAMMING - This Monday April 13th is also another busy show night: Teams Level 1 Student Showcase at 7:00 in sidestage, plus two special showcases by students of last session's Monoscene Workshop Teams Level 2 Student Showcase at 7:00 in mainstage The Gift at 9:00 in sidestage with BRAINWORMS!, Whatever This Is, and Artful Dodgeball Ok I think that's it for this week, gang. Remember to check improvshop.wiki when you're curious about team rosters, and HMU with any questions, comments, plugs, shout-outs, etc. Thanks for cultivating another active, joyful week. With gratitude, Melanie Penn (she/they) (636) 628-6676 www.theimprovshop.com

Melanie PennStaff

Core classes and workshops for the May-July session at The Improv Shop are open for registration! Check out this round of electives: The Armando Workshop ~ Wednesdays 7-9 Yoga for Improvisers ~ Saturdays 10-11:30 Poetry for Improvisers ~ (new time frame) Sundays 12-2 Scenework Lab ~ Sundays 12-2 The Harold Workshop ~ Sundays 2:15-4:15 AMA about prereqs, payment plans, etc. Ok see you soon! 🙂 https://theimprovshop.com/classes

Melanie PennStaff

Happy April, Improv Shop! 🌦️ And happy birthdays to Cassie Ema, Sloane Kirsch, our belated March birthdays Holly Basom, Luke Harris, Rich Ledbetter, and everyone else celebrating birthdays this week! 🎂🎂 Here's a rundown of what's happening in and around the theater: NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION is tonight, Thursday April 2nd, 6:00-6:45 in sidestage. You can RSVP here or simply show up anytime during that frame if you'd like to participate in a Q&A - remember: grads and returning students are encouraged to attend 'cause it's great to have a variety of voices in the room! THURSDAY PROGRAMMING - Oh so many teams tonight: House Team Night at 7:00 in mainstage with 2zin Tarandon, Sophie Tucker, and D.I.C.K. The Menagerie at 7:00 in sidestage with Going Down?, Good Platoon, Whatever This Is, and Intrusive Thoughts 💭 The Jam at 8:45-ish in mainstage ~ Tristan Sommer will be hosting a Serendipitous Pastiche-inspired jam with signups posted up in mainstage throughout House Team Night for anyone who'd like to play in a lottery-style show; come watch, then play - or come watch and not play and cheer your friends on! 🤸 The Merry-Go-Round at 9:00 in sidestage with I. Coli, Bored Meeting, Plot Twist, and Wild Bill 🤠 FRIDAY PROGRAMMING - Tomorrow, Friday April 3rd, is another busy night: THE ASTERISK* at 7:00 in mainstage ~ this week's theme is fool me once Chaos Gremlins at 7:00 in sidestage with Floorplay, Celibate, and Whatever ➕ their respective coaches Josh Slobe, Scott Leeker, and Andy Sloey playing alongside them as agents of chaos Cagematch at 9:00 in mainstage with returning champions Manifesto vs. new challenger D.A.D. Tiel's Show-A-Palooza at 9:00 in sidestage featuring standup, improv, and a musical guest 🎤 QUEER IMPROV JAM - It's the first Saturday of the month this Saturday April 4th, 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! 🌈 SATURDAY PROGRAMMING - After Queer Jam, keep the celebration rolling into shows this Saturday night: Yas And Friends at 7:00 in sidestage with the eponymous Yas And and their friend team No Helmet ~ also, this month's show the teams will be organizing a donation drive for Metro Trans Umbrella Group - any gender-affirming items (i.e., clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup) and/or non-perishable shelf-stable food items are welcome! NATURAL 7 at 7:00 in mainstage ~ it's an improvised D&D-inspired quest in two acts ⚔️ 80085 4 U at 9:00 in mainstage ~ it's a show that celebrates honesty, vulnerability, and getting something off your chest Turdy-Too: A Cassie Ema Birthday Show at 9:00 in sidestage ~ it's a multiteam event featuring Kissing Booth, TEN!, Whatever, Intrusive Thoughts, and "a super surprise one-night-only team" celebrating the 32nd birthday our wonderful Cassie Ema! MONDAY JAMS - Come out this Monday April 6th for more miniworkshops, both 6:00-6:50-ish: Student Jam with Elle Morgan in sidestage! Grad Jam with Bailey Kepford in mainstage! Come flex, play games, make friends, and hang out before showcases. Speaking of which... MONDAY PROGRAMMING - This Monday April 6th is week #2 of this eight-week cycle of student showcases - that's two Teams Level 1 classes at 7:00 in sidestage plus two Teams Level 2 classes at 7:00 in mainstage; this is an extra special week because after the Teams Level 2 showcases will be a very special showcase by students of last session's Shotgun Workshop! 🚗 Come cheer on all their hard work, and then keep the momentum going into School Night at 9:00 with three more teams. Do like me on a school night in 1999, stay up too late writing fantasy novels on your dad's P.C. except instead of writing fantasy novels you're watching improv and instead of your dad's P.C. it's The Improv Shop sidestage. Okay that's a wrap for now, team. Remember to check back on the website this weekend for classes opening up for registration, and HMU if you have any questions at all. Thanks for everything! With gratitude, Melanie Penn

Andy SloeyStaff

I keep talking about this show in classes and stuff, so I figured I should actually do it again semi-regularly? Maybe monthly? Its Blank and Andy, starring Blank! Tonight at The Improv Shop, in lieu of a formal jam, after House Team Night in mainstage (9pm?), we'll do two(?) shortish (15 min?) Blank and Andy sets, followed immediately by a joke round to close things out. Blank and Andy is a show in which anyone signs up in advance, and then one person is randomly selected to play. You are the Blank and I am the Andy (in this context). I couldn't get the memoji's right eye to fully close in a wink. I apologize. @blank

Melanie PennStaff

Happy new class session, Improv Shop! And happy birthdays to Emilyann Key, Chris Breaux, Elise Andert, Anna Smith, Monica Sentmanat, and everyone else celebrating birthdays this week! 🎂🎂 WELCOME, NEW STUDENTS - Big shout-out to everyone who just started classes this week and everyone who's about to start this Sunday! Thanks a million for choosing to take classes with us. 🌟 See below for a breakdown of shows and events happening at the theater this week, and refer to The Improv Shop Wiki for information on team rosters if you're curious. Please note that all shows are free for current students, so come to as many of these as you can to acclimate to the space, watch the artform in action, and meet new people! THURSDAY PROGRAMMING - Shows tonight, Thursday March 26th: House Team Night at 7:00 in mainstage with 2zin Tarandon, Idiot Bitch, and On Hold 🤳 The Menagerie at 7:00 in sidestage with Heavy Meadow, Bankrupt, Oh Geez, and Ammo Dynamite 🧨 ⚡ BLANK & ANDY ⚡ at 8:45-ish in mainstage ~ this is an old I.S. tradition where Andy Sloey does a two-person longform set with one audience volunteer called up lottery-style, and he'll be doing two of them total; literally anyone in the room can play, but it's also just a free show to watch and cheer other people on if you don't feel like being onstage. 😅 The Merry-Go-Round* at 9:00 in sidestage with Loitering, Intrusive Thoughts, Echoes, and Scenes From an RV 🚐 *Also, if you have a team you'd like to submit for a Thursday 9:00 slot, Merry-Go-Round submissions are open through 11:59pm tonight and can be entered here! FRIDAY PROGRAMMING - Shows this Friday March 27th: THE ASTERISK at 7:00 in mainstage ~ this week's theme is March Madness ⛹️ Base Reality Check: Masks at 7:00 in sidestage ~ a superhero TTRPG liveplay 🦸 Cagematch at 9:00 in mainstage with returning champions Manifesto vs. new challenger Ghost Ballet 🧑‍🩰 Missed Connections at 9:00 in sidestage with guest team Boyfriends 💻 OPEN WINDOW - This Saturday March 28th, Open Window returns to sidestage starting at 4:00! Open Window is a free dropin community storytelling event where participants are invited to share true life stories inspired by optional prompts. This month's prompts are 1️⃣ Are you allergic to anything? 2️⃣ Do you feel like you are allergic to something? (Not a real allergy, just something that seems to miss you or react with you poorly?) 3️⃣ What did you sell as a kid? Magazines, cookies, ads in a book? 4️⃣ What wares were you hawking from your school or something like it? 5️⃣ What social activity or craze did you do that makes you cringe now? or 6️⃣ What is the silliest thing you have gotten in trouble for? Also, attendees are not required to tell stories; you're welcome to come watch and support as an audience member. 🙂 SATURDAY PROGRAMMING - Shows this Saturday March 28th: Transgender Day of Visibility at 7:00 in mainstage ~ it's a cast of trans, non-binary, and genderqueer improvisers taking questions to inspire the opening for our set, which will be a Living Room-esque Q&A. If you have any questions about what it’s like to be genderqueer, fill 'em out in the form here! The team will be answering some of your questions as an opening for the show. 🏳️‍⚧️ HOT SEATS: A Scoville Squad Showcase at 7:00 in sidestage ~ it's Scoville Squad running three guest teams - Bellbottoms, Comic Strip, and a debuting Level 4 team called Low Expectations - "through the gauntlet of spicy hot sauces" 🌶️ Kitsune Dojo: The Shifting Spirit at 9:00 in mainstage ~ where the cast embodies a community-inspired roster of anime-inspired characters MONDAY JAMS - This Monday March 30th, come out for free miniworkshops at 6:00-6:50: Student Jam in sidestage with Austyn Konarcik! Grad Jam in mainstage with Chase Pierce! Attn new students: Student Jam is a weekly free drop-in event open to all currently enrolled I.S. students (that's you!) to play games and exercises with a rotation of guest coaches and teachers. It's like a short class - no audience, no performance, no pressure. Come out to get reps and meet more people! MONDAY PROGRAMMING - This Monday March 30th is another extra special one for shows: Last session's two Teams Level 1 cohorts have their first showcase at 7:00 in mainstage now as Teams Level 2 with new forms they'll be workshopping in class! Last session's two Level 4 cohorts have their first showcase at 7:00 in sidestage now as Teams Level 1, and some of them will be performing for the first time ever! Last session's Musical Improv Workshop Level 1 cohort, team name Oogly Boogly, has our second showcase in mainstage 🎶 Last session's Monoscene Workshop has their first for three showcases in sidestage ~ this week's two monoscene teams will be Cassie + Helen and Julian + Emilyann 🙌 Ok that's another wrap for this week, gang. Remember New Student Orientation is a go for next Thursday April 2nd at 6:00-6:45 in sidestage, and class registration will be open by end-of-day next Friday April 3rd. HMU if you have any questions in the meanwhile, and thanks so much for making improv in St. Louis the lively scene that it is. Much love and gratitude, Melanie Penn

Did you get totally raked over the coals by the government and have a story about it? Orrrr maybe you bought some sick jet skis when Uncle Sam blessed you with a fat return? Come tell your story. Also if you are an accountant and just need to come vent, we will turn that into improv. See you tonight @ 7! @asterisk

Moist

Tonight. House Team Night. 7pm @ The Improv Shop w/ Basement Family & On Hold. Get Moist Too.

Tonight at the Improv Shop @ 7 for HTN! @onhold

Cassie Ema

LOOSE ENDS RETURNS!!!!! That's right!! Loose Ends is returning for a SECOND time to the Improv Shop Sidestage on April 10th at 9pm!! How will these solo improvisers be woven into these already established teams? How will the already established teams alter their form to include their newest loose end? What will we see at the Yarn Swap!? Get yourself a trustworthy friend to text you Cagematch updates and head on down to Sidestage! Heck, if you want, we will even share the results of Cagematch if they're announced before the end of our show! We're here to please! Teams and solo improvisers - please check your email for more information! ❤ See you THERE!!!!!! @JPQqGCGS @newsateight @vKc-9Khz

Bailey Wiles Kepford

Hey friends! Join me tonight, Mon, April 6 at 6:00pm for the grad jam. We'll be playing around with forms and discussing tips for choosing a form. Hope to see ya then!

Appreciate all of the testimonials that were sent in! Means a lot how moving our shows were to people from all walks of life. Come see D.I.C.K, 2zin Tarandon, & Sophie Tucker this Thursday at the Improv Shop at 7 pm @dick @2zin @guQZsxFS

@W1wXLkcJ

Touch Baseball

This was our first ever headlining a slot at festival! Thank you to @thenesttheatre, Tara and Rance, and all of the volunteers who make that place so warm and welcoming. Also to everyone who signed up for our workshops which were BOTH sold out. We had so many folks who took our workshops last year come back and it really filled our cups. So many great improv teams including @celibate_improv and @goonplatoonstl who represented our city so well! Also @nngwe17 and @prowland76 are one of the most fun twosies to watch anywhere. Also, we got to see Here: The Improvised Musical which was so so impressive. Lastly, our show was so sweet and fun. We got to do a 35 minute monoscene about a dad coming to terms with moving his daughter into an apartment several states away. We had the best time laughing and crying real tears with everyone haha. We bought you this off-brand Beanie Baby TM of everyone's favorite *NSYNC "teen" heartthrob, Chris, as a token of our gratitude. We hope to be back soon. Love you.

The concept: 3 improv teams will run their normal form with one catch… their coach will be onstage with them, acting as an agent of chaos to the set. Can these teams survive their own coaches?! Get your tickets here! https://theimprovshop.com/show/chaos-gremlins-2/ Featuring: Floorplay with Slobe Celibate with Leeker Whatever with Sloey Flyer artwork by Griffith Moore @4PmKoJyA @celibate @vnuuoRzm123

Brandon Bowers

Come through and pack the house for THREE new all POC Improv teams

Nathan Engle

Open Window tomorrow! 4pm Sidestage! Come hang out, tell a story or listen to others. Either way it is a good time! Optional prompts: 1. An experience being/having an elder. (Sibling, person of importance, or just when you felt old or young) 2. What would you choose to be the most televised event in the world. 3. A POC who has made a difference in your life. 4. What non-American holidays have you participated in or enjoyed?

You’ve seen Celibate do improv. They’re bold, they’re sexy, they’re drinking Red Bull. But now… Celibate presents “Time is Extremely Ticking”: A 4D Sketch Experience. Every minute counts, even the ones you aren’t counting. Every pre-purchased ticket comes with a FREE Celibate sticker. If we remember. If you remind us. @celibate

It's all gay. Promise.

Hey, come check out our show Missed Connections this Friday. We'll be playing with our friends Thank You, Next! @bHPV7mWG

Touch Baseball

New Substack Post! Is it a Punchline or a Button? Ryan recently wrote about how “trying to be funny” in our improv scenes (and we’re talking specifically about long form improv, here) creates the kind of pressure that distracts us from taking our characters - and their authentic feelings - seriously. Think about your favorite comedic characters from movies and TV […] None of them think they’re funny. They’re not telling jokes (“That’s what she said” excluded). They’re trying to succeed, to be loved, to protect their pride, to get what they want. The comedy comes from how sincerely they pursue those things.