The
1st Annual Improv Miami or "Impys" for the Best Comedy
Awards will be held at 8pm on Saturday, December 4th, 2004
at the Shores Performing Arts Theater.
South Florida's top improv troupes
will be honored in the event featuring winners for the categories
of: Best Sketch, Best Long-Form, Best Short Form
and Best Extreme Improv. Addional awards will be given
for Best Stand-up Venue, Best Improv Television, Best Scripted
Improvised Television and Best Improv Comedy Film.
Nominees in the troupe categories must have performed at least
five times in venues in South Florida during 2004 and indicated
a desire to participate in this event. While specific pieces are
considered and mentioned in the nominations, voting will also
take into account a wider variety of issues including their overall
body of work and contributions to the improvisational art form
during the past year.
The
Nominees Are
Best
Sketch
The nominees are...
Impromedy - "Christmas With a Vengeance"
South Florida's leaders in multi-media sketch comedy produced
a show welcoming students back for the 2004-2005 school year that
was filled with humorous sketches, social commentary and their
own particular brand of comedy that has been putting "Urine
in Your Pants" for the last few years.
Laughing Gas - "Wrong Song"
South Florida's longest running professional improv troupe produced
a sketch that was...well...just wrong on so many levels. The sketch
earned laughter, applause, awkwardness and recognition from their
peers. While better known for the improvised work, this piece
proved that they are a threat in many categories.
Mod27 - "Dave's Night Out in Miami"
South Florida's top long-form troupe is also known for a series
of extremely successful sketches. They have performed their sketch
material in front of festivals and audiences in the US and Canada.
This look into the drunken meanderings of a fellow cast member
has audiences rolling in the aisles. With their exposure across
borders, many consider them a possibility to upset in this category.
Best
Long Form
The nominees are:
Mod-27 - "The 3 Man Harold"
South Florida's top long-form troupe set the bar high for them
to be defeated in this category this year. Their show features
three separate 3 man long-form improvisations. Any of the 3 could
have been nominated and would have a good chance to win. Performing
internationally and personal chemistry has pushed this troupe
not just to the forefront of long-form in South Florida, but considered
to be extremely talented by improvisers across the country.
Impromedy - "Individual Lives"
South Florida's leaders in multi-media sketch comedy put together
a long form improvisation containing a mixture of monologues and
scenes that intertwine and combine forming connections in the
lives of characters. This form has provided high-level laughs
and expanded the creative talents of an already superior team.
Laughing Gas - "The Soap Opera"
South Florida's longest running professional improv troupe put
together an improvised soap opera based on audience suggestions
complete with camera angles and scene descriptions. With other
long-forms in their arsenal, they make a strong bid for consideration
in this category with this true audience pleaser.
Best
Short-Form
The nominees are:
Laughing Gas - "Mating Game"
South Florida's longest running professional improv troupe has
produced solid gut-wrenching laughter for 12 years. Among their
marquee pieces is a character driven "Mating Game" (a
take-off of the Dating Game) where a bachelorette (or bachelor)
from the audience asks questions of three way-too eligible contestants.
Audiences have made this piece a mainstay of comedy in South Florida.
Impromedy - "Excuses"
South Florida's leaders in multi-media sketch comedy have been
"Bringing Urine in Your Pants" for South Florida audiences
since 1997. Among their classic pieces is an improv version of
charades where a late employee is walked through providing an
excuse that he is not aware of to their manager by fellow employees.
This guessing game leads to hilarity as the late employee swings
in the wind trying to provide the correct excuse. Pieces such
as this have been a mainstay of improv for years, and Impromedy's
take on the form provides a unique angle on the genre.
Name Change Pending - "Drug of Choice"
South Florida's troupe that takes comedy to its most extreme challenges
in this category with a piece that challenges the players and
pleases the audiences. Performing a scene as if under the influence
of various legal and not-so-legal stimulants suggested by the
audience leads to a frantic, no-holds barred scene that makes
the audiences roar.
Best
Extreme
The nominees are:
Name Change Pending - "Strip Torture"
South Florida's troupe that takes comedy to its most extreme has
made a name for themselves in this category. It is their specialty
and their extreme performances keep their audiences on edge, never
knowing what will come next. While most of their pieces would
be eligible in this category, "Strip Torture" stands
out as a marquee piece.
Mod-27 - "Mouse Trap"
South Florida's top long-form troupe has dabbled in the extreme
with a piece that combines blindfolds, spacework and set mousetraps
placed around the stage for the actors to blindly step into...barefoot.
While not in all their performances, their willingness to face
almost certain injury makes them a viable nominee in this category.
Laughing Gas - "Nightmare"
South Florida's longest running professional improv troupe considers
extreme to be not just physical, but psychological as well. This
piece is based loosely on an ImprovOlympic favorite that delves
into the psyche of an audience member. Random scenes and nightmarish
visions fill the piece and please the audience making this a potential
dark horse challenger.
Best Improv TV Series
This category is for the best television series shown as being
improv. These usually involve short form games and the suggestions
are shown being given to the actors. The voting criteria are the
best shows for performance and their positive impact on the public
acceptance of improv as an artform.
The nominees are:
Green Screen
Drew Carey returns to the improv world in this series where actors
perform improvised pieces based on suggestions and then computer
generated elements are added post-production giving environment
and props to the actors. This advance in technology has definitely
impacted the improv world and is giving substance to the imaginations
of the actors.
Whose Line Is It Anyway
The institution that is the category. Though canceled prior to
this year, popular demand made ABC go into their well to find
old unaired episodes that first aired in 2004, making them eligible
in this category. The show features some of TV's best improvisers
performing in their natural medium.
World Cup Comedy
Teams compete for the "World Cup Comedy...cup" in a
collection of two minute scenes based on an odd mixture of a purpose
combined with a genre that doesn't quite fit. Some of the greatest
improvisers that never got their shot on TV finally have their
chance to strut their stuff in front of the camera. A lot of recognizable
names and faces show up and fight it out in PAX TV's contribution
to the improv world. This should be a strong contender and with
auditions already being held for next years show, it's probably
going to be a mainstay in this category for the next few years.
Best Scripted Improvised
TV Show
This category is for the best television series that fundamentally
relies upon improv for dialogue, and yet audiences might not be
aware of its improvisational nature.
The nominees are:
Arrested Development
Fox tapped the creative skills of a team led by Ron Howard to
produce a series that is surreal, bizzarre, fascinating and captivating.
The pilot used a lot of improv and the set has been described
as being a collaborative effort as ideas are thrown together and
played with "on the fly". With the expansion into regular
broadcast television of improv, can more shows be far behind?
Curb
Your Enthusiasm
This is an extremely popular effort by Seinfeld originator, Larry
David, to use improv to generate extremely funny situations and
reactions that would otherwise not be possible. With the support
of HBO, Curb Your Enthusiasm has turned into a lightning rod for
new developments in improvised television.
Reno
911
Character dialogue is almost completely improvised in this send-up
of police reality shows on Comedy Central. With truly outlandish
plot lines and hilarious characters, the popularity of the show
makes it a strong contender among a field of contenders that have
received more critical acclaim.
Best Improvised Film
This category includes feature films with largely improvised,
or improvisationally created, dialogue.
The nominees are:
9 Songs
This highly controversial film from British director Michael Winterbottom
features graphic scenes and improvised dialogue. It has made waves
at international film festivals and continues to grow in popularity.
Club Dread
The latest feature from Super Troopers creators, Broken Lizard,
features the comedy troupe continuing their assault on the consciousness
of audiences everywhere...in a good way. Much of their material
was originally created though improvisation and certainly they
will strongly challenge in this category due to the popularity
of their films.
IPO
San Francisco has generated a lot of comedy over the years and
is known as a financial hub for the nation. It only seems natural
that an improvised film out of San Francisco would involved the
financial community. IPO concerns the heyday of the Internet bubble
and the effects on the central characters.
When Will I Be Loved
A controversial film that was provided a limited release has Neve
Campbell as a woman who feels underrated by her boyfriend and
begins to explore other relationships. The dialogue is mostly
improvised and has received some notoriety for this approach by
the filmmaker.
Best Stand-Up Venue
This category includes venues for stand-up comedy in South Florida.
The nominees are:
The Miami Improv - Coconut Grove
A South Florida standard has really upgraded through renovations
this year that have improved the location and helped to create
a favorable environment.
Uncle Funnies - Davie
This staple of stand-up comedy has closed its doors as it will
be reopening in another form at the Hard Rock. Details are coming
up on the changes, but the venue is remembered with this nomination.
Palm Beach Improv - Palm Beach County
Part of the national chain, this club features nationally recognized
talent in a location favorable to our 561 counterparts.
New York Comedy Club - Palm Beach County
Formerly BocaNuts, this stand-up staple is also the home for Name
Change Pending. With ample parking and a location convenient to
I-95, they are a large part of the success of stand-up in South
Florida.
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