For the fifth year in a row, Metro Detroit will welcome the nation's biggest names in comedy as the Detroit Improv Festival hits the Motor City August 5-9 at several area venues. Tickets are on sale now for performances ($5 - $25) and workshops ($40) at www.detroitimprovfestival.org. A complete Festival schedule follows this release.
Headliners of this year's Festival include Saturday Night Live alumni Horatio Sanz and Tim Meadows. Meadows grew up in Highland Park and is best known for his 10 seasons on Saturday Night Live (1991-2000). Sanz was also a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006 and will tape a recording of his popular podcast, The Hooray Show during the Festival. Other returning headliners this include members of The 313 (former Detroiters now living in Los Angeles), Kevin Dorff, Susan Messing, Tara DeFrancisco, Nick Armstrong and the cast of Bearded Men.
"We are excited to bring
Tim Meadows home to Michigan as part of this year's festival," says Jaclynn Cherry, Detroit Improv Collective board member. "There's always such a great turnout for homegrown improvisers working in the industry."
Festival performances will take place at Detroit area venues from Downtown Detroit's Campus Martius Park to several Ferndale theatres and restaurants. Tickets for Detroit Improv Festival performances range from FREE to $25 and are on sale now online at
www.detroitimprovfestival.org. Festival Passes and Group Discounts are also available.
In addition to its full schedule of live shows, the Detroit Improv Festival will feature workshops for anyone interested in learning the art of improvisation and seasoned improvisers looking to hone their skills. Workshops ($40) will cover a variety of topics and be taught by the very best in the industry. A special 1-hour workshop for youth is also available for $15 on Saturday, August 8.
Last year's festival drew more than 200 improvisers to the Detroit area from across the country, attending more than 20 shows and participating in more than 20 workshops.
The Detroit Improv Festival is produced by the Detroit Improv Collective, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to promoting the benefits of improvisational comedy through team building, goal setting and self-esteem. Proceeds from annual festival go to Gilda's Club of Metro Detroit and The Detroit Creativity Project.
