Magnet Theater Announces Lineup For 10th Annual New York Musical Improv Festival

Magnet Theater presents The Tenth Annual New York Musical Improv Festival from October 18-21, 2018 at 254 W. 29th Street, ground floor (between 7th and 8th Avenues), NYC. Most tickets are $5-$15 and feature performances by two to four different musical improv acts per show. Festival Workshops are also being offered to people of all levels of experience!

Tickets and Workshops are now available for purchase at www.nymif.com.

This year's 4-day long festival will feature musical comedy performers from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Delray Beach, Denver, Austin, Boston, Cambridge, Providence, Washington DC, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, San Diego, Minneapolis, Montreal and Warsaw, Poland! - improvising everything from coffeehouse inspired musical duos to traditional musical theater fare to classic rock and Hamilton-esque historical "Hip-Hoperas!" Every piece of music, lyric, choreography and dialogue is entirely made up on the spot!

Featured performers will include...

Baby Wants Candy (NYC), Musical Improwizowany (Warsaw, Poland), NORTH COAST Presents ANYBODY: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera (NYC), Your Love, Our Musical (NYC), Milk Money (Cambridge, MA), The Armando Diaz Experience: Musical Edition (NYC), Mansical (Chicago), Mikki Hommel (NYC), Hold for Applause (Montreal), Wonderland (NYC), Premiere: The Improvised Musical (NYC), VERN (NYC), After Hours (Oklahoma City), Hansbury and Slack Present THE MOMENT: An Improvised Musical Play (NYC), B.U.M.P. (Boston), Warm Blooded (NYC), SideCar (International Ensemble), PYROS (NYC), Off Top (NYC), Xplod (NYC), 4D Thieves (NYC), Up Next (Chicago), Kittyhawk (NYC), Door #3 (Washington, D.C.), Sequel The Musical (NYC), Mikki Hommel (NYC), Large Mouth Bass (Providence, RI), Anarchy (Chicago), Ant Farm (Delray Beach, FL), La Donna Improvvisata(NYC), Shrieking Harpies (Minneapolis, MN), Thank You For Coming Out (NYC)

The New York Musical Improv Festival will also be featuring up and coming performers in the NYMIF I.P.O. (Initial Public Offering). Performing this year are Bad Karaoke Experience (Baltimore),

Prince (NYC), Nice Jewish Girls (Austin) and Heavy Rotation (Washington, D.C.)

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Musical Inspirado - On Thursday, October 19 at 11:00pm, the only MUSICAL improv competition in the world! This year four musical improv teams: Xpl?d (NYC), 4D Thieves (NYC), Up Next (Chicago), Kittyhawk (Magnet, NYC) will each accept one challenge and battle it out for the audience's approval. Once all of the votes have been tallied, one victor shall be awarded the highly coveted Dale North Memorial Trophy. Don't miss your chance to see what will be the best competitive meeting of improvised musicals of the century!

Armando Diaz Experience: Musical Edition - On Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 7:00pm, a musical edition of the classic "Armando" form which originated at the iO (formerly known as ImprovOlympic) in Chicago. Musical improvisors will work off of the words of a special guest Monologist to create a fully realized One Night Only musical!

SideCar: International Ensemble - On Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 7:00pm, a team of improvisers from all over the U.S., Canada and Germany, will come together from their corners of the earth to create an exciting, (possibly multi-lingual,) One-Night-Only, completely improvised musical performance!

Trudy Carmichael's Musical Mixer - On Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 11:30pm, this late night festival favorite, now in its tenth year, challenges you to try your lady (and manly) luck at making up music with some of the finest Musical Improvisers in the country. Anyone can sign up to perform - even if it's your first time! Keep your bankroll stashed because admission to the Mixer is 100% FREE! Hosted by Las Vegas Lounge Legend and lush, Miss Trudy Carmichael and her trusty sidekick, T.J. with The Magnet Musical Mixer Orchestra, a 5-piece band led by the incomparable Frankie Keys, providing improvised musical accompaniment throughout the night!

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

4D Thieves - (NYC) Two improvisors, one location, a world full of characters - let 4D Thieves take you on a musical ride that's sure to make you feel again.

After Hours (Oklahoma City) is a musical improv trio from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Known for their diversity both in musical styles and personal identities, After Hours has been entertaining audiences since 2014 from Oklahoma City to New York City. Born from night owls musically waxing philosophical into the "After Hours," Cristela Carrizales, Kendon Lacy, and Kyle Gossett began to sing the truth with improvised songs, featuring soaring melodies and tight harmonies. Using their musical abilities, After Hours takes stories from the audience and spins them into comedic delight with fully improvised scenes and songs.

After Party (Chicago) is an all-female musical improv group. Even our MD and Director are....you got it! Ladies!! Our shows are fast paced, character-packed, high energy, and stupidly smart. all the women of After Partyare graduates of some of the best improv institutions in Chicago, including the Second CIty, iO, and the Annoyance.

Anarchy (Chicago) Fight the man with Anarchy as they stage improvised rock operas! Each show is completely sung (opera) and made up (improvised) by a talented band of musical rebels in the style of your favorite rock musicals and concept albums.

Ant Farm (Delray Beach, FL) Welcome, friend, to the Ant Farm. It's here where we grow our characters. Come into the barn where it's warm. Lay with the improvised musical numbers and listen to their sweet melodies. The good improv earth is rich with suggestion and ripe with comedy. Did I ever tell you about the time I...Hey! Keep that door open! What were ya born in a house?!

Baby Wants Candy (NYC) has established itself in New York and Chicago as the only musical improv group to perform a fully-improvised one-act musical with a full band. Based on a single audience suggestion of a title the actors and musicians work together harmoniously to deliver a hilarious evening's entertainment.

B.U.M.P. (Boston's Unscripted Musical Project) is a fully-improvised one-act musical with a live band. After getting a single suggestion from the audience, the cast of B.U.M.P. creates a show full of heroes, villains, lovers, Sasquatches and surprises. Everything from the singing, to the dancing to the music created by our band is improvised. No two shows are ever the same!

Door #3 is a cooperative of Washington, DC area musicians and improvisers with a variety of comedy, improvisation, musical theater and vocal performance backgrounds dedicated to performing meaningful, memorable, narrative improvised musical theater. Formed in Spring 2014, they are known and recognized for their elegant harmonies, earthy rap, emotionally real stories, and a bit of blood thirstiness. Since its inception, group has been performing to rave reviews at Washington DC area festivals, and theaters including a championship run in Laugh Index Theater's 2014-2015 Improv Wars.

Hansbury and Slack Present THE MOMENT: An Improvised Musical Play (NYC) - Based on a suggestion from the audience, Beth Slack and Brian Hansbury will improvise scenes into songs and look to dig a little bit deeper into the relationship between two people. They focus on the real deal stuff of life with songs and heart and mirth throughout.

Hold For Applause have trained and perform at Montreal Improv Theater and bring their fresh Canadian style to the New York City stage!

Kittyhawk (NYC) Musical improv house team Kittyhawk brings the sophisticated vocality of opera, the edgy tones of rock, and the silliest improvised stories together in this hilarious new show. With beautiful harmonies, epic fugues, and brave comedic choices, A KittyRawk Opera will leave you wanting to hear more of our Kitty squawk!

La Donna Improvvisata (NYC) After a successful debut at the 2013 New York Musical Improv Festival and appearances in the New York International Fringe Festival, Improv Boston, Arcade Comedy Theater, NCCAF, Del Close Marathon and Chicago Musical Improv Festival, Lisa Flanagan's poignant and hilarious solo show, "La Donna Improvvisata" explores the heightened emotions and classical archetypes of opera through live comedy. Sometimes funny. Sometimes sad. Always sung.

Large Mouth Bass (Providence, RI) led by professional musician Keith Munslow on keyboard, perform a storyline based long form musical in a style we call a Pop-Opera. The storyline, music, and lines of dialogue are all completely made up on the spot, and every line is in song.

Mansical (Chicago) This group of misfits has grown into a tight-knit team that loves harmonies and fully embraces the oddities of life on stage. MINT Eastwood is composed of 12 individuals who are ready to blow your mind with their relationship-driven scenes and improvised melodic tunes.

Mikki Hommel takes her background as a soulful singer songwriter and puts a musical improv spin on it. Improvising with her full band- pop, soul and funk songs based off of multiple topics. As a musician and recording artist, she can't resist a good hook or the glimpse of creating the ever classic pop song. She takes multiple suggestions and creates a song, secretly hoping that it might land her a Grammy. Hey, a girl can dream right?! She and the band are thrilled to be a part of NYMIF's 10 year anniversary!!

Milk Money (Cambridge, MA) does Hip Hop improv comedy. Improv + Beatboxing + Hip Hop

Musical Improwizowany (Warsaw, Poland) We are the first improvised musical group from Poland, affiliated with Warsaw Comedy Club. A vibrant blend of skill, experience, and enthusiasm led by master fingers of pianist Joanna Kucharczyk. Sometimes crazy, sometimes emotional, sometimes heartwarming, sometimes dark and mysterious. Always with the passion for music.

NORTH COAST Presents ANYBODY: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera (NYC) Fresh off their Off-Broadway run at The Connelly Theater, NORTH COAST'S explosive performances have been packing comedy venues, universities, and festivals nationwide since 2009. Named one of the "Top Ten Best Comedy Shows" by Time Out New York, North Coast has been featured on Vh1, in Slate's Podcast The Gist, The Village Voice, and The New York Times Comedy Listings, North Coast is dropping knowledge. History knowledge. New York City's premier hip-hop improv team, has long been known for their seamless melding of freestyle rapping and long form improv comedy. But in the heat of Lin Manuel's smash Broadway hit Hamilton, North Coast is taking your favorite historical figure and perform a full, factually-accurate, fully improvised Hip-Hopera to satisfy your hunger for hip-hop history. Nikola Tesla? Bawse. Ida B. Wells? Flawless. Louisa May Alcott? Mic drop.

OFF TOP is a diverse group of talented Hip Hop Improvisers in NYC. It's where improv scenes turn into a freestyle rap song with the support of live beatboxing and our Hype man, Fat Doctor!

Premiere: The Improvised Musical (NYC) features NYC's top comedy performers and instructors! Each week the cast takes a suggestion from the audience and turns it into a fully crafted musical - each character, song and dance number is entirely made up! Led by legendary Magnet Musical Director Frank Spitznagel, and with a cast whose professional credits include Second City, Baby Wants Candy, HBO and Comedy Central.

PYROS (NYC) sets the stage on FIRE every week with a combustion of incandescent songs, sizzling characters burning with desire, and rapid oxidation. But never fear: we're safety-minded Pyros! If you CAN stand the heat, check us out, Tuesdays at the Magnet Theater!

Sequel:The Musical takes the audience's suggestion of a Broadway Musical and improvises a musical of what happens next in the sequel. Ever wonder if Cosette and Marius end up going into couples counseling? Or are Roxie and Velma ever able to find husbands again? Does the Phantom of the Opera now have to get a job at Target? Does Mimi still work at the Cat Scratch Club? Find out the answers to all your Broadway musical questions and more with this monthly musical improv show!

Shrieking Harpies (Minneapolis, MN) is a fierce femme powered musical improv trio dedicated to bringing bad-assery to the improv stage through the power of their voices and through each new journey they take.

Thank You For Coming Out celebrates the LGBTQ community with improv and storytelling from performers of all levels. Based on the details of a vulnerable and heartfelt coming out story from one of our two storytellers, our improvisers make up a hilariously insightful and creative show (and then a musical!) on the spot.You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll laugh-cry. COME OUT and join us, won't you?

Up Next, we take our audience's (and our own) fears, hopes, and dreams and show them what may be waiting right around the corner. Are our predictions accurate? Who's to say-but they certainly are exciting, fun, and loud!

VERN (NYC) Unapologetically enthusiastic and obsessed with good melodies, Vern will show you a kick-butt time and leave you with a song stuck in your head. Vern formed as a house team at the PIT in May of 2014, and currently performs every week on Super Free Wednesdays. Their interests include narrative structure, sweet harmonies, and long walks on the beach. They are Vern (VERN!).

Warm Blooded (NYC) a Musical Megawatt musical improv house team at the Magnet Theater in NYC!

Wonderland (NYC) hails from the Magnet Theater in New York where they perform regularly as part of the Magnet Musical Megawatt. They take a suggestion from the audience and create a rich and colorful world filled with characters from all walks of life.

Xpl?d is a musical improv ensemble based in New York City. There's only one thing they love more than comedy: music! They're all about belting, riffing, and harmonizing at the top of their lungz!

Your Love, Our Musical (NYC) is a LIVE musical improv show about... love! Musical improvisers Rebecca Vigil and Evan Kaufman interview a couple from the audience about their love life, than create a fully improvised musical about that couple's love story! It's just like Hamilton... if Hamilton was about how you met your boyfriend online dating.

The NYMIF I.P.O. (Initial Public Offering)

Bad Karaoke Experience (NYC) make up a musical on the spot with heroes, villains, sidekicks, and setbacks from a single word audience suggestion.

Heavy Rotation (Washington, D.C.) is an improvised rock comedy show that features the real and magic of pursuing dreams along the road with a band.

Nice Jewish Girls (Austin, TX) An East Coast Jew and a West Coast Jew met in Austin, Texas, of all places, and formed a musical duo. Their sets often follow ridiculous, over the top characters who sing their hearts out. They're absurd and silly, but with heart.

Prince (NYC) got its start in the most random way. Our names were pulled out of a hat. Little did we know the fates were onto something! Prince grew from a bunch of strangers into a truly cohesive team that believes in uncovering the funny while stretching for those high notes. Prince's sets are down- to -earth and sometimes "down and dirty". Prince believes you are never too old to have a happy childhood! So come out and play with us!

Magnet Theater, NYC arrived in March of 2005. Founders Armando Diaz, Ed Herbstman and new partner, Sean Taylor came together with the common goal of teaching improvisation and sketch writing, while developing and presenting fantastic comedy shows and other diverse entertainments and art. Magnet Theater's founders studied under long-form Chicago improv guru Del Close at Improv Olympic and have since helped to shape the New York comedy scene dramatically through teaching, performing and presenting comical theatrics individually and together.

Magnet Theater offers a full schedule of classes in improv comedy, musical improv, sketch writing and performing, storytelling, and on-camera auditioning for all levels of experience with new classes forming regularly. All classes are based on The Magnet Theater Core Curriculum, which provides students with a solid foundation in improv fundamentals coupled with ample performance opportunities. For more information about classes at Magnet Theater or to register, visit www.magnettheater.com.

Magnet Theater hosts performances every night from 6:30pm to midnight at 254 W. 29th Street, ground floor (between 7th and 8th Avenues), NYC. Showtimes and descriptions can be found at

www.magnettheater.com. Seating is general admission. Lobby opens 30 minutes prior to each show. Light snacks, beer and wine are for sale. No drink minimum. Wheelchair-accessible. Air-conditioned. For more information, visit www.magnettheater.com.