ImprovBoston Celebrates 30th Anniversary at Boston Comedy Arts Festival, 9/5

The 4th Annual Boston Comedy Arts Festival will feature comedy acts from all over North America, however, one of the center pieces of the festival will be very local. On Wednesday, September 5th, ImprovBoston will celebrate its 30th Anniversary with a line-up of shows featuring the most pivotal showcase shows and casts at the theatre in recent years.

The shows will run at 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on ImprovBoston’s Mainstage and at 8:30 p.m. in the ImprovBoston Studio Theater. Tickets to each show cost $18 and $14 with a valid student ID. The festival runs through September 9 at ImprovBoston and The Brattle Theatre. ImprovBoston is located at 40 Prospect Street. Tickets to the festival are available online at www.bostoncomedyarts.com.

This evening highlights the best and brightest of ImprovBoston’s performers. The 8 p.m. performance includes an appearance from the current ImprovBoston Mainstage cast with the possibility of some alumni appearances. ImprovBoston Mainstage represents the core of ImprovBoston’s style. The show is fast-paced, playful, anything goes, improv. The show merges a variety of improv philosophies and is an evening that can go in any direction and can mix long form unpredictability with short form games. This show also includes performances from Crime Solving Bear, OBV, and this summer’s hit improvised Summer Camp extravaganza, Camp.

The evening continues on the ImprovBoston Studio Theater stage at 8:30 p.m. with a performance of The Colbert Report-like political satire, Harry Roasts America; an appearance by the theater’s wildly popular Twilight inspired improv, My Dark Love; an appearance by Wheel of Austen, and an all-star performance from The Players involved with ImprovBoston’s Harold Night.

The closing set on the ImprovBoston Mainstage will take place at 9:30 p.m. It will include an appearance from Bastards Inc, which includes current IB performers and alumni. The evening will close with an appearance of ImprovBoston’s Back To the Future-inspired comedy 1.21 Jigowatts and a pre-Halloween performance of the theater’s popular and hilarious splatter-musical, Gorefest.

"The Boston Improv Festival celebrates incredible success and growth this year in rebranding as The Boston Comedy Arts Festival," explains Executive Producer and ImprovBoston Managing Director Zach Ward. "The growth has been supported by the community and 30 year history of ImprovBoston, an organization built by the performers who trained here and cut their teeth on stages in Cambridge. So, while we continue to welcome awe-inspiring outside talent, we are proud and excited to highlight the performers who helped make this dream a reality. We celebrate them, not only because of their dedication and hard work, but because of their immense comedic talent."

Schedule of 30th Anniversary Events

Wednesday, September 5th

8:00 PM
Mainstage
Crime Solving Bear, Camp, OBV, ImprovBoston MainStage

8:30 PM
ImprovBoston Studio
Wheel of Austen, Harold Night All-Stars, Harry Gordon Roasts America, My Dark Love

9:30 PM
Mainstage
Bastards Inc., Gorefest, 1.21 Jigowatts

This annual event, formerly the Boston Improv Festival, has renamed itself the Boston Comedy Arts Festival, since its scope now includes improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy and it aims to showcase all comedic arts. Last year’s festival included over 90 improv, sketch, and stand-up acts from all over North America. It hosted 3500 attendees at all the shows. This year’s festival will feature outstanding comedy acts from around the world and will be held in conjunction with the 30th Anniversary of ImprovBoston.

ImprovBoston is New England‘s home for comedy. Since 1982, ImprovBoston has used a fresh, funny approach to comedy, showcasing today’s best performers and training tomorrow’s stars. The premiere place for comedy in New England, ImprovBoston boasts a full calendar of the funniest shows in Boston and nationally-known education and corporate training programs. ImprovBoston is more than just a great Comedy Club—it's a recognized center for the evolving art of comedy. ImprovBoston is a registered 501(c)(3) and has been the New England region’s leading theater and school dedicated to teaching and performing all forms of comedy for 30 years.It was voted “Best of Boston” by The Phoenix for 2009-2010, The Improper Bostonian, and The Weekly Dig. ImprovBoston presents a regular selection of the best improv, sketch, and stand-up for all audiences. Through their acclaimed comedy training program, the theater continues to develop the next generation of comedic talent to ensure that the next generation will keep on laughing.

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