BCC Announces Extension & Partnership With Theater In Berlin

After a successful six-week trial run at The Brick Theater in Williamsburg, The Brooklyn Comedy Collective (BCC) is extending its residency at The Brick through the end of 2018. Shows will continue on Thursday through Saturday nights weekly and classes year-round, and the BCC will launch an international partnership with a theater in Berlin, Germany.

The BCC was able to successfully program shows via a financial model of paying artists a portion of the box office. In a comedy scene where improvisers and performers are rarely compensated, this model has proven appreciated by The BCC's community. "Artists should be paid for their work," BCC Artistic Director Philip Markle says, "It indicates their work has value and importance." As part of its extension, The BCC will be adding some 8 PM show slots to its schedule at The Brick, as well as weekly midnight jams & dance parties to foster community. Top comedic talent has already produced and performed with the BCC, including Chris Gethard (The Chris Gethard Show), John Reynolds (Stranger Things, Search Party), Gary Richardson (SNL), Aparna Nancherla (Netflix's The Standups), and more. Current show line-up can be viewed at: www.brooklyncc.com/shows.

The BCC's initial six-week core classes nearly sold out, with an average of 15 students per class. The BCC is offering special workshops in April-June taught by Late Night With Colbert writer Ariel Dumas, former Annoyance NY instructor Devin Bockrath, and iO Chicago Teacher of The Year Mary Cait Walthall. In addition, the next session of six-week core Level 1-3 classes will run in June, as well as a summer intensive offered June 25-28. For more info and details, visit: www.brooklyncc.com/classes

In addition, The BCC is pleased to announce a Sister Theater & School partnership with Comedy Cafe Berlin (The CCB) in Germany. After teaching and performing abroad with Comedy Cafe Berlin many times, BCC Artistic Director Philip Markle and CCB's Artistic Director Noah Telson decided make the partnership official. The mission is to exchange ideas, showcase talent, and provide opportunities for members within our communities to travel and experience not only improv and comedy, but life in our respective cities/countries. Both BCC and CCB share a drive to create an open, safe and welcoming environment for improv; one that champions the exchange of ideas and breaks down borders and boundaries of countries and dogmas. To that end, they are offering:

• Workshops: Each theater will offer intensives/workshops taught by top instructors from their sister theater periodically throughout the year. These workshops will feature the unique approach of their theater's ethos to comedy and improv.

• Showcases: Each theater will host select shows from their sister theater periodically throughout the year. These teams will showcase their theater's style of play while also immersing themselves in the culture and lifestyle of the other city.

Upcoming Timeline:

• May 12-13, 2018: BCC Artistic Director Philip Markle teaching a musical improv intensive workshop in Berlin.

• June 23-24, 2018: CCB Artistic Director Noah Telson and CCB house team members to perform and teach workshops at BCC in New York.

• June 25-28, 2018: BCC is offering a summer intensive for CCB members and the public culminating in a show on June 28th at BCC.

For more info, visit www.brooklyncc.com

Tickets for shows run $5-10, workshops range from $25-35, six -week core classes cost $275, and summer intensive is $375.

For press inquiries, reach out to Artistic Director Philip Markle by email at philip@brooklyncc.com or by phone at 917-593-3843.

The Brick Theater is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at 579 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11206 (off the Lorimer/Metropolitan L and G train metro stop).

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