Improv Invitational Brings NWI High School Improv To The Forefront

Chicago is known as the "cradle of improv's existence". It's home to the venerable institutions such as The Second City, the groundbreaking iO Chicago, the irreverent Annoyance Theatre, and the competitive ComedySportz Chicago. It helped spawn the careers of Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Horatio Sanz, and countless others. The comedic skills people learned there have spread around the world and spawned off thousands of improv theatre & sketch groups, TV shows, and Youtube clips. Now those skills are being put to use to put Northwest Indiana on the improv map in a special one-day event. Highland Theatrical Company & Improductions, LLC present the inaugural Northwest Indiana High School Improv Invitational on March 3rd at Highland High School at 7 PM.

Four Northwest Indiana area high school improv teams will be anchoring the day-long event. The Stray Dogs Improv team from Crown Point High School, Not Your Mother's Improv from Highland High School along with the improv teams from Munster High School and Hanover Central High School will be in attendance and will be treated to a number of improv workshops led by professional improv instructors from the Chicagoland area during the afternoon followed up by a performance showcase that evening. The show will feature not only all the student teams in attendance but also professional ensembles Makeshift Up ("Whose Line" style short-form improv) and The Tony Stanzas (fully improvised musicals) closing out the night.

"This is a fantastic dream come true, " says co-producer Nelson Velazquez of Improductions LLC, a Production Company located in Crown Point, IN by members of the local improv scene to help promote, support, and produce local improv comedy in the area as well as the musical director for Crown Point High School's improv team. "When I first moved to the region about six years ago," he adds, "I set out on a mission to make Northwest Indiana a hub for people to learn and perform improvisation. There was such fertile ground for improv as there are currently over 14 different community theatre companies in a 10 mile radius so I knew that audiences were savvy enough to appreciate improv. I figured through local classes and showcases, we could build a local scene that would be a great platform for people to hone their skills to later jump to the bigger scenes in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles and be competitive. With this invitational we want to tap into and bring the improv teams at the high school level together to not only celebrate what they have accomplished thus far but also provide opportunities for them to grow artistically via workshops and showcases."

The show is co-production between Improductions LLC and hosts Highland Theatrical Company (HTC) of Highland High School. HTC's director Matt Domasica and HTC improv coach Marc Ryser serve as co-producers as well.

Saturday March 3, 2018 @ 7 PM
Highland High School
9135 Erie St, Highland, IN 46322 TICKETS $5 ONLINE INFO http://improductionsllc.com
http://htc.booktix.com

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