Stage Door News
Stage Door News
This spring, nine Bad Dog players will improvise for 24 straight hours in the ultimate fundraising challenge! This battle royale will be raising funds for two worthy causes:
Bad Dog's Diversity & Inclusion Program
Bad Dog is raising funds for a two-day symposium with a focus on better reflecting Toronto’s diverse voices on our unscripted comedy stages - set to take place on May 28 & 29 of this year. Participants will include artistic and administrative leaders in North America's improv comedy scene, thought-leaders from the Toronto Arts & Culture sector, and community participants.
Improv Without Borders
From 12am to 12pm on Saturday, the funds raised from half of all tickets sold will be donated in support of Improv Without Borders, an international improv community event working to raise refugee relief funds.
The Show
Our 24 hour players are Ashley Comeau (Second City), Beth Dunn (FLiNT improv), Chris Ramelan (Canadian Improv Games), Colin Munch (Toronto, I Love You; PUNCH UP), Connor Low (Bad Dog Featured Players), Gavin Williams (Micetro), Justin Collette (Get Some), Nicole Passmore (Dust Bunny), and Tricia Black (The Sketchersons).
Beginning at 7pm on Friday, March 11, we'll be putting on 12 two-hour improv shows with featured troupes & guests joining our core team of marathoners. Announced highlights include:
•Favourite guests from the hit monthly showcase of talented women of colour, YAS KWEEN, take the stage, including Nelu Handa & Ify Chiwetelu
•We challenge our marathoners to improvise routines head-to-head with polished sets from legitimate stand-up comics including Keesha Brownie, Matt O’Brien & Joel Buxton!
•Members of Toronto's foremost Spanish-language improv troupe, Improvables, challenge the marathon team to improvise in Spanish!
•We check in with Tess Degenstein, live, on-location via Skype in Berlin where she is performing with Die Gorillas - organizers of Improv Without Borders
•We challenge our tired marathoners to hold their ground with the two most endearing types of scene-stealers: kids & dogs! Improviser parents bring their (soon-to-be-improviser) progeny and/or actual pups to play. Guests: Paloma Nuñez, Katie Bowes, Marjorie Malpass and their kids (aged 6 months to 6 years) + Daphney Joseph, Diana Frances, Claire Farmer and their dogs.
•Lisa Merchant & Alex Hatz take a trip from the motherland to guest star as the Ethnic Eccentrics
•The venerable improv supergroup, the Coincidence Men (Marcel St. Pierre, Kerry Griffin, Gord Oxley, Ralph MacLeod & Rob Hawke) show our tired players how it’s done
•The brilliant mind behind Elephant Empire & Cool School, Peter Stevens, takes the reins for an hour
•Songbuster featuring Stephanie Malek, Mattie Burns, Alexandra Hurley, Tom King (on keys) & more. Can our marathoners improvise a musical after more than 20-hours without rest?
...and special surprise guests throughout the marathon!
How it Works
Before March 11 our performers will raise funds to get them to their 24-hour fundraising goal. For every $10 donated by the public, each performer must improvise for one hour. Then, beginning at 7pm on Friday, March 11, we're pushing our players to the limits, and sweetening the pot with a 50/50 draw for the audience. Audience members can choose to help or hinder the players by buying them gifts (coffee! naps!) or obstacles (calisthenics! questions-only for an hour!) throughout the show. Each gift or obstacle costs $5 and enters the buyer into the 50/50 draw one time. The draw will be made at 7pm on Saturday, March 12.
24 Hours of Improv
7pm, Friday, March 11 to 7pm, Saturday, March 12
The Bad Dog Comedy Theatre (875 Bloor Street West)
$60 for the FULL 24HR PASS
$15 for PM shows | $10 for AM shows
Tickets are available online or at the door.
http://baddogtheatre.com/24-hours-of-improv
2016-02-18
Toronto: Bad Dog Theatre Company presents "24 Hours of Improv" March 11-12 for a cause