NYC improv troupes headline SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival in Bethlehem Jan. 26-27
From a press release:
Hip-hop improv troupe North Coast and The Law Firm with Sue Galloway of “30 Rock” will headline the fifth annual SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival on Friday, Jan. 26 and Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018 at the ArtsQuest Center at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem.
The festival will also feature an improvised action movie, an interactive one-man show, puppets, a live comic book creation, and teams from the acclaimed Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, as well as 50 other improv comedy groups from across the United States. Hours are 6 p.m.-12 a.m. on Friday and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. on Saturday.
Friday tickets are $16 in advance and $19 the day of the show; Saturday tickets are $25 in advance and $29 the day of the show. Tickets are on sale now at steelstacks.org and 610-332-3378.
On Jan. 26 at 9:35 p.m., the SteelStacks (101 Founders Way, Bethlehem) welcome The Law Firm featuring “30 Rock” alum and “Saturday Night Live” freelance writer Sue Galloway, whose recent appearances include “Sisters” alongside Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and HBO’s “Girls.” Asking the audience if they’ve been wronged by a bad boss, flaky friend, or an identity-stealing ex-love, The Law Firm turns one audience member’s testimony into a fully improvised show. Members of The Law Firm, which performs weekly at the UCB Theatre in Hell’s Kitchen, have starred in and written for “Broad City,” “Best Week Ever,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and more.
Then catch the mind-blowing stylings of hip-hop improv group North Coast on Jan. 27 at 9:30 p.m. With a cast of improv comedy veterans from UCB, the Peoples Improv Theater, and The Magnet theaters in New York City, North Coast’s explosive performances have been packing comedy venues, universities, and festivals nationwide since 2009. Built around a single suggestion from an audience member, the show’s improvised scenes escalate into full-blown hip-hop songs, facilitated by renowned beatboxers Ethan “Exacto” Scott and Kaila Mullady. Named one of the “Top 10 Best Comedy Shows” by Time Out New York, North Coast has been featured in Slate’s podcast “The Gist,” The Village Voice, and the New York Times comedy listings.
In addition to the headlining performances, the improv festival will showcase improv groups from New York City; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; and San Francisco, as well as teams from throughout the Lehigh Valley. Among the many highlights are an interactive one-man show by Bird & Friends, an improvised satire of Spanish language video tutorials by Los Profesores, an improvised action movie by Bronson, a handheld puppet performance by Team Lopez, and an improvised origin story of a superhero in “Crisis: An Improvised Comic Book.”
The complete schedule of performances is below.
SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival schedule:
Friday, Jan. 26
6 p.m.: The Ceremonial First “Yes and” Ceremony
6:15 p.m.: Yard Sale (Lehigh Valley)
6:30 p.m.: Improv Technicians (Newark, NJ)
6:45 p.m.: GOOSEMAN (Lehigh Valley)
7 p.m.: Team TBD
7:15 p.m.: Gym Crush (New York, NY)
7:35 p.m.: KnucklePuck (Hartford, CT)
7:55 p.m.: Staycation (Lehigh Valley)
8:15 p.m.: Bird & Friends (New York, NY)
8:35 p.m.: Judy Big Mouth (Upright Citizens Brigade, NYC)
9:05 p.m.: Bronson (New York, NY)
9:35 p.m.: North Coast (New York, NY)
10:35 p.m.: The Associated Mess (Lehigh Valley)
10:55 p.m.: The Jonoscene (New York, NY)
11:10 p.m.: Windows 98 (Philadelphia)
11:30 p.m.: Cosmos (New York, NY)
11:45 p.m.: Giggle *Tux (Lehigh Valley)
12 a.m.: Improv Jam
Saturday, Jan. 27
11 a.m.: Be Determined (Muhlenberg College, Allentown)
11:15 a.m.: Hobo Army (Lehigh University, Bethlehem)
11:30 a.m.: York High School (York, PA)
11:45 a.m.: UiP (Muhlenberg College, Allentown)
12 p.m.: No Parking Players (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh)
12:15 p.m.: Lancaster Improv Players (Lancaster)
12:30 p.m.: AH, OK (Dallas, TX)
12:50 p.m.: The Time Bandits (Philadelphia)
1:05 p.m.: Planet Genre (Detroit, MI)
1:25 p.m.: The Quitters (Washington D.C.)
1:40 p.m.: VanDamage (Lehigh Valley)
2 p.m.: Up in the Attic (Providence, RI)
2:20 p.m.: Robot Love (Hartford, CT)
2:40 p.m.: Synced Up (Lehigh Valley)
2:55 p.m.: Dark Sneak Love Action (New York, NY)
3:15 p.m.: Playground (New York, NY)
3:30 p.m.: Yo JP! (Lehigh Valley)
3:45 p.m.: The Wrasslers (New York, NY)
4:05 p.m.: King Bee (Washington D.C.)
4:25 p.m.: The Fourtets (Lehigh Valley)
4:40 p.m.: Aftermath (Baltimore, MD)
5:00 p.m.: Sad Trombone (Philadelphia)
5:20 p.m.: Sea Tea Improv Touring Co. (Hartford, CT)
5:40 p.m.: CHUCHO (New York, NY)
6 p.m.: #Bestof (Lehigh Valley)
6:20 p.m.: My Privacy (New York, NY)
6:40 p.m.: Family Laundry (Lehigh Valley)
7 p.m.: Peach Pit (San Francisco, CA)
7:20 p.m.: Horse Girl (Upright Citizens Brigade, NYC)
7:40 p.m.: Dream Carnival (Lehigh Valley)
8 p.m.: Stevedore (Denver, CO)
8:20 p.m.: Los Profesores (New York, NY)
8:40 p.m.: Team Lopez (New York, NY)
9 p.m.: Charlie (New York, NY)
9:30 p.m.: The Law Firm (New York, NY)
10:30 p.m.: The Flumplenarfs (Lehigh Valley)
10:50 p.m.: Jane Don’t (New York, NY)
11:10 p.m.: Cranks & Pulleys (Lehigh Valley)
11:25 p.m.: Crisis: Improvised Comic Book (New York, NY)
11:45 p.m.: Captain PhD (Washington D.C.)
12 a.m.: Cat Sweaters (Lehigh Valley)
12:20 a.m.: Straight White Men (New York, NY)
12:40 a.m.: Bandjob (Harrisburg)
1:00 a.m.: Fancy Boys (Pittsburgh)
1:15 a.m.: #News (Lehigh Valley)
1:30 a.m.: Closing Improv Jam
