We’re returning to our favorite theater in Lafayette, the beautiful Town Hall Theater, to present a night of improv to benefit the Haiti relief effort. Join us for an evening of improvised scenes, games, and general madness. Afterwards, we’ll all hit The Round Up!
Crisis Hopkins Strikes Again
Friday February 12, 8pm
Town Hall Theater
3535 School St. at Moraga
Lafayette CA
$20
Buy Online!
We’ve changed the night of our monthly improv jam, Crisis Hopkins’ Improv Soapbox, from the first Tuesday to the last Monday, starting in January. Monday is traditionally a dark night for theater types, and we’ve made this change in response to many requests that we’ve heard from improvisers in active companies. Come join us every month, for a playground for improv scenes, games, monologues, and exercises, open to improvisers of all skill levels.
Crisis Hopkins’ Improv Soapbox
Monday February 22nd, 8pm
at Climate Theater
285 9th St. at Folsom, SF
$5
The San Francisco Improv Festival is hosting a two-day workshop on Freestyle Rap Improvisation, hosted by our own Anthony Veneziale. These workshops are designed to give the student a competent grasp of the foundations of improvisation so they can use them to freestyle rap. Students will learn basic theories of scene work which include (but are not limited to); support, confidence, momentum, equilibrium, skill, patience, listening, joy, etc.
The first session focuses on individual communication and improv principles, then utilizes those skills to build story and monologues. The second involves group scene work meeting hip-hop and the finally focusing on self-expression through beatboxing and freestyling. Expect to move around a lot, expect open conversation, expect to make noises you never thought would come out of your mouth — and expect to have fun.
Workshops can be taken individually or as a series. Participating students will then showcase their skills at a performance later that week, opening for the freestyle rap improv group The Freeze.
$40 per workshop BUY!
$75 for series BUY!
Anthony Veneziale (aka Two Touch) has been performing improv for over fifteen years and is a leader in the field of freestyle rap improvisation. He is a founding member of Freestyle Love Supreme (NYC), The Freeze (SF), and Crisis Hopkins (SF). He has performed to sold-out houses in Edinburgh at the International Fringe Festival (Assembly Rooms), Melbourne at the International Comedy Festival (Victoria Stage), Aspen for the US Comedy Arts Festival (The Tent, Late Night with Catherine O’Hara, Very Funny Live with Jeff Garland), Montreal at the Just for Laughs Festival (Caberet Just Pour Rire w/ Zach Galifianakis), as well as regular shows at COMIX and ARS NOVA in NYC. Veneziale has appeared on Sex and the City, All My Children, Very Funny Live, Trauma, The PA, Che!, numerous commercials and is currently working on The Electric Company with Sesame Workshop.
August 12-22, 2010 at the Eureka Theater, San Francisco
Both Crisis Hopkins and The Freeze return to SF Sketchfest in 2010, at The Dark Room, one of our favorite SF venues. We’re both performing twice, early in the fest, and these shows always sell out. Buy now!
Crisis Hopkins with Pappys & Things We Made
Friday January 15th, 8pm
Crisis Hopkins with Picnicface, Things We Made, & Paul Myrehaug
Saturday January 16th, 10:30pm
The Freeze with Good Neighbor & Pros From Dover
Friday January 15th, 10:30pm
The Freeze with Barrel Brothers, Barats & Bereta, & Josie Long
Saturday January 16th, 8pm
SF Sketchfest is one of the most exciting comedy festivals in the country, and there’s so much more to see. Check out the full schedule at www.sfsketchfest.com!
The Crisis Hopkins Youth Brigade, which for that last three years has been a solo outfit consisting of Serein Sol Parnell, now gains a new member with the addition of Joey Daly Matthews, born 1/3/2010. Congratulations Christy and Lance!
Designers!
The San Francisco Improv Festival is now soliciting designs for its official logo! Be a part of this amazing festival, and add something AWESOME to your portfolio! As we’re a national festival, we’re looking for something that screams “San Francisco” to the rest of the world. We urge you to experiment with San Francisco icons, while avoiding cliche. If chosen, your design will be the face of our fest – in 2010 and for years to come. We’re looking to attract an audience diverse in age and background, from family-friendly fare to edgy & too cool for school. Your logo will appear on signage, biz stationary, and all kinds of collateral throughout the year and during the festival proper.
How to submit: It’s easy! Email us some quick concepts of your vision, plus no fewer than 3 examples of logos from your portfolio, by January 15th, 2010. The winner, once selected, will receive a $350 cash prize, potential future design work, and tons o’love after providing final files for print and web.
Contact Sam at crisishopkins at gmail.com if you have questions.
Some 2009 highlights:
SF Sketchfest, Dark Room
Crisis Hopkins’ Improv Soapbox, a monthly improv jam, Climate Theater
One Nation Under Crisis, Stage Werx
Rebecca Poretsky guest player.
Sacramento Comedy Spot
Chris Libby joins the troupe.
Temporary Improv Festival, Eureka Theater
Boston Improv Festival
Terror at Town Hall, Town Hall, Lafayette
San Francisco Improv Festival
Thanks for letting us play for you in 2009. Crisis Hopkins already has performances scheduled for 2010, and our Improv Soapbox improv jam will return in January (look for it on a Monday!). In addition, with the San Francisco Improv Festival we’ll bring even more performances and workshops to the Bay Area in 2010. Please get on our mailing list by visiting our About page.
2009 thanks to: Jessica Heidt & Climate Theater, The Freeze, Lekker Media, SF Sketchfest, Dark Room, Stage Werx, Robert Avila, SF Bay Guardian, Eureka Theater, Boston Improv Festival, Rebecca Poretsky, Annabelle Singer, Nav Gill, Dan Cowles, Matt Quinn, Piano Fight, Frisco Improv, SF Comedy College, Wegent & Page, Dan Klein, Revolving Madness, Big City Improv, Un-Scripted Theater Company, Jodi Skeris, Dan Ronco, Shaun Landry, San Francisco Improv Alliance, Town Hall Theater, San Francisco Theater Festival, Sacramento Comedy Spot, Tilted Frame, The Garage, James Grace, Jonathan Pitts, & The Rumpus.
Part six of Hubris, our ongoing web soap opera. Watch.
The first production of the 2010 San Francisco Improv Festival was an enormous success. Over two days, 36 participants learned the basics, and deeper levels, of Harold, the pioneering format of longform improvisation. Thanks to the SF Comedy College, FRISCO Improv, class participants from near and far, and, of course, James Grace & IO West. More to come!
