Our full performance schedule is about to be released, but first, here’s a teaser of a few of the great improv acts coming. Brian James O’Connell (or BOC as his friends call him) is a working actor, writer, director, filmmaker and teacher in Los Angeles. He currently teaches as part of the Core Faculty at The Pack Theater and at iOWest. BOC is a West Del Close Award Winner of Coach of The Year, Teacher of The Year, Artistic Director James Grace Award and Vanguard Award (Dr. God).
With his internationally touring improv duo Billyhawk and iOWest’s legendary improv group Dr. God, Brian has performed and taught in festivals in Denver, Phoenix, Toronto, Philadelphia, Austin, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chapel Hill, NC. Well-respected as one of Los Angeles’ premier improvisers, Brian is famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of minutiae and his insane recall ability and memory.
BOC also serves as the Director of Camp Outreach and is a board member for the non-profit Camp Improv Utopia, the premiere improv, acting and training retreat in the country. At the the festival this year he will teach various improv workshops, perform his one man show, and improvise with his duo partner, fellow LA improviser Elizabeth Karb.
From deep in the heart of Georgia and Atlanta’s Dad’s Garage Theatre, comes Big Ol’ Show! Starring Amber Nash (the voice of Pam Poovey in FX’s Archer) and Matt Horgan (Associate Artistic Director at Dad’s), Big Ol Show is a completely improvised antebellum tale of lust and love during the American Civil War! Marriages will be forbidden, bodices will be torn open, mint juleps will be sipped, mustaches twirled, cannons fired and Yankees shot! It’s like “Gone With The Wind”, but three times as long.
To give the show an even greater ring of authenticity, Amber Nash is a Georgia native while Matt Horgan hails from Ohio. Their intense and natural-born hatred of one another fuels the improvised action on stage, usually to the point of incivility. Bless their hearts.
Also, Matt will be teaching a “Narrative Shortform Intensive” workshop. In this workshop you’ll run the gauntlet of platforms, tilts, delaying the chaos, simple story structure, group mind, giving the audience what you’ve promised them and how change is necessary to move things forward. The goal of the workshop is to give you the tools you need to consistently tell solid, effective stories in 3-5 minutes!
New South Comedy Festival 