Next week, improvisational theatre folk will be driving, flying or just walking down the street to TitleTown to show off their quick-thinking and sketch comedy.
Twenty-one improv groups will perform in the seventh annual Gainesville Improv Festival from Feb. 1 to Feb. 4 at the Squitieri Studio Theatre in the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Tom O'Donnell and Skyler Stone, two alumni from UF and Theatre Strike Force, started the festival in 2005 and have been producing it every year since.
"We kind of grew up [with TSF], so when we graduated we wanted to give back to Gainesville and show national talent what a great place Gainesville is," O'Donnell said.
The mission of GIF, according to the website, is to share with the Gainesville community the cultures and traditions of the vibrant Gainesville improvisational scene.
Many of the groups this year come from Florida, including Theatre Strike Force, but six of them hail from Chicago's thriving improv scene. GIF has featured such prominent instructors as Jeff Griggs from iO (ImprovOlympic) Chicago, Mark Sutton and Joe Bill, both from the Second City Chicago Training Center, according to the festival's Facebook page. In past years, groups have come from as far away as Los Angeles.
Two headliners from last year will be featured on Friday: 3033, which O'Donnell said is considered "gurus of improv," and Dummy, both from Chicago. Among the new acts this year are Chicago-based An Unscripted Romance, which consists of Lindsey Finn and Derrick Aguis improvising a fictitious relationship based on suggestions from the audience.
An estimated 1,200 to 1,400 people are expected to attend GIF during the four nights.
O'Donnell said most groups hear about the festival by word-of-mouth.
"Over almost 15 years, we've made a lot of friendships,"he said. "We'll let our friends know first about this event, and then they'll tell their friends. If they hear it from a friend, they're going to trust it more."
Jeff Quintana, a UF and TSF alumnus, and his five-man group, Promise Ring, met at the first GIF. They have all since moved to Chicago and have been performing together for almost two years.
"I like that the festival is big but not too big," Quintana, 29, said. "They keep things pretty organized."
"GIF is such a great time. You meet a lot of like-minded people and make great connections that could potentially be useful later," said Liz Anderson, president of TSF. "And it's just plain fun if you try not to let your nerves get the best of you."
In addition to performances, several improv groups will be hosting workshops in the Reitz Union on Saturday for those who want to learn more about improv and sketch comedy. Rooms for these have not been announced.
Friday's and Saturday's performances tend to have the bigger names, and attendance is more likely to be larger on those two nights, Anderson said.
Alex Trepka, a member of the Chicago-based improv troupe Wolodarski, will be traveling to his first GIF this year, but he hopes it won't be his last. He, along with four other members, will be traveling to Gainesville with Promise Ring in tow.
"We're driving down in a van for 18 hours," he laughed. "We're going to paint the town red."
With the exception of Wednesday, there will be two shows a night at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. There will be one show on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, by phone at 352-392-ARTS or at the Phillips Center Box Office.
General admission prices range from $8 to $13, and student prices range from $6 to $8, depending on which night you attend.
For more information and a complete schedule of performances, visit www.gainesvilleimprov.com, the "Gainesville Improv Festival" page on Facebook or follow @GvilleImprov on Twitter.
Making a good improv team is easy! Just rehearse with your best friends.
Members of 3033 during their show last year. Clint Eastwood has never looked squintier.
