Tuesday, November 29, 2005

FRIDAY NIGHT THEATRE SPORTS!!!

Get'cher tickets now for the slam-danginest, hap-hap-happiest throwdown this side of the Genesee! Your favorite improvisors get brolic this Friday December 2nd as Theatre Sports drops a bomb of improv over you, the fablastic audience!!!! Here's the schedule for Friday...

Host -- Doran
Music -- Arthur and Jim
Judging -- Joanna, Brian, and...?
Team 1 -- Beki, Tim, Adam
Team 2 -- Paul, Liam, Swithun

Get your tickets now!! Only $7! There's gonna be prizes, there's gonna be well-meaning frivolity, there's gonna be fireworks! And by fireworks, we mean lots and lots of cheering.

...and don't forget about Saturday Night! It's the Nextstage Big-Tent Saturday Night Show Premier of Rochester's newest and bestestest improv format, CITY COUNCIL IMPROV. Got a problem? Watch as our improvisors complain to the city council about the happenings in their small town...what happens when the city council takes the matters into their hands! It's gonna be gnarly.

Last Night's Episode - THE FALLOUT?!

Last night Geva Comedy Improv presented week four of "FIASCO: Lake Boat!" out at SUNY Brockport. It was an interesting show because our numbers were down to just: Tim, Josie, Chris, Mike, Brian and Paul along with our narrator Adam. Numbers, schumbers - we blew the door off SUNY BROCKPORT and they had to call the fire department to hose us down because things got HOTTT!
On a suggestion from Mr Litz, we used the convention where we started the story with everyone in danger - in this case, the entire crew was locked in Supply Room #3 and Bradley had assumed Temporary Captainship of what was becoming a disaster! Then, using flashbacks we revealed how we got there. It was a terrific device that really helped facilitate the entire adventure. Surprises included:
* Steve (Brian D.) revealing that he was a robot.
* Brad (Chris H.) revealing that he had Gulf War Syndrome and was an ex-marine (who took Tae-bo).
* Rosemarie (Josie S.) revealing that she was pregnant through immaculate conception.
* Captain Barney (Paul N.) revealing that he had taken his daughter Rosemarie away from her mother at a young age.
* Gerald (Tim G.) revealing he was not from the South at all, but rather actually named Tom Sawyer Johnson and hailed from Cleveland, Ohio.
* Frank (Mike C.) revealing that he was dead when Steve snapped his neck.
........and much, much more!

Afterwards, the crew headed over to Acme Pizza for their two-for-one drink special. We promptly left because it was crowded there. Across the street at O'Callahans, we drank two pitchers and teased a very tired Tim Goodwin about his Rochester D&C Insider profile . After watching the Steelers get beat up by the competition (the Toronto Ragnars? I don't know. I don't follow Football), we looked up during the news to see a graphic that read, "CANADA'S GOVERNMENT TOPPLED". That was sort of a shocker but since the TV was on mute, we didn't know the circumstances. The next slide had a picture of local rich-dude Tom Golisano, so we assumed that he had assumed control of our Northern neighbors. From now on, I will comply with his wishes and call all the "Tim Horton" restaurants "Tom Golisano". I, for one, welcome our conquering billionares. ROCK.

So, tune in next week at the Student Commons Building - Room 112 (something like that, you'll see the table set up and the ticket sellers) for the LAST episode of this season of FIASCO: LAKE BOAT~! Tickets are $1 for students, $2 for non-students and the show starts at 930 PM on Monday Night out at SUNY BROCKPORT. If you need more details, let me know! It should be a sold-out extravaganza with tons and tons of twists & turns. Dontchadaremissit!

Monday, November 28, 2005

Last Week's Episode of Fiasco!

Alright FIASCO! Fans its time for last week’s synopsis. I promise that I won’t be distracted tonight as my Steelers take on the undefeated Colts in what could be the best Monday Night Football game of the season. Even a clash of these AFC titans couldn’t compare to what we don’t have planned for tonight. That’s right, our improvised soap opera is going to kick Monday Night Football’s butt. I’ll even pull a Namath and make the bold prediction that tonight’s episode will be the best one yet. Come watch the only improvised Soap Opera in Western NY.

So here is what happened last week on that wacky Lake Boat:

Dr. Al Qaeda returned to the boat only to find out that Eamon and Steve were missing! The rumors ranged from drug rehab to excellent adventure. Perhaps it was only a bogus journey. Either way the ship was without a first mate and Rosemary without her Irish mate. Ticket sales had been slow on the Lake Boat and the crew put their heads together to come up with a plan. Then they went off and came up with separate plans entirely. Brad wanted to host an Afro-Brazillian Dance recital complete with lights, costumes and pyrotechnics. Surely Rochestarians could not pass that up. Dr. Qaeda wanted to steal cars from the man who can’t stack ‘em and fake the ticket sales. Gerald wanted to run drugs, a popular pastime on the boat, but ended up helping Dr. Qaeda and Brad. He knew that Canandaigua was the place for both used Hondas and pyrotechnics.

The good Doctor happened to get caught talking on his cell phone, without any accent. It turns out that his real name is John Smith and that he works for the CIA. He is on an undercover mission and he needs the Lake Boat to complete the mission.

In the marathon that is the lifetime commitment of marriage, Rosemary is more of a sprinter. Once Eamon was gone, Chester A. Arthur proposed to her and she said yes. Rosemary and Chester asked the Captain to marry them, but he resisted. He revealed that Rosemary was his daughter and that she shouldn’t marry a dirty old man like Chester.

The Captain then ran off with Frank to the Radio room but they locked themselves in. They broke out a bottle of booze and Nancy quickly came to the rescue…sort of. She triumphantly entered and let the door close behind her, thus locking her inside as well. No matter, Frank still had the gun that he had earlier brandished to little effect. Maybe shooting at a solid steel lock in a room with solid steel walls is a good idea in Brooklyn, but it wasn’t on the Lake Boat. In his attempt to escape, the bullet ricocheted right into Nancy O’Brain’s leg. Don’t worry, it hit the fleshy part. Luckily Rosemary came to the rescue and healed the wound…with her mind!

Over in Canandaigua, Gerald met up with his friend Slappy Jim (played by Charley), the proprietor of a fireworks store and a former Afro-Brazilian dancer. He gave Gerald advice and fireworks, a classic combination. Gerald just made it back to the boat in time to miss the big dance finale. Oh, maybe he will dance during this week’s episode. Was Steve at drug rehab? Will Eamon return? What will Gerald do with the leftover fireworks? Will Rosemary ever stick with just one guy? The only way to find out is to watch this week’s episode of FIASCO!

Friday, November 25, 2005

The new City ad!!! Mark yer calendarrrrs!

Let the Holiday Madness begin!

Hey, everybody, we'd like to wish y'all a Happy Holiday Season, which officially starts today with the infamous Black Friday. Our condolences to anyone working retail today.

Our next round of shows are next week!!!! Friday the 2nd of December is Theatre Sports; Saturday the 3rd is a very special Holiday Edition of City Council Improv...get you tickets now at www.gevacomedyimprov.org.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Some old pictures from the vault!

PAUL enjoys an after-rehearsal outing at Charlie's Frog Pond.

You know, a picture is worth a thousand words.

This picture, from last year, shows CHRIS and BRIAN rehearsing at the U of R. This was when we were still under the direct tutelage of Dad's Garage.

Monday, November 21, 2005

Last Weeks Episode of Fiasco

The following is a recap of last week's episode.

Last weeks episode was wild and crazy. It had a plague in Canada, drugs in the torpedo tubes and an old man running around the boat all horny from taking enough Viagra to kill a mule. Nancy awoke from her coma with horrible scarring due to a Nazi acid bath. The Captain returned from his trip to Africa, but Steve did not recognize him. Frank Worthington, Reginald’s twin brother, arrived on the boat and quickly made plans to smuggle drugs with Steve. They hid the “hallucinogenic marijuana” in Steve’s socks and then put those in the torpedo hatch.

Meanwhile, Dr. Al Qaeda revealed a stash of Viagra to Chester A. Arthur and the news of a coming plague to Brad. Chester couldn’t resist taking a few of the pills. Eamon encouraged Rosemary to train her supernatural powers with Chester. Rosemary and Chester met in her cabin and he tried to seducer her with the sweet sounds of Barry Manilow. It didn’t work, but it did awaken Brad, who assumed the worst.

Nancy wandered the boat spreading a “love plague” to Eamon through a casual handshake. He immediately broke out in a rash and ran away screaming. Nancy continued to roam the boat, looking for love in all the wrong places. She needed a self-esteem boost and eventually came across Steve who was overcome with wild hallucinations after donning a pair of his drug soaked socks.

Captain Barney Rotten secretly changed the course of the ship from Toronto to Newfoundland just before Dr. Qaeda and Gerald came up with a cure for the plague. After testing the cure, which just happened to be Viagra, on Nancy and Eamon they loaded a strong cocktail into the torpedo tube and shot it straight at Canada’s water supply. This cured the plague and saved millions of lives. It also gave everyone in Canada a great weekend since the tubes were full of drugs.

~Adam

Monday, November 14, 2005

Volunteer your time and see the shows for free!!!

Hey -- wanna volunteer at our shows? Easy. Just email gci@gevatheatre.org with your name and email address and who knows? People might come to a GCI show and buy a tee-shirt...from YOU!!!

Fiasco: Lake Boat Update

The following are the characters that have so far appeared on Lake Boat:

Brad Lacey – (Chris) Former Steward Person and host of the ship.
Steve – (Brian) The First Mate and a general bad ass.
Gerald Thomas Lichtenstein – (Tim) The engineer of the Lake Boat and rough Texan.
Dr. Allen “Al” Qaeda – (Swithin) Doctor from Pakistan who uses the boat to smuggle prescription drugs.
Captain Barney Rotten – (Paul) Captain of the Lake Boat and a grizzled sea dog.
Reginald Warren Worthington II – (Mike) Rich playboy and secret agent.
Nancy O’Brian – (Beki) Divorcee with two kids and a drinking problem.
Rosemary Duncan – (Joanna) The boat’s interpreter with a keen sense of the supernatural.
Eamon Larkin – (Liam) Irish stowaway in search of his father.
Chester A. Arthur – (Charley) A mysterious man with mysterious powers.
Joshua - (Liam) A Nazi.

On last week’s episode of Fiasco:

The crew was on a much needed shore leave when Captain Barney Rotten became mysteriously ill while hanging out with Brad and Rosemary at an ambiguously gay nightclub called Tinsel. Steve wasted no time and quickly assumed command of the boat. He became delirious with his new power. It was not long before the cause of the Captain’s illness was found – poison! The passengers and crew naturally assumed that Steve was to blame.

Meanwhile Rosemary met a strange man/boy named Joshua (Liam) who invited her to a house party. He could dance like the wind, but he had a dark secret which would put the lives of the passengers and crew in peril. Gerald and Nancy searched Monroe County for a mysterious “Matrix” that would aid Gerald in a devious scheme. Chester and Eamon took a tour of Rochester, stopping for a famous garbage plate. Eamon had never had a hot dog before, but Chester assured him that it was “like the corned beef that you had at your mother’s funeral, but in a tube.”

The Captain recovered from his poisoning and Brad smuggled him aboard the ship. He was determined to scuttle any plans of Steve’s, but only after he presided over Eamon and Rosemary’s Irish engagement (we are told that these are extended affairs that can take years before the actual wedding). However, Reginald was the one to get revenge by kicking Steve’s ass with his Vatican kung-foo. Beaten and with a broken spirit, Steve retreated to the lower decks. Rosemary stumbled upon Joshua who had sneaked aboard the ship. He took her hostage and revealed that he had been poisoning the tuna in order to kill the crew and eventually the entire developing world. Naturally, he was a Nazi and was using the Lake Boat because it had been an old Nazi war experiment before the Allies had taken her and subsequently sold her to Monroe County.

An epic fight ensued with each person taking on Joshua one on one (Eamon vs. Joshua was the highlight of the brawl). This never worked for the Ninja Turtles and it didn’t work for the citizens of the Lake Boat. Joshua’s Nazi powers were too strong. Brad recognized that there was only one thing that could defeat Joshua and that was the power of freedom (with a little help from Steve). You see, Steve has two tattoos of the World Trade Center towers- one on each bicep. When his arms are at his side, the towers lay on the ground, a grim reminder of that day in September. But when Steve flexes his muscles in a classic pose the towers stand erect - a symbol of enduring freedom. Well, when Steve flashed his muscles the Towers rose and Joshua fell so that Steve had the chance to land one fatal blow. Joshua was finished and the boat was saved, but all was not well.

The Captain had been flung overboard in the fight, and a school of Tuna carried him to Africa. Reginald was apparently killed, but his body was never found. Gerald still had something up his sleve and it wasn't a crescent wrench.

Will the Captain return? Is Worthington dead? What will that crazy Texan do next? Will the Irish engagement between Rosemary and Eamon last? The only way to find out is to watch the next episode of FIASCO!

Thursday, November 10, 2005

KEVIN LEAS snaps behind-the-scenes LAKE BOAT pics!

Geva started their regular, five-week run of FIASCO -- THE LAKE BOAT SEASON out at SUNY Brockport this week! Our bestest friend KEVIN LEAS was there to document the action, and we thought we'd pass along the kick-ass photos!

The second episode is this Monday the 14th -- head out to the Conference Room 119 in the Student Union at SUNY Brockport and see the show! It's only $2, or $1 with your student I.D.! Show starts at 9:30 pm!

PAUL and MOOKIE backstage, moments before the show!
Crewe of GCI warms up!
BRIAN sports one of his new tattoos.
JOANNA applies BRIAN'S manly tats.
CHARLEY gets a lesson in street flute from LIAM.
ADAM reminds the gang where they're at in the storyline from the pilot episode of LAKE BOAT.
JOANNA longs for the day when we'll be able to all ride more comfortably in a large GCI van.

GCI celebrates its championing with roller skating!

HORIZONS skate park was our destination tonight as we took some well-deserved time off from the grueling tasks of improvising.

LIAM rolls like a mutha, y'all.
JOANNA glides into action.
PAUL -- farthest to the left -- gets into the groove with a conga line o'skaters! Just like the old days of disco and skate parties...when PAUL wasn't even alive!!!
MIKE and BRIAN tackle the air hockey table -- BRIAN triumphed!
TIM -- just before nearly falling! Again!
LIAM and BRIAN take a breather.

Thanks again to everyone that voted us best blog in Rochester, and runner-up in best theatrical performance! How did we celebrate? Well, re-read the title of this post!

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

You are viewing the best blog in Greater Rochester!!!

Oh my God! You must have just read in City Newspaper that this is the best blog in Greater Rochester and, being an internet-surfing citizen of Monroe county, you immediately raced to your computer and navigated your way here!

Welcome! This is the blog of Geva Comedy Improv, Rochester's finest in late-night comedy entertainment. On this blog you'll find:

-Photos from and announcements about our shows.

-Illustrations of futuristic athletic competitions.

-Photos of what the cast members of Geva Comedy Improv do when they're not living the life of fabulous super comedy all-stars at one of our delightfully rambunctious performances.

-Personal gripes and insight into the lives of people you normally would only see on stage.

-Messages from one Improvisor to another. Example: Tim, now that we have THE BEST BLOG IN GREATER ROCHESTER it might be time to make with some more pictures, punk. I would do it, but my computer sucks and you know this.

Who knows what else may get posted?! Visit us often! Remember, we are the most reliable source in western New York for monekys, pirates, and giant robots.

Thanks to City Magazine for this unmatchable honor, and thanks to all our fans who filled out a ballot on our behalf. This is a great week for democracy.
Another Democrat will soon be in city hall
(DISCLAIMER: GCI has no political agenda though we did get a great picture with the mayor-elect a few months ago!) and not only have we been voted BEST BLOG but we were also the RUNNER-UP for BEST LOCAL THEATER PRODUCTION just behind A Chorus Line.

Thanks to all who voted!

-Nellis

Saturday, November 05, 2005

FIASCO -- the LAKE BOAT season -- Starts Monday!

This Monday the 7th GEVA COMEDY IMPROV begins the regular season of FIASCO, their improvised soap opera!!! You'll see all the intrigue, mystery, deceit, passion, and fun of your fancy-pants t.v. "stories," but this time it's made up on the spot!

And the best part is, it's playing for five straight weeks of Mondays. Head out to the Ballroom in the Seymour Student Union at SUNY Brockport and join in the fun! Tickets are $2, $1 with student I.D. The show starts at 9:30 pm!!!

Thanks to Brockport's Student Government and the theatre club Harlequins for helping us put it together...see you Monday!

GCI shows you how to get rid of zombies at brian and mike's halloween party.

enjoying yourself? with a pint in your hand and a cricket bat at your side, the party's your oyster. bring on the board games and slightyly-tipsy revelrousness!
but what's this? ohhh, dear! one of the party's citizenry has decided that you, dear friend, are looking quite tastier than that bowl of alcohol-drenched gummi bears.
those of you less prepared -- say, those dressed as gnomes or yoda -- might fall prey to this creature of the night, this duke of hazard, this evil puppy. but with some quick thinking, and abstainment from the path of panic-strickenry, you can start to beat the shit out of the approaching zombie. remember: go for the head! it's where they're the weakest.
ahhh, raise the roof, indeed! you've destroyed the zombie, saved the party, and have won the praise of those less destructive than you! huzzah, good friend! huzzah! on to those gummi bears!