Belated Post: WEDDING BASH!

One of our very own, BRIAN, has gotten married. Sorry, ladies! Here are some pictures of the hullabaloo after the wedding at the Rochester Museum & Science Center.


Wooly mastadon's can drink like you wouldn't believe.


BRIAN dips the newest member of GCI (by marriage (non-performing member)).


Aww... they even have the same smile.


SWITHIN and EVE are boogyin' down.


Conga line!!! BRIAN, ALEX, SWITHIN, and EVE are followed by people we don't know.


BRIAN doesn't look happy. Nope, not at all.


In classic GCI style, PAUL, BRIAN, and TR rock out to Journey. Rest assured the infamous dance diamond occurred, and all photographic evidence has been destroyed.

Geva Comdy Improv performs, parties

The City Council of the town of Beaverville.

"Listen to reason... you look like a fool in that hat."
(GCI internet archivist can't remember whether TED or BRIAN said this.)

Watch out for that flaming ball of gas, NICK!

BRIAN is welcomed to the Teddy Bear's picnic.

City Council is struck by Harry Potter fever.

Communist Russia did not escape the razor-sharp barbs of GCI wit!

After the show, NICK engaged friends of GCI BORDEN and JED in a rousing game of Guitar Hero.

TED seemed to be confused the whole evening. TR knew how to rock.

BRIAN refused to play nicely with others.

Another successful weekend for the GCI crew... well done team, well done. See you back on the Nextstage August 24th and 25th for SEASON V. And of course, we hope to see all of YOU there too! All new season = new improvised improvised theater!

City Council Trailer

T.R. answers call of the wild; takes a message

TR chooses a path less taken

A little more than a fortnight ago, myself and friend of GCI Borden set out into the wilds of the Adirondacks to engage ourselves in the instigation of a classic Hemingway-esque battle with nature. The charge was a simple one: to begin our epic quest of hiking the 46 highest peaks of the Adirondacks to become full fledged members of the 46’ers. On this our maiden voyage, we would hike 3 peaks in a single day, two such peaks on our hit list (Sawteeth and Gothics) and one ancillary peak in between. Plans were laid out, preparations made, and gear stowed. Fate, however, is a cruel mistress and would soon conspire against us.


BORDEN against the serene and majestic landscape of the 'Dacks

We arrived at 8pm Friday evening, set up camp, engaged the Park Ranger in a dialogue regarding our planned hike (to which he responded with, “Wow…that’s one hell of a hike…make sure you guys get an early start.”) and consumed the delicious culinary stylings of the US Military and their ingenious MRE's(Meals Ready to Eat).


A mysterious orgy of butterflys

On the dawn of the next morrow, we awoke early, ate breakfast and hit the trail. Our journey began with a 4.2 mile hike down a private road before we would even reach the trailhead at the base of lower Ausable lake. Once there, we chose to take the scenic trail to the summit of Sawteeth, a climb which is described in official literature as “difficult and strenuous”.


Difficult and strenuous indeed...

Not 20 minutes into our hike, after navigating nearly continuous steep slopes of 60-70 degrees (see picture above), we reassessed our original plan and decided that we would hike only one mountain this time around…as the trail was unlike any two fairly well traveled New England boyscouts had seen and was by all accounts, “kicking our a**”.


How steep was it? So steep we were forced to use log ladders


Disaster Strikes! We run out of water and BORDEN must purify a mountain stream

Below is an excerpt from my trail journal:

…the jagged and unforgiving terrain of Sawteeth mocks us as we inch toward the summit. Twigs snap and crack beneath our feet in a macabre symphony of wild and unfamiliar percussion. The mighty swell of the wind and the crisp crystalline rush of the enumerable brooks and tributaries seem to taunt us; “You are weak” they say, “You will find no solace amongst the slippery moss-punctuated rock face, nor compassion in the birch grove nor sanctuary amidst the needles of pine. You are abandoned and alone and shall perish upon this mount, ye men of hubris.” Indeed, perhaps we will, and yet still, we climb on, we climb on…


TR heroically wrestles a 600 lb black bear with his bare hands and saves a local girl scout troop while BORDEN runs off into the woods screaming

All told, we hiked a total of 14 miles and ascended 4100 feet to the summit.


BORDEN and TR perch proudly upon the summit of Sawteeth after narrowly escaping death

Exhausted, blistered and drenched with the saltine sweat of a mountain adventure, we exited the wilderness and returned to base camp where we promptly grilled meats, drank deeply of the lagers and ales of the region and passed out by the warm glow of a crackling campfire. I recall the stars being particularly clear that eve, slyly winking at us like so many prescient eyes who knew the secrets of the day; In this timeless battle of man vs. nature, man won…barely.

GCI Exclusive Undercover Report

Shocking new footage reveals seedy underbelly of Geva Comedy Improv!

Recently obtained hidden camera footage from an unknown source details the insidious and ruthless inner workings of Geva Comedy Improv. For the sake of humanity and in the interest of bringing this villainy to light, we have posted the video below.

WARNING: What you are about to view is very disturbing and should not be seen by anyone under the age of 17 or over the age of 35 (our target demographic), or by anyone with any kind of health condition, people who are easily frightened or upset or anyone with dry skin or complications resulting from dry skin or a dry skin-like condition.

Click To Play

To the guy passed out in the doorwell of the Parkleigh

Dude, what's up? What were you doing? We tried to get you to come party with us, but I guess you were too passed out. Anyways man, hope you had a good night and found your way home. I wonder where you were coming from? I wonder what your name is? I wonder if we will ever meet again? Hit us up sometime, we'll totally party.

Urinetown invades GCI!

Now, we all know you should have been at Geva Comedy Improv last night. Maybe you had a valid excuse - racing in the Criterium, in the emergency room after having been run over by the Criterium - something like that. Regardless of why you may have been absent, you missed a spectacular event that has never before been seen at Geva Comedy Improv: a bum-rushing by the cast of Urinetown! Check the GCI main page soon for more photos. And don't miss the next shows on July 20 and 21!

Contranella Plays Kibourn Hall

Many of you are undoubtable saddened by the news that GCI castmember CHARLEY BELLER is moving to baltimore at the end of July. You may even have noticed that this coming weekend of shows is his last performance on Geva Theatre Center's NextStage.

Well make your hearts gladdened, because you can see him perform music with his remarkably talented wife and father-in-law this Wednesday at Kilbourn Hall! And it's Free!

Contranella is
MEGAN BELLER on fiddle
JOHN WOBUS on piano
CHARLEY BELLER on banjo, mandolin, and percussion.

Kilbourn Hall is part of the Eastman School of Music and is located at:
26 Gibbs Street
Rochester, NY 14607

The Concert is next Wednesday, June 27 at 7:30pm
bring your friends, bring your family.
and there will be a couple of Irish Dancers from Drumcliffe.

The Ugly Stuff

For your enjoyment, the first half of our improvised Western Movie, "The Ugly Stuff" is revisited here in graphic novel form. Click on the image below and have fun. The conclusion of "The Ugly Stuff" will be coming soon in a video! Hope you have as much fun looking at the images as I did putting them together.

-Nellis

Geva Comedy Improv bids farewell to Tim Goodwin

GCI’s legendary leader, Tim Goodwin, waves to the crowd after his final show

Last month, GCI’s Administrator TIM GOODWIN performed his final show with us before packing up all his worldly possessions and setting course for Lake George, NY where he was cast in a production of Bruce Jordan’s “Shear Madness”. Sources close to Tim indicate that upon completion of the run of the show, he will relocate to New York City where he will “Make a go of it” and “possibly buy a wristwatch in China Town”.

A very talented actor and one hell of an improviser, Tim has been described by his closest friends as “charming, witty and an all around ok guy to hang out with sometimes, but not too often because it gets old pretty fast”. Tim’s presence has graced Geva Theatre Center and the Nextstage since the origins of Geva Comedy Improv and he will most assuredly be missed by those who knew him the least and missed slightly less by those who knew him the most. A great friend and Administrator of all things Improv, GCI conspired behind his back to put together this surprise farewell video which we showed at the end of his last performance:



Fare thee well Tim Goodwin and know that Wher’er the wind gusts North by East, so too lies the iron kettle and woolen blankets of yore; it is there you shall find us, and forever welcome you will be. Bon Voyage, sweet prince, and may you dream a dream of butterscotch and pennywhistles till the very end of days.

GEVA COMEDY IMPROV THIS WEEKEND

Greetings blog lurkers! Check it out. We at GCI are having a 4x theatresports tournament this weekend! It's going to be crazy amounts of fun. Keep checking the blog for more updates!
Remember tickets are only $7 and there is $2 Labatt Blue specials all night long. Also, it's bound to be one of the most memorable and brilliant nights of theatrical comedy you have ever seen!

Coming soon, The Ugly Stuff comic!

Geva Comedy Improv rubs elbows with Rochester's Social Elite

Brother Wease calls PAUL NELLIS and TED Hebrews. They were confused.



Mayor Duffy authorizes the GCI initiative.



The GCI crew shares a few laughs with WHAM 1180's Nick Francesco!





TR enjoys a flute of champagne.

Shows this Friday and Saturday, and Saturday?

This message posted by GCI staff writer
Nancy "Knucklebones" McPhee
pictured to the left.


That's right folks, it turns out the shows on May 25 and 26 aren't so far away after all. And this week we have a

Bonus Theatre Sports show at 8:00pm on Saturday!

The lineup:

Friday Night Theatre Sports
Host: TR
Judge: NICK
Team 1: JOSH, BRIAN, BEKI, SWITHUN
Team 2: PAUL, TIM G, CHARLEY

Saturday Night Theatre Sports (8pm!)
Host: TED
Judge: PAUL
Team 1: EVE, BRIAN, TR
Team 2: NICK, CHARLEY, SWITHUN

And at 10:30 on Saturday night be sure to join us for our

Improvised Western Movie

Most ably directed by our very own gunslinger PAUL NELLIS (portrait below)

Memorial Day is so Far Away

By Charley



And so are the Geva Comedy Improv Shows on May 25 & 26. But don't worry, for one night only Geva Comedy Improv is performing at Rochester's own Memorial Art Gallery. Located just minutes from downtown rochester in the scenic and historic ArtWalk district on University Avenue, the Memorial Art Gallery will play host to a rousing night of Theatre Sports, for which I in turn will play host.
Watch
BRIAN, PAUL and NICK
face off against
SWITHUN, JOHN and T.R.

with the Honorable EVE sitting in Judgment.

WHEN:
Tonight Monday 5/21 at 7pm

WHERE:
The Memorial Art Gallery
500 University Avenue
Rochester, New York 14607-1415
Telephone: (585) 473-7720
maginfo@mag.rochester.edu

HOW MUCH:

Absolutely Free!

we'll see you there.

Destination Detox: Prologue

T.R. rips the flesh off of a pig rib in anticipation of the Detox Diet

Part II – Preparations and the Long Road Home

Prior to embarking upon my two week odyssey, I engaged myself in a behavior psychologists call “disinhibited restrained eating” (in layman’s terms, this simply means that knowing I was about to go on this detox diet, I made it my mission to consume as much unhealthy food as possible). As luck would have it, while attending one of several BBQ’s this past weekend, I attempted to explain my gluttonous and grotesque behavior to those in attendance and was reminded that one of my associates present at said BBQ (Mary L.) was a “Dietician in training”. (I also learned that “Dietician” is a legally protected term while “Nutritionist” can be used by any whacko who can fog a mirror, so she’s the real deal). I quickly conscripted her services and she set to work to review the overview of my detox diet, and agreed to advise and consult for the remainder of the experiment. How legit is she, you ask? Mary suggested I get my blood analyzed by a lab for a before and after comparison so that we could have some hard data on the efficacy of the diet. I respectfully declined, however, do to a desire to retain my vital fluids and approximately $140.00 in lab fees, (which I felt would best be put to use buying a really nice bottle of Single Malt Scotch after this ordeal is over). Nonetheless, I have finally done what friends, family and colleagues have been urging me to do for years; I got some professional help.

Now backed by the experience, knowledge and expertise of Mary, I set out to Wegmans in search of healthy detox foods. After concentrating my search in the organic and produce sections, I emerged victorious despite a brief temptation when walking past the meat case when a chorus of bratwurst, burgers and pork butts tried to ensnare me in their Siren call. In consideration for the detox experience and a future trip to meet my adventuring associate Randy (trail name: Snakecharmer) on the Appalachian Trail later this summer, I thought it would be a good idea to walk to Wegmans (1.5 miles) and carry my groceries back under my own steam. After all, this is only a bad idea if one were to buy 80 pounds worth of food, (which I did). Luckily, I had the foresight to bring my back pack, which proved to be invaluable in the transport, but I nonetheless found myself considering what food items were absolutely essential and which I could leave along the sidewalk. In the later stages of the walk home, I also partly wished I would get hit by a car, so at least I could get a ride in an ambulance…Thankfully, no such disaster occurred and I was able to muscle the whole of my bountiful harvest back to Detox Headquarters, where I summarily collapsed.

Sore, with muscle fatigue and a moderate case of lactic acidosis, my thoughts turned to Lewis and Clark, for I imagine they too wanted to stop and return home before their journey had even begun…

Want to see something sweet?

By Charley


This weekend is Capoeira Mandinga of Rochester's
Batizado e Troca de Cordoes.

What this presents is a prime opportunity for you the reader to witness me, Charley Beller, get destroyed by someone much better at Capoeira than I am. Better than that you get to see Mestre Marcelo the man whose body and movements were digitized into Eddy Gordo.

An awesome time will be had by all, and it only costs $12 dollars at the door.

The door, by the way is that of Bush Mango Drum and Dance Studio located at 34 Elton Street, Rochester, NY 14607.
And you should be there a little before 4pm on Saturday May 19


Mestre Marcelo and Baz in a street Roda

Destination Detox: The First in a Multi-part Series

By T.R.
(Resident Toxic Avenger)

Part I – The Decision

Last week, whilst horizontal on my couch and flipping through 900 channels of digital escapism, I happened upon the latter half of Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 Documentary, “Super-size Me”. I had never seen it before, nor have I since seen the film in its entirety, but there is a scene toward the end of the film where Mr. Spurlock’s nutritionist outlines a “Detox Diet” to rid his body of the harmful effects of a month’s worth of McToxins.

It was this scene and a recent conversation with GCI Alum Beki Gibney (where she recounted to me the events following Mookie’s wedding when I basically danced a giant gaping hole into the dance floor at the reception and then proceeded to suck wind and convulse in a horrid fit of coughing befitting one in the later stages of tuberculosis) along with the following modified food pyramid depiction of my own diet (see above) which ultimately prompted me to embark upon a similar “Detox Diet”.

After taking a brief “Toxicity Quiz” online (which I scored an impressive 70%...meaning either I am 70% toxic or there is a 70% need for me to detox, the actual representation of the score was unclear), I took to the internets to learn how to construct a “Detox Diet”. In the interest of brevity, I shall omit the details of my research (a good overview can be found here: The Detox Diet) and get right down to the meat and potatoes (err…flaxseed and kale) of the matter:

DECLARATION OF DETOXIFYING
"Be it hereby duly noted and stated that in deference to the 30% of my body that is apparently healthy, I shall engage myself in the pursuit of a “Detox Diet” for a period of two-weeks, and chart my progress on this blog for the good of the land, the good of the people, and many generations of Toxic Warriors yet to come."

There are some who say that I’m being rash and foolish, but those people don’t know that this past Tuesday I had an ice cream sundae for dinner and then consumed an undisclosed number of beers for dessert. The time is now! I shall purge the toxins from my Earthly frame and reclaim this human husk so that it may be a shining beacon of healthy. I dream a dream of a day when I walk down the street and crowds of well-wishers and lookers-on gather in awestruck wonder and comment in jubilant tone as to just how incredibly non-toxic I am.

The Detox begins Monday, May 14th 2007; 203 years to the day that The Lewis and Clark Expedition departed Camp Dubois to begin their historic journey - so too go I.

Why did no one tell me?

by Charley

acceptible.tv is the best thing VH1 has ever done. In the words of This American Life host Ira Glass:
"I was invited to play a prison gang member in a cartoon. Oh, sure, I winced at the typecasting, but it seemed like it'd be fun, so I did it. I like Acceptable.TV, though it seems to be the worst-publicized show in the history of television. I have yet to meet anyone who's ever seen it or even heard of it. The surprisingly enjoyable premise of the show is that each week, they present five 'TV pilots,' and we in the audience vote for which ones we want to see again. Then the next week, two winners return with new episodes."

To prove how good it is I've embedded one of the most recent pilots below:

Hear Charley Play Music - Thursday 5/10 8pm-11

With no Geva Comedy Improv performances scheduled for this Thursday many fans of high quality interactive performance will be left with no where to turn. Not those fans who read this blog though. They will know that they can go to the
Contradance at the
Covenant United Methodist Church,
1124 Culver Road
There you can listen and dance to Contranella a band in which Charley plays percussion (and banjo and mandolin), Megan Beller (Charley's beautiful wife) plays a wicked fiddle, and John Wobus (Megan's dad) plays rock solid piano.
What is Contradancing you might ask? for an answer click the fish.


If you just need to know more about when and where else Charley performs go to his website.

Accidental mispronunciation yields delicious Culinary Treat

By T.R.
(GCI PRESS WRITER)

ROCHESTER, New York (GCI) -- A local man has found unexpected success in the most unlikely of ways; by means of verbal incompetence. While leaving a voicemail for his sister, Irwin Whelpley failed to correctly enunciate classic Spanish dialect in a well-wishing message and instead wished his sibling a “Happy Cinco de May-o”.

“As soon as I said it, I knew it wasn’t right, cuz I heard other people say it different on TV and stuff.”, said Whelpley.

“And then I was like, Cinco de May-o, that’s like a delicious five-mayonnaise blend and that’s when I knew I really had something…ya know?”

Whelpley immediately set to work to develop his new culinary innovation, but was summarily met with a glaring revelation:

“I was like, wait a minute, are there even five different kinds of mayonnaise? I mean, sure there are five different brands, but there are really only two kinds; regular and light.”

Whelpley then turned to the internet for help, and what he discovered there shocked him.

“It wasn’t even invented here! French guys cooked it up!”

Admittedly untrained in culinary arts or any food related field, Whelpley knew he was in over his head and enlisted the help of his friend and neighbor, Bernie Morelan.

“Bernie works the grill at a local diner, plus he eats lots of stuff so I thought he would be a good person to help out with it.”

Three weeks later, the duo had concocted their first batch of “Cinco De MAY-O” and began to market the product to nearby restaurants and supermarkets. Less than a day after the condiment first appeared on local shelves, production was momentarily halted after a cursory inspection from the FDA.

“The government guy said we couldn’t use Bernie’s basement anymore and had to move the business to someplace cleaner, so then we started using the kitchen instead. I didn’t really see what the big deal was, but I think it has to do with the fact that the basement is where Bernie does his laundry. Plus he has chinchillas.”

Recent controversy has risen over the fact that Whelpley and Morelan attribute the bulk of their product research and development to the internet website “Wikipedia”. Sources at Wikipedia confirmed late Monday that the article on mayonnaise has been flagged for “issues of neutrality” and a “lack of academic citation”. Despite the naysayers, the two stand proudly defiant and continue to defend the merits of their creation.

“Just taste it and shut up about it already. It goes great on everything, especially pancakes.”, said Morelan.

For now, the two seem content with maintaining a small, local operation but when asked about the possibility of nationwide distribution, Whelpley responded:

“If people read this and want to try some, we can mail it to them. You can mail all kinds of stuff in boxes, why not Mayonnaise?” --