Category: Calendar

Silverbacks Improv to hold Open Audition for New Members

Silverbacks Improv Theatre will hold an audition to scout for potential new cast members on August 28 at 6pm at the Omni Center – 227 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501. The improvisational comedy ensemble has been together since April 2012. This is the only the second time the popular ensemble has held an audition. Ensemble member Sarah Mikayla Brown had this to say regarding the audition: “We receive frequent inquiries about auditions – I hope to get the word out about this rare audition to anyone who would be interested!”
The Silverbacks are seeking experienced and/or trained improvisers to join the ensemble, though inexperienced improvisers are certainly welcome to attend the audition as well. The group rehearses twice a month on Wednesdays, with shows at least twice a month. Interested auditionees are urged to consider the commitment involved with being a member of Silverbacks. “We are seeking members who will make Silverbacks their artistic home in Improv,” notes Steve Benelli, Artistic Director of Silverbacks Improv.

Requirements to audition: 18+ only. Headshots and resumes are welcome, but not required. Please dress for movement. The audition will consist of improvisational games and exercises. Please be prepared to stay for the duration, 6-8pm.

A Wet Hot American Summer? We’ve got a SuperCollider for that.

Come to the 2nd Stage at Cité des Arts on Friday, June 14th, at 8:30pm, for SuperCollider! Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

This month, we welcome Fly Wheel to the SuperCollider Stage for the first time since completing their Silverbacks’ Improv Level 3 session. We’re also excited to have The Weaning Process and The Family Dinner back on the Second Stage. To make a special night even more entertaining, the show will be hosted by the hilarious Ross Rushing!

Tickets are $10.

SuperCollider is May 10th!

Come to the 2nd Stage at Cité des Arts on Friday, May 10th, at 8:30pm, for SuperCollider: Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

Featuring Improv by:
Marvelous Misfits (Lafayette, LA)
The OverEducated (Baton Rouge & Lafayette, LA)
and Ghost Balloon (Houston, TX).

Hosted by your favorite comic’s favorite comic: Mike Honore.

Tickets are $10, and are available online at silverbacks-improv-theatre.square.site

Improv Rumble 2024!

Silverbacks Improv Theatre Presents: Improv Rumble 2024!
Saturday, March 2, 2024 at Wonderland Performing Arts

Tickets are available at the door, beginning at 6:30pm.

Improv Rumble pits teams of improvisers against one another in an all-out brawl. Everything’s made up, but YOUR VOTES REALLY COUNT. Who will go home the victor? The answer depends on YOU. Audience members vote on their favorite performances to determine a team winner. Voting takes place via interactive fun with the audience’s cell phones. Most shows ask you to turn off your phone – at this show, you’re be encouraged to wield your cell’s power!

This show features improv comedy performers from across South Louisiana. Improv Rumble is sure to be full of high energy, big laughs, and friendly sportsmanship.

Tickets are $18.

Photos by Gwen Aucoin
Photos by Gwen Aucoin
Photos by Gwen Aucoin
Photos by Gwen Aucoin
Photos by Gwen Aucoin
Photos by Gwen Aucoin
Photos by Gwen Aucoin
Photos by Gwen Aucoin
Photos by Gwen Aucoin

New Year, New SuperCollider!

Happy New Year! SuperCollider is back to bring you a hearty helping of Local Improv!

Come to the 2nd Stage at Cité des Arts on Friday, January 12th, at 8:30pm, for SuperCollider: Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

Hosted by the incomparable Maggie Shipley, with improv by Marvelous Misfits, Lonelycrowd, and The Weaning Pprocess!

Tickets are $10, and are available online at silverbacks-improv-theatre.square.site

Improv: Level 2 Registration is Open!

Improv Level 2, taught by Elaine Kibodeaux Paramore (Assistant Instructor TBA).
8 Saturdays, January 13-March 9 (with a break for Mardi Gras) from 10am-Noon at Cite des Arts.
Class size: 6 students minimum; 12 students maximum.
$200 for 8 days of class.
Register online at https://silverbacks-improv-theatre.square.site/

Elaine Kibodeaux Paramore has been acting for 26 years and improvising for 22. She is a founding member of Silverbacks Improv Theatre, having just finished her term as the 2022-2023 Artistic Director. She is a proud Cult of the Stage Monkey (UL-Lafayette) Alumna (’01-’08) and has studied and performed improv in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Elaine began teaching Improv Fundamentals for Beginners in 2009 and has since added Improv Acting Techniques for Dancers and Movement for the Actor to her instruction repertoire. She is a belly dancer with Habibi Hips and Bal Amira, celebrating 16 at Oasis Bellydance Studio, where she leads a Bellydance Fit class and instructs new dancers in Bellydance Basics. She regularly uses her improv and acting experience to enhance her stage presence when dancing. She can also be found on your favorite podcast app, alongside her creative partner, Mads Manuel, on Storybroke: Miserably Ever After, returning in 2024.

Improv Breakfast Jam – Coming Right Up!

Are you improv-curious? Come see what all the fuss is about.
Taken classes? Come practice the skills you’ve learned.
Like donuts & coffee? Come and get it!

Silverbacks Improv Theatre is hosting an Improv Breakfast Jam to play improv games and hang out with other cool people. It will be a mixer with a fun, relaxed atmosphere. You can participate at your comfort level, including being in the audience.

Join us on Saturday, December 2nd at 10am (until noon) at Cite des Arts.
You bring yourself, we’ll bring the donuts (and coffee).

SuperCollider is Back from Summer Vacation!

Come to the 2nd Stage at Cité des Arts on Friday, September 8th, at 8:30pm for SuperCollider: Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

Hosted by Baton Rouge’s Brett Duggan, with improv by Silverbacks Improv Theatre, The Plural Noun, and Tempo Tantrums (Musical Improv)!

All this and Tickets are STILL only $10.

Grab your tickets HERE!

Improv: Level 1, coming your way!

Improv 1 with Aren Chaisson & Claudia Mijares

Improv Comedy Classes starting October 14 with Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

Quick Details:
Improv 1 – A Silverbacks Improv Class (Teachers: Aren Chaisson and Claudia Mijares)
Dates: Saturdays, 10am-12pm: Oct 14, 21, 28, Nov 4, 11, 18
Time: 10am-12pm CST
Where: Cité des Arts
Ages: 16+
Cost: $150 – financial assistance is available*
Click Here to Register Online!

Students may also message the Silverbacks Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/SilverbacksImprov, or email with questions at silverbacksimprov@gmail.com.

Since 2015, Silverbacks Improv Theatre has offered Improv classes in Lafayette. As a result, the improv scene has blossomed and continues to grow. A new round of classes is starting on October 14 with Improv 1. This six week course is designed for the complete novice to improv and/or performing arts. Teachers focus on creating a friendly environment for even the most demure wall flower to be able to participate. Improv is excellent for growing skills in communication, team work, and public speaking. Students will be eligible to progress to Improv 2 and 3 following this course, should they choose to continue studying.

* Silverbacks believe that the price should not be a barrier for the study of improv, and will not turn away any students for lack of a traditional fee. Payment plans, scholarships, and barters are all available. Email us at silverbacksimprov@gmail.com to inquire about financial assistance.

Teacher Bio:
Aren Chaisson is an actor and improvisor with over25 years of experience on stage. He is from Lafayette, Louisiana and teaches Talented Theatre in Lafayette Parish.
His most recent performance was as Franklin Hart Jr. in The Looking Glass production of 9 to 5.
Aren has performed in many productions, including Max Bialystock in The Producers, Bill in Mamma Mia, John Proctor in The Crucible, Jud in Oklahoma! Huey P. Long in The Kingfish, Dale Pittman in The North Plan, Harry “Jazzbo” Haywood in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Lenny in Of Mice and Men, Foreman in Twelve Angry Men, Officer Lockstock in Urinetown and William Shakespeare in William and Judith.
He studied improv with Armando Diaz and Elana Fishbein at the Magnet Theatre in NYC.

Claudia Mijares has been improvising since 2016, and has performed regularly with several Lafayette troupes, including The Weaning Process, Ragtag, The Plural Noun, Your Spooky Friends, and Silverbacks Improv Theatre.

June 9th SuperCollider is a BIG DEAL

Come to the 2nd Stage at Cité des Arts on Friday, June 9th, at 8:30pm for SuperCollider: Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

Hosted by Charles-Thomas Vidrine and with improv by RagTag (Lafayette), The Family Dinner (Baton Rouge), Ghost Balloon (Houston), and a very special showcase by our latest batch of Improv Level Three students!

All this and Tickets are STILL only $10.