Silverbacks Improv Presents: Lafayette Famous w/ Rob Kirkpatrick on Friday, October 26th!

Silverbacks Improv Theatre‘s “Lafayette Famous” features a mix of improvisation and storytelling. In this format, a local celebrity prepares 3 true stories from their life. The improvisers create scenes based on themes from the stories, bringing performers and audience alike on a humorous journ

ey. This month, we are excited to welcome Rob Kirkpatrick to the Lafayette Famous stage!

Rob Kirkpatrick isn’t originally from Lafayette, but he likes to say he got here as quickly as he could. He hosts Acadiana’s Morning News weekday mornings on NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL. It may surprise you that someone who reports news doesn’t take himself too seriously. Rob says it takes a sense of humor to handle everything that comes across his desk in the KPEL newsroom every day. Rob first started in radio while studying at UL-Lafayette. His first TV job was working alongside the KATC’s “BIG THREE” Marcelle Fontenot, Jim Hummel and Rob Perillo. In 2010, he took his show on the road and set out for roles in national newsrooms at FOX in Dallas and CNN in Atlanta. He grew up in Mandeville, and made the best decision of his life turning down LSU for the Mass Communication program at UL-Lafayette. Rob’s smile is infectious at the Townsquare Media Studios in Lafayette, where he has proven himself to be a force both on-air and behind the scenes when working for clients. Rob Kirkpatrick is married to Sarah and has two daughters.

Join us for Lafayette Famous at The Omni Center on Friday, October 26th at 7:30pm! Tickets are $10 at the door ($8 with ID for Students, Teachers, and Seniors!)

SuperCollider Improv Showcase – October 12, 2018

Join us on Friday, October 12th at 7:30pm at The Omni Center for SuperCollider: Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

This October, our featured performance troupes are

  • The Leather Apron Theatre Co. (LATCo.) is a non-profit comedy theatre collective from Baton Rouge. LATCo. specializes in long form improv comedy and prides itself on constantly pushing the envelope and experimenting with forms, promising for a unique and personal experience for every audience. This Friday, LATCo will present CAROUSEL: a completely improvised ensemble show consisting of character interviews, monologues, and scenes based off of an audience’s suggestion.
  • Tempo Tantrums Musical Improv are Lafayette’s first and only improv team dedicated solely to the art of short form & long form musical improv, made up of a cast of musical improv enthusiasts from the Lafayette and Baton Rouge improv communities.
  • Your Spooky Friends are Lafayette’s all-new Improvised Horror Troupe, creating improvised horror shows in the style of classic serialized horror shows like The Outer Limits, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and the Twilight Zone.

 

Tickets are $10*
*($8 for Students, Teachers, and Seniors (60+). ID is required for discount)

Silverbacks Present: The 90s Sitcom!

We’re throwing it waaaaay back to The 90s!

Friday, September 28th, 7:30pm @ The Omni Center
$10* general admission
*($8 with ID for Students, Teachers, and Seniors!)

On Friday, September 28th at 7:30pm, Silverbacks Improv Theatre will revisit its popular “90s Sitcom” format. The group will improvise a one-act play inspired by classic 90s television shows, such as Full House, Family Matters, Home Improvement and more. 

You could call it: Step by Step Family Improvement Full of Ties in the Wonder Years when a Boy Meets World – “A 90s Sitcom” – Featuring MONIQUE (not that Monique). 

Costumed in their best 90’s apparel, the performers will embrace the golden age of family sitcoms (or the lowest sitcoms of all time, depending on your perspective). Family hi-jinks, wacky neighbors, precocious kids, blended families, and coming of age – all are ripe for the picking at this one-time-only improvised event.

September’s SuperCollider Lineup!

Join us on Friday, September 14th at 7:30pm at The Omni Center for SuperCollider: Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

The September 14th SuperCollider will feature:

  • The Plural Noun – Miraculously emerging from improv classes, perhaps driven by their collaborative Gen X Millennial angst, The Plural Nountakes an innovative approach to traditional improv games and scene structures. In the words of one Noun, “we like to break things and tape them back together, like our combat boots.”
  • Rag Tag – Girls, Girls, Girls……. doing improv. Rag Tag is an all female improv troupe bringing you high energy free form improv.  “They’re hysterical and actually funny” said one testosterone filled man. Rag Tag’s performances are as rare as a phoenix rising from the ashes in the sun, but when it happens it’s majestic. Fully dressed and still entertaining!
  • The Family Dinner (Baton Rouge) – Performing for 15 years, The Family Dinner out of Baton Rouge is known for their energy-loaded and physical improv. They excel at impossibly hard guessing games and musical games. They perform regularly at the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge to full houses.
See all three troupes for the price of one! Only $10 for a night full of fun.
The September 14th show starts at 7:30pm at The Omni Center!

Improv: Level One IS BACK!

DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE –

Local Improv Comedy Troupe, Silverbacks Improv Theatre, will begin another round of improv classes starting in September. Silverbacks began offering improv classes in the summer of 2015, and has had great success and fun with their students. Improv troupes Weaning Process and The Plural Noun even found their beginnings in Silverbacks improv classes.

The Silverbacks will begin by offering Improv 1. Students will then have the option to continue to Improv 2 or 3 if they choose.

IMPROV LEVEL ONE is an entry-level course to the joys and thrills of improvisation, or improv. Students will learn and practice the application of “group mind” and the all-important “yes, and” – and other improv concepts and vocabulary. Students will practice new skills, perform and play in a safe, low-stakes and friendly atmosphere.

LEVEL ONE is perfect for the super fan of comedy or improv who has yet to perform, the curious introvert wanting to try something new or someone looking to improve their public speaking or quick decision making skills. At the conclusion, you can move on to Level Two or continue to take LEVEL ONE again – as many times as you’d like. You’re sure to get something new out of it each time!

Level One students will also have the perk of free entry to all Silverbacks improv shows while they are taking classes

Still on the fence? Hear from a former student!

“Silverbacks Improv Theatre classes were a great experience. I felt like I was in a slump, and these classes lifted me up. I made friends, gained confidence, and had the opportunity to play. The teachers miraculously offer a relaxed yet rigorous environment where challenge is welcome, but never judgment.” -Leslie Tidwell

Improv 1 – A Silverbacks Improv Class (Teacher Aren Chaisson)
Dates: Saturdays, Sept 8 – Oct 6th, 2018
Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm
Ages: 16+
Cost: $100
Where: The Omni Center, 227 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501

Online registration and payment is available at: https://squareup.com/store/silverbacks-improv-theatre

Or send a Private Message to the Silverbacks Improv Theatre Facebook page or by calling 337-205-2129

Aren Chaisson III is a Rosie Award winning actor from Lafayette, Louisiana. He is a Talented Theatre teacher in Iberia Parish. He studied improv with Armando Diaz at the Magnet Theatre in NYC. Before that, he was a founding member of Hubbub Improv Troupe in Lafayette. Aren graduated from University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a BFA in Performing Arts. He studied commercial acting with Sean Bradley at The Green Room in Chicago and worked with Bill Coelius to being his commercial acting class to Lafayette.

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.

SuperCollider – August!

Join us on Friday, August 17 at 7:30pm at The Omni Center for SuperCollider: Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

Tickets are $10

This month’s SuperCollider! will feature:

Two for the Road –
“Two for the Road” crafts gripping improv centered on honest and powerful relationships. Lafayette-based improvisers Sarah Mikayla Brown and Nico Zaunbrecher fully embrace the duo dynamic, shaping stories built not from wacky situations and snappy witticisms, but around the always transforming space between “I” and “thou”.

The Weaning Process  –
The Weaning Process has been performing in Lafayette for about a year. They have a monthly Artwalk show at Cité des Arts and also perform at local comedy open mics.

Silverbacks Improv Theatre –
You know them and love them! Operating in Lafayette since 2012, Silverbacks Improv mixes special improvised brews for audiences across the U.S.

 

Silverbacks Improv Theatre to Perform July 25

On Wednesday July 25, Silverbacks Improv Theatre will present a show featuring their signature improvisations – a blend of short, high-energy games followed by a one-act improvised play. Patrons can also enjoy the Omni Center art market and bar!

Silverbacks Improv Theatre Wednesday, July 25
Show begins at 7:30
The Omni Center – 227 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501
$10 Tickets

Tickets available at the Door

Silverbacks Present: SuperCollider – Acadiana’s Improv Showcase!

Join us on Friday, May 18 at 7:30pm at The Omni Center for SuperCollider: Acadiana’s Improv Showcase brought to you by Silverbacks Improv Theatre!

Tickets are $10

This May, SuperCollider will Feature:
Silverbacks Improv Theatre,
Ragtag (Lafayette’s All-Estrogen Improv Troupe),
And
The Family Dinner from Baton Rouge!

Improv Summer Camp for Kids and Teens!

 

Silverbacks Improv Theatre will be offering Summer Improv Camps for Kids and Teens this summer. While working as an ensemble, participants will learn basic improvisational theatre fundamentals, including making their own sets and props out of thin air, developing detailed characters from scratch in an instant, and channelling their spontaneity to create intricate stories without the use of scripts. Participants will showcase the lessons they’ve learned in a final showcase for friends and family on the last day of camp!

Silverbacks Summer camps create a family feeling with their small class sizes. There will be two teachers for a group of 10-15 students, which creates the opportunity for teachers to provide detailed individual instruction, and for all students to bond as a group. The Silverbacks teachers strive to create a lighthearted atmosphere for students to have fun while learning improv and making new friends.

KIDS CAMP – Lead Teacher, Sarah Mikayla Brown
Schedule: 5 weekdays
Kids: June 4-8, 9:00am-4:00 p.m.
Daily Class Length: 6 hours of instruction with a 1 hour lunch break/per day
Where: The Omni Center – 227 Jefferson Street, Lafayette, La 70501
Class size: 10 students minimum
Tuition: $200/participant

This summer at The Omni Center, Silverbacks Improv Theatre will host a Kids’ Improv Camp, for children entering 3rd through 6th grade, during the week of June 4-8, 2018.

The camps will take place from 9:00am-4:00pm. Parents may drop off their children as early as 8:00am, and pick-up will last until 5:00pm. Participants are responsible for bringing their own lunches. Student also have the option of walking to lunch at nearby downtown locations (Dat Dog, Dwyers’s). We will provide a chaperone for students going out for lunch. Registration is $200 per participant. Sign up visiting Eventbrite: Kids Improv Camp on Eventbrite

TEEN CAMP – Lead Teacher, Monique Morton Derouselle
Schedule: 5 weekdays
Teens: June 11-15, 9:00am-4:00 p.m.
Daily Class Length: 6 hours of instruction with a 1 hour lunch break/per day
Where: The Omni Center, 227 Jefferson Street, Lafayette, LA 70501
Class size: 10 students minimum
Tuition: $200/participant

This summer at The Omni Center, Silverbacks Improv Theatre will host a Teen Improv Camp, for children entering 7th through 12th grade, during the week of June 11-15, 2018.
The camps will take place from 9:00am-4:00pm. Parents may drop off their children as early as 8:00am, and pick-up will last until 5:00pm. Participants are responsible for bringing their own lunches. Student also have the option of walking to lunch at nearby downtown locations (Dat Dog, Dwyers’s). We will provide a chaperone for students going out for lunch. Registration is $200 per participant. Sign up visiting Eventbrite: Teen Improv Camp Eventbrite , or if you have additional questions, please contact silverbacksimprov@gmail.com.