comedy - The Austinot

My Favorite Moments Covering SXSW Comedy 2017

March 24, 2017 by Ashley Alkek Leave a Comment

Comedians and comedy fans alike worked hard to make SXSW 2017 memorable. It paid off because nearly all the comedy events were PACKED. In fact, you could hear the hearts breaking among those who didn’t make it in, after waiting an hour or more to see a show.

My main objective this year, while covering SXSW Comedy for The Austinot, was to witness raw, unadulterated comedy. I did just that, and the experience was electric. In case you missed the events this year, these were my favorite moments–a glimpse into what SXSW Comedy 2017 was all about. [Read more…]

The Evolution of SXSW Comedy

March 14, 2017 by Ashley Alkek Leave a Comment

Jenny Slate performing at SXSW (Credit: Rebecca Adler via Flickr CC)

In my opinion, comedians are the new rockstars of SXSW. It’s about time, since SXSW Comedy is celebrating its tenth edition during the multi-track festival. Over the past 10 years, SXSW has showcased the comedy industry’s influential and up-and-coming comics.

There were amazing comedians around in 1987 when SXSW started, but it wasn’t considered a necessity at a festival that put its primary focus on music. Back then, the organizers considered SXSW to be a regional event. They expected around 150 people to attend, but over 700 showed up.

Let’s take a quick journey back in time, to examine how comedy came to be an undeniable part of SXSW. [Read more…]

How to Get the Most Out of SXSW Comedy 2017

March 10, 2017 by Ashley Alkek Leave a Comment

Writer and actor Andres du Bouchet, known for his work on Conan, talks comedy at SXSW
(Credit: CleftClips via Flickr CC)

Welcome to your unofficial “how to” guide for getting the most out of SXSW Comedy 2017. The first thing you need to do is drop all expectations because, with comedy, ANYTHING can happen. Yes, there are scheduled events all week long. Yes, there are big names in comedy who will be performing. Yes, you may need a badge or wristband to attend some of the events. And yes, you can catch local comedians doing their thing, as well.

SXSW Comedy showcases officially kick off on March 10, 2017 at 8 p.m. and run until 2 a.m. on March 18, 2017. If you’re interested in catching some of the shows, I suggest you take a look at the lineup.

Now to answer a few questions you may have about how to maximize your SXSW Comedy experience. [Read more…]

Missed Connections Ads on Craigslist Inspire Local Improv Troupe

March 8, 2017 by Ashley Alkek Leave a Comment

A troupe member reading a missed connection post from Craiglist at Missed Connections ATX (Credit: Wright Sulek)

Austin improv is thriving, as is the city’s dating scene. If you put the two together, you get one hell of a improv comedy show called Missed Connections ATX, at ColdTowne Theater. If you aren’t familiar with the term, I urge you to take a look at your local Missed Connections section on Craigslist. It’s used as a type of personal advertisement, posted and sent into the abyss after two people meet (or not), but are too shy (or not) to exchange contact details. This is comical, sometimes heart-wrenching stuff.

The brilliance of Missed Connections ATX is the way the improv group takes these online gems and runs with them in the most hilarious and creative ways. The event is lovingly described as, “an improvised show about lovesick Austinites seeking a second chance at romance online.” If you aren’t intrigued yet, keep reading.

Missed Connections ATX Improv Troupe

Missed Connections ATX Comedy Troupe in Austin

Missed Connections ATX comedy troupe (Credit: Wright Sulek)

Wowzers, the laughs are endless with this group of talented locals. When going to an improv show, it’s always inspiring to witness true collaboration. The dynamic these people have has undeniably evolved to a place where you are sucked into each scene, forgetting for moment that you’re even in a theater.

Actual Missed Connections

Reading a Missed Connection Ad from Craiglist

Credit: Wright Sulek

How it works is simple: a troupe member reads an actual Missed Connection post from Austin Craigslist. Then the other members riff on it, bringing each comical or devastating situation to life.

Chelsea Bunn, the show’s director, shared, “I have always had a fondness for Craigslist Missed Connections. My college roommate and I would stay up late scouring for the quirkiest ads. Additionally, I’m really drawn to a style of long-form improv which is premise-driven, and recently started practicing short form games. The show is a hybrid of these two forms of improv. In a way, it’s a marriage of the things that are really interesting me right now as a maker/performer.”

Witness Vulnerability

Missed Connections ATX Act Out a Craiglist Post

Getting physical! (Credit: Wright Sulek)

The act of putting yourself out there online (even anonymously) just to score a date with a cutie you were eyeing at the grocery store is straight-up brave. There’s something incredibly sweet about that sort of faith in the Internet gods. Hey, what could it hurt? Similarly, that’s the vibe at ColdTowne: let’s try it out. The result is hilarious, more often that not.

Golden Moments

Improv Troupe Members at ColdTowne Theater

Making connections at Missed Connections ATX (Credit: Wright Sulek)

When I asked Bunn about her favorite moments so far, she responded, “This cast is so funny, it’s hard to choose just one! The first time we ran “He said, she said” in rehearsal, I laughed so hard that I cried. Other favorite moments include a scene about a sub/dom couple playing putt-putt golf, and a scene about a witch whose murder of crows were doing evil deeds around Austin.” I mean, who doesn’t want to jump into that world for a hot minute?

The last Missed Connections ATX show is this Saturday, March 11, 2017. If you can’t make it, no sweat. You really can’t go wrong when it comes to live comedy at ColdTowne Theater.

4803 Airport Blvd. – Website

@theAustinot wants to know:

Who’s your favorite Austin improv troupe?

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Parallelogramophonograph Gives a Mouthful of Improv to Austin

February 22, 2017 by Susan Meyer Leave a Comment

The cast of Parallelogramophonograph, L-R: Roy Janik, Valerie Ward, Kaci Beeler, Kareem Badr
(Credit: Steve Rogers)

Not all improv groups are created equal. I’m a fan of improv theater in general, but I have to admit, I’ve been to some painful shows in the past. When done badly, improv theater can be downright uncomfortable to witness. But when a troupe has chemistry, energy and talent, and everything falls into place just right, you’re in for an incredible live theater experience. Austin local quartet Parallelogramophonograph (PGraph, for short) is improv done well. Very well. [Read more…]

Diverse, Local Talent at Sure Thing Free Comedy Show Every Saturday

January 20, 2017 by Yulia Dyukova Leave a Comment

Sure Thing hosts Duncan Carson and Brendan K. O’Grady on the stage of Austin Java (Credit: Erin Holsonback)

When the lights go off and the audience settles in, all you can see inside a spacious back room at Austin Java is a brightly-lit stage and two neon arrows hanging from the ceiling. In the spotlight created by the arrows is a tall guy with a cup of coffee in one hand and a phone with notes open in the other. Brendan K. O’Grady is here every single Saturday. So is his best friend Duncan Carson who takes the stage next. The duo has been running a free comedy show called Sure Thing in the back of the coffee shop for five years now. Every Saturday, there’s a lineup of comics, from Austin and around the country. [Read more…]

Austin Playdate with Comic Ralph Hardesty

July 24, 2015 by Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

Playdate with Austin comic Ralph Hardesty

Guest article by Colin Gray

Ralph Hardesty is an up-and-coming standup comic you may have seen at Cap City Comedy Club, ColdTowne Theater and other venues, or co-hosting Greetings From Queer Mountain with comedian Michael Foulk. You may also have seen him in a caftan or witch’s cloak if you’ve attended Gurl’s Night, a gay- and women-focused standup show he co-hosts with Daniel Webb of Obama fist bump fame.

Ralph is very, very funny off stage, but it comes across naturally. You don’t get the sense that’s he’s switching on a persona. He’s comfortable with himself (remember the caftan?) and well adjusted, which is not always the case with comedians (something of an understatement).

We built our playdate around some of his favorite things to do in Austin, and I’ve been promised that with two cups of coffee in his system, I’ll be getting “the full Ralph.” [Read more…]

Laughter Is the Best Medicine: Join the Stand Up Empire

July 20, 2015 by Jessica Pino Leave a Comment

All this talk about the changing landscape of the Red River District is enough to make you cry. But there’s something new to the area that can help: stand up comedy.

Austin’s comedy scene has been left largely unexplored by many Austinites. Until now. One of newest open mic nights in town, Stand Up Empire at Empire Control Room & Garage, is proof that Austin’s comedy scene is on the rise. [Read more…]

Cap City Comedy Club Is My Favorite Place in Austin and Here’s Why

May 20, 2015 by David Thomas Leave a Comment

Cap City is one of the clubs involved in the annual Moontower Comedy Fest (Credit: Voltaic Video)

Cap City Comedy Club is my favorite place in town. That’s saying a lot, considering the number of businesses and establishments I’ve written about during my time with The Austinot. But I said it and I stand by it. [Read more…]

Esther’s Follies Summer Camps Teach Fine Art of Vaudeville

May 6, 2015 by David Thomas Leave a Comment

Taking the stage at Esther’s Follies (Credit: Tamara via Flickr CC)

For 38 years, Esther’s Follies has been doing an important job for the city of Austin by blending old school Vaudeville shenanigans with political satire. Now they’re excited about training a new generation in the beloved art form that gave us Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and The Three Stooges with School of Comedy summer camps.

38 Years of Vaudeville

On April 1, 1977, Esther’s Follies presented its first show. Every week since, they’ve been playing to the crowd with sketch, improv, stand up comedy, musical numbers and magic shows, all the while poking fun at politics and society.

Named after famed actress and synchronized swimmer Esther Williams, the Follies carries on the vaunted tradition of Vaudeville entertainment. [Read more…]