EVENTS
August 9th - 14th, Bad Dog Theatre hosts the 1st Annual Summit: Toronto's Festival of Improv
Looking for drop in workshops or master classes?
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS AND BRUNCH
Saturday, August 14th, 2010
11:30am-1:30pm
Bad Dog Theatre, Mainstage
Registration: Open to Performers and The Public
Cost: $3 - Includes brunch
On Saturday August 14th The Summit will host the first ever State of The Union Address for the Improv Community of Toronto. The Artistic Directors, and Executive Producers from Toronto's improv training institutions, stages and festivals will come together on one panel. Topics to be discussed: how Toronto improv is influenced by trends in The States, does Toronto have a style of improv that defines us? Have your own questions you want to ask the panel? Be sure to bring them. We'll be opening up this discussion to the audience. This is an event not to be missed!
Biographies of The Panelists:
Mark Cotoia is the Owner and Artistic Director of the Toronto's Vanguard Comedy Theatre.
Julie Dumais has served as the national Associate Artistic Director of the Canadian Improv Games, and Artistic Director of both Improv Camp and the Next Act Festival, and has directed, taught and adjudicated improv across the country… and in Australia. She is the co-founder of The Combustion Festival.
Kevin Frank has worn many hats since first starting with Second City in 1984. Recently, his role as Artistic Director of Training & Education has been his most exciting challenge. Kevin believes that focusing his improv training inward allows him to tap into the creative talents of Toronto's Improv Community to build collaborative solutions for the challenges we all face.
Ralph MacLeod joined Theatresports Toronto (now Bad Dog Theatre) in the late 1990's. Ralph has served as General Manager, Creative Director and Workshop Director. He has produced, created, directed, and written several shows.
Gary Rideout Jr. studied screenwriting at Ryerson Ùniversity and went to Humber for the Comedy Writing and Performance program. He started the Canadian Comedy Award winning sketch troupe, The Sketchersons which have performed at Massey Hall and The Just for Laughs Festival. In 2007 Gary wrote for the only live-to-air season of Royal Canadian Air Farce. He has produced more than 400 live comedy shows and is the owner of The Comedy Bar.
Kevin Patrick Robbins is the founder and artistic director of the Impatient Theatre Co. and the developer of the ITC Training Centre's core curriculum. He has been a featured instructor at the Chicago Improv Festival and is a lead instructor at the annual North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival.
Klaus Schuller is the Producer and Executive Director of The Second City Toronto. He has directed, stage managed and produced for The Second City for 13 years. He loves improv.
THE SUMMIT: DROP-IN WORKSHOPS
Toronto is the home to amazing improv institutions. The Summit offers you the opportunity to experience what all of them have to offer. Learn each school's focus, and how their formats and techniques differ from each other. The Summit Drop-In Workshop Series is the perfect opportunity for you to sample what each school has to offer. These workshops are free. Please e-mail HERE to reserve your spot. Spots may also be available the night of, so drop by!
DROP-IN with The Second City Training Centre
Monday August 9th, 2010
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Bad Dog Theatre, Studio 1
Registration: Open to the public and Summit performers
Cost: FREE
The Second City Training Centre's main focus is to teach the skills that underlie the work on our resident stages. We are dedicated to helping students develop their artistic voice, both individually and within an ensemble. The Training Centre draws from the company's history of ensemble improvisation, satire, and revue comedy as developed and practiced by its actors, directors and teachers and serves as a laboratory for the future exploration of the art form.
DROP-IN with The Bad Dog Theatre Company
Tuesday August 10th, 2010
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Bad Dog Theatre, Studio 1
Registration: Open to the public and Summit performers
Cost: FREE
The Bad Dog Theatre is a not-for-profit, charitable corporation, whose goal is to develop, perform, and promote the finest possible improvisational (improv) comedy in Ontario. To that end, it provides educational programs in the art of improv that offer the highest quality of instruction at all levels to members of our community. Furthermore, it offers our members the opportunity to improve their skills by providing access to performance opportunities. The Bad Dog Theatre also provides quality, improv-based entertainment and workshop programs for youth, schools, businesses and other clients.
DROP-IN with Publicity Kings Dan and Steven Shehori
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Bad Dog Theatre, Studio 1
Registration: Open to the public
Cost: FREE
Daniel and Steven Shehori have worked as publicists for dozens of people and organizations, including the Second City Toronto, The Canadian Comedy Awards, Evil Dead: The Musical!, 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander, HBO star Louis C.K., Gilda's Club and The Red Cross Tsunami Relief Fund. They have 10 years of entertainment industry experience as publicists, writers, producers, and live event promoters.
In this one-hour workshop, the Shehori Brothers will, in plain and simple terms, share their proven publicity methods and secrets on how to obtain significant media attention for yourself and your endeavors. In addition, they'll teach you to think about your career in a new way that will move you quickly and confidently towards your goals.
Whether you are a comedian, an actor, a musician, or an entertainment producer/promoter of any genre, the methods taught by the Shehori Brothers will work for you. This seminar will show that not only do you not need to hire a publicist, but why it's in your best interest to do it yourself.
DROP-IN with the Vanguard Comedy Theatre
Thursday August 12th, 2010
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Bad Dog Theatre, Studio 1
Registration: Open to the public and Summit performers
Cost: FREE
Vanguard Comedy Theatre is Toronto's fastest growing home for all things funny. Established in the fall of 2009, Vanguard Comedy Theatre's talent roster includes nearly 200 writers and performers of sketch, stand-up, and improvisational comedy. Vanguard Comedy Theatre is also committed to providing quality training in the art of comedy. Using their core curriculum, master classes, and corporate workshops, Vanguard strives to show everyone how the principles of comedy can improve their work and enrich their lives. Whether you're a seasoned comedian or a thrill-seeking beginner, Vanguard is there to help you grow.
DROP-IN with the Impatient Theatre Company
Friday August 13th, 2010
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Bad Dog Theatre, Studio 1
Registration: Open to the public and Summit performers
Cost: FREE
The Impatient Theatre specializes in “Longform” a sophisticated style of improv that takes a single audience suggestion and builds out a whole show from it, layered with social commentary, thematic exploration and hilarious, gut-grinding comedy. Our Improv Comedy program teaches you the essence of the art of comedy in a way that will make your scenework explode.
THE SUMMIT: MASTERCLASS SERIES
The Summit is proud to offer a series of free professional development workshops for performers of the 2010 Summit. Come learn from some of Toronto's best artists who have gone on to share their talent, workshops, and improv forms with the rest of the world. All workshops require registration in advance. Please email HERE with your name, contact information, and which workshop you wish to attend.
Improv Masterclass with Lauren Ash
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
4:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Bad Dog Theatre, Studio 1
Registration: Open to Performers of the 2010 Summit
Cost: FREE
Lauren Ash has written and performed in six Second City revues, on both the Chicago and Toronto Mainstage. She is the recipient of two Canadian Comedy Awards for Best Female Improviser. She voices “Sam” in The Dating Guy, appeared regularly on Howie Do It (NBC) and was featured in the motion pictures Lars and the Real Girl and Camille.
Improv Masterclass with Julie Dumais and Sean Tabares
Saturday, August 14th, 2010
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Bad Dog Theatre, Studio 1
Registration: Open to Performers of the 2010 Summit
Cost: FREE
Julie Dumais is a Toronto-bred improviser, producer and voice actor who has been improvising for more than 15 years. Currently, she is one half of the appealingly appalling “progressive” improv duo 10,000 to Flight. She has served as the national Associate Artistic Director of the Canadian Improv Games – the country's largest improv festival and tournament for high school students. She has also served as Artistic Director of both Improv Camp and the Next Act Festival, and has directed, taught and adjudicated improv across the country… and in Australia. Julie has performed with the Second City TourCo, the Bad Dog Theatre, Impatient Theatre and at improv festivals in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg New York and Edmonton.
Sean Taberes has been studying and performing improv since 1998 and is a founding member of the Impatient Theatre with which he is a former member of the longform improv ensemble The Impatients and current player on the Harold team: Big in Japan. He is also a member of the As Is Syndicate, and was a member of the Bad Dog Theatre house cast, as part of the longform improv show The Bad Dog Sessions. He performs with Kevin Patrick Robbins in Trotski & Hutch and as part of the duo Rudy, with former Impatients ensemble member Justin Renwick. Sean is also the director/creator of the zombie-themed longform show: Turned!