Quick Changes Productions will present the world premiere of IMPROVed, a new comedy by GeneviEve Adams in which the rules of improvisation are challenged and exploited, with performances set for February 23-26 at Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street) in Manhattan. Jon Goracy directs.
About the show: "The five-character, two-act ensemble comedy, IMPROVed, asks if the rules of improv comedy as outlined by the legendary Del Close – "always say yes." "make your partner look good," "find the conflict in the scene" – can be applied to life. In the process, they discover that the spontaneity, absurdity and controlled outrageousness requisite for a successful improvisation can have explosive consequences when misused."
"IMPROVed examines the experiences of four artists whose lives are inextricably linked through their strong collegiate bond, and who, five years later are reunited under the auspices of a wedding. The disorder of their flawed and failed relationships is tested by an interloper – FrEddie Diaz, the do-it-all, pseudo-intellectual movie star – who forces each of the four friends to re-examine what they thought was scripted; the lives they assumed they were destined for.
Small sections of the play are improvised, as the boisterous lives of these rebellious characters cannot be fully contained. The play is about unrequited love and anxiety in the age of the iPad; the jealousy that fuels artistic friendships; and the humor that helps us get through the day."
The cast of IMPROVed includes GeneviEve Adams, David Henry Gerson, Anthony Laflamme, Juliette Monaco, and Andrew Smith.
The production has set design by Marian Mathias, costume design by Ellie Hunter, and lighting design by Greg Solomon. Kevin C. Gall is Production Stage Manager.
GeneviEve Adams (actor, playwright, producer) has studied acting and improvisation at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and at Dartmouth College, from where she graduated in 2011. IMPROVed, her first play, is a two-act comedy that began as her honors thesis. She also writes, performs and acts in original sketch comedy videos that can be viewed online at www.vimeo.com/genevieveadams. Genevieve has performed at Ars Nova Theater, the Abingdon Theater, and at Lincoln Center in Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel (live from Lincoln
Center Broadcast). She has also acted in a reading of Robert Brustein’s new play, Three Farces and a Funeral, opposite Alan Alda (dir. Daniela Varon.) Currently, Genevieve studies improv at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and the Meisner technique at William Esper Studio. She is the founder of Quick Changes, a New York City based theater company dedicated to producing comedy. www.genevieve-adams.com
Jon Goracy (director, co-producer) is a graduate of Columbia University, where he studied economics and film. After two years at William Esper Studio, he produced and acted in a production of Kenneth Lonergan’s This is Our Youth, and worked as an actor in both New York
and Los Angeles. Upon his return to New York, he was hired by Talent Manager and Producer, Davien Littlefield, and then Oscar and Tony winning producer Scott Rudin. Currently, Jon works at Avy Kaufman Casting on films that include Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep, and Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Abraham Lincoln project. He was the associate casting director for Keep The Lights On, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year. He has directed comedy sketches, short films, and is working on an original screenplay.
IMPROVed runs February 23-26 at Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street): Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $20; $10 students. For reservations, email quickchanges212@gmail.com or call 917-822-0105.
