Archive for the ‘Cornwallis’ Category
Cornwallis at Snubfest
Thursday, October 18th, 2007Cornwallis goes Around the Coyote
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007COLLABORATION!
by Jill Fenstermaker
So goes the song that the Chicago-based sketch group Planet Terrance wrote for the Around the Coyotes recent collaboration project. CIC’s group Cornwallis was fortunate enough to participate in the project as well. The venture (and its subsequent weekend-long workshop)sought to answer the question What can happen on a stage when visual artists, musicians and performers collaborate? We were paired with visual artist Caroline Picard, who had very little exposure to theater and was unfamiliar with improv. She talked about her art and learned about ours, and together we created a way to influence and inspire each other on stage.
Our collaboration culminated this weekend when we performed three shows at the Around the Coyote Fall Arts Festival. Caroline created many new paintings specifically for our performances. Her influence continued as she instructed which paintings should appear in each performance (we had no idea which ones would be included) and also gave us a suggestion to begin the show (again, we received this about 2 minutes before the show.) Director Jonathan Pitts was on hand to give us guidance.
This multidisciplinary performance experience was one of the most creatively fulfilling projects Ive ever been a part of. It was like doing a show with props, except that the props could be anything! We used paintings as masks, as additional characters, and as part of the set. Blank canvases and screens were used to convey emotions and feelings. Lots of positive feed back was received about the shows and about our form, including one person who said I never thought to improvise with paintings.
Our enjoyment and the audiences may lead us to explore an opportunity to do this form again, so please stay tuned. In the meantime well continue to cherish the experience, remembering that if we’re ever in need of a creative kick, we simply have to sing the words (or word, rather) to Planet Terrances song: COLLABORATION!
Thank You Mess Hall!
Friday, September 28th, 2007by Angie McMahon
So back in January we had our annual Comedy Festival Snubfest. This is a Comedy Festival where anyone who has been rejected from any other Comedy Festival can come and perform and compete to win performance slots in other major Comedy Festivals Through out the Country. Something that we will be resuming in the summer.
Well there is something interesting about Snubfest. Performers love it. They want to be a part of it. Some clammer for it. But every year someone cancels very very last min and they do it with a lie. Well we have only done it for three years and the first year was planned in three weeks so no no one canceled that year. But our second year I did get a call from a improv group from LA called The Cherry Spits Fan Club . I got a call from the head guy of that group the night before they were suppose to perform and I was told the group got into a fight in the airport and that they broke up and that they didn’t get on the plane and wouldn’t be coming to the festival.
Farrell, when met with the news on Friday night, decided that gather up any CIC folks we had standing around and act our that groups break up on stage. It went very very well. Some folks even said it was the high light of the fest. Silly and Fun. And because of that set we had decided to put together the first all CIC member group 96 Decibels.
Later I found out the group didn’t break up. They over booked themselves and lied to me. Instead of just saying, my God we screwed up they made up some crazy lie so that I wouldn’t get mad? Not sure why.
Last year similarly a group Mess Hall told me two days before the festival that they had broken up and wouldn’t be doing the show. But I later found out that they did a Sketchfest show the day before and a Cagematch show the night they were booked to do Snubfest.
But this time something else happened. I brushed off my one women show 
“Judy In Disguise with Glasses” to fill the slot. A show I hadn’t done since 2001. We needed a sketch group to fill the slot. And since Sketchfest was going on at the same time it wasn’t an easy fix. So no problem, I’ll do it. Well because of that Jim Mendrios of New York Underground Comedy Festival saw me perform and invited me (along with Cornwallis , Marz Timms, Tony Sam, Name Change Pending Extreme Improv and Velvet Tom) to perform at his festival.
So I talked with Jim this week. My agent had planned to come and shop me about but can’t because of family related issues. So I called Jim. He first gives congrats on our new space. Then starts to tell me he understands if we arent’ coming cause we are too busy. WHAHAHAHAT!!! I yell into the phone. “No we are coming, I just don’t have my agent for all the industry stuff coming. So I wasn’t sure how to ya know shop myself about”. Jim then asks if I would like to add two more shows. And continues that he will introduce me to some of the industry folks that will be attending (among them talent scouts from E!, Comedy Central, NBC, and Fox)the network parties. He says he has been pushing all the shows at the Sage and that with the extra shows no problem I should get seen.
So long story short. Thanks Mess Hall!
I will be performing my one women show on Saturday to warm me up for our NY show on Oct 4. So come by and check it out. It should be an amazing line up with Seth Thomas as the host (winner of the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival best new sketch comedian award), Mike and Duane Show (“Winner of the Audience Prize” — Bass Red Triangle Comedy Tour).
Saturday Sept 29
10:30pm Tix $10
The Cornservatory Theater
4210 N Lincoln
Chicago, IL
www.cicomedy.com
Pictures of Cornwallis at the Phoenix Improv Festival
Monday, May 21st, 2007
Cornwallis gets Ink at Phoenix Improv Festival
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007
Closing out the festival was Cornwallis, a troupe not from Arizona, but from Chicago, Ill. They prepped the set by getting some life experiences from an audience member, then building on those. The events included him killing his rodents then trying to revive them, breaking up with his girlfriend who got married shortly after and his desire to pursue acting. I can see why the troupe closed out the show, since they were all great actors, quick-thinking and witty.
Nicki Escudero – The Arizona Republic
Angry White Guy in Chicago on CIC
Monday, March 26th, 2007
CIC: So Don Hall you have been on the Advisory Board for CIC for the past 4 years. When was the first time you heard about CIC and what was your impression?
Don: The first time I heard about the group was from Angie. She was booking acts over at Frankie J’s at the time and I had taught a few dramatic improvisation classes for Frankie. Angie told me that she had started up a company devoted to comedy called “Chemically Imbalanced Comedy.” The name made me laugh. I wished her well and hoped the name didn’t become a burden should they ever decide to attempt to get government grants.
You know there’s, like, a whole war on drugs, yeah? The G doesn’t dig the
drug humor.
CIC: You are currently directing CIC’s sponsored Troupe Cornwallis and have been for the past 2 years. Recently they were won a spot in the Phoenix Improv Festival while competing in Snubfest. Give us some thoughts on your work with this group.
Don: Has it been two years? Wow – I’m surprised they put up with me.
It’s been very gratifying watching the group get better and better. They
are one of the few improv groups that can consistently surprise me and make
me laugh. I think that’s a good thing unless I’m just drunk and everything
surprises me and laughter is merely a defense against fear.
CIC: Speaking of Snubfest you hosted this years “Last Snob Standing Contest” and the previous years you were a panel Judge. Tell us some thoughts on Judging the first two years and sitting back and watching this past year.
Don: I prefer judging because being forced to watch some of the horseshit that folks pull without the opportunity to say “FOUL!” is hard for me. On the other hand, the quality of talent has risen steadily since CIC started it
and that keeps me from strapping on a suicide bomb and blowing the whole place up.
CIC: You are a very busy guy around town working on lots of projects, anything you want to plug for us?
Don: Folks should come to the Workshop in Progress on Sundays. Folks should come see the Eighth Annual SKALD Storytelling Competition the second week of June at the Chicago Cultural Center. WNEP is presenting, like, our sixth fully realized DADA soirée in the fall featuring a cast of nine.
CIC: Anything you would like to add about your experience with CIC?
Don: With show like “The Vietnamization of New Jersey” (which was great) and “Mr. Marmalade”, the CIC is growing up some, attempting some work with a bit more edge and adult perspective. I love that. CIC is likely the most successful independent comedy theater in town, outside of the Playground. In Chicago, that’s saying something.
