GREEN feat. Emily Fightmaster
Chicago, IL
GREEN is an improv troupe from Chicago comprised of best friends and professional idiots. After traveling the country with The Second City National Touring Company as Green Co. for years, these improvisers have dispersed across the country and reclaimed their namesake (probably illegally, please don’t contact our former company.) They now travel the country performing again because apparently they could not get enough of riding around in a rental car together. You can catch their individual members performing on stages across New York, on the resident stages at Second City, and on the Hulu series Shrill. But it’s more fun to catch them right now, all together, as GREEN.
2:00 AM
Saturday
Friday
12:30 AM
Harpoon
Chicago, IL
Steven Saltsman and Tommy Spears are two friends who met studying improv and sketch at the Second City Training Center and iO in Chicago. The duo loved collaborating so much they decided to make it official. With deep dives into weird and fantastic characters, the two make relationship based improv and talk about Cole Porter. Harpoon! would be turning one year old at IF Cincy, and has performed at Crossroads Festival in Indy, Trillfest in Houston, and the Atlanta Improv Festival.
2:00 AM
Sunday
Saturday
2:00 AM
ANARCHY: an improvised rock opera
Chicago, IL
ANARCHY is a completely sung, completely improvised rock opera featuring Chicago’s finest musical improvisers. Specializing in long-form narratives composed of grounded characters with something to fight for, ANARCHY gets you rocking out and fighting the power. Established in 2013, ANARCHY has rocked various Chicago stages including The Annoyance, the Second City Training Center, iO Chicago, and Stage773 to name a few.
Saturday
11:00 PM
The Business
Cincinnati, OH
Here to strategize all your improv synergies, our patent pending reverse recursive analysis is sure to improve your comedy reception and activate your most vital laugh centers. Our dedicated, professional, customer focused improvisation team is here to assure your experience is one of comfort and quality. We are so glad you choose The Business, a division of OTRimprov, for your improv needs and we are excited to shift your paradigm to a new dynamic of improv greatness.
Saturday
2:00 AM
Separate Checks
Cicinnati, OH
Separate Checks has been performing as a duo team for nearly a year, but has been performing together on various troupes for the past two years. We typically perform monthly (sometimes more) at OTRi and Improv Cincinnati. This would be our first festival appearance.
Sunday
12:30 AM
The Toast
Ferndale, MI
The Toast rehearses biweekly and have performed regularly (1-2x monthly) since forming in April 2017. We've appeared at the Grand Rapids Improv Festival, Detroit Women of Comedy, Snow Day (Go Comedy!), and Trill (Houston, TX). We typically perform monthly at Pointless Theater in Ann Arbor, MI, where over half of our troupe teaches and/or plays on a house team. We have also performed occasionally at Planet Ant in Hamtramck, MI.
Saturday
11:00 PM
War Candy
Cincinnati, OH
War Candy was formed in April 2019 as an Improv Cincinnati Harold house team. They are still fresh to the city’s improv scene, but have managed to capture the hearts of many. The Candy family is comprised of all flavors sweet and sour. Alex, Deserae, Jordan, Josh, Miguel, Sania, and a trio of Sams bring friendship, close bonds, and genuine love to the stage. Mixing in high energy, relatable characters, sticky situations, and end of the world scenarios, together they use audience suggestions to create a series of improvised scenes to fascinate viewers.
Thursday
11:00 PM
Sweater Puppies
Atlanta, GA
Sweater Puppies are an all-star, all-female team from Atlanta, Georgia. Karen Cassady, Megan Leahy, Whittney Millsap and Amber Nash have worked together for years and finally combined their talents to create new experiences with old clothes. We ask audiences to bring in pieces of clothing that they no longer need, which we use as inspiration for short and long-form shows. After the show, we donate the clothing to a deserving charity. A fun show plus a good deed gives everyone a case of the warm and fuzzies!
2:00 AM
Sunday
Saturday
12:30 AM
I'm the Dog
Chcago, IL
I'm the Dog consists of Alec Herr and Tatum Hunter. The two met at Chicago's iO comedy theatre when they locked eyes from across the room in the midst of a hate-fueled dance battle, like that one scene in West Side Story. Their shared love of narrative forms and sincere characters inspired them to form I'm the Dog so they could find opportunities to get out of the classroom and onto the stage. Their improv explores the relationship between sincerity and absurdity and focuses on characters who love each other. They've performed at The Crowd Theatre in Chicago.
12:30 AM
Sunday
Saturday
11:00 PM
Hands on Dots
Cincinnati, OH
Like any good host, Hand on Dots lives to make sure you have a good time. With their relationship-driven scenes and fearless exploration, they're the type of party you'll still be talking about Monday morning. Members have trained and performed with various improv companies, including Pointless Improv in Ann Arbor, Michigan, OTRimprov, and Improv Cincinnati. Order a cocktail, grab a seat, and get ready for the party!
Friday
11:00 PM
Rock O Matic
Ferndale, MI
Rock O Matic is an improvised rock opera! With the use of three suggestions - occupation, genre of music, and ONE word for the title of our show - we create a never before seen rock opera with a character-building opener all the way to a show-stopping finale! Several videos available on Bob Wieck's YouTube page, in case the link below for our April 4th set does not work.
Friday
11:00 PM
Wampus
Cincinnati, OH
We primarily perform a Harold. The Harold is a long form structure where we use an audience suggestion to inspire an opening of our choice. That opening then inspires three first beat scenes, followed by a group game, three second beat scenes, a second group game, and a final set of scenes in a third beat. The energy and speed increases as we go allowing for tag-outs, walk-ons, additional characters, and more.
Friday
12:30 AM
Don't Tell Anna
Cincinnati, OH
Don't Tell Anna (DTA) is Xavier's oldest improv group! The troupe combines the two types of improv, long-form and short-form, into monthly performances that are free of charge. In years past we have performed at Ohio State University’s Bellweather Improv Festival and at Michigan State University’s festival.
Thursday
11:00 PM
HOT MIC
Cincinnati, OH
Improv Cincinnati presents Hot Mic: Cincinnati's first full-length improvised musical. One suggestion inspires the world premiere of a Broadway-style musical, jam-packed with joyful improv, colorful characters, and an emotionally dynamic story. Hot Mic is accompanied by their backing band, The Kenshos.
Thursday
11:00 PM
The Local Option
Missoula, MT
Annie O’Connor and Peter Fluet are friends and founding members of the Los Angeles based improv team HeyDay (creators of the Vertical Harold). They have performing, teaching, coaching, and generally thinking about improv for over 20 years at theaters such as Westside Comedy, IO West, Second City LA, UCB, and Groundlings. They decided to get together in Cincinnati and form The Local Option, a two person improv show where their unique styles will come together, clash, and create a journey that runs the gambit of heartwarmingly poignant, experimentally silly, joyously provocative and sometimes just absolutely filthy.
Saturday
12:30 AM
My Momma's Biscuits
New York, NY
NYC's most LIT improv team, every My Momma's Biscuits show is a party and you're invited! Watch MMB sing, dance and act a fool in a performance you will never forget. They've performed at 2nd Best Comedy Fest, Hell Yes Fest, Black and Funny Improv Festival, Diverse As Fuck Festival, Detroit Improv Festival, Del Close Marathon, and more. They are Magnet Theater's Inspirado champions, Dancify That winners, and conquerors of Hell Yes Fest's Pizza eating contest.
They have performed and taught workshops all over the country. Trained at the best comedy theaters in New York City, MMB is a talented group made up entirely of some of the best POC comedians in the city. With members currently performing and or writing at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, The Peoples Improv Theater, The Armory Improv Program, and BoogieManja.
They are buttery and yummy, they are oozing with sweet melanin, and they are a little tough on the outside, but soft and flaky on the inside. They are about to burst fresh out of the oven. They are MY MOMMA'S BISCUITS!
Sunday
12:30 AM
Roosterwolf
Cincinnati, OH
Roosterwolf is a house team of OTRimprov, residing in Cincinnati Ohio. Developed in January 2018, this team consists of lovable, talented improvisers, whose unique scenes and goofy characters are sure to provide hilarious entertainment for anyone who crosses their path.
Saturday
12:30 AM
Scissor Set
Cincinnati, OH
The two sharpest blades in the drawer cut scenes together like Vera Wang on a tube top. It’s not classy, but somehow they pull it off. Extreme characters are sliced open and stitched together with emotional commitment and raw energy. Whether you’ve seen Scissor Set or you’ve ever held a really nice set of scissors in your hand, you know how it feels to enthusiastically proclaim, “nice pair!”
Friday
11:00 PM
ComedySportz Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
ComedySportz® is the award winning comedy show where two teams of players battle it out for audience laughs and points! Fast and funny, ComedySportz is comedy for everyone. WIth fouls and points, you'll wonder if you've wandered into a stadium instead of a theater.
Saturday
12:30 AM
Dave Powell Champion
Cincinnati, OH
Featuring OTRImprov's Artistic Director Dave Powell and his hand chosen Champion, this is improv at its most immediate. Past champions have included local actors and improvisers but the Champion for IF Cincy is one you are going to want to see. Details coming soon!
Sunday
2:00 AM
Broke Gravy
Portland, OR
Broke Gravy is a Portland-based improv group that mixes the unique experiences of their audience with narrative, relationship, and the unexpected to create a show that is always surprising and new. Sometimes they ask you questions. Sometimes you ask THEM questions. Every time they'll discover something that explores humor, humanity, and truth.
12:30 AM
Sunday
Saturday
2:00 AM
Wieck & Petersen
Ferndale, MI
Bob Wieck and Chris Petersen have been friends for years. Two years ago Chris and Bob decided to take they're relationship to the next level and did a duo set just for fun. They had so much fun then continued to do regular sets at the Go comedy theater in Ferndale.
2:00 AM
Sunday
Friday
11:00 PM
Uranium-235
Cicncinnati, OH
Colin Thornton and Joe DiSalvo are Uranium 235, a radioactive comedy duo who perform “The Deconstruction”. The Deconstruction takes a simple scene and exponentially breaks it apart until it’s inner truth is completely revealed. This challenging format is normally performed by a full team of improvisers, but Uranium 235 love to jump in the deep end of danger and risk. Join us on an entropic journey from order to chaos.
Saturday
2:00 AM
Bluetime
Cincinnati, OH
Mary O'Connell and Tone Branson are company members and performers for Improv Cincinnati, and work together on a variety of improv and sketch comedy projects. With a combined 15 years of improv experience and love of playing unusual characters, the duo created, "Bluetime," a long form set comprised of a series of stories that take place during an event (suggested by the audience) of significant size and scope. Sweeping between "blue time" scenes, where they play themselves, and "orange time" scenes, where they play outlandish characters, Mary and Tone take audiences on a journey that is honest, sincere, foolish, and fun.
Sunday
2:00 AM
The Golden Ratio
Cincinnati, OH
After being individually captured by pteranodons and dropped into a giant nest of newborn reptile-birds, the members of THE GOLDEN RATIO joined forces in a battle for survival and won! Earning the respect of ancient Greek mathematicians, they’ve been imbued with the power to grow 1.618% more compelling with each subsequent improv performance. When not creating perfectly balanced narratives for enthralled audiences around the world, they can be found in the petals of the flower, the gyre of the tropical storm, and the elegant spiral of the DNA molecule. They live in FibonacCincinnati and, like you, they like to party.