Dad's Garage Theatre Company, located in Inman Park

Inman Park

Inman Park was planned in the late 1880s by Joel Hurt, a civil engineer and real-estate developer who intended to create a rural oasis connected to the city by the first of Atlanta's electric streetcar lines. The East Atlanta Land Company acquired and developed more than 130 acres east of the city...

 near Little Five Points

Little Five Points

Little Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 2½ miles east of downtown. It was established in the early 1900s as the commercial district for the adjacent Inman Park and Candler Park neighborhoods to the west and east...

 in Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, was founded in 1995 by Chris Blair, Marc Cram, Sean Daniels, John Gregorio, David Keeton, Joseph Limbaugh, Matt Stanton, and Matt Young. The small theater company has since achieved international recognition for original stage productions and Improvisational comedy. The current Artistic Director, Kevin Gillese

Kevin Gillese

Kevin Gillese is a Canadian actor, writer and improvisor from Edmonton, Alberta. He started as a performer with the improv company Rapid Fire Theatre and also works regularly with the Atomic Improv and performs annually at the Die-Nasty Soap-A-Thon...

, is a former director at Rapid Fire Theatre

Rapid Fire Theatre

Rapid Fire Theatre is an improvisational theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The company’s goal is to provide affordable, high-energy improvisation and alternative theatre to audiences in Edmonton and beyond, while providing exciting opportunities for its participants.-History:The...

.

History

On June 23, 1995, Dad's Garage opened its doors at 280 Elizabeth St. with the comedy play Fun With Science. The building formerly housed celebrated theater company Actor's Express.
The company has since regionally premiered Eric Bogosian

Eric Bogosian

Eric Bogosian is an American actor, playwright, monologist, and novelist of Armenian descent.-Personal life:Bogosian, an Armenian-American, was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, the son of Edwina, a hairdresser and instructor, and Henry Bogosian, an accountant. After graduating from Oberlin College,...

's subUrbia

SubUrbia

subUrbia is a play by Eric Bogosian chronicling the nighttime activities of a group of aimless 20-somethings still living in their suburban Boston hometown and their reunion with a former high school classmate who has become a successful musician...

in 1996, world premiered Graham Chapman

Graham Chapman

Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...

's O Happy Day in 2000
, and in the fall of 2010, secured permission to produce Two Gentlemen of Lebowski, an Elizabethan adaptation of the Coen brothers

Coen Brothers

Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...

' film.

Artistic Directors

• Matt Young 1995-1996
• Matt Stanton 1996-1997
• Sean Daniels 1997-2005
• Kate Warner 2005-2009
• Kevin Gillese 2009-present

Improvisational Comedy

Dad's Garage is a Theatresports

Theatresports

Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges...

 franchise, its original ensemble having trained with Keith Johnstone

Keith Johnstone

Keith Johnstone is a drama instructor whose teachings and books have focused on improvisational theatre and have had a major influence on the art of improvisation.-Education:...

, author of Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre and Impro for Storytellers.

Other formats developed at Dad's Garage include the longform shows Murder She Improvised, Scandal!, B.R.A.W.L., as well the game show Samurai Davis Jr. and Dim Sum's Super Mega Happy Fun Time Improv Show.

Awards

Dad's Garage has won numerous awards over the years, including multiple wins as Creative Loafing

Creative Loafing

CL Inc. is the Tampa, Florida-based publisher of three city newsweeklies and their associated websites. Each of the papers focuses on local news, politics, arts and entertainment, and restaurants...

's Best Theater and Best Improv Group in Atlanta.