Philly Improv Theater (PHIT)
Encyclopedia
Philly Improv Theater, or PHIT , is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania comedy theater which produces and presents shows at The Shubin Theatre in Philadelphia's South Street
Headhouse District. The theater also operates a training center with programs in improv comedy and sketch comedy
. PHIT's most notable alumnus is stand-up comedian Kent Haines
, who was the 2008 winner of the Philly's Phunniest contest at Helium Comedy Club
and has appeared on public radio show The Sound of Young America
and Season 4 of Comedy Central
's program Live at Gotham
. In addition to Haines, other comedians from Philadelphia who appeared on stage at PHIT have gone on to perform at major comedy venues in cities like New York and Los Angeles, founded their own theatre companies, and appeared in touring productions for The Second City
.
shows. Viewers of Philadelphia's local FOX affiliate, WTXF-TV
, voted PHIT as the city's Best Comedy Club in their 2009 Hot List competition.
(The Gross Show), a sketch open mic called Sketch Up or Shut Up, and an open improv jam. PHIT has also presented shows by performing groups from New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, Magnet Theater, and The Peoples Improv Theater; and individuals including Kevin Allison
of MTV's The State
, Susan Messing
of Chicago's Annoyance Theater, and Dave Hill
.
From March 2006 until January 2008, PHIT produced a monthly improv comedy show at Fergie's Pub in Philadelphia's Center City. Since January 2007,the theater has hosted regular performances at The Shubin Theatre, in addition to producing additional shows at others venues. In 2009, the theater produced a weekend of shows collectively titled "Philly Invades NYC" at Under Saint Marks' in New York City.
. During the 2009 festival, the theater presented an ambitious schedule of performances - this time in the Fringe Festival's newly created Improv/Comedy category.
and iO
(formerly ImprovOlympic), and New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
. In February 2009, PHIT introduced a similar core curriculum in sketch comedy
writing. PHIT uses local performers as instructors for its improv core curriculum, and a mix of local and nationally recognized teachers (including Kevin Allison of MTV
's The State
and former Saturday Night Live
writer Ali Farahnakian) for its sketch comedy program.
South Street (Philadelphia)
South Street is an east-west street forming the southern border of the Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the northern border for the neighborhoods of South Philadelphia. The stretch of South Street between Front Street and Seventh Street is known for its "bohemian"...
Headhouse District. The theater also operates a training center with programs in improv comedy and sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
. PHIT's most notable alumnus is stand-up comedian Kent Haines
Kent Haines
Kent Haines is a stand-up comedian who has appeared on Season 4 of Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and the public radio program The Sound of Young America....
, who was the 2008 winner of the Philly's Phunniest contest at Helium Comedy Club
Helium Comedy Club
Helium Comedy Club is a venue for stand-up comedy in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The club offers a three-act show which consists of an opener, feature and a headliner. Like many comedy clubs, the house has a 'two item minimum' for each audience member...
and has appeared on public radio show The Sound of Young America
The Sound of Young America
The Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...
and Season 4 of Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's program Live at Gotham
Live At Gotham
Live at Gotham is a standup comedy television show airing on Comedy Central in the United States. The show features up and coming stand up comedians performing live at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. It premiered on July 21, 2006....
. In addition to Haines, other comedians from Philadelphia who appeared on stage at PHIT have gone on to perform at major comedy venues in cities like New York and Los Angeles, founded their own theatre companies, and appeared in touring productions for The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
.
History
PHIT was founded as a nonprofit in October 2005 by Greg Maughan, with assistance from local improvisers Bobbi Block, Matt Holmes and Alexis Simpson. The original purpose of the theater was to offer improv comedy instruction for beginning to advanced students. Over time PHIT expanded its mission to include sketch comedy instruction, and became an important presenter and producer for all varieties of alternative comedyAlternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
shows. Viewers of Philadelphia's local FOX affiliate, WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV, virtual channel 29 , is an owned-and-operated station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, voted PHIT as the city's Best Comedy Club in their 2009 Hot List competition.
Productions
PHIT hosts improv, sketch, stand-up, and variety comedy shows, as well as occasional movie screenings. The theater produces monthly performances by six improv comedy house teams (Fletcher, King Friday, Mayor Karen, Asteroid, Hey Rube, and ZaoGao), as well as independent improv and sketch groups. Also on PHIT's regular schedule are several stand-up showcases (Hey Everybody! and Chip Chantry's One Man Show With Special Guests), an improv competition decided by audience vote (Cagematch), a "found comedy" night (TV Party and Guilty Pleasures), a hybrid "sketch-prov" talk show in the style of The Jerry Springer ShowThe Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
(The Gross Show), a sketch open mic called Sketch Up or Shut Up, and an open improv jam. PHIT has also presented shows by performing groups from New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, Magnet Theater, and The Peoples Improv Theater; and individuals including Kevin Allison
Kevin Allison
Kevin Allison is a comedic writer and actor. He is perhaps best known as a writing and performing member of The State on MTV. Popular sketches on the show starring Allison include "Taco Man," "Mr. Magina", "Dreamboy" and "The Jew, the Italian and the Redhead Gay." Allison came out as gay to the...
of MTV's The State
The State (TV series)
The State is a half-hour sketch-comedy television show, originally broadcast on MTV between December 17, 1993 and July 1, 1995. The show combined bizarre characters and scenarios to present sketches that won the favor of its target teenaged audience...
, Susan Messing
Susan Messing
Susan Messing is a director and actress living in Chicago. She graduated from Northwestern University and was a performer on The Second City mainstage. Messing is an ensemble member of Annoyance Theatre. She has performed in The Real Live Brady Bunch and directed What Every Girl Should Know......
of Chicago's Annoyance Theater, and Dave Hill
Dave Hill (comedian)
Dave Hill is a comedian, writer, musician and actor. He hosts the stage show The Dave Hill Explosion at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and Hollywood and recently starred in the television show The King of Miami on the MOJO HD network. The show is now airing on Film24 in the UK....
.
From March 2006 until January 2008, PHIT produced a monthly improv comedy show at Fergie's Pub in Philadelphia's Center City. Since January 2007,the theater has hosted regular performances at The Shubin Theatre, in addition to producing additional shows at others venues. In 2009, the theater produced a weekend of shows collectively titled "Philly Invades NYC" at Under Saint Marks' in New York City.
Philly Fringe Festival
PHIT has participated in the Philadelphia Live Arts and Philly Fringe Festival every year since 2006. In 2008, the theater programed performances by improv and sketch comedy groups on all 16 days of the festival, anchoring these shows around an original improv-to-script musical comedy titled "The Hoppers Hit the Road". The production garnered considerable attention and positive reviews in mainstream local media, including a review by The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
. During the 2009 festival, the theater presented an ambitious schedule of performances - this time in the Fringe Festival's newly created Improv/Comedy category.
Training program
Since its inception, the theater has offered a core curriculum of classes teaching basic to advanced improvising techniques. PHIT's curriculum is based heavily on similar programs at Chicago's Second City Training CenterSecond City Training Center
The Second City Training Center was founded in the mid-1980s to facilitate the growing demand for workshops and instruction from the world famous The Second City theatre. Training Centers are located in Chicago, Toronto and Los Angeles. Satellite centers formerly existed in Metro Detroit, Las...
and iO
I.O.
iO, or iO Chicago, is a theater located at 3541 N. Clark St., in Chicago, Illinois, one-half block south of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The theater both has performances of, and teaches improvisational comedy. It was founded in the 1980s by Del Close and Charna Halpern...
(formerly ImprovOlympic), and New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre or UCB Theatre is an improvisational theatre and associated UCB Training Center with locations in Chelsea, New York, the EEast Village, New York and Hollywood, California.....
. In February 2009, PHIT introduced a similar core curriculum in sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
writing. PHIT uses local performers as instructors for its improv core curriculum, and a mix of local and nationally recognized teachers (including Kevin Allison of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's The State
The State (TV series)
The State is a half-hour sketch-comedy television show, originally broadcast on MTV between December 17, 1993 and July 1, 1995. The show combined bizarre characters and scenarios to present sketches that won the favor of its target teenaged audience...
and former Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
writer Ali Farahnakian) for its sketch comedy program.
See also
- Alternative comedyAlternative comedyAlternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
- Improvisational theatreImprovisational theatreImprovisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
- List of improvisational theatre companies
- Sketch comedySketch comedyA sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
- Bruce WalshBruce WalshBruce Walsh is a contemporary American playwright and a prominent Philadelphia fringe artist. His works have received attention due to their unique brand of site-specific theater...