Purple Crayon
Encyclopedia
The Purple Crayon of Yale, or the Purple Crayon, is an improvisational theater group at Yale University
in New Haven, CT, United States
. As of the 2010-2011 academic year, the group has ten members and specializes in longform improv, such as the Harold
. The Purple Crayon is Yale's second-oldest improv group, after the Ex!t Players
, and the oldest collegiate longform group in the country.
The Purple Crayon was founded in 1985 by Eric Berg, class of 1987, and a bunch of theater friends. Berg had taken a semester off during his sophomore year to study improv at ImprovOlympic in Chicago, Illinois, where he learned the Harold, a long-form improv format developed by Del Close
and Charna Halpern
. The group named itself after the popular children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon
by Crockett Johnson
, whose protagonist, Harold, uses a purple crayon to draw his imagination into reality.
sets, though the group often experiments with various styles and forms.
Among the improvisation, theater, and comedy festivals in which The Purple Crayon has appeared are the National College Comedy Festival at Skidmore College
, on and off since its inception in 1990 by 30 Rock
producer David Miner
; the annual Del Close Marathon run by the UCB Theatre in New York
; and Brown University
's College Hill Longform Improv Festival.
The Crayon has advanced to the finals of the East Coast Regionals of the College Improv Tournament, a national competition hosted by the Chicago Improv Festival, losing to Seriously Bent, Suffolk University's
improv troupe.
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in New Haven, CT, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010-2011 academic year, the group has ten members and specializes in longform improv, such as the Harold
Harold (improvisation)
Harold is a form of longform improv. Developed by Del Close and brought to fruition through Close's collaboration with Charna Halpern, the Harold has become the signature form of Chicago's I.O. and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and Los Angeles...
. The Purple Crayon is Yale's second-oldest improv group, after the Ex!t Players
Ex!t Players
The Yale Ex!t Players, or the Ex!t Players, is an improvisational comedy group at Yale University in New Haven, CT, United States. The Ex!t Players was founded in 1984, making it the oldest improv group on Yale’s campus. It specializes in short-form improvisational comedy.-History:The Yale Ex!t...
, and the oldest collegiate longform group in the country.
The Purple Crayon was founded in 1985 by Eric Berg, class of 1987, and a bunch of theater friends. Berg had taken a semester off during his sophomore year to study improv at ImprovOlympic in Chicago, Illinois, where he learned the Harold, a long-form improv format developed by Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
and Charna Halpern
Charna Halpern
Charna Halpern is a co-founder of the ImprovOlympic, now known as The iO. She was born and raised on the North Side of Chicago. In 1984, with partner Del Close, she began teaching The Harold to many students in the Chicago theatre community. She and Close co-authored the book Truth in Comedy: The...
. The group named itself after the popular children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a 1955 children's book by Crockett Johnson. Johnson's most popular book, it led to a series of books, and inspired many adaptations.-Plot:...
by Crockett Johnson
Crockett Johnson
Crockett Johnson was the pen name of cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk...
, whose protagonist, Harold, uses a purple crayon to draw his imagination into reality.
Performances
The group performs several shows each year on campus, appears at various comedy festivals, performs at (usually local) events and locations, and tours each spring and fall. Performances mostly consist of one or two 25-minute HaroldHarold (improvisation)
Harold is a form of longform improv. Developed by Del Close and brought to fruition through Close's collaboration with Charna Halpern, the Harold has become the signature form of Chicago's I.O. and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and Los Angeles...
sets, though the group often experiments with various styles and forms.
Among the improvisation, theater, and comedy festivals in which The Purple Crayon has appeared are the National College Comedy Festival at Skidmore College
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
, on and off since its inception in 1990 by 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
producer David Miner
David Miner (television producer)
David Miner is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television producer who is best known for his work as an executive producer on NBC's 30 Rock and MTV's Human Giant. Miner is the manager of Tina Fey, 30 Rock's star and creator.-External links:...
; the annual Del Close Marathon run by the UCB Theatre in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; and Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
's College Hill Longform Improv Festival.
The Crayon has advanced to the finals of the East Coast Regionals of the College Improv Tournament, a national competition hosted by the Chicago Improv Festival, losing to Seriously Bent, Suffolk University's
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
improv troupe.
Alumni
- Phil LaMarrPhil LaMarrPhillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
- actor, known for his roles in MadTVMADtvMADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
, Marvin in Pulp FictionPulp Fiction (film)Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
, the voice of Hermes ConradHermes ConradHermes Conrad is a fictional character in the Futurama animated series. He is voiced by Phil LaMarr.- Appearance and personality :Born in 2959, Hermes is a grade 36 bureaucrat from Jamaica. He manages the Planet Express delivery business with responsibilities that include paying bills, giving out...
in FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, and the voice of Jack in Samurai JackSamurai JackSamurai Jack is an American animated television series created by animator Genndy Tartakovsky that aired on both Cartoon Network and Toonami from 2001 to 2004. It is noted for its highly detailed, outline-free, masking-based animation, as well as for its cinematic style and pacing... - Greg PakGreg PakGreg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...
- film director and comic book writer - Jeffrey Stock - Broadway composer of Triumph of LoveTriumph of LoveTriumph of Love is a musical with a book by James Magruder, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jeffrey Stock.Resembling a chamber musical more than a traditional book musical, it is based on the 1732 Pierre de Marivaux commedia dell'arte play Le Triomphe de l'Amour and centers on Spartan...