Projectproject

PROJECTproject is a Toronto-based company that has produced improvised theatre, comedy and performance events since June 2007. In addition to their regular shows, the company is also responsible for the PROJECTproject COMBUSTIONfestival featuring collaborations with performers from across North America, held in May.
PROJECTproject’s weekly show features a variety of improv formats and concepts. Generally, each show features one or two short showcase slots (sometimes called “mixers”) and one soloset (wherein an improviser takes to the stage by themselves) followed by a rotating series of longer or more involved projects in the second half of the show, usually prominently featuring the company’s core cast of 5 improvisers. PROJECTproject shows are characterized by a casual party atmosphere and a willingness by performers to collaborate and work outside of their comfort zones. What was originally intended as a 5-week preview run at Unit 102 turned into a
37-week stint as the company waited for their new venue to be built.
Following their inaugural PROJECTproject COMBUSTIONfestival in May 2008, the company took up residence at Comedy Bar - a comedy venue owned by Gary Rideout Jr. of The Sketchersons (with business partner James Elksnitis). In March 2009, PROJECTproject returned their weekly show to Unit 102, but still mounted the 2009 PROJECTproject COMBUSTIONfestival at Comedy Bar. In September 2009, the company began an occasional (almost monthly) residency at Bread & Circus in Toronto's Kensington Market, in addition to their weekly shows at Unit 102.
Combustion Festival
In the last week of May, PROJECTproject hosts a festival of improvised and interdisciplinary collaborations with improvisers and artists from across North America. The festival features 5 programs, each loosely inspired by a method of combustion:
*FAST - shortform improv (shorter in length, not in quality)
*SLOW - longform improv (not that the speed of it need be slow)
*COMPLETE - heavily structured improvisation, loose sketch and scripted work with room to play
*INCOMPLETE - new configurations of people; forms-in-development
*SMOULDERING - radical/non-traditional improvisation
2008
Festival artwork by Joe Sciglitano (Australia).
Guests
*Picnicface (Halifax): Mark Little & Andrew Bush
* (Vancouver): Alistair Cook & Rene Dellefont
*The Doug Dank Project (Atlanta): Rene Dellefont & Amber Nash (with: Sean Tabares & Kurt Smeaton)
*A.K.A. Improv (Vancouver): Aaron Read, Andrew Chen & Kayla Lorette
*Buckshot’N’Benny (New York/Vancouver): Kaitlin Fontana & Louie Pearlman
*Uncalled For (Montreal): Dan Jeannotte, Anders Yates, Nic Wright & Caitlin Howden
*Crush Improv (Ottawa): AL Connors (& guests)
*The Sketchersons (Toronto): Gary Rideout Jr., Pat Thornton, Craig Brown, Bob Kerr, Norm Sousa, Cole Osborne, Tal Zimerman, Laura Cilevitz, Inessa Frantowski, Andy Hull, Josh Saltzman & Jared Sales
*Bad Dog Theatre Co. (Toronto): Lisa Merchant, James Gangl, Kris Siddiqi, Kirsten Gallagher, Kevin Matviw & Alastair Forbes
*The Renaissance (Toronto): Julian Frid, Georgea Brooks-Hancock, Shauna Jean Doherty, Claire Salloum, Liam O’Doherty Adam Ward & Karen Stern
*Semi-formal night/project guests: many of the performers above plus Vivieno Caldinelli, Rob Baker, Peter Stevens, Daryn MacIntyre & more.
2009
Festival artwork by Jon Blair (Toronto).
Festival photography by Shauna Jean Doherty & Stephanie Marie Tonietto (Toronto).
Guests
*4track (New York): Christian Capozzoli & guests (including Sean Tabares)
*CRUMBS (Winnipeg): Steve Sim & Lee White
*Dad's Garage (Atlanta): Amber Nash & Chris Blair
*Mark & Andy from Picnicface (Halifax): Mark Little & Andrew Bush
*CRUSH (New York): Frank Bonomo, Brandon Lisy, Brian Bockrath, Chet Siegel, Lauren Olson, Taylor White & Steve Horak
*Crush Improv (Ottawa): AL Connors, Cari Leslie (& guests)
*Sister Act (Vancouver): Christine Bortolin & Bita Joudaki with Aaron Read
*All-star guests: Kirsten Rasmussen (Rapid Fire Theatre - Edmonton), Rene Dellefont (Doug Dank Project - Atlanta), Kaitlin Fontana (Rosa Parks improv - Vancouver) & Caitlin Curtis (Kelvin Improv - Winnipeg)
2010
Festival artwork by Ehren Salazar (Vancouver).
Festival photography by Kate Millet, Mandy Sellers, Shauna Jean Doherty & Stephanie Marie Tonietto (Toronto).
Guests
*4track (New York): Christian Capozzoli, George Basil & guests (including: Brandon Lisy, Mark Little, Kirsten Rasmussen & Michal Grajewski)
*the Sunday Service (Vancouver): Taz VanRassel, Ryan Beil & Kevin Lee
*Parallelogramophonograph (Austin): Kareem Badr, Kaci Beeler, Roy Janik & Valerie Ward
*Ted & Melanie (Chicago): Jet Eveleth & Paul Brittain
*Rapid Fire Theatre's Young Guns (Edmonton): Julian Faid, Arlen Konopaki & Joe Vanderhelm
*the Tumbleweed Project (cross-Canada): Tim Carlson, Hannah Spear, Meags Fitzgerald, RobYn Slade, Justin Collette, Cari Leslie, Kirsten Rasmussen & Mark Little
*All-star guests: AL Connors & Brad MacNeil (Crush Improv - Ottawa)
Projects
Ongoing projects
*show - a gameshow incorporating improvised scenes, trivia, penalties and challenges (influenced by Japanese and North American gameshows & board games)
*The Condo Show - a directed one-act improvised play, with a director chosen at random from the cast and one player randomly challenged with some sort of restriction (referred to as the skull-and-crossbones) (conceived by Mark Andrada)
Occasional/developing projects
*Dinner with Someone from History - a recurring series of spaghetti dinners with Pat Thornton and a variety of audience-suggested historical figures played by Sean Tabares
*Burning Bright - inspired by the John Steinbeck play-novelette of the same name (conceived by Kayla Lorette)
*Perfect Strangers - a piece making use of improvised illustration, and auto-animation projected onto/behind the actors in the scenes using an overhead projector (conceived by Mark Andrada)
*Post-apocalyptic project - genre exploration (conceived by Kayla Lorette)
*Project Sleep - a piece wherein improvisers set their clocks to wake up in the middle of the night to record themselves performing spontaneous monologues based on a suggestion that is only revealed to them when they arise; these projected monologues form the basis of improvised scenework (conceived by Sean Tabares)
*Epicene girls/epicene boys - projects featuring the core cast divided along gender lines
Past projects (could return)
*The Kid is Hot 2night - a 6-month long ongoing longform elimination tournament wherein the initial field of 30 seasoned improvisers was eventually narrowed (through audience voting) to a group of 6 improvisers who were featured at the 2008 COMBUSTIONfestival (conceived by Bob Banks)
*Slimfit - a serialized improvised sitcom set in the world of high fashion modeling (conceived by Alana Johnston)
Festival appearances
*2007 Toronto International Improv Festival (as PROJECTproject: epicene project)
*2008 University of Toronto Improv Festival (showcase guests)
*2008 Victoria International Improv Festival
*2008 Vancouver International Improv Festival
*2009 Canadian Comedy Awards & Festival - Saint John, New Brunswick
*2009 Mprov - Montreal International Improv Festival
*2010 Guelph Comedy Festival
Performers
Core Cast Members
*Julie Dumais
*Sarah Hillier
*Sean Tabares
*Alex Tindal
*Mark Andrada (occasionally)
Core Cast Alumni
*Adam Cawley
*Jason DeRosse
*Bob Banks
*Alana Johnston
*Bita Joudaki
*Kayla Lorette
*Tatiana Maslany
Guests
Pat Thornton, Gary Rideout Jr., Norm Sousa, Craig Brown, Cole Osborne, Rob Baker, Aurora Browne, Caitlin Howden, Jan Caruana, Lauren Ash, James Gangl, Lisa Merchant, Kris Siddiqi, Daryn McIntyre, Peter Stevens, Claire Salloum, Georgea Brooks-Hancock, Alice Moran, Liz White, Mack Lawrenz, Rob Baker, Chris Tindal, Sarah Hennessey, Deborah Etta Robinson, Brian Barlow, Carmine Lucarelli, Kevin Gillese, Michal Grajewski, Katie Bowes, Arlen Konopaki, Kjartan Hewitt, Chris Craddock, Sandra Battaglini, Rebecca Addelman, Kristen MacGregor, Tal Zimmerman, Steph “Tony” Tonietto, Simon Pond, Dave Morris, Aaron Read, Andrew Chen, Mark Little, Andrew Bush, Dan Jeannotte, Anders Yates, Matt Goldberg, Taz VanRassel, Eric Hart, Rob Norman, Andy Hull, Steve Oke, Brian Cook, Jeff McEnery, Dave Melenchuk, Matt Duncan, Adam Kennedy, Meags Fitzgerald, Fraz Weist, Ian Rowe, Steph Tolev, Allison Hogg, Ian MacIntyre, Lisa Farlow, Megan Fraser, Renna Reddie, Mark Cotoia, Kevin Patrick Robbins, Julia Lane, Rob Chodos, Brad Sayeau, Laura Cilevitz, Adam Ward, Steve Hobbs, Sean Magee, Wayne Molinski, Kevin Williams, Isaac Kessler, Michael Balazo Luis Fernandes & more.

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