The Georgetown Improv Association

The Georgetown Improv Association is a collegiate long-form improvisational troupe at Georgetown University founded in the spring of 1995. The troupe performs on-campus at Bulldog Alley at Georgetown’s Leavey Center, as well as at other colleges and venues in the surrounding District of Columbia area.
History
The Georgetown Players was founded in 1995 as an alternative theater group to Georgetown’s Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society, Nomadic Theatre, and Black Theatre Ensemble. Under the Players banner, an improvisational troupe was founded as the Georgetown Players Improv Troupe. In 2000, the troupe renamed itself the Georgetown Players Improv Group, taking the acronym, G-PIG. Over the years, the troupe has put on monthly shows in Bulldog Alley and has performed at other Georgetown functions. Members of the troupe have also performed at other colleges and universities, venues including the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, i.O., and the Washington Improv Theater.
In the spring of 2010, the Georgetown Players voted to split its memberships into two new theater groups. Independent from the Players, the improv troupe took the name The Georgetown Improv Association. The split has since dissolved, and the Georgetown Improv Association stands as the university's improvisation troupe.
The Association has performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's Del Close Marathon in 2011 and 2012.
Improvfest
Since 1997, the troupe has hosted “Improvfest,” one of the oldest improv festivals in the country. Schools that have participated include the University of Chicago, Duke University, M.I.T., the Ohio State University, Indiana University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Richmond, Wesleyan University, Xavier University, and Yale University. The troupe hosted Charna Halpern and the i.O. Chicago Touring Company in 1998. In the spring of 2012, the Georgetown Improv Association hosted the first Improvfest in Gaston Hall in the university's main building, Healy Hall. The festival boasted an audience of over 300 members and included acts by the Upright Citizens Brigade, the Washington Improv Theater, and universities from across the country.
Notable alumni
The troupe has produced several notable alumni in the fields of comedy and entertainment:
*Alison Becker, (COL ‘99), comedian
*Mike Birbiglia, (COL ’00), comedian
*Nick Kroll, (COL ’01), comedian
*John Mulaney, (COL 04), comedian, writer for Saturday Night Live
Many alumni credit the troupe for sparking their initial interests in comedy and pursuing comedy as a career. Kroll notes, "Being in was the best thing I got out of college. I had never done sketch or improv comedy before and it opened my eyes to the possibility of saying whatever I wanted however I wanted. It definitely gave me the confidence and experience to pursue a career in comedy."
Similarly, Birbiglia has credited membership in the troupe as being "an important part of the process of becoming a comedian and trying a lot of different things."

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu