How To Properly Submit to An Improv Festival

Festivals are educational. Festivals are part of the improv culture. Festivals are just the most fun. But they are challenging to produce. Here youll nd some pro tips from festival producers from around the world. The deal makers and deal breakers when submitting to a festival. While acceptance is never guaranteed to any festival, follow these tips and youll have a higher percentage chance of acceptance. Your Show: Each festival is different. Producers are looking for all kinds of acts. Many are looking for diversity, creativity, genre based, etc. But ALL producers are looking for high quality shows. Submit your show that is polished and ready to go. Festivals arent a place to work ideas out. Its a place to showcase where you shine. There are SO many festivals all year long, so wait until your show is ready to go before you submit. Video Quality: 1. Give them what they ask for. If they ask for a 25 minute, un-edited show, then thats what you submit. If they want the rst 10 minutes of your set, send them the rst 10 minutes. 2. Get to the point. Groups that banter or have unnecessary long intros before they actually begin improvising are often thrown out of consideration. Festival producers watch a TON of footage. Impress them from the beginning. Dont make them wait 8 minutes for the show to begin, because they might stop watching before it starts. 3. Can they see you? Can they hear you? Audio and visual quality are paramount. Dont submit something you cant hear or see well. Make sure the stage is well lit and you can hear everyone. A test run with your camera is always a great idea. 4. Current. The more current the better. While some troupes have consistently good shows for two straight years, producers dont always have that information. Submit a recent, high quality show so they know how to program their festival. Media/Press Copy THIS IS CRUCIAL! This is a huge deal breaker/deal maker for producers! Make sure the show you submit is the show they will see. What you see is what you get. If your show is going to change in ANY WAY from what you submitted (format, troupe members, genre, etc.) PLEASE notify the festival producer as soon as possible. Its common courtesy. Theyve worked hard to program a diverse and entertaining lineup. Dont upset them and show up with two people if you submitted a seven man improvised puppet show.

1. Use third person active when describing your show. Remember, they are spending advertising dollars to promote troupes from other cities. Make the description enticing to the general public. The general public is not concerned with technical terms such as long form, organic openings, or the Harold. If someone has never heard of or seen an improv comedy show is excited after reading 75 words of copy, you nailed it! Remember, PRESS COPY is for the world to read. SHOW DESCRIPTION is for festival producers to read. Know the difference. If you need help, ask someone who has been to other festivals in your community to help you with this task. 2. Submit a professional, high resolution jpeg with your media kit. Producers cant submit thumbnails to the press. Do not photoshop or add text to the photo. Just a good, clean photo of your group is what producers want. A nice photo of your troupe is something youll use over and over again. Get er done. 3. Any reviews of your show are great for producers. Especially if you have not attended their festival (or other festivals). A lot of producers rely on your history and any referrals. If other producers have great things to say about you/your troupe, and you put on a high quality show, youll likely have a nice reputation and be invited to play at several festivals. Remember, youre representing yourself, your city, and your home theater. Be respectful of the rules of the theater/venue where you are performing. Everyone operates differently, and they do so for a reason. Check in when you are supposed to, be early for your call time. Take as many workshops as you possibly can. Stay late at the parties. Improv festivals are the most fun. Go have the most fun! Heres an evolving list of festivals around the globe, organized by month. Submission deadlines are listed if the festival is still accepting submissions. Many festivals have not released their exact dates, so make sure to check their websites and follow them on FB/ Twitter for up to date info. Happy submitting!

JANUARY
Charleston Comedy Festival (Charleston, SC) January 16-19, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A http://charlestoncomedyfestival.com/ Impro Amsterdam Festival (Amsterdam) January 22-26, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A www.improv-amsterdamn.nl

FEBRUARY
Gainesville Improv Festival (Gainesville, FL) Feb 20-24, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A http://www.gainesvilleimprov.com North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival (Carrboro, NC; Durham, NC; Chapel Hill, NC) January 30-Feb 17, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A http://www.nccomedyarts.com/ Seattle Festival of Improv Theater (Seattle, WA) February 13-17, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A http://www.seattleimprov.com/

MARCH
The Bristol Improv Festival (Bristol, England) March 3-10, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A https://www.facebook.com/brimprovfest Dallas Comedy Festival (Dallas, TX) March 26-30, 2012 Submission Deadline: January 13 http://www.dallascomedyfestival.com

APRIL
Chicago Improv Festival (Chicago, IL) April 1-7, 2013 Submission Deadline: January 18 http://www.chicagoimprovfestival.org/web/cif_home.php Houston Improv Festival (Houston, TX) April 18-21, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A www.houstonimprovfestival.com Geek Week (Boston, MA) April 16-20, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A http://geekweekcomedy.com Alaska State Improv Festival (Junea, AK) April 18-20, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A? http://www.asifest.com/ Phoenix Improv Festival (Phoenix, AZ) April 18-20, 2013 Submission Deadline: N/A www.phoeniximprovfestival.com Los Angeles Comedy Festival (Los Angeles, CA) April 26-May 5, 2013 Submission Deadline: February 22 http://www.lacomedyfest.com/lacfsubmissions.html

MAY
Ladies Are Funny Festival (Austin, TX) 2013 Dates have not been released http://ladiesarefunnyfest.wordpress.com/

JUNE
Duofest (Philadelphia, PA) June 6-9, 2013 Submission Deadline: March 2 http://duofest.com/ Los Angeles Improv Comedy Festival (Los Angeles, CA) June 2-8, 2013 Submission Deadline: May 3 http://ioimprov.com/west/festival/application Colorado Improv Festival (Colorado Springs) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.coloradoimprovfestival.com/ Twin Cities Improv Festival (Minneapolis/St. Paul) June 27-30, 2013 Submission Deadline: January 15 http://www.twincitiesimprovfestival.com Providence Improv Festival (Providence, RI) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.providenceimprovfest.com Improvised Play Festival (Austin, TX) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.improvisedplayfestival.com/

JULY
Improvention (Canberra, Australia) July 20-27, 2013 http://www.improvention.com/ Sarasota Improv Festival (Sarasota, FL) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/show_shows.php?id=358 Improv Festival Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK) 2013 Dates have not been released http://festival.reddirtimprov.com

SEPTEMBER
Improvaganza! The Hawaii Festival of Improv (Honolulu, HI) September 26-29 Submissions open soon http://improvaganza.com

UPCOMING FESTIVALS
The following festivals typically occur June-November of each year, but have yet to release official dates. Check their websites for current festival dates & submission info. Toronto Improv Festival (Tortonto, Canada) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.torontoimprovfestival.ca/ Milwaukee Comedy Festival (Milwaukee, WI) 2013 Dates have not been released http://festival.milwaukeecomedy.com Baltimore Improv Festival (Baltimore, MD) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.baltimoreimprovfestival.org Del Close Marathon (New York, NY) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.delclosemarathon.com San Francisco Improv Festival (San Francisco, CA) 2013 Dates have not been released http://sfimprovfestival.com/ Sofa King Funny Festival (Augusta, GA) 2013 Dates have not been released www.sofakingfunnyfest.com Megaphone Marathons (New Orleans, LA/ Austin, TX) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.newmovementtheater.com/marathons/ Out of Bounds Comedy Festival (Austin, TX) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.outofboundscomedy.com

Boston Improv Festival (Boston, MA) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.bostonimprovfest.com Kansas City Improv Festival (Kansas City, KS) 2013 Dates have not been released http://kcimprov.com/festival Big-Little Comedy Festival (Grand Rapids MI) 2013 Dates have not been released http://www.biglittlecomedy.com