We at DCist definitely think we are. But that’s after we check Thesaurus.com, go through the blogroll twice, and then decide how to make the snarkiest pun. We like the safety of our laptops. And we’re scared of bright lights (they reflect off our geek-chic glasses).
Our readers, however, may be more fearless. And they have a chance to prove it. Washington Improv Theatre, the self-proclaimed “nucleus” of the maturing D.C. comedy scene, is hosting Open Call Auditions for two of their sketch comedy troupes Caveatand Jackie, this Saturday, Jan 13th. This means you have two days to talk yourself into it, out of it, and back into it, before signing up for a 30-minute audition block by tomorrow.
Sure, 30 minutes is a long time, long enough to ruin any sense of cool. But since improv is not a one-man sport, auditions will be arranged in clusters. Think of it as a group interview. Essentially, you’ll get a word, fetish, hypothetical profession or other grab bag factoid, and WIT directors will judge your ad-libbing skills. Callbacks happen immediately, so the whole post-anxiety thing won’t last long. Current Jackie and Caveat players will “play” with second-rounders on Sunday, Jan 14th before they make final cuts. All ages are accepted, and WIT has no set number of new members that it will accept. The troupes typically rehearse about 2-3 hours per week, and perform a handful of shows per weekend during the WIT season.
If you’re not into Caveat or Jackie, consider the annual DC Comedy Fest, still accepting submissions for the local, ameteur comedy showcase happening in mid-April. We were fans last year, and the year before, and want to make sure it’s just as quality this time around. The deadline for all sketch, stand-up and improv submissions has been bumped from Jan 5th to Feb 1st. They want a copy of a live performance (of yourself or troupe) done after Jan 1, 2006 on DVD (no love for old-school VHS tapes). DCCF is also accepting short comedy films, which can be up to ten minutes, and are due Thursday, March 1st. For all other details, go here.
Photo by tiny tiny kv.
