Sea Tea Comedy Theater’s Hartford Improv Festival Returns for Sixth Year: 60 comedy teams, 4 days of laughs!
On April 4th - 7th, 2019 at Spotlight Cinemas and the Sea Tea Comedy Theater in downtown Hartford, Sea Tea Improv will bring back the Hartford Improv Festival for a sixth year. Last year’s festival drew crowds of hundreds as well as award-winning improvisers from around the country. Tickets can be purchased at www.hartfordimprov.com/festival
Headlining this year’s festival will be North Coast, an improvised hip hop show. With a cast of improv comedy veterans in New York City, North Coast’s explosive performances have been packing comedy venues, universities, and festivals nationwide since 2009. Built around a single suggestion from an audience member, the show’s improvised scenes escalate into full-blown hip-hop songs, facilitated by resident beatboxer, Ethan “Exacto” Scott. With their seamless melding of comedic timing and freestyle rapping abilities, North Coast frequently blurs the line between comedy show and concert, drawing audiences from the comedy, hip-hop, and theater communities for an experience that has been hailed as “mind-blowing” and “next level” by critics and audiences alike. Named one of the “Top Ten Best Comedy Shows” by Time Out New York, North Coast has been featured on Vh1, in Slate’s Podcast The Gist, The Village Voice, and The New York Times Comedy Listings.
HIF Performers this year will once again hail from all over the northern hemisphere. Teams from San Diego, Florida, Baltimore, Burlington, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston will be performing, along with Connecticut’s best improv teams.
Connecticut comedy is well-represented. Sea Tea Improv’s 10 year anniversary is this April, and significant talent has grown out of their theater’s community. This year, the festival will feature 25 outstanding Connecticut teams.
Seven improv workshops will be offered this year: Hip-Hop Improv, Physicality and Commitment, Big & Bold, Be Awesome, Solo Character Development, LGBTQ+ Supporting Yourself, and Your Very First Improv Workshop, for those who are completely new to improv. $35 per workshop. Space is very limited-- register early.
The Hartford Improv Festival (HIF) is Connecticut's largest improv event of the year. Sea Tea Improv continues to establish Hartford as a hub for comedy at the national level. The Hartford Improv Festival is designed to attract local and national talent to Hartford and showcase the art of improv comedy. Each day of the festival will consist of improv comedy performances and workshops featuring both local and national comedy talent.
Tickets can be purchased for single shows or for the entire festival. For a full schedule please visit www.hartfordimprov.com/festival.
Tickets for the festival are now $99 for unlimited access to all shows or $10 for individual shows. Audiences are invited to hang out for as much of the weekend as they desire-- remember, you’re allowed to bring movie theater popcorn (or any food and drink, including your beers!) into every show! Workshops at Sea Tea Improv Studios are $35 and can be found at hartfordimprov.com.
#HIF2019 is made possible through the generous support of Dr. Steve A. Fischman Orthodontics, The Goodwin Hotel, Vaughan's Public House, Shall Be LLC, The D.N.A. Shop, Freed Marcroft, Milagros Immigration Law, and The S/L/A/M Collaborative.
Sea Tea Improv is an award-winning comedy company based in Hartford, Connecticut and serves students of all ages and experiences. Sea Tea Improv has performed hundreds of shows throughout Hartford, New England, and beyond since 2009. The Hartford Improv Festival is one of the ways they fulfill their mission of bringing the highest-quality comedy and improvisation to Connecticut, building upon the cultural offerings of Hartford, and leading a dedicated community of improvisers. Sea Tea Improv began as a small, 7-person comedy team and has become the leading improv comedy company in the state.