Les McGehee is having a ball in "Plays Well With Others".
SAN ANTONIO – Les McGehee is well known as someone who “Plays Well With Others”. Now, the founder of the National Comedy Theatre (NCT) is bringing his hit comedy show of the same name to San Antonio.
"Plays Well With Others" is based on McGehee’s book, "Les McGehee Plays Well With Others: A 'Grown-Up' Handbook of Improvisation and Play". The book, published in 2007, is the product of more than 20 years of experience in improvisational comedy. “After so many performances in so many places,” says McGehee, “I wanted to record everything I had learned about improv, and I wanted to pass on those lessons to the next generation of comics. Writing the book was my chance to do both.” "Les McGehee Plays Well With Others" has met with an enthusiastic response from readers, with Amazon.com customer Bowie V. Ibarra calling it “a must have for any aspiring improv comic performer.”
The Austin resident soon found another opportunity to share the lessons of his career when Ann Ciccolella, then director of the Zachary Scott Theatre Center (ZACH), asked McGehee to adapt his book into a stage show. In the process of designing the show, McGehee was quickly able to recruit his friends and colleagues from the Austin improv community. “One of the best parts of making 'Plays Well With Others' was getting to work with so many people I knew from NCT and ComedySportz ,” says McGehee. “It’
The San Antonio run of "Plays Well With Others" will be presented at The Overtime Theater, which has hosted the National Comedy Theater of San Antonio since March of this year. For McGehee, who appeared as a child on the San Antonio children’s show "Captain Gus" and started performing his comedy as a student at Smithson Valley High School (where he won state awards in drama), the decision to bring his show to the Alamo City was an easy one: “What I love about San Antonio is what I love about Austin. There’
The veteran performer, who has provided improv training to such Fortune 500 companies as AT&T, IBM, and Dell, believes that the lessons of his career can have an impact far beyond the stage. “‘Plays Well With Others’ was a category on my elementary school report cards,” says McGehee, explaining the title of his book and show, “and I believe it’s just as important for adults as for kids, maybe more so. An environment of people who can play, people who can laugh, people who can smile at one another, is a happier and healthier and more productive environment. If ‘grown-ups’
"Plays Well With Others" will be performed at The Overtime Theater (1216 West Avenue, between Olmos and Hildebrand) from June 20 through July 12. Thursday, Friday and Saturday curtains are at 8:00 PM; however, there will be no performances on July 4 or July 11. ***In celebration of the upcoming 4th of July holiday, the Overtime Theater is offering a “4 By 4” discount for all shows on the weekend of June 27; ticket buyers wearing red, white, and blue will receive a $4 discount on the regular ticket price.***
Tickets for the show are only $9.00; Thursdays are “Roll the Dice” nights, when patrons can roll the dice and pay whatever amount they roll. For more information and to make reservations, please call 210.380.0326 or visit http://www.theovertimetheater.net.
For more information on Les McGehee and "Plays Well With Others", please visit http://www.lesmcgehee.com.
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