The 11th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon, August 14-16 2009

Aug. 4, 2009 - PRLog -- Press Contact:    
John Frusciante
Anthony King
212-366-9176

THE UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE THEATRE PRESENTS
THE 11TH ANNUAL DEL CLOSE IMPROV MARATHON
3 days of fully Improvised Comedy on 4 Stages!
AUGUST 14th –AUGUST 16th, 2009

July 31st, 2009 – The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre will host “The 11th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon” In tribute to the godfather of improvisation Del Close. The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre has curated a full week of shows to compliment our annual 56-hour Non-stop Marathon.  Performances will be taking place at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, The Hudson Guild Theatre, Urban Stages and the Kate Murphy Amphitheater at F.I.T.  A Weekend pass is available for $25, individual shows at FIT are available for $12 each.  

Del Close was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years influencing the likes of Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley and the Upright Citizens Brigade. After Del’s passing in 1999 the Improv Marathon was started to celebrate their mentor and keep alive his name and teachings for future generations.  

This year’s Marathon will include performers from 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report sharing the stage with the best comedic improvisers from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC, Chapel Hill, Phoenix, Austin, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Ontario, St. Louis, Toronto, Hawaii, Finland and more.

Highlights include 30 Rock-prov (featuring Donald Glover, John Lutz, Tami Sagher, and more), Horatio Sanz and the Kings of Improv (featuring Horatio Sanz of Saturday Night Live) and reunions of classic UCB Theatre groups The Swarm and Respecto Montalban (featuring Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer of Human Giant, Rob Riggle, and more).  The Marathon will conclude with a special performance of ASSSSCAT at F.I.T.’s Haft Auditorium, featuring members of the Upright Citizens Brigade (Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh).  

On Friday August 14th at 4:30pm, the annual Marathon Press Conference will take place at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.  This year’s press conference will be focused on the life and work of Del Close.  The Upright Citizens Brigade will be speaking extensively about their mentor Del Close, as well as taking questions from members of the press about Close’s continuing influence on the world of comedy.

In addition to the insanity of the Marathon the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre will host a full week of special improvised shows including Chicago’s Baby Wants Candy, Improvised Shakespeare, and The Swarm. These shows take place at the Hudson Guild Theatre and Urban Stages, www.ucbtheatre.com for more info.  

This special week of shows also includes a rare New York City appearance by Matt Besser and Matt Walsh of the Upright Citizens Brigade. Matt Walsh is featured in Live Green or Die on Wednesday, August 12th and Matt Besser will appear in The Greatest Concert Ever on Thursday, August 13th. www.ucbtheatre.com for details.

“The 11th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon” will run from Friday, August 14th, through Sunday, August 16th, 2009. For information and reservations call the UCB Theatre at 212-366-9176. The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is located at 307 West 26th Street (at 8th Avenue).  Additional shows will he held at The Hudson Guild Theatre 441 West 26th Street, Urban Stages 259 West 30th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues) and the Kate Murphy Amphitheater at the Fashion Institute of Technology on the corner of 7th Avenue and 27th Street.  For complete event schedules and information visit the UCB Theatre website at www.ucbtheatre.com or the official Del Close Improv Marathon website at www.delclosemarathon.com.

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The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is a 152-seat theatre in NYC. Founded in 1996, our theater at 307 West 26th Street continues to offer the best and most innovative improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy in the city every day of the week.