Events

Fri 9th Nov 7:00 PM 11:00 PM	Sea Tea Improv Studio Grand Opening Party! Sea Tea Improv has just opened the doors of Hartford’s first-ever studio for improvisational comedy, and we're having a party to celebrate! On Friday, November 9th at 7PM, we're welcoming our students, fans, supporters, and friends to join us in our new Studio for a special kick-off event. Refreshments will be provided. NOTE: You must RSVP via email to comedy@seateaimprov.com if you would like to attend. We have limited space, so we must know you're coming ahead of time. We hope to see you there! https://www.facebook.com/notes/sea-tea-improv/studio-press-release/10151118893033768 westhartford.patch.com/.....tudio www.ct.com/entertainmen.....story 75 Pratt St, Room 500, Hartford, CT
Sun 11th Nov 7:00 PM 9:00 PM	Sea Tea Improv at City Steam Brewery's Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club! Eat, drink, laugh, and shout suggestions as Sea Tea Improv's team of professional comedians host an evening of improvised comedy at City Steam Brewery's Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club, 942 Main Street, in Hartford, CT. Their work has been featured on ESPN, NPR, WFSB, and more. Best of all, admission is FREE! See why the Hartford Advocate recognized Sea Tea Improv's monthly show as one of the top things to do in Hartford. Enjoy City Steam's dinner menu and locally brewed beers while performers take suggestions from you and weave them into comedic scenes. On Sunday, November 11, the comedy club doors open at 6PM for seating and food. Improv begins at 7PM. Call ahead to City Steam at 860-525-1600 to reserve seats. All ages are welcome. Due to the sale of alcohol, those under the age of 21 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. City Steam Brewery, 942 Main St, Hartford, CT
Fri 16th Nov 7:30 PM 9:30 PM	Sea Tea Improv's Longform Comedy Showcase feat. Nobody's Token! Sea Tea Improv is bringing the NYC improv to Hartford again! Watch Sea Tea Improv and one guest group perform different kinds of *longform* improv comedy! See the styles of improv comedy made popular in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York! Watch improvised scenes created right before your eyes, based on your suggestions! Just $9 online ahead of time ( seateaimprovlongform.eventbrite.com/ ), $10 online on the day of the show, or $10 at the door! This month's guest group is the Nobody's Token! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nobodys-Token/140931646410 Nobody's Token is a team from The Peoples Improv Theater (The PIT) in New York City (NYC)! See their improvised sitcom - complete with commercials! Each installment will feature Sea Tea Improv and a superb guest group from Connecticut, Boston or New York pushing the boundaries of what improv can be. Sea Tea Improv's format for November is The Deconstruction. Our improv shows are different every time! This event is supported by the City of Hartford Arts & Heritage Jobs Grant Program, Pedro E. Segarra, Mayor. Buy tickets: seateaimprovlongform.eventbrite.com/ The Studio at Billings Forge, 563 Broad St, Hartford, CT
Fri 7th Dec 7:30 PM 9:30 PM	The Diversion presents BenTopher and Friends & Sea Tea Improv! Come see two great comedy acts Hartford’s Sea Tea Improv and Middletown's own BenTopher and Friends entertain you with a wonderful night of comedy! Our improv shows are different every time! Friday, December 7th at 7:30PM First Church of Christ Parish Hall, 190 Court Street, Middletown CT Tickets $10 day of show. Buy tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/event/4806615717/ Doors open at 7PM RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED Call 860-325-2386 or visit www.thediversion.com/ for more info. First Church of Christ Parish Hall, 190 Court Street, Middletown, CT
Sun 9th Dec 7:00 PM 9:00 PM	Sea Tea Improv's FREE Holiday Comedy Show at City Steam Brewery benefitting the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life! Eat, drink, laugh, and shout suggestions as Sea Tea Improv's team of professional comedians host an evening of improvised comedy at City Steam Brewery's Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club, 942 Main Street, in Hartford, CT. Their work has been featured on ESPN, NPR, WFSB, and more. Best of all, admission is FREE! 100% of donations collected at this special holiday show will be donated to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life! See why the Hartford Advocate recognized Sea Tea Improv's monthly show as one of the top things to do in Hartford. Enjoy City Steam's dinner menu and locally brewed beers while performers take suggestions from you and weave them into comedic scenes. On Sunday, December 9th, the comedy club doors open at 6PM for seating and food. Improv begins at 7PM. Call ahead to City Steam at 860-525-1600 to reserve seats. All ages are welcome. Due to the sale of alcohol, those under the age of 21 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. City Steam Brewery, 942 Main St, Hartford, CT
Thu 13th Dec 9:00 PM 10:00 PM	Hanging with Harold - Weekly Drop-In Jam Hanging with Harold is not a class or a workshop. It's not a show, either. It's a learn-by-doing drop-in jam where Sea Tea Improv and members of the improv community (that's you, just by showing up!) perform a kind of longform improv together known as the Harold. "You'll have to do about a hundred Harolds to start feeling comfortable with the form." - Matt Besser, founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade We will keep track of the cumulative number of Harolds done by each participant from week to week. Each week, we will do 1, 2 or 3 Harolds (time depending), and everyone who participates will add to their Harold total toward everyone's personal goal of 100 completed Harolds. We'll be doing this on Thursdays for the rest of 2012, and moving to Wednesdays at 8PM starting in January. Who will be first to reach 100 Harolds completed? $5 per person Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Sun 16th Dec 6:00 PM 10:00 PM	Get a Clue Christmas! Solve a murder mystery in the decorated Mark Twain House! Get a Christmas Clue Tours! Sunday, December 16, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm, every 15 minutes Who killed that varmint Pap Finn and why did they wait ‘til Christmas to do it??? Play our live-action version of the classic game CLUE in the Mark Twain House. Was it Becky Thatcher with a stake of holly in the Conservatory? The Prince (or was it the Pauper?) with the slay-bells in the library? This hour long tour features SEA TEA IMPROV as Twain's beloved characters/suspects and all the murder, mayhem and merriment associated with what the author called "that infernal Christmas suicide." Featured on an upcoming Travel Channel show “Wackiest Tours!” ONE NIGHT ONLY Tours step off every 15 minutes. Reservations required. $20 with discounts for members and children. Call (860) 280-3130 The Mark Twain House & Museum, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT
Thu 20th Dec 9:00 PM 10:00 PM	Hanging with Harold - Weekly Drop-In Jam Hanging with Harold is not a class or a workshop. It's not a show, either. It's a learn-by-doing drop-in jam where Sea Tea Improv and members of the improv community (that's you, just by showing up!) perform a kind of longform improv together known as the Harold. "You'll have to do about a hundred Harolds to start feeling comfortable with the form." - Matt Besser, founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade We will keep track of the cumulative number of Harolds done by each participant from week to week. Each week, we will do 1, 2 or 3 Harolds (time depending), and everyone who participates will add to their Harold total toward everyone's personal goal of 100 completed Harolds. We'll be doing this on Thursdays for the rest of 2012, and moving to Wednesdays at 8PM starting in January. Who will be first to reach 100 Harolds completed? $5 per person Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Fri 21st Dec 12:00 PM 1:00 PM	Private Corporate Workshop Ellington, CT
Fri 21st Dec 7:30 PM 9:30 PM	Sea Tea Improv's APOCALYPSE Longform Comedy Showcase feat. Franklin's Peaches! Watch Sea Tea Improv and one guest group perform different kinds of *longform* improv comedy! See the styles of improv comedy made popular in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York! Watch improvised scenes created right before your eyes, based on your suggestions! Tickets are just $9 online ahead of time, $10 online on the day of the show, or $10 at the door! Buy tickets online: seateaimprovlongform.eventbrite.com/ Sea Tea Improv's format this month is The Apocalypse Eventé. Each installment will feature Sea Tea Improv and a superb guest group from Connecticut, Boston, New York, or elsewhere pushing the boundaries of what improv can be. This month's guest: Franklin's Peaches! Our improv shows are different every time! This event is supported by the City of Hartford Arts & Heritage Jobs Grant Program, Pedro E. Segarra, Mayor. The Studio at Billings Forge, 563 Broad St, Hartford, CT
Thu 27th Dec 9:00 PM 10:00 PM	Hanging with Harold - Weekly Drop-In Jam Hanging with Harold is not a class or a workshop. It's not a show, either. It's a learn-by-doing drop-in jam where Sea Tea Improv and members of the improv community (that's you, just by showing up!) perform a kind of longform improv together known as the Harold. "You'll have to do about a hundred Harolds to start feeling comfortable with the form." - Matt Besser, founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade We will keep track of the cumulative number of Harolds done by each participant from week to week. Each week, we will do 1, 2 or 3 Harolds (time depending), and everyone who participates will add to their Harold total toward everyone's personal goal of 100 completed Harolds. We'll be doing this on Thursdays for the rest of 2012, and moving to Wednesdays at 8PM starting in January. Who will be first to reach 100 Harolds completed? $5 per person Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Fri 28th Dec 6:00 PM 9:00 PM	Private Teen Theatre Workshop Wethersfield, CT
Mon 31st Dec 7:00 PM 7:45 PM	Sea Tea Improv at First Night Hartford We're performing at First Night Hartford for the 4th year in a row! It's Hartford's premier New Year's Eve party, a multicultural, artistically unique, alcohol-free New Year's experience with countless professional musicians, artists, performance groups and exhibits that inspire thousands of people of all ages to attend each year. It’s also an affordable way for everyone to ring in the New Year. This is the 24th year for First Night Hartford, so be sure to come and join the fun and keep the tradition going! Sponsored by the Greater Hartford Arts Council More info here: www.firstnighthartford.org Center Church House, 60 Gold Street, Hartford, CT
Wed 2nd Jan 8:00 PM 9:00 PM	Hanging with Harold - Weekly Drop-In Jam Hanging with Harold is not a class or a workshop. It's not a show, either. It's a learn-by-doing drop-in jam where Sea Tea Improv and members of the improv community (that's you, just by showing up!) perform a kind of longform improv together known as the Harold. "You'll have to do about a hundred Harolds to start feeling comfortable with the form." - Matt Besser, founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade We will keep track of the cumulative number of Harolds done by each participant from week to week. Each week, we will do 1, 2 or 3 Harolds (time depending), and everyone who participates will add to their Harold total toward everyone's personal goal of 100 completed Harolds. Who will be first to reach 100 Harolds completed? $5 per person Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Wed 9th Jan 8:00 PM 9:00 PM	Hanging with Harold - Weekly Drop-In Jam Hanging with Harold is not a class or a workshop. It's not a show, either. It's a learn-by-doing drop-in jam where Sea Tea Improv and members of the improv community (that's you, just by showing up!) perform a kind of longform improv together known as the Harold. "You'll have to do about a hundred Harolds to start feeling comfortable with the form." - Matt Besser, founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade We will keep track of the cumulative number of Harolds done by each participant from week to week. Each week, we will do 1, 2 or 3 Harolds (time depending), and everyone who participates will add to their Harold total toward everyone's personal goal of 100 completed Harolds. Who will be first to reach 100 Harolds completed? $5 per person Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Fri 11th Jan 7:30 PM 9:00 PM	Sea Tea Improv's Longform Comedy Showcase Watch Sea Tea Improv and one guest group perform different kinds of *longform* improv comedy! See the styles of improv comedy made popular in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York! Watch improvised scenes created right before your eyes, based on your suggestions! Tickets are just $9 online ahead of time, $10 online on the day of the show, or $10 at the door! Buy tickets online: seateaimprovlongform.eventbrite.com/ Each installment will feature Sea Tea Improv and a superb guest group from Connecticut, Boston, New York, or elsewhere pushing the boundaries of what improv can be. Our improv shows are different every time! The Studio at Billings Forge, 563 Broad St, Hartford, CT
Sat 12th Jan 3:00 PM 6:00 PM	(SOLD OUT) 8-Week Improv Course "The Scene" Begins! The Scene (Foundation Course) Instructor: Kate Sidley Cost: $199 Saturday afternoons from 3PM to 6PM Students will learn the ultimate foundation needed in order to have amazing scenes. Players will focus on listening, adding detail, specificity, and how to progress and expand a scene. Using fast-paced short-form games, students will also be challenged to think quickly. This course ends in a share performance for an invited audience. Prerequisite: This course requires no previous improv experience or courses. Those with improv experience will benefit from the curriculum targeting specific improv skill-sets. Class dates: Saturday, January 12 Saturday, January 19 Saturday, January 26 Saturday, February 2 Saturday, February 9 Saturday, February 16 Saturday, February 23 Saturday, March 2 (Share from 5:30PM – 6PM) This course is one of Sea Tea Improv’s 3 “Foundation” level adult improv courses, along with “The Character” (last offered in Fall 2012) and “The Game” (last offered in Spring 2012). This course is now SOLD OUT. View this course on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/167129410078184/ Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St, Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Mon 14th Jan 6:30 PM 9:30 PM	8-Week Improv Course "The Set List" begins! The Set List (Focus Level Course in Short Form Improv) Instructor: Julia Pistell Cost: $199 Monday evenings from 6:30PM to 9:30PM So: you know the rules, but does that make you a great quarterback? Or do you feel like you’re constantly on the JV short form team? In “The Set List,” instructor Julia Pistell will teach you how to play the games you know (and many you don’t) to the very best of your ability. Root out the games within the game, and play to the top of your intelligence no matter if you’re speaking in gibberish, mime, poorly translated Russian, or alphabetical order. We’ll apply advanced scenework techniques to simple games to find the perfect blend of short-form styles and practical theatrical concerns (is there conflict? How’s your stage presence looking?). Make bolder choices, do better scenes, and walk away with a greater understanding of how to have the most fun while using the best part of your brain. Lots of personal feedback in every class. Bring your own strengths and style to short-form games: that’s the goal. Julia Pistell has co-starred in almost 40 consecutive monthly short-form shows at City Steam Brewery’s Brew-Ha-Ha Comedy Club, as well as over 100 other improv shows with Sea Tea Improv. She is trained by the Upright Citizens Brigade, ImprovBoston, the PIT’s Ali Faranakien, the Hartford Stage, and more. She has been teaching improv for many years, including her current posts at Sea Tea Improv and the Hartford Children’s Theater. Julia also improvises her way through a nationally popular podcast, Literary Disco, and a career in Public Relations and Event Planning at the Mark Twain House & Museum. Prerequisite: Completion of two “Foundation” level courses (The Scene, The Game, The Character), or completion of one Foundation course & concurrent enrollment in a Foundation course, or permission from Sea Tea Improv. Class dates: Monday, January 14 Monday, January 21 Monday, January 28 Monday, February 4 Monday, February 11 Monday, February 18 Monday, February 25 Monday, March 4 (Share from 9PM – 9:30PM) This course is one of Sea Tea Improv’s 2 “Focus” level adult improv courses: this course, focused on shortform improvisation, and “The Second Beat” (last offered in Fall 2012), focused on longform improvisation. This course is limited to 16 students. Register for this course via PayPal: bit.ly/SeaTeaImprovFocusShortForm If you do not meet the above listed prerequisites, please include your request for permission to join the course in the “Special Instructions: Add a message to Sea Tea Improv” section during the PayPal checkout, or in a separate email to comedy@seateaimprov.com RSVP to this course on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/302328479871788/ Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St, Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Wed 16th Jan 8:00 PM 9:00 PM	Hanging with Harold - Weekly Drop-In Jam Hanging with Harold is not a class or a workshop. It's not a show, either. It's a learn-by-doing drop-in jam where Sea Tea Improv and members of the improv community (that's you, just by showing up!) perform a kind of longform improv together known as the Harold. "You'll have to do about a hundred Harolds to start feeling comfortable with the form." - Matt Besser, founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade We will keep track of the cumulative number of Harolds done by each participant from week to week. Each week, we will do 1, 2 or 3 Harolds (time depending), and everyone who participates will add to their Harold total toward everyone's personal goal of 100 completed Harolds. Who will be first to reach 100 Harolds completed? $5 per person Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Thu 17th Jan 9:00 PM 10:00 PM	Hanging with Harold - Weekly Drop-In Jam Hanging with Harold is not a class or a workshop. It's not a show, either. It's a learn-by-doing drop-in jam where Sea Tea Improv and members of the improv community (that's you, just by showing up!) perform a kind of longform improv together known as the Harold. "You'll have to do about a hundred Harolds to start feeling comfortable with the form." - Matt Besser, founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade We will keep track of the cumulative number of Harolds done by each participant from week to week. Each week, we will do 1, 2 or 3 Harolds (time depending), and everyone who participates will add to their Harold total toward everyone's personal goal of 100 completed Harolds. Who will be first to reach 100 Harolds completed? $5 per person Sea Tea Improv Studio, 75 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, CT
Fri 18th Jan 7:30 PM 9:00 PM	Middletown Comedy Night! Join us for an evening of improvised comedy. Come see troupes of actors take to the stage without a script and create scenes based on audience suggestions. Groups performing: Hartford's Sea Tea Improv Middletown's Great Make-Believe Society East Hampton's The Sticks Improv Cost: $10 Refreshments by NoRA Cupcake Company Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater, 128 Washington St, Middletown, CT

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Sea Tea Improv Events/Shows Google Calendar

Public Performances:

Sea Tea Improv performs at public events regularly, and we have a monthly show at City Steam’s Brew-Ha-Ha Comedy Club.  Check our calendar for our next public performance. We hope to see you there!

Private Performances:

Our team of professional improvisers can customize a show of just about any length and theme to entertain your guests through made-up on-the-spot stories, characters, and games entirely based on audience suggestions.  We’ve performed for fund-raisers, birthday parties, graduation parties, opening ceremonies, holidays, and more.  Contact us for options, rates, and references.

Corporate Entertainment:

Whether you’re entertaining employees or customers, our team of professional improvisers will customize a show of just about any length and theme to entertain your audience using their own suggestions.  We’ve performed for insurance companies, law firms, financial companies, non-profits, and more.  Contact us for options, rates, and references.

What to Expect:

Short-form improvisation usually takes the form of playfully competitive games and scenes based on a large amount of audience suggestions and participation. Popularized by Drew Carey’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” short-form is where you might see us perform a Beastie Boys rap about your crappy Thursday, or do a 2- minute film noir about the struggles of an elevator operator. Sea Tea loves short-form because it is a raucous, physical embodiment of both popular culture and traditional stagework. Plus, the audience gets to abuse us quite a lot, which they seem to love.

Long-form improvisation is a series of related scenes and games based off a single audience suggestion. In long-form, players use the single word to get down to the bottom of all of its associations and implications, and build off of those and each other. The product is sometimes a completely improvised three-act play, a complete story, or a series of increasingly brilliant scenes. Sea Tea loves long-form because of the time available to develop complex plotlines, relationships, and patterns. Long-form is not always funny but it is very often mind-blowing. Many of the greatest comedians of our time began by doing long-form: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Fred Willard, Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Vince Vaughn, and so many more. Long-form has more of a tendency to be strange and uncomfortable, but come along for the ride and we promise you’ll never see anything like it again!

Improv Groups, Bands, and other acts we’ve performed with:

Horse Lincoln, UCB TourCo, String Theorie, The Sticks Improv, Tick Tick BOOM, Home Brew, The Awkward Handshakes, Franklin’s Peaches, BenTopher, Colin McEnroe, Fake Fake Monkey, The Men in Black Barbershop Quartet, The Moveable Joints, Moebius, The Purple Crayon of Yale, Free Lunch, Standish Arms

Some Places We’ve Performed:

Theaters:

The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts (as part of The Connecticut Forum), Hartford Children’s Theatre, Hartford Stage, The Hole in the Wall Theater, Lucid Stage (as part of the Portland Improv Festival), Perishable Theater (as part of the Providence Improv Festival), Playhouse on Park, Trinity on Main.

Comedy Clubs, Bars, and Cafes:

City Steam Brewery Cafe’s Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club, City Steam Brewery & Cafe’s Richardson Room, Cloud 9 Lounge, Hartford Funny Bone, Jitters Coffeehouse, Joker’s Wild Comedy Club, La Paloma Sabanera,  The Speakeasy at Local 121 (as part of the Providence Improv Festival), Zen Bar.

Companies and Organizations:

Accenture, ESPN, Greater Hartford Arts Council, The Phoenix, Public Allies, Toastmasters, United Healthcare, United Way

Schools,  Museums, Heritage, and Community Venues:

Bulkeley High School, Butler McCook House, The Buttonwood Tree, Central Baptist Church (as part of First Night Hartford), Hartford City Hall, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, ConnectiCon, Connecticut Science Center, CT Business Expo, Hartford Law and Government High School, Holyoke Public Library, Lyceum Resource & Conference Center, The Mark Twain House & Museum, Middletown Elk’s Club (for Gilead Community Services), PSC Partners Conference, Odyssey of the Mind, The Studio at Billings Forge, The University of Connecticut’s Student Union Theater, Wadsworth Atheneum

Media Studios:

ESPN Studios, WFSB Studios, WNPR Studios, WTNH Studios, WWLP Studios