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East Bay IMpRoV Articles and Reviews

COMEDY CLICKS IN PINOLE
"I just got recognized on the street in Pinole," beams East Bay Improv director Dave Patterson. He knew he was venturing into unknown territory when he moved to the Contra Costa bedroom community from Albany, where the improv troupe has been performing and holding classes the past several years, but Patterson was so impressed with the nearby Pinole Community Playhouse at 601 Tennent Ave. that he soon managed to line up the space for a series of East Bay Improv shows... Patterson and the troupe now divide their performances and improv comedy classes between Albany and Pinole, using the same four senior players and five alternates. And the wacky, anything-goes improv comic style seems to be catching on. -- (Kelly Vance, East Bay Express - 4/23/03)

PINOLE GOES IMPROV: East Bay Improv is a group of quick-witted, off-the-cuff performers that has been creating spontaneous comedy for audiences in the Bay Area for the past six years. Now they are "crashing" - their word, not mine (but I can believe it) - Pinole Community Playhouse one weekend every month. (Jack Tucker, Contra Costa Times - 4/18/03)

Damn, That's Funny
On a recent Saturday, as the rain was drilling down across Berkeley, East Bay Improv...to hilarity in a hand basket. Director/Performer Dave Patterson announced from the edge of the stage to rouse the audience, a state they maintained throughout the show. Taking full advantage of improv comedy's inherent freneticism, the five-person group hitched up their pants and plowed through a slew of scenes....
When a sketch petered out and the jokes ran dry, the group waited only long enough for one more quip before granting themselves bad comedy clemency and signaled, with a windmill sweep of an arm, for the lights to dim and the skit to end. Other times, the scenes barely began when-BAM a 700-watt one-liner ripped into the audience and shut the skit down at the apex.
It all seemed to go over well enough, but then that is the Immaculate Gimmick of improv- the audience has a vested interest in the show (they provide the nouns and scenarios)...
Bonus about East Bay Improv: A family-style warmth can be sensed...And the same went for the people in the seats, many of whom spoke proudly of taking part in the group's "fully comprehensive improv training program." Kids in the crowd; a San Francisco Mime Troupe T-shirt somewhere back in the seats; friends here and there; some cold rain outside; some warm jokes on the interior...These people know humor.
Hilarity in a hand basket...BAM a 700-watt one-liner ripped into the audience and shut the skit down at the apex... pitch-perfect Groucho asides... A family-style warmth can be sensed& These people know humor.
(3/15/00 - Brian Bling Baldi, Urban View)

East Bay IMpRoV classes

The fun of thinking on your feet
{East Bay} Improv classes are a chance to break from your identity and act out

Though it was located in the same building as the Albany Library, a group of residents at the Albany Community Center Tuesday night were not really studying and were far from quiet. They were practicing the finer points of comedic improvisational acting -- improv for short -- much of which apparently required mugging, hamming it up, yelling, a lot of laughing and other tomfoolery....."People have more energy," Patterson said of the participants. "They come tired after work and leave high as a kite. It's just a lot of fun." The teachers and students say the classes are a fun way to relieve stress, and even build social skills.

"We work on learning the sort of rules of thumb of improv that help people make up these stories and scenes as they do them," said Dave Patterson, a teacher and Linda's son. "I think part of the reason students come back a lot is that some skills they learn with improv scenes help with public presentations and help with interactions and with changes at work and life," he said. "It lets you roll with the punches a little bit more and helps you think on your feet."

"'Whose Line' has been good to us ... before people thought we were in some weird drama cult," said Dave Patterson.

"Grown-ups don't get a lot of opportunities to play and it lets you play with different people and different backgrounds," said Dave Patterson. "It's kind of therapeutic to go out there to be a knight, a cowboy and a villain -- different characters in one night, it's kind of cathartic." (Fri, Apr. 26, 2002 - Alan Lopez, Contra Costa Times/El Cerrito Journal)

East Bay Improv CitySearch
"Hankering to stretch your comedic limbs a bit? This interesting cast of characters offers up classes and workshops designed to bolster you sense of spontaneity, cater to your creative inklings and help you explore and develop your acting potential. Learn how improvisational skills can help you in all aspects of your life. Make your lover giggle (in the right way.) Bring new life to nap-inducing business presentations. Increase your self confidence and meet new people in a warm, supportive environment aimed at making YOU a more interesting person to be around. East Bay Improv also offers up a host of free shows throughout - and beyond - the other side o' the bay." (2/2000 - Bayarea.CitySearch.com, Kelle Schillaci)

A Select Guide to Classes on everything
The Only Improv School listed in the SF BAY GUARDIAN, S.F. LIFE, Adult Education. "East Bay Improv offers workshops in improvisational acting with the goal of building self-confidence and spontaneity. (4/14/99 - SF BAY GUARDIAN)

Learning by letters; An alphabetical guide to Bay Area classes
"East Bay Improv...a good place to... learn how, in a supportive and fun atmosphere, to be witty on cue. Each class helps you to tap your creative energy, build self-confidence, and refine your skills in physical and vocal communication." (4/9/97 - SF BAY GUARDIAN)

Class Acts
"It's time to take courses that you can really use...Quite a bit cheaper than the UC Extension class is the EAST BAY IMpRoV workshops." (8/17/1997 - Contra Costa Times)

Best of 95, Reader's Choice
"Improv Yourself: Do you have stage fright? Have a hard time thinking on your feet? EAST BAY IMpRoV's acting improvisation workshops are a fun and suprisingly painless way to become more spontaneous and self-confident--Not to mention a great way to get your brain in shape. The beginning class includes the totally (me) and those with some acting and/or improv experience. Despite the difference in levels, even the total novice (that's me again) feels from the very outset that it's OK to act foolishly. EAST BAY IMpRoV's motto is: "We believe that Improv is the most fun adults can have in public!" (March 1995 - East Bay Express)

A Cup of Coffee
East Bay Improv... designs and teaches theater games that cure stage fright, break down social barriers and make people laugh so hard they get addicted... (Thursday August 31, 2000 - Nancy Redwine, Santa Cruz Sentinel)

East Bay IMpRoV appearances

Santa Cruz Improv Fest 2004 (Santa Cruz Sentinel - 08/04)

MAKING A JOYFUL NOISE: Twelve bands go toe-to-toe, note for note at the 40th annual battle of the bands...at Chabot College Auditorium in Hayward. Special guests include...East Bay Improv." (San Francisco Chronicle, 01/31/03)

Hayward Battle of the Bands enthralls (Day Review Hayward, Tasha Bartholomew, 1/5/03)

"A Special Thank You to our guest performers in the 40th annual battle of the bands" (Battle of the Bands website 2003)

Improv for Fun and Funds
...students and their parents have enlisted the help of a popular local improv group, "East Bay Improv,"...
Four members of the improv group - Carole Honeychurch, Dave Patterson, Zackary Quinn Patterson and Dave Dyson - are the "cast." And they haven't the faintest idea what they are going to do! Somebody tosses out an idea, a line, a word or some tiny seed of inspiration as a takeoff point - and, WHAM-O - this nimble-witted quartet makes up stories and songs on the spot based on the suggestions. (6/7/02 - Jack Tucker, Contra Costa Times)