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Improvathon wrap! Or give us money so we can give it to someone else
OWEN COREY PLAYING MY BOYFRIEND WHILE MY FORMER BOYFRIEND ERIC WALKER WALKS AWAY, DEJECTED.
A performing arts group spends a couple of months preparing for a big fundraiser. It’s the biggest event they do all year. The Executive Director involves the board and the staff in various levels of preparation. There is a venue acquired specifically for the event, and a multi-week promotional campaign is launched six weeks out. The organization spends it’s own money on food & drink for the fundraiser, and on the the day of the event most members of the organization are on site to help set up and execute the fundraiser. The gimmick? They will perform nonstop until the make their goal. Obviously, this is a standard yearly gala the organization puts on to raise money for itself, right?
L - R: AIMEE GOLDSTEIN, OWEN COREY, SPECIAL GUEST RALPH ANDRACCHIO AND KIERSTEN ADAMS IN HOUR FIVE OF THE IMPROVATHON
Wrong. The organization in question - Bright Invention - isn’t asking for money for itself. It is asking asking for money for a different nonprofit, one selected by the ensemble of artists performing in it. We call this event the Improvathon, and we do one every year as part of Theatre Philadelphia’s Philly Theatre Week. Crazy? We think not . . .
But we don’t mind if you think it’s crazy. Because then, you might peer in a little further to ask, just what kind of nonprofit would work this hard on a fundraising event in which it loses money? The answer is, a nonprofit which doesn’t rely on donated income for the majority of its income. This is the new nonprofit paradigm Bright Invention is . . . well, inventing! It’s a paradigm that monetizes the powerful creativity of our ensemble to solve problems in the world, and frees us to donate our creativity to those in need.
Our business model depends on the success of our Creative Corporate Training (CCT) program, which employs an innovative, scenario-based approach to team-building, customer service and workplace culture enhancement. We use structured improvisations we design specifically for each client, which embody issues or themes the client wants their team to examine. This work lies squarely within Bright Invention’s mission: to use improvisation to empower people and organizations to unlock their potential.
SPECIAL GUEST JACK PRESBY WITH ENSEMBLE MEMBER SHEA SONSKY IN HOUR ONE
We have been offering CCT since 2016 and it has grown an average of 30% compared to the previous year. We have worked with large multinational companies like GlaxoSmithKline and Merck Pharmaceuticals, and small nonprofits like The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative - the recipient of the $1,000 raised in this year’s Improvathon. We scale up our fees for the larger companies serve, earning significant income for Bright Invention and our ensemble members participating in the workshops, while remaining competitive in the learning and development consulting marketplace.
Eventually, this income will subsidize a substantial part of the expenses of our Ability In Action program, which has been serving people with disabilities and other marginalized populations since 2014. Imagine being able to go to a worthy if impoverished nonprofit, serving (for example) homeless youth transitioning to independence, or adults with disabilities training to enter the workforce, and be able to say, “we’d like to bring you an eight week program in creative dramatics and structured improvisation and all we need from you is a space to offer it in and a group to receive it.” Imagine not having to wait for a grant to come through to bring the transformative power of performance creativity to teenagers recovering from trauma (as we did last summer). Imagine the sense of meaning, empowerment and joy experienced by the actors in our ensemble, who are gaining professional skills doing this important work while they earn $50 - $100 per hour.
And yes, we still raise money through individual donations, and we still rely on philanthropic support. Indeed, we wouldn’t exist if it weren't for the Wyncote Foundation, who has taken a keen interest in our development of this new paradigm since 2013. But our fundraising lacks the beggarly, anxiety-filled desperation felt within so many nonprofits. We still have to meet our goals, we still need to cultivate and engage our donor base, we still need to be strategic and organized in our grant applications. But our goals are more modest, and our attention is more on the ways these activities grow and strengthen our community as a whole. We ask our board members to cultivate connections and leads for CCT, as opposed to meeting fundraising goals by asking their friends for money (although we don’t mind if they do that too!)
AIMEE GOLDSTEIN AND KIERSTEN ADAMS WITH SPECIAL GUEST MARY CARPENTER.
The priority for us is earning money by demonstrating this value proposition: that applied improvisation can transform workplaces, teach emotional intelligence, strengthen sensitive communication, improve customer service, and navigate challenging interpersonal management relationships. All of our work is based on the following priority sequence:
Our work has to be safe.
Then, it has to be fun.
Then, it can be meaningful.
The greatest joy for me participating in this year’s Improvathon wasn’t meeting our goal (which we did with minutes to spare in the final hour!) - although that’s a close second. My greatest joy was the way our ensemble of extraordinary actor-improvisers threw themselves into this madcap experience, with grace, with joy, with enthusiasm from start to finish. Special shout outs to Owen Corey, who I believe is the only member who performed in all eight hours of the Improvathon; Kiersten Adams, who performed in seven of the eight hours, and then got up the next morning to teach our class for people with disabilities; Shea Sonsky who performed while sick; and Francine Brocious, my assistant who took endless short videos and pics of the event and posted them to social media.
L - R: KIERSTEN ADAMS, BENJAMIN LLOYD, OWEN COREY, AIMEE GOLDSTEIN, SHANNON HILL AND SUZANNE ANDERSON PERFORMING “TELEPHONE”, A GAME BETWEEN ACTS OF OUR LONG FORM CALLED A HAROLD.
Why were they so upbeat, getting up early on a Saturday to perform for free so a different organization could make some money? I think it’s because that, in the midst of the sometimes vacuous and chaotic life of the professional performer, they were grateful to participate in something meaningful with people they love. In the words of Victor Frankl, “being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself--be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself--by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love--the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself. “
What a great quote for improvisors, who spend their creative energy actualizing themselves by focusing on the other person. What a great event. Please join us when we give it away again, at our March show!
HAPPY AND EXHAUSTED “INVENTORS” AT THE TRADITIONAL DIM SUM MEAL POST IMPROVATHON. L - R SHEA SONSKY, FRANCINE BROCIOUS, AIMEE GOLDSTEIN, OWEN COREY, BENJAMIN LLOYD.
Guest Blogger: Aimee Goldstein, ensemble member Bright Invention
AIMEE IN A HOLIDAY MELODRAMA, SITE-SPECIFIC STRUCTURED IMPROVISATION AT GLEN FOERD MANSION.
You know the feeling you get when a lot more time has passed than you had originally realized? That is how I feel about being Bright Invention’s most senior active member - me! What am I – some sort of physically active senior citizen at the mere age of 28?
L - R: BRIGHT INVENTION ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BENJAMIN LLOYD, ENSEMBLE MEMBER ERIC WALKER, JR., AND AIMEE ON THE WAY TO THE BALTIMORE IMPROV FESTIVAL!
My name is Aimee Goldstein, and I discovered Bright Invention in a park. Yes, you read that correctly. I had just completed an internship at a nonprofit theater company and was wandering around an arts festival in Jenkintown when I saw a sign for White Pines Productions (the previous name of Bright Invention). The education director at the time and I had been colleagues from another project, and she explained to me at this arts festival that White Pines was looking for an intern to assist with their improv group, Bright Invention. Needless to say that assisting as an intern had eventually morphed into becoming a full member of the Bright Invention ensemble today.
Bright Invention is more than just an improv group to me. (How much more cliché can I get? I know.) I have been attracted to improv since I first saw short-form improvisation (funny, comedic, short scenes – much like Who’s Line is it Anyway) as a teenager. In college I took a course on improv where I also learned about long form improv, which is what Bright Invention specializes in. Long form is essentially longer improv scenes that are rooted storytelling. As long form improvisers, we can tell comedic, melancholy, and heartwarming stories. In my opinion, long form is based in truth and our lives. Life has happy moments, sad moments, and everything in between, and therefore long form touches all of that.
Why Bright Invention? We tell stories. What more could an actor want. Part of why I love Bright Invention so much is that it can be an escape to just play around with people you trust. We meet every Monday evening in West Philly, and those regular rehearsals build trust and lasting relationships among all of us.
PRE-SHOW ENSEMBLE HUDDLE . . .
One of my fondest memories was last year’s Improvathon, which was held at the Arch Street Meetinghouse in Philadelphia. We set out to raise $500 for the William Way LGBT Center, and ended up raising $1,000 for them after a full day of improvisation and fun! Following our performance, we all carpooled to Chinatown for dim sum. (I want to point out that collectively, the ensemble is a HUGE fan of all Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese foods). Half the group got stuck behind a major traffic jam along the way, but we all made it there nevertheless. It was the first time that I realized that not only was this just an improv group that I was a member of, but this was also a family, and I am so happy to be a part of it (insert cheesy “aww” response here).
The Bright Invention ensemble is such a supportive group of friends. When we aren’t being there for one another in a difficult time, we are celebrating in each other’s company. This all goes back to trust, which is something I can’t stress enough. I think one of my favorite parts of any improv show we do is the half hour before we go onstage, when we are all together. We talk about our day, joke about life, and can often be found lying on the floor or stuffing our faces with pizza. In Bright Invention we can just be raw with each other because we have gained and earned the trust in each other to do so. When I perform with Bright Invention, I am guaranteed that my scene partner will support me and have my back because I know that actor would do the same for me offstage as well. It’s really quite magical. You should come to a show and experience it sometime.
See you there!
Aimee Yaffa Goldstein
Click here to see Aimee in this year’s Improvathon Saturday February 15th!
Click here to see Aimee in one of our monthly shows: Improvasushi!
AIMEE AS MRS. WHITE AND ENSEMBLE MEMBER SHEA SONSKY AS MISS SCARLETT IN OUR INTERACTIVE PARTY SHOW, ROOM WITH A CLUE.
IMPROVATHON update #2: Special Guests!
Can you feel it? That’s steady rumble of mad Bright Inventors prepping for THE IMPROVATHON!
Aimee Goldstein is ascending to yogic nirvana to cleanse her mind . . .
Shannon Hill is trying to keep her eyes open for long stretches of time . . .
Benjamin Lloyd is improvising on treadmills . . .
Eric Walker, Jr. is improvising with the ghost of Del Close . . .
Kiersten Adams is doing improvised monologues whilst hanging upside down in playgrounds . . .
Owen Corey is improvising with strangers on the Broad Street line . . .
Suzanne Anderson is practicing intersteller subcrustaceanous improv (we don’t know what that is) . . .
Shea Sonsky is improvising in the hidden language of dogs and cats . . .
Patrick Poole is still learning what a sweep edit is . . .
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR AMAZING ENSEMBLE BY CLICKING HERE!
Anything to get ready for . . . EIGHT CONTINUOUS HOURS OF IMPROV!
Each hour will go like this:
Brief welcome by BI member (1 minute)
Brief pitch by WPSI staff (2 minutes)
Genre spoof with Bright Invention + special guest (20 minutes)
Long form improv by Bright Invention (30 minutes)
Click here for your free tickets!
But wait! There’s more!
We have some amazing special guests lined up to play in with us!
10 AM: Jack Presby
Jack is currently appearing in episode 1 of Global Curation, the pilot episode produced by ACRidea, that should drop next week. He is also an improvisor with Time Bandits, because improv ain’t just for kids . . .
11 AM: Cait Garozzo
Cait is the Senior Manager for Learning & Development at West Philadelphia Skills Initiative. She spends her early mornings weightlifting and drinking serious coffee. The rest of her free time is spent collecting and reading literary fiction, taking her perfect dog swimming and hiking, listening to podcasts, cooking with her husband, and eating lots of ice cream.
12 Noon: Mary Carpenter
Mary has been improvising in Philadelphia for the past 27 years with ComedySportz, Dangerous Fools, 'Til Death Do Us Part, and many other ensembles. She is an actress, director, teacher and writer as well, who has recently published the book: Do Or Do Not: How To Improvise Like A Jedi. Her next upcoming project is I'll Have What She's Having in May at CSZ Philadelphia.
2 PM: Joy Weir
Joy Weir has been an actor and improviser since 2011. She is also in the upcoming Tongue & Groove performance of "In Bed" on February 7th, 14th (both performances), and 15th. You can also catch her as Rose in Enchanted April at Playcrafters of Skippack opening April 2020.
3 PM: Ralph Andracchio
Ralph Andracchio is an 11 year improv veteran and has traveled all over the US performing and teaching classes and workshops for hundreds of students. Former Artistic Director of Philly Improv Theater, Ralph currently holds the role of Education Consultant for Liberty Improv Theater. When not teaching or performing, Ralph owns his own business and is a transformational life coach helping clients of all kinds make big, bold changes in their lives through the lens of applied improvisation. You can visit him at www.informationcoaching.com.
4 PM: Josh Park
Josh is the Senior Manager for Employer Services at West Philadelphia Skills Initiative. Currently, he lives in Fishtown with the smartest and cutest 7-year-old the world has ever known. He enjoys listening to local music, watching the Phillies, and finding new adventures with his son.
5 PM: Brian Anthony Wilson
Recent Theatre: Looking Over The President's Shoulder (Act II Playhouse), The Resistible Rise of Artuo Ui (Lantern), Gem Of The Ocean (Arden * Barrymore Award) & Thurgood (Olney Theatre Center). Film/TV selected credits : Glass, Oceans 8, Creed, Limitless, The Arrangement, The Postman / Mare Of Easttown, Dispatches From Elsewhere, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Siren, Bloodline, Gotham, Blue Bloods,The Sopranos & The Wire.
These amazing guests will play in one of our genre spoofs - but we will need YOU to tell us which one to do from this list:
Disney princess movie
Soap opera
Reality show from audience prompt
PBS kids show
Hallmark Christmas movie
Spaghetti Western
Film Noir
Horror
High School play
Remember: we won’t stop improvising until we raise $1,000 for The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative! Save us from ourselves by attending and donating to this amazing organization!
Bright Invention’s
Improvathon 2020
Saturday, February 15th, 10 AM - ???
Inner Rhythms Music and Therapy Center
37 South 42nd St.,
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Please note: there is a staircase up to the venue, which is not wheelchair accessible.
IMPROVATHON update #1
IMPROVATHON 2020!
IT'S BACK! BRIGHT INVENTION'S FEAT OF EXTREME IMPROV! THIS YEAR WE WILL BE RAISING $1,000 FOR
THE WEST PHILADELPHIA SKILLS INITIATIVE!
Save the date!
Saturday February 15th, 10 AM - ???
Inner Rhythms Music and Therapy Center
37 South 42nd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104Non-stop improv with a new show each hour!
Special guests playing in!
Please . . . for the love of God . . . think of the improvisors . . . donate early and often . . . Donate Now!
Reserve your free seats!
Thanks to our partners!
Theatre Philadelphia hosts Philly Theatre Week: a 10-day celebration of artists, organizations, and audiences that have made Greater Philadelphia one of the most vibrant theatre regions in the nation. Audiences will have an opportunity to try over 100 unique events from our theatre community through a series of productions, readings, interactive events, and much more!
Inner Rhythms Music and Therapy Center serves the West Philadelphia community with music lessons, music therapy, and affordable rental space for therapists, musicians, events, and workshops.
The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) was created in 2011 as an innovative response to the dichotomies of Philadelphia’s economy. In spite of large swaths of substantial growth driven by anchor institutions and private employers, Philadelphia remains the poorest big city in America. Our work bridges this gap by building a talent management solution that connects Philadelphians seeking opportunity with employers seeking talent.
WPSI works closely with its employer partners to understand their talent challenges and aspirations. We recruit, assess, select, train and place residents in career-ladder jobs that offer stability and opportunities for advancement.
Since WPSI’s inception, program participants who had previously been unemployed for an average of 53 weeks have gone on to earn more than $30 million in collective wages while increasing employers' productivity and excellence.
It's back! Announcing . . . IMPROVATHON 2020!
That’s right! Bright Invention’s feat of “extreme improv” returns for Philly Theatre Week 2020!
L - R: BENJAMIN LLOYD, BRIGHT INVENTION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; CHRIS BARTLETT, WILLIAM WAY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; BOB STINEMAN, BRIGHT INVENTION ENSEMBLE AND DIRECTOR OF FINANCE PRESENTING CHRIS HIS CHECK AND OUR FUNDRAISING THERMOMETER!
Last year, our band of over-caffeinated inventors and special guests improvised their butts off to meet their goal of raising $500 for The William Way LGBT Center. And you responded! We doubled our goal and were able to present William Way with a check for nearly $1000.
This year, we will improvise non-stop raising money for The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI).
The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) was created in 2011 as an innovative response to the dichotomies of Philadelphia’s economy. In spite of large swaths of substantial growth driven by anchor institutions and private employers, Philadelphia remains the poorest big city in America. Our work bridges this gap by building a talent management solution that connects Philadelphians seeking opportunity with employers seeking talent.
WPSI works closely with its employer partners to understand their talent challenges and aspirations. We recruit, assess, select, train and place residents in career-ladder jobs that offer stability and opportunities for advancement.
Since WPSI’s inception, program participants who had previously been unemployed for an average of 53 weeks have gone on to earn more than $30 million in collective wages while increasing employers' productivity and excellence.
Partnering with WPSI was an obvious choice for us, since we have been providing workshops for their program since 2015. Over the last four years, Bright Invention has delivered nearly 25 workshops to various cohorts moving through the WPSI program. Using our Creative Corporate Training program, we design and deliver scenarios dramatizing real-life challenges the cohorts may face when on the job.
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS KIERSTEN ADAMS, ERIC WALKER, JR AND LEAH HOLLERAN DELIVERING A WPSI CCT WORKSHOP!
We are still putting together the details of this year’s IMPROVATHON, but here’s what we know:
our goal is to raise $1,000 for WPSI
The event will be on Saturday February 15th
Location to be announced shortly
It will begin at 10 AM and end . . . when we raise a grand for WPSI!
the format will be similar to last year’s IMPROVATHON. Each hour will feature a special guest who will play in with us in a “genre spoof”, then the ensemble will perform one of our own forms.
we are hoping that luminaries from WPSI and their parent organization University City District will be our guests, as will as graduates from the program!
So mark your calendars! The event is free, but you will be able to reserve tickets for various hours of the show during the course of the day. Ticketing will be available through the Philly Theatre Week website in January.
We hope to see you there, as we push our creativity to the edge supporting a great cause!
HAPPY (AND EXHAUSTED) INVENTORS AT THE CLOSE OF LAST YEAR’S IMPROVATHON!