Who We Are
Parallelogramophonograph loves to tell stories. They have used their on-going residency (since 2006) at The ColdTowne Theater to create and experiment with new show concepts. Their original improvised plays have run the gauntlet of styles - from historic and highly stylized period dramas like "The 1930s", "French Farce" and "Some Like it Improvised" to compelling relationship and character-based shows like "After School Improv" and "Family Portrait" to the much darker, dramatic, and twisted tales showcased in "Villainy" and "GRIMM". Parallelogramophonograph is always playful and funny, yet never afraid to let dramatic moments add the bitter to their sweet improvised stories.
Selected Show Runs: 2006 - The Present
- "After School Improv" parodies those cheesy after school specials from the 70s and 80s.
- In "The 1930s", Pgraph uses a combination of extensive research and innovative narrative techniques to bring out the comedy in the Great Depression.
- In "Family Portrait", they take a magnifying glass to the inner lives and relationships of a different family each week.
- In "French Farce", PGraph pays tribute to Moliere, Fawlty Towers, and everything in between.
- "Villainy" lets PGraph delve into their darker side as they showcase improvised plays that focus on the characters we all love to hate, the villains.
- In "Some Like it Improvised", the four actors present a classic romantic Screwball Comedy in the style of the popular films from the 1930s and 40s complete with period costumes, witty repartee, and a pair of mismatched lovers driven to high jinks and shenanigans.
- "GRIMM" is unlike anything PGraph has ever done before. Through the invention of unique narrative techniques, PGraph tells fully improvised tales in the styles of the Brother's Grimm. These dark and twisted stories are straight out of the dank German forests of old.
Parallelogramophonograph is Kareem Badr, Kaci Beeler, Roy Janik, and Valerie Ward. Pgraph has performed in Out of Bounds, Out of Bounds West, the WaffleFest Improv Festival, The Big Ha! Festival in Omaha, The Providence Improv Fest, The Hawaii Improvaganza in Honolulu, Frontera Fest, and The Improv Variety Pack Invitational in Tulsa. They also perform in and/or direct Maestro at The Hideout Theatre, teach improv classes, produce and direct shows all across town, create short films, and generally make their presence known in the growing Austin artistic community. They recently were voted "The Best Improv Group in Austin" by the AIC, a collective of all the improvisers in Austin. They also were named "Best of Fest" in Frontera Fest 2008. The members of Parallelogramophonograph take turns sleeping in 2 hour shifts.
Pgraph performs every Thursday at The ColdTowne Theater.
302 Shows So Far!
and counting...
What Comes Next?
The Spectacle
with The Starter Kit!
day: Friday
date: 7/9/2010
time: 10:00PM
The Hideout
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What is Improv?
Improv, or improvisation, is a form of live theatre in which the acting, plot, dialog, and characters of a story or scene are made up in the moment.
