Beanpot Veterans at BCAF!

Beanpot Veterans return to their roots and perform at BCAF!

Throughout the year, ImprovBoston hosts a number of special event and festivals. Many are familiar with GEEK WEEK, where nerds get to nerd out in Star Wars or Magik or Unicorn-Fairy-Princess-Werewolf themed improv shows. But the festival I'm most excited to be part of (BESIDES BCAF!) is the ImprovBoston College Comedy Festival and Beanpot.

Many IB cast members got their first taste of celebrity during Beanpot, myself included. Getting laughs for the first time from strangers, instead of college suitemates. Feeling tense as last year’s champion team struts into the green room. Highfiving the team that your team became best-friend-teams with. It feels like summer camp!

In 2005, the first Beanpot was only fiery competition. Players got to know each other, but rivalries & disappointment was still a major theme of the weekend. A theme I wanted to change when I became co-producer for the 2012 Beanpot.

Rebranded the College Comedy Festival and Beanpot, the competition remains, but we made it our mission to create a weekend of opportunity for college improvisers across New England. This year each team also had the opportunity to have an un-scored show and members of the groups were mixed up for workshops lead by ImprovBoston cast members. Watching the college improv world be built with hallway highfives & laughs even after loss, was a proud moment as both a producer and as part of the ImprovBoston family.

And it’s because of this comradery, that the College Comedy Festival has become an incredible bridge for performers. This year’s BCAF is sprinkled with Beanpot veterans. Some are cast members here at ImprovBoston. Another group has come to the festival 2 years in a row from Chicago. It’s just like Thanksgiving!

Beanpot veterans you can see at BCAF:

LosDosDudes: Cole Orloff & Pat Coakley (UMass’ Mission IMPROVable)
Bearcats: Natalie Baseman (UMass’ Mission IMPROVable)
Face Off: Ari Stern & Shawn Musgrave (BU’s Liquid Fun)
Hidden Falls: Misch Whitaker (UMass’ Mission IMPROVable)
IB Family Show: Emily Holland (ME!) & Melanie Hardy (Clark’s Peapod Squad), Christine Toohey & Burch Simon (BU’s Liquid Fun)

AND! In addition to these beloved veterans, you can see a current college group from Harvard University. Three Letter Acronym is the first and only Harold team at Harvard. (Go see them & then tell them to come to the Beanpot CCF this year!)

College.

Emily Holland
Beanpot Co-Producer
BCAF Volunteer