BCAF 2012

Year after year, volunteers from the community step up and make sure that each night goes smoothly by passing out flyers, checking in performers, guiding people to the right shows and generally keeping the chaotic festival environment sane. I'm so grateful to the many people who stepped up to volunteer this year, especially the people who jumped in last minute.

As a freelance publicist, I get to represent a lot of things from heady experimental pieces, to dance, to musical theatre and much more. One my biggest joys is getting to do PR for events like the Boston Comedy Arts Festival. There is nothing more thrilling than promoting a event that gets people out of their houses for an evening to laugh. I have been working in comedy PR for over four years and festivals are one of the aspects of my comedy work that I truly love. (Who wouldn’t? I get to correspond with a lot of funny people, REALLY FUNNY PEOPLE, from all over the country, A LOT).

The Family Show is proud to be showcased in the Boston Comedy Arts Festival, and we hope that you'll come see our take on "family friendly" improv. Many times "family friendly" is a synonym for "for kids" which is in itself a euphemism for "dumbed down". The ImprovBoston Family Show prides itself on utilizing a child's creative potential, rather than condescending to him.

We don't swear, and we don't make direct references to sex, but we see these constraints as a challenge rather than a limitation. Come on by and bring the kids, bring grandma and grandpa to, also crazy aunt Rose and creepy uncle Charlie. At The Family Show, everyone can play.

It is always a thrill to be back in Boston. I grew up here, learned how to do improv here, committed my first few felonies here, etc. Since I started doing improv back in IB's humble old Inman square digs, improv and comedy in Boston and around the country has exploded, and this festival is a testament to that explosion.

I'm so excited for this year's Boston Comedy Arts Festival. The amount of great acts is ridiculous. I'm also happy to have the Harold Night All-Stars performing on Wednesday night at 8:30pm, as part of ImprovBoston's 30th Anniversary Celebration. Our cast is psyched to be part of such a great night celebrating some of the best shows ImprovBoston has had over the years.

"Yes, I’m in two all-female improv teams." — Rachel Klein

In fact, the other day I suddenly realized that, at this particular moment, I'm only in all-female improv teams. One of them is all-female on purpose, one is all-female by accident (a bunch of dudes used to be in it, but they moved, or took a hiatus, or, you know, were run out of girl town—just kidding, we love boys!). The secret, though, is that both teams, the on-purpose and the by-accident, are great not because they’re full of ladies, but because the ladies on the teams have complementary strengths, similar outlooks and goals for the work of the team, and get along well as people.

The hardest part about being a festival producer is that I hardly get to see any shows during the actual festival. As a comedy nerd, that just sucks. But this year I’m hoping to sneak into a handful before the curtain comes down on Sunday...

Beanpot Veterans return to their roots and perform at BCAF! 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!

BCAF kicks off tomorrow night and we couldn't be more excited! This year we have an outstanding schedule of acts, some veteran performers and old friends of ImprovBoston, and others we'll be seeing for the first time. We hope you see as many shows as possible over the next six nights, but if you're overwhelmed by the awesomeness of our schedule and don't know where to start, let me tell you about some shows I can't wait to see...