Interactive Comedy. It used to be called "improvisational comedy", but I've changed it for the new millenium. I started doing improv when I was running The Comedy Underground nightclub in Seattle in the early 80's. We hosted TheatreSports on Monday night, which is a competitive style of improvisation. From there I started The Fabulous Gooey Ducks, an improv duo, with comedian Steve Smith. Since then, I've performed with and directed groups in San Francisco (The Comedy Underground at the Punchline), Los Angeles (The Bargain Basement Players at the Santa Monica Improvisation), and Santa Fe (oxymorons at the Picacho Plaza Hotel). Once again in San Francisco, I began The Riffingtons at Cobb's Comedy Club in the Cannery, which ran for three years. The group was disbanded when Cobbs moved to a new, larger space that was difficult to perform in without microphones.

Lately I've been performing where opportunity allows. In Los Angeles I sit in with Rick Overton and The Fugitives, a group made up of improvisor refugees from other groups that performs intermittently at The Improvisation on Melrose. And in Northern California, in Mill Valley specifically, Tuesday nights have kicked off for Mark Pitta & Friends a comedy showcase at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre. We're planning to do improv to close those shows periodically. Here's part of the gang from the first show:

l.-r. Yours truly, Geoff Bolt, and Robin Williams

Sketch Comedy.

I'm involved with Fries On The Side, a sketch comedy troupe in North Hollywood. In addition to being a staff writer and performing with Fries, I have been helping to produce a television pilot featuring the group in an innovative reality-based format. Most recently "Fries" was invited to perform at the 5th Annual San Francisco Sketchfest, appearing January 17 & 18, 2006.

Click here to catch me in a video of a sketch, Private Detective, at the Google Video site.

I've been doing a lot of work with Dana Carvey over the past few years. Last January I got to use our rapport to good advantage when I was asked to host "A Tribute To Dana Carvey, in Conversation with Marc Hershon" (see above) as part of the San Francisco SketchFest 2005 festivities.

BACK