Changes: Baltimore Improv Group

Revision as of 19:28, 26 November 2019

The Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) is the largest improv theater in Baltimore, MD.

The Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) began in 2004. In the years since, BIG has grown to 100+ performers, taught thousands of students how to improvise, produced thousands of shows and entertained tens of thousands of attendees. In October 2017 the new BIG Theater in Station North opened. The theater as of 2018 offers it's shows for free.

BIG also produces the annual Baltimore Improv Festival.

Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) – a non-profit 501(c)(3) – is a non-profit that entertains with over 800 live shows each year including weekdays, weekends, and holidays. With an annual audience of over 27,000 people, over 100 regular performers and volunteers present audiences with live comedy shows every night of the week.

Baltimore City Paper readers named Baltimore Improv Group as the best comedy outlet in 2017.
BIG provided high-quality instruction to more than 500 adults, teens, and youth in the 2017 calendar year.
BIG's annual audience exploded from 3,000 attendees in 2016, to 10,000 attendees in 2017, to over 20,000 attendees in 2018
BIG partners with Johns Hopkins, Coppin State, Loyola University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Towson University, and University of Maryland Baltimore County
BIG's student base has more than doubled from 2016 to 2018

• BIG's free podcast recording studio is open to anyone in Baltimore

The BIG Theater

The BIG Theater opened in October 2017 in Station North. The theater offers 3,000 square feet of space for live comedy shows; classes and workshops for adults, kids and teens; a podcast studio. BIG's live theater shows include improv comedy, stand-up, sketch, and more.

Artscape

For Artscape 2019, audiences attended 31 separate performances from early Friday afternoon until late Sunday evening. The event held an average attendance of 85 people per show.

Over 2,250 people saw an improv show at the theater over Artscape weekend. Another 480 people saw the theater's stand up show LOL@Artscape. More people saw improv at BIG during Artscape weekend than during a full month of shows in 2018/ Artscape 2019 attendance was higher than two full months of shows in 2017 and more than 8 months of shows in 2016.

Baltimore Improv Festival

The Baltimore Improv Festival showcases a variety of local, regional, and nationally-known improv groups in shows and workshops in Baltimore. Proceeds from performance ticket sales will fund BIG's artistic mission, compensate guest instructors, and will also help cover the cost of future Baltimore Improv Festivals.As of 2019, the annual Baltimore Improv Festival brought in over 400 performers in 100+ comedy teams to the region. In 2019, they visited the event from 25+ cities, 15 states, 2 countries, and performed in 45 shows over 7 days. We've brought you one of the largest improv festivals on the east coast and mid-atlantic.

Notable past acts include The Cast in 2017 and Fuck That Shit (A Comedy Team) in 2018. Both The Cast and Fuck That Shit will return in 2019 along with Asian AF.

BIG teams performed at the Del Close Marathon, NYC Improv Festival, Chicago Improv Festival, Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, the Atlanta Improv Festival, the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival (formerly Dirty South), the Philadelphia Improv Festival, the DC Comedy Fest, and Duofest. BIG produces 100+ public and private performances in and around Baltimore, as well as teaching classes and workshops for kids, teens and adults throughout the year.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 The Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) is the largest improv theater in Baltimore, MD.
-The Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) began in 2004. Mike Subelsky founded the company after moving from San Diego to Maryland. Determined to bring improv to Baltimore, Mike biked around town and hung up flyers. 4 people responded and became the first members of the Baltimore Improv Group. In the years since, BIG has grown to 100+ performers, taught thousands of students how to improvise, produced thousands of shows and entertained (we hope) tens of thousands of attendees. In October 2017 the new BIG Theater in Station North opened.
+The Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) began in 2004. In the years since, BIG has grown to 100+ performers, taught thousands of students how to improvise, produced thousands of shows and entertained tens of thousands of attendees. In October 2017 the new BIG Theater in Station North opened. The theater as of 2018 offers it's shows for free.
-The theater as of 2018 offers it's shows for free.
 BIG also produces the annual Baltimore Improv Festival.
-Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) – a non-profit 501(c)(3) – serves as the Baltimore City and Maryland state's largest improv comedy venue. BIG began in 2004 and now entertains with over 120 shows each year. With an annual audience of over 5,000 people, over 100 regular performers present audiences with shows every night of the week. As part of Young Audiences of Maryland (YAMD), BIG performs in assemblies and teaching residencies in Maryland schools.
+Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) – a non-profit 501(c)(3) – is a non-profit that entertains with over 800 live shows each year including weekdays, weekends, and holidays. With an annual audience of over 27,000 people, over 100 regular performers and volunteers present audiences with live comedy shows every night of the week.
 * Baltimore City Paper readers named Baltimore Improv Group as the best comedy outlet in 2017.
 * BIG provided high-quality instruction to more than 500 adults, teens, and youth in the 2017 calendar year.
@@ Line 17: / Line 15: @@
 == The BIG Theater ==
 The BIG Theater opened in October 2017 in Station North. The theater offers 3,000 square feet of space for live comedy shows; classes and workshops for adults, kids and teens; a podcast studio. BIG's live theater shows include improv comedy, stand-up, sketch, and more.
 == Artscape ==
 For Artscape 2019, audiences attended 31 separate performances from early Friday afternoon until late Sunday evening. The event held an average attendance of 85 people per show.
-Over 2,250 people saw an improv show at our theater over Artscape weekend.  Another 480 people saw our theater's stand up show LOL@Artscape. More people saw improv at BIG during Artscape weekend than during a full month of shows in 2018/ Artscape 2019 attendance was higher than two full months of shows in 2017 and more than 8 months of shows in 2016.
+Over 2,250 people saw an improv show at the theater over Artscape weekend.  Another 480 people saw the theater's stand up show LOL@Artscape. More people saw improv at BIG during Artscape weekend than during a full month of shows in 2018/ Artscape 2019 attendance was higher than two full months of shows in 2017 and more than 8 months of shows in 2016.
 == Baltimore Improv Festival ==
-The Baltimore Improv Festival showcases a variety of local, regional, and nationally-known improv groups in shows and workshops in Baltimore. Proceeds from performance ticket sales will fund BIG's artistic mission, compensate guest instructors, and will also help cover the cost of future Baltimore Improv Festivals.As of 2019, our annual Baltimore Improv Festival brought in over 400 performers in 100+ comedy teams to the region. In 2019, they visited the event from 25+ cities, 15 states, 2 countries, and performed in 45 shows over 7 days. We've brought you one of the largest improv festivals on the east coast and mid-atlantic.
+The Baltimore Improv Festival showcases a variety of local, regional, and nationally-known improv groups in shows and workshops in Baltimore. Proceeds from performance ticket sales will fund BIG's artistic mission, compensate guest instructors, and will also help cover the cost of future Baltimore Improv Festivals.As of 2019, the annual Baltimore Improv Festival brought in over 400 performers in 100+ comedy teams to the region. In 2019, they visited the event from 25+ cities, 15 states, 2 countries, and performed in 45 shows over 7 days. We've brought you one of the largest improv festivals on the east coast and mid-atlantic.
 Notable past acts include The Cast in 2017 and Fuck That Shit (A Comedy Team) in 2018. Both The Cast and Fuck That Shit will return in 2019 along with Asian AF.