Hey There Austin!

[MichaelDay]

Hi Guys,

My name is Mike, I just moved to Austin 6 days ago and I'm super excited to be here! I've been living and improvising in Chicago for the past 4 years, and have worked as a blackjack dealer and crew member at Trader Joe's to pay the bills. Before that I started a short-form / sketch troupe in college at the University of Dayton. I am a graduate of IO Chicago and a member of 2 independent improv teams: Sophomore Album and Gentleman's Falcon. My team The Gentleman's Falcon just performed in OOB at Coldtowne Theater last Saturday night and had a blast! I've had the incredible opportunity to play at various festivals across the country including: Detroit Improv Fest, Chicago Improv Fest, The St. Louis Improv Festival and The Gentleman's Falcon just submitted to the Alaska State Improv Festival for 2015!

2 years ago, I visited Austin and The Hideout was nice enough to let my buddy and I have 20 minutes onstage. The following night we were invited to come back and play in Maestro and I was lucky enough to win. That trip made me fall in love with Austin and the comedy scene here and I've been thinking about moving since.

I'm hoping to continue studying improv through classes and get involved with the jams, Maestro, sketch, video, and any performance opportunities that come my way. I'm also looking to put my time in doing stand up and try to find my voice in front of the mic. I've met some great people during the festival and everyone has been so welcoming and supportive. I can't wait to be part of this community!

Any advice is welcome and appreciated, in fact I would love it if you replied with your favorite restaurant/food truck in Austin, I love food and am always looking for recommendations.

Cheers,
Mike

P.S. I'm doing the Jam tonight at Coldtowne so hopefully I'll meet some of you guys there!

[happywaffle]

Hi Mike! Exciting to have an awesome iO person join the circus. Welcome and I hope to see you around.

(PS, get used to calling teams "troupes")

[Chelley]

Welcome to our lovely community.

Brently Heilbron teaches a standup for improvisers class you might be interested in.
http://theinstitutiontheater.com/workshops/89 - This is his 101 class
http://theinstitutiontheater.com/workshops/90 - This is his 102 class
http://theinstitutiontheater.com/workshops/91 - And this is his Advanced 201 class.

Hope this helps and I hope you remain in love with this community. I know that we all are.

[RachelPAustin]

Welcome Michael! Loved your show in OOB (I was your stage manager)! Glad you're in Austin!

[MichaelDay]

Hi Guys! Thanks for the tips on stand up classes, Chelley! And Glad you liked the show Rachel!