Tim & Eric, Bob & David, Rowan & Martin, The Smothers Brothers, Abbott & Costello, Laurel & Hardy – comedy is full of famous duos going back as far as anyone can remember. In improvisation especially, the duo is time honored tradition: from the early success of Nichols & May to the present success of TJ & Dave – ask almost any improviser and they will tell you about the side-project they pursue with someone else.
Duos are a fantastic challenge for those that perform in them – there is no chance to take a break, no room for someone else to carry the show on a bad night, and no way to avoid showing up. Perfomers form strong connections and working relationships with one other person and then embrace jumping into the lights with no one on the back line.
But sometimes jumping into the lights out-of-town can be hard. The difficulty of drawing a crowd when only two people are inviting their friends, the demands of larger groups on performers time, and the general reluctance of theatres and other venues to book all but the absolute best comedic partners have made it hard to celebrate these pairings.
This fall, Philly Improv Theater will change all that with Duofest 2010. Over 4 days, we’ll present 30 groups that have just 2 members. There will be acts from across the country, important pairs you’ve heard about but maybe never seen, and workshops geared specifically to the unique challenges of performing with just one partner. There will also be an excited audience, fun excursions during the day to Philly attractions, and great parties to build camaraderie between duos and fans of comedy.
We are proud to finally present a festival dedicated to comedic partnerships. We couldn’t have done it without the broader national comedy community, the close collaboration of our producers (located in two cities) and artistic associates (located everywhere), our incredible local sponsors, and our loyal local audience.
The fest takes place September 30th-October 3rd at the Shubin Theater in Philadelphia, PA. The early submission date is July 2nd ($22 submission fee), and the late submission date is July 22nd ($32 submission fee). Submissions can be done here: http://duofest.com/submit/
