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Improv & Sketch Comedy Classes and Shows in Honolulu!

Congrats to the cast and guests of last month’s “The Scratch Paper Sketch Show!”

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IMG_6312Congrats to the cast and guests of last month’s “Scratch Paper Sketch Comedy Show” the first fundraiser for the Hawaii Sketch Comedy Festival! We had a PACKED house of audience members including YELP Elites and their plus ones! Big mahalo to Emi Hart and her YELP team and the wonderful folks at Kakaako Agora for housing us that night! Our musical guests Sheen (Shawna Masuda and Keegan Wada) blew the crowd away with their beautiful musical stylings and the funny cast (Tim Cedar, Trevor Danielson, Garret Hols, Sheldon Lo, Tom McManus, Michelene McManus, Anthony Silano) and special guest Fernando Pacheco KILLED with their acting and comedic skills.

You can check out what they were saying here on YELP!

Master Workshops w/ Rachel Hamilton

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We were so stoked to have Emmy Nominated Writer and Master Improviser Rachel Hamilton in Honolulu for 5 whole days! From an all female “Chickprov” improv class to a 2-day Intensive Workshop filled with some of the island’s best improvisers, participants took full advantage of the time that they had here.rachel_hamilton_group

I was able to watch a little bit of her first two days and hopped in on the intensive. She was by far one of my most favorite teachers to work with. I was so impressed with how much she was able to bring out of students in such a short amount of time. The trust and confidence seem to instantly present itself thanks to Rachel’s knowledge and openness.

She really enjoyed her time here and is already looking forward to coming back in the future. We can’t wait for her return!!

Improv Hawaii’s Ice Bucket Challenge…KISS MY ALS!

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We were called out by Improvaganza producer Garrick Paikai on Saturday August 23rd, 2014  How APPROPRO that we had an improv show that same night!  Thanks to our super awesome and generous audience…we will be making a donation AND dumping ice cold left over cooler water on Kimee Balmilero’s head.  EVERYONE’S A WINNER!

For the people we called out (Suzi Barrett, Eugene Cordero and Wayne Brady): NO TIME LIMIT! You are all such fantastic peeps and we know that you have done or will do what you can to bring awareness to ALS.  We’re not even sure if you’ve already gotten called out….we just love saying your names;)

(Our video is the second video down…because this first video is WAY more important…)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxUUqemzJKw

“O Captain! My Captain!”

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I’ve been in denial. It didn’t really, really hit me until today after talking to a friend that’s pretty shaken up about it. My heart starts racing just thinking about it. It’s really crazy to think about how well you know someone that you never really knew at all…

In the wake of Robin Williams’ passing, comedians, improvisers, actors, artists and fans are left wondering “Why?” or “How?”  As we remember his incredible body of work, these questions only get harder to answer.  Man, he was a genius! There’s literally no one else like him.  It would be hard for you to not know who he was and not love him.  Even a toddler would know who the Genie in “Aladdin” was and anyone alive during the late 70s will most definitely know who “Mork and Mindy” are.  To sit here and list all of the amazing things that he’s done in his career would take us forever…and probably even longer because we’d talk about all of these amazing moments he created in all of these amazing projects.  He was so loved an respected.  Why?  How?

Saying that Robin Williams was a brilliant performer is not news to anyone, so it’s not at all surprising that links to epic performances of his have been shared throughout the last few days, but the most incredible shares on social media that I’ve seen are the personal stories.  With lots of friends in the improv/comedy/acting community around the country, it’s really amazing to see how many lives he touched. Stories of how he inspired people…even if they never even met him.

Here’s a small collection of those personal stories…

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“I wanted to be just like him as an actor. One of the greatest compliments a director gave me was that I was a young Robin Williams. It made it even more meaningful given the fact that he knew Robin Williams.” – Brian McDonald

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Thank you for being an inspiration, hero, artist, teammate and person. We’ll never have another friend like you…

There’s really nothing more to say…except this:
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Charities that Robin Williams supported:
COMIC RELIEF
CHRISTOPER & DANA REEVE FOUNDATION
ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

If you or someone you know is in a crisis call the National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273- 8255 (TALK)

(Shared by Kimee Balmilero, Head Sillypino at Improvhi)

Hanabusa’s final push to win over Puna…

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With delayed voting in the district of Puna on the Big Island of Hawaii (stupid hurricanes), the race for U.S. Senate is too close to call with U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa trailing U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz by less than 1 percentage point since the morning of August 10th, 2014.

With over 8,000 registered voters in Puna rebuilding from the damage from the lameness of Hurricane Iselle, it is a crucial time for Hanabusa to do a final push and connect with the people of Puna and prove why she is the right choice for them.  What better way to show her support and love than with memes showcasing some of Puna’s most fave things?  You’re welcome.

AERIAL SILKS!

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DRUM CIRCLES!

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PEACE SIGNS!

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And of course…

 

KOMBUCHA!

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Take your time Puna!  We know that there is a lot more on your mind right now than who to vote for. Take care of yourselves!!

We’re thinking of ya and we can’t wait to visit you again…SEE YOU AT UNCLE ROBERT’S FOR SOME NICOCO VEGAN ICE CREAM!

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(oh and yoga…duh.)

New Video! “More Reasons Why Scott Caan Hates Hawaii”

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“Hawaii Five-0” star Scott Caan shows us OBVIOUS reasons to hate Hawaii. Nice people, good food and AWESOME weather? Ugh! Who on EARTH would ever enjoy that…

Created by Team Improvhi…
Starring: SK
Written by: KB
Directed by: KB
Edited by: KB

**THIS VIDEO WAS INSPIRED BY THE AWESOME SUZI BARRETT’S “I HATE LA” VIDEO!! WATCH IT HERE: http://youtu.be/hrI-28kOivU

**WARNING: Not kid or work friendly…unless you’re cool with your kids and co-workers hearing a lot of F-bombs coming from your computer…