MORNING IMPROV JAM March Guest Teachers

Join us every Saturday at 10am for a morning of Improv Comedy games. Each week in March a different professional player from the ranks of EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH will lead a series of warm-up, technique building and performance games. QUICK LINKS

MARCH 2, 2019 10am – Walt Frasier

Walter just filmed an episode of Billions (SHO 2019). Previous TV work for this founding member of EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH includes Friends of the People (TruTV), Blue Bloods (CBS), Royal Pains (USA), Naked Brothers Band (NICK), Letterman (CBS), and Stankervision (MTV2). Member since 2002.

MARCH 10, 2019 10am- Thomas Burns Scully

This British born actor just appeared in Broad City on Comedy Central. Thomas has been playing and teaching with EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH since 2013.

MARCH 16, 2019 10am – Samuel Van Wyk

Currently the EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH Company Manager, Sam is a dynamic teacher and improviser with various film, TV, commercial and theater credits. Already a NYIT fan/student fave!!!! Member since 2017.

MARCH 23, 2019 10am – Amelia Fowler

Did you see Amelia recently on the new hot show FBI? Other recent films/TV projects include rolls in TOP FINE (with Chris Rock), LEARNING TO DRIVE (with Sir Ben Kingsley), MONICA Z (as Ella Fitzgerald), POWER, BULL, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK and more… The former Company Manager of EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH has been playing and teaching here since 2009. 

March 30, 2019 10am – Ivana Mendez

Have you seen Ivana Mendez in Start-Up with Marty Freeman? Check out the show on Crackle, where Ivana appears in three episodes as Marty’s daughter, Finley. Member since 2016.

Thomas Burns Scully on Broad City & Live from Times Square

Catch Thomas on the January 31 episode of Broad City!

Thomas appears regularly with EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH Improv Comedy Saturdays/Sundays 3pm at the Broadway Comedy Club NYC. Thomas also appears regularly with the touring company and private events in Times Square for Corporate Groups, College Shows and K12 outreach!

Thomas is also a major part of the NYIT team behind ON THE SPOT.

Thomas Burns Scully

Actor Writer Musician

ThomasBio.jpg

“The Thrifty Person’s Renaissance Man”

Thomas Burns Scully was born in North Wales, where he spent the first few years of his life, but was predominantly raised in the Sultanate of Oman, where his family moved at a young age. His interest in theatre began at school, and from there he started working as a voiceover actor with the Oman Ministry of Education.

Thomas went on to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where his academic course-load saw him working with world renowned teachers, and taking Masterclasses with such visiting artists as Tony Winner and Oscar Nominee Frank Langella. On exiting the Academy, he was awarded the Max Fischer Award for Outstanding Growth as an Actor. He is now a working New York stage and screen actor, and regular improvisor with the critically-acclaimed ‘On The Spot’ improv team.

Not content to be busy with just an acting career, Thomas branched out in to playwriting and screen writing. Before long he had an award-winning play under his belt, ‘Dorothy of Nowhere’, which won the WB Yeats Emerging Playwright Award. He quickly became a sought after scriptwriter and editor, working with people such as Yang Wang, Mumtaz Hussein, and ‘Modern Family’ collaborator Sameer Gardezi. His work earned him nods from such reputable industry professionals as Bob Giraldi, director of the Michael Jackson ‘Beat It’ music video.

He then branched out in to critical reviews, first of theatre and movies, and then eventually music. Swiss pop-star Bastian Baker, in response to Thomas’ coverage of his work on the Shania Twain tour and on his self-titled album, said “Thomas is the man.” Country music star Raleigh Keegan referred to his article on him as “one of the most thoughtful pieces written about my life and music that I’ve ever read.” His ​writing is most often found at PopDust.com.

Still in need of more to fill his already packed schedule, Thomas began composing, recording and releasing music. Having played guitar and banjo from an early age he records mostly in a blues-rock vein, but that hasn’t stopped him from diversifying. In October 2013, he prepared the entire score to the New York Times critically acclaimed ‘A Girl Without Wings’, an adaptation of a South American folk tale. In 2015 he recorded an avante-garde flamenco-style soundtrack for the play ‘Life is a Dream’. He also developed the folk score for the immersive theatre show ‘Are You Alice?’ with Permafrost Theatre Company.

Earning the moniker “The Thrifty Person’s Renaissance Man”, Thomas then proceeded to get involved in the world of Escape Room design. First at 59:59 Room Escape, then at Exodus Escape, before becoming an independent designer. As a freelancer he worked on Anheuser-Busch’s “15 Minutes to Make History” experience for SXSW 2018. The game he designed has gone on to become a recruiting tool for the company, being toured to top university campuses in the US and Canada.

Other work has included the BAFTA nominated short ‘The Boy Under the Piano’, appearing in a pre-filmed narrative for Neil Patrick Harris’ 40th birthday celebration, performing with the NYIT Award-Winning Live In Theatre interactive performance company, cropping up in Broad City on Comedy Central and much more.

Ivana Mendez in Start-Up with Marty Freeman and LIVE from Times Square

Stop by as Ivana leads her favorite Improv Games THIS SATURDAY February 16, 2019 at our weekly Morning Jam. Coffee & Donuts Served!

Image result for ivana mendez start-up

Have you seen Ivana Mendez in Start-Up with Marty Freeman? Check out the show on Crackle, where Ivana appears in three episodes as Marty’s daughter, Finley.

Ivana appears regularly with EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH Improv Comedy Saturdays/Sundays at 3pm You can also see Ivana in the touring company and private events in Times Square for Corporate Groups, College Shows and K12 outreach.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ivana Méndez has been acting since she was negative 12 months old. Credits: Off-Broadway- Everything No One Should Know, Press Play. Film/TV: Start-Up (SONY Crackle), Wrecked (TBS), etc. Puerto Rico: High School Musical, Diary of Anne Frank, El Condominio, and other spanish titled plays. Proud member of SAG-AFTRA. Pace University BFA. She would like to thank her family, friends, and El Pollo Mendez.

Amelia Fowler on FBI and Live from Times Square

Did you see Amelia last week on FBI? We are so proud!!!!

In the past few years Amelia is killing it with TV, FILM and commercial roles in addition to appearing with EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH and other roles – recent projects include films – TOP FINE (with Chris Rock), LEARNING TO DRIVE (with Sir Ben Kingsley), MONICA Z (as Ella Fitzgerald) …. recent TV – FBI, POWER, BULL, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK and more…. www.ameliafowler.com

Catch Amelia on stage Headlining EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH March 23 and 30 at 3pm. Amelia appears more regularly with our Touring Company and private events at the club for Corporate Groups, College Shows and K12 outreach.

Amelia will be hosting her favorite games at our Saturday Morning Jam March 23 at 10am. Coffee & Donuts served!!!

Amelia Fowler, a native of Brooklyn, New York has been seen in commercial spots for Cablevision, the History Channel, IFC, as well as comedy venues throughout the Northeast with her fellow cast mates at “Eight is Never Enough.” Amelia has also had the good fortune to perform in the GLAAD award winning “She Like Girls” at the Ohio Theater as Regina. Most recently she has starred in the one woman show “Flozetta” performed at HERE as part of the “Downtown Urban Theater Festival, and the movie “Monica Z”, directed by Per Fly, playing Ella Fitzgerald.

Corporate Team Building in Times Square with a Twist

Walt Frasier @waltfrasier 

My #1 rule is to have fun, but never at another’s expense.
The #1 rule in Improv is YES AND..
This week I hosted a team building event at the Broadway Comedy Club that was a first.

Everything started out business as usual. A wonderful group of retail sales folks arrived to find our happy hour cocktail hour mini buffet of sliders, wings and fries. I add my own selection of tortilla chips and gluten free crackers with hummus, guacamole, salsa, 9-layer dip and cheeses. The team enjoyed a drink or two before we started.

Every workshop begins with a warm-up. Standing in a circle we play a series of games where the team passes the energy, focusing and listening to the team, contributing with big energy in their moment. These games warm up the individual and team dynamic.

We follow with series of games that teach the team to make choices, respecting all previous choices made by scene partners. We teach to let go of that judgmental voice. That voice that tells us we are not good enough. That voice that says someone else is not good enough. That voice that is so worried about being perfect it is impossible to be good – impossible to truly let go and have fun.

When we let go of that voice we can open up ourselves and discover the world. We truly listen to ourselves, our team, our clients, our friends and loved ones. We tap into a smarter more creative subconscious.

HAVE FUN
MAKE BIG CHOICES
MAKE BIG MISTAKES

let go of that fear of failure…. let go of your ego (which is an overcompensation for insecurity). Just live, listen and respond…. trust your team. TRUST YOURSELF!!!! The you and your world will work better for you than when you thought you were in control of it….

OK back to my story…

This party was unique. The team was originally going to go to an after party at a local pub. But it was <10 degrees Thursday. That morning I snapped this on my car’s dashboard

So we made arrangements to have the team hang out for a few more drinks and set up three beer pong tables. The group of 12 slit into six teams, and battled it out.

It was quite the impressive display of sporting effort. A few had some very hidden talents.

By the end a championship was crowned but all truly had a blast.

Improv is a powerful way to bring the team together and learn some life skills they don’t often teach in school, or in many cases, skill we all learned but have forgotten to employ over the years.

But ANYTHING that gets the team having fun and laughing breaks down the walls of distrust. It is impossible to feel fear and hate while you are truly laughing and having fun.

Find ways to break the monotony in the office space.

Learn to HAVE FUN as a team!!!!