THANK YOU to all the incredible performers, volunteers, techs and audiences for an amazing TCIF11 – this will be tough to top for TCIF12 but we’re already working on it!
TCIF12 :: June 20-24th, 2018
Notes from the Exec Producer of TCIF :: Education and Headliners
TCIF has always been produced by Five Man Job – Butch, Lauren and Nels – as well as one other very important person in charge of educational (making it a Four Man Operation …which has always been 2 men & 2 women…
never mind…I’ll show myself out.)
When TCIF began, Jill Bernard was the head of Education, followed by Emily Schmidt working remotely from Los Angeles for several years. The job has always been a key part of TCIF since the workshop teachers are also our “headline” shows, so it has a big impact on the shows we have the opportunity to put on our stage as well as the workshops we hold during the day.
We announced last year that we would begin searching for a new head of of Education and that task has reminded us just how lucky we’d been with both Jill (who knows everyone, everywhere) and Emily (who has done such great work in NYC, MN and LA that she was able to contact and curate amazing talent remotely) and lead to some very interesting conversations about changing the way we produce the Festival going forward.
The head of Education for TCIF requires the combination of several important skills – a great eye for high quality improv and teaching talent as well a larger view of the improv world – and several more, making the task of finding just one person to fill that role less and less likely.
We realized it was time to consider a more serious change.
To that end, we have announced the creation of an Education Committee – not unlike the selection committee that decides the performing lineup of the festival each year – that will work together (and work with Five Man Job) to find, recommend and bring in our headlining performers and instructors.
When we began discussing this new addition to the festival – and all the qualities that would make a great candidate for the committee – there was one name that came up repeatedly and unanimously as someone that is clear of purpose and serious about a vision of what the Twin Cities community needs as well as being an amazing ambassador to have representing us any time he is traveling to other festivals or bringing people to the Twin Cities for the Black and Funny Improv Festival : John Gebretatose.
We very excited to announce that John agreed to be part of the group – AND – also thrilled that Jill Bernard has offered to serve on the inaugural committee, not only to help us build this new part of the festival but also pass on her experience and insight to help us get the group up to speed on their daunting task for next year!
These will not be the only names on the committee and we’re hoping to have more details and more names to announce in the coming months – we are incredibly excited to bring more people to the process of making our annual festival happen and getting a chance to grow into the TCIF of the next decade(s).
Twin Cities – we love you.
Thank you,
Butch, Lauren and Nels
FIVE MAN JOB
Producers : Twin Cities Improv Festival
