IMPROV JAM TO PERFORM AT

 THE MIDDLETOWN ARTS CENTER

 EATONTOWN, NJ – August 6, 2008 – Improv Jam Comedy Labs, the popular improvisational comedy troupe today announced they will perform at the Middletown Arts Center the last Saturday of the each month from August to December.

The troupe, which ordinarily performs 11:30 pm every Saturday at the Eatontown Playhouse, will present two shows, an 8 pm show (family-friendly) and a 9:30 pm show (PG 13), on each month’s last Saturday at the Arts Center. Admission for these special performances is $10.  The dates are as follows:

Saturday, August 30
Saturday, September 27
Saturday, October 25
Saturday, November 29
Saturday, December 27

”We are thrilled to be able to perform at Arts Center,” said Mike O’Keeffe, owner of Improv Jam. “And we look forward to even more regular shows at this beautiful theatre.”

Laughs aplenty, Improv Jam has been playing to capacity crowds every weekend for more than a decade. Designed to engage the audience as participants, the show blends mind-boggling fun with intellectual comedy that challenges the mind. When they’re not knocking ‘em dead in Red Bank, the six-person troupe is busy entertaining at hundreds of high schools and colleges across the country.  For more information on Improv Jam, visit www.improvjam.com.

Fans of the troupe can still catch the regularly scheduled 11:30 pm shows at the Eatontown Playhouse following these special Saturday performances. The playhouse is located at 37 Route 35 in Eatontown.

The Middletown Arts Center is located next to the Middletown Train Station at 36 Church Street. More information can be found at www.middletownarts.org.

The Improv Jam Comedy Lab is an organization of artists from the New Jersey area and beyond, dedicated to providing performance opportunities for comedic artists of all ages, and dedicating ourselves to the expansion of the frontiers of comedy. The Improv Jam Comedy Lab supports the vision of talented writers, directors and performers, and is committed to producing new and previously produced works while also providing a venue for stand-up and improvisational comedy. Through the diversification of our projects and the cross-pollination of artists across multiple disciplines, we look to expand the horizons of our audiences and educate them in the various comedic styles.

For 16 years Improv Jam has been a leader in the underground movement to cultivate New Jersey comedy for the masses, creating a unique performance environment that includes every aspect of comedy. Throughout that time our weekly shows have highlighted sketch, improvisation and stand-up comedy giving our audience the opportunity to experience multiple forms of comedy in one evening. Laughs aplenty, the troupe has been playing to capacity crowds every Friday and Saturday night for over a decade.  Designed to engage the audience as participants, the show blends mind-boggling fun with intellectual comedy that challenges the brain.  Recently, they were headlining at The Stress Factory, New Jersey’s top comedy club every Wednesday night at 8pm.

 It is this mixture of the various forms of comedy that makes the Improv Jam Comedy Lab unique. Gaps between the various styles of comedy are bridged for performer and audience member alike. Performers from within Improv Jam’s ranks and from the community at large have the rare opportunity to stretch their talents across multiple forms of entertainment in a nurturing environment while audiences are challenged to expand their horizons and educated in forms of comedy they may be less familiar with.

As part of our mission to create performance opportunities we initiated improv comedy classes. Programs such as Summerleague give opportunity to up and coming artists who have talent but have not been able to connect with these larger audiences. These classes also empower the performers to believe in their abilities and push forward to achieve their goals in comedy.

When they’re not knocking ‘em dead in Eatontown, the troupe is busy entertaining at hundreds of high schools and colleges across the country. The group has also branched out to the corporate world, conducting comedy-based team-building workshops for large corporations such as Merrill Lynch, Price Waterhouse and educators such as the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association. They also write custom comedy shows for any and all occasions.

  Local celebrities themselves, Improv Jam has played host to an incredible bill of nationally recognized performers including Wayne Brady of The Wayne Brady Show and Whose Line is it Anyway, Jonathan Mangum of the Drew Carey Show and Nathan Fillion of Serenity, Desperate Housewives,  and Firefly fame.

For the past 16 years, Improv Jam Comedy Lab has also reached out and touched the lives of children and adults in the tri-state area. With a unique blend of comedy and caring, the troupe has adopted numerous charities raising well over $30,000. The troupe continues to provide an alcohol and smoke free environment for teens, where parents feel safe in the knowledge that here, everyone is made to feel welcome and good about themselves.

With over 5,000 performances under their belt, Improv Jam Comedy Labs continues to pack the house full of insatiable comedy fiends. Fans of the show and newcomers, alike, will be able to find their weekly dose of hilarity every Saturday Night, 11:30pm, at the Eatontown Playhouse, 37 Route 35 North in Eatontown. The troupe also performs Saturday 9pm shows at various locations every month in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. For more information about the show please contact Improv Jam at 732-842-5114, or on the web at www.improvjam.com. or www.myspace.com/improvjam.