The Peoples Improv Theater proudly announces the 10TH ANNUAL SOLOCOM!
SOLOCOMNYC has launched over 400 new solo comedies that have gone on to longer runs, tours and festivals around the world (including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.)
SOLOCOMNYC is a festival of new solo work. All shows presented are 75% – 100% new material, and are created specifically for the festival. SOLOCOM’s goal is to push artists to create a show that is meaningful, personal and to follow the fear.
Wander Boesjes/ Wander’s Totally Normal, Definitely Not Haunted Standup Show (Nothing Spooky Will Happen)
In this one-man show, Wander Boesjes plays the worst version of himself, a cocky & hacky standup comedian. During the show, Wander is continuously possessed by ghosts who use his body as a vessel to send their final messages to Earth. To give a few example:
A Witch Hunter is shocked to discover magic everywhere he looks
The President and Supreme General of a micronation commands the audience to march and sing his national anthem
A husband speaks in code to tell his wife (and ONLY his wife) where he buried his treasure
An Olympic runner struggles to control Wander’s strange body
Kristen Romney/ Surviving the Spectrum
As a child, I was diagnosed with several learning disabilities (or as I prefer to say “learning different abilities”) that are now recognized as being “on the autism spectrum.” This led to daily challenges, from not being able to say the “K” sound – a problem when your name is Kristen – to struggling to keep up in fast-paced class work, to difficulties managing social situations. These issues crop up in my day-to-day adult life, such as maintaining eye contact. As a stand-up comedian, I feel free and confident in weaving these experiences together into a routine that both tells my story and engages audiences in understanding with comedic flair. So far, I have performed tight 5-minute sets consisting of this material at numerous showcases and festivals, and am beginning the process of expanding it to a solo show that I hope to bring to a stage.
Louie (Lucian) Visone/ There But for the Grace of God
My relationship with Jesus and eternal salvation ended because of a really bad Dad joke. This isn’t a joke, it’s life. When I was seven, I had two firsts: my first laugh, an amazing video of Jesus signing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and going to church for the first time. Since then, I’ve been struggling to figure out the balance between laughing at George Carlin and eternal peace in heaven. The journey of this story? Finding the joke, because for the life of me I cannot remember what came out of Pastor Leroy’s mouth. While it may be censored from my memory, I remember the feeling, “I don’t believe in God anymore. If heaven is laughing at shit like this, I’m out.”
Influences: Thunder Road, Annie Hall, Fleabag, Bullshit Films of Kirk Cameron and Tim Hawkins, Javier Prato’s Jesus Christ! the Musical
