The Bent Theatre
The Bent Theatre, formerly known as Whole World Theater Charlottesville, is an improvisational comedy troupe based in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded by Jenn Horne, (formerly of The Whole World Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia) in 2004. The group began with weekly classes, then accumulated enough actors to perform monthly shows at various venues on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall. As of 2010, its home base is Play On Theater.
History
Whole World Theater Charlottesville was formed in February 2004 by Jennifer Horne as she started teaching classes above Sylvia's Pizza on the Downtown Mall.[1] They become the fourth major improv group in Charlottesville joining, The Whethermen (UVA),[2] Amuse-Bouche (UVA),[3] and the Improfessionals[4]
October 2005, the group changed its name from Whole World Theater Company to the Bent Theatre Company.
In 2006, due to the closing of their performance space at Garden of Sheba[5] the Bent Theatre moved to the "trendy" hot spot R2, the dance club located in Rapture Bar and Grill.
In early 2007 the Bent Theatre moved in a new rehearsal space, in the green room of the new local theater Play On!
Over the summer of 2007, the Bent Theatre re-ignited improv as a popular entertainment option in Charlottesville with several pop culture parodies. They performed improvised versions the Star Wars Trilogy, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Romeo and Juliet (for Valentine's Day), and The Life and Times of George W. Bush (an original improv play written by Bent member ).
December 31, 2007, the Bent Theatre performs at First Nite Virginia for the second year in a row with fellow improvisers, the Improfessionals.[6]
February 2008, Michael Abraham, Ben Cole, Andy Davis, Ray Smith and Ruth Morton, took a trip down to Carrboro, North Carolina to take part in the Dirty South Improv Festival, returning with a wealth of knowledge.
On April 25, 2008, the Bent Theatre's prayers were answered as they began performing monthly shows at Play On! Theater having one of their largest audiences ever attend their premiere performance at the theater. UVA improv group, Amuse-Bouche performed at half-time.
August 2008, The Bent Theatre was once again asked to perform at First Night VA
August 21, 2008 the Bent Theatre bid farewell to Mike Abraham and Ben Cole as the two of them performed in their final show before heading off to Columbia University and The Hart School (respectively). This however is not a goodbye forever, as they expect to be back for Christmas and Summer breaks.
October 2, 2008, the Artistic Director of the Bent Theatre resigned. Andy Davis stepped up to replace him join Jenn Horne as the co-directors
October 13, 2008 the Bent Theatre announced a tribute to Star Wars show planned for November 21 at Play On!
November 21, 2008 the Bent Theatre opened Star Wars to an audience of over 70 people. This show marked the largest cast performance of their history (11) and marked the first show where the entire cast wore costumes
December 12, 2008 the Bent performed an improvised tribute to Dr. Seuss' classic tale "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", directed by Andy Davis, with Ray Smith starring in the title role
Starting June 10, the Bent Theatre began teaching official improv classes at Play On! Led by Jenn Horne, Ray Smith and Andy Davis
Shows
The Bent's shows generally run about 90 minutes with a brief intermission separating two halves. They primarily perform shortform improvisation, a series of short scenes or games featuring MC interaction and multiple audience suggestions.
The MC is often the writer of the show, and by that I mean the person who selects the games, the actors, the background stories and the type of suggestions to ask the audiences. The members who most often write and MC the shows are Jenn Horne and Andy Davis. Recently more people have begun writing shows, particularly the parodies. Patrick Kilmer directed The Wizard of Oz, Alex Modic directed Harry Potter and Aaron Gilley directs Casino Royale
Workshops
The Bent Theatre consistently offers improv workshops. The classes last 9–12 weeks and give you a year's membership in the troupe, with free admission to all shows and workshops.
The Smart Asps
The Smart Asps was the teen improv group founded by Jenn Horne shortly after the Bent Theatre was formed. The group performed several shows and grew to a little over a dozen members before disbanding in 2007. Two of their members, Ben Cole and Michael Abraham, moved on to join the Bent Theatre and have been regular cast members since.
Current members
- Alex Modic [Artistic Director, Star] (2008-2010)
- Andy Davis [director] (2005–present)
- Jenn Horne [founder] (2004–present)
- Ray Smith (2004-2005, 2007–present)
- Ruth Morton (2006–present)
- Jack Rakes (2007-present)
- Patrick Kilmer (2007–present)
- Aaron Gilley (2009–present)
- Michael Abraham (Smart Asp 2005, 2006–present)
- Ben Cole (Smart Asp 2005, 2006–present)
- Melissa Neeley (2009–present)
- Erik "The Future of Charlottesville Comedy" Beringer (2009–present)
- Jesse Barker (2009–present)
- Emma Kulow (2009–present)
- Corey Johnson (2010–present)
- Lilli Ross (2010–present)
- Chris Grant (2010–present)
- Theresa Perry (2010–present)
- Daniel Prillaman (2010–present)
- Caroline Hylton (2010–present)
- Alex Citron (2010-present)
- Wyatt Arent (2011-present)
Notable former members
- Jason Mitchell (2005–2007)
- Jon Rice (2005–2007)
- Raven (2005–2006)
- Liz Levin (2005–2006)
- Tania Grasso (2005)
- Frank Cardella (2005)
- Lara Sprung (2005)
- Mary Waalkes (2008–2009)
- Howie Sheinfeld (2005–2009)
- Ethan Lipscomb (2005–2007, 2008–2009)
- John McCullough (2008–2009)
- Luke Wilson (2009)