IRTE Looks Back on 2015

It's January 31st and everyone is (wondering why they came into the office today) counting down the last remaining hours of 2015 and taking stock of the vanishing (office Christmas cookies) year.

As we prepare for a brand new season of shows and memories yet to be made, the members of IRTE look back on their favorite moments of the 2015 Season...

My favorite show of the season was when the rats took over NYC led by the rat King Charlemagne during an episode of Calamity! It was a super fast paced show with Nate Betancourt as the rat king, and Nannette Deasy as a loose cannon cop out to save the day. The cherry on top happened with the observation that Steely Dan had written a song for King Charlemagne... Even though the song being referenced was "Kid Charlemagne". :)

- Robert Baumgardner

There were many high points for me in the 2015 IRTE season. I loved playing the washed out, coked up news anchor in Late Night News, and briefly being Barry the alcoholic badger for my little taste of The Magic Zoo in the Del Close Marathon was a delight, but for me I think the creme de la creme was being part of our heroic cast slaughtering each other as a multitude of celebrities during our stellar 5-day run of The League of Extraordinary Blondes at the Dream Up Festival. - Bill Berg 


 

I loved playing Gerald Ford in "League of Extraordinary Blondes", but what I loved even more was in one scene during rehearsals for the show I was Richard Nixon eating a baby on the beach.

- Jamie Maloney




 
I really loved the moment in "Adrift" when I was about to throw the baby overboard. I could feel the audience anticipation just as I was about to launch her into the crowd.  And when I did finally toss her the audience would scream. That was so much fun!

- Curt Dixon 

One of the most memorable characters of the season, in my opinion, was musical guest David Johnston's alter ego Mr. David Jay who popped up in all but one of our shows. In his own words - " If Rip Taylor & Frank Sinatra had a baby and let it live, it would have been David Jay. Without training or ability, he pleases his handful of fans with gay jazz." He had the best costume changes, the most glitter and recorded probably the best theme song and video in IRTE history.

- Nannette Deasy

Debunking Myths and ‘Bunking Facts About Blondes

By Marilyn “Mary” Monroe-Culpepper, Ph.D.

Our guest blogger Marilyn “Mary” Monroe-Culpepper, Ph.D. is a noted sociocultural anthropologist, the world’s leading blonde studies scholar and a natural born blonde (we swear). Her research has been published in a bunch of really important international science journals and she frequently appears as a contributor on the Antiquities Channel.

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I am so excited to be a BIRTE guest blogger ahead of IRTE’s production of THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY BLONDES presented by Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival from September 16 to 20.  As the world’s top blonde studies scholar, I am always thrilled to see the celebration and proliferation of pro-blonde sentiments.

When I got the call from IRTE, I was on the heels on making a huge discovery in my cutting edge research on blondes. I mean, I was literally in the middle of examining a strand of Pamela Anderson’s hair underneath a microscope, and when I say I dropped everything, I mean it. I spilled everything in my petri dish when I reached for my iPhone. That’s how important IRTE’s League of Extraordinary Blondes is to the movement, and I am just happy to be a part of it.

A little bit more about me, I am not only a scholar but also a natural born towhead. Really, I am! Really! I am a native of the Indonesian Islands where you can find the world’s only dark-skinned people who are naturally blonde people. You can attribute our fair locks to the TYRPI gene, which is completely different from the gene that causes blonde hair in western and European populations. Bet you thought you knew everything there was to know about blondes!

Here’s a bunch of other facts you maybe didn’t know about us blondes:

Strawberry Head!

A Natural Blonde

• June is Blonde Appreciation Month!
• But September is the month when IRTE’s League of Extraordinary Blondes comes to the Dream Up Festival at the Theater for the New City
• Strawberry blonde, the mixture of blonde and red hair, is the rarest type of blonde hair.
• Only two percent of the world’s entire population is naturally blonde!
• The highest concentration of natural blondes are found in—you guessed it!—northern Europe.
• Blondes have a higher strand count than people with other hair colors, and blonde beard hair grows faster than beard hair of any other color.

  

  A lotta Latvians

•  Every year, a bunch of people converge in Latvia for a festival dedicated to dyeing your hair blonde.
• The “dumb blonde” trope reportedly originated in France in the 1770s however modern science has not established any links between levels of intelligence and hair color.
• Germans were held captive in the Roman era, and their blonde hair was used to make fashionable wigs for ladies.
• Ancient Romans used pigeon dung to lighten their hair; Venetians of the Renaissance period used horse urine.

  

  Beauty at any price

Go see The League of Extraordinary Blondes in the Dream Up Festival in the Theater for the New City. It gets my seal of approval. It’s action-packed, it’s sexy and they’re making blonde history out there. You’re going to want to listen to me—I am the single most important blonde scholar of the 21^st century.

 The League of Extraordinary Blondes runs September 16 - 20 at Theater for the New City, Cabaret Theater, 155 First Ave., New York, NY 10003

Tickets $15

You Are Cordially Invited to…THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY BLONDES!

A Formal Invitation from Melissa Cole...

Your presence is requested at IRTE’s latest production of THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY BLONDES presented by the Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival from September 16 to 20! Cue the trumpets!

Ahead of this momentous production, allow us to introduce this year’s honorary inductees into the League of Extraordinary Blondes’ Hall of Fame!

Let’s welcome legendary actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, Grammy award winning singer Mary J. Blige, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Academy Award winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Nobel Prize recipient and scientist Marie Curie into our LOEB Hall of Fame and find out what makes these golden-tressed ladies just so extraordinary…

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Zsa Zsa Gabor

- Blonde ambition since… 1917

- The time this blonde had "more fun": Zsa Zsa has been married nine times. Once, when asked how many husbands she had, she was quoted as responding, "You mean other than my own?"

- Legally blonde: Accused of slapping a Beverly Hills police office in 1989

- The gentleman that prefers this blonde: Married to German-born socialite Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt since 1986

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Mary J. Blige

- Blonde ambition since… 1971

- Oops! She had a blonde moment! Once tweeted, "Why is that people always try to understand estimate my intelligents?! They should never do that!"

- The time this blonde had "more fun": Mary’s dancing has been described as “crazy ass” dancing but it looks like she’s having a blast!

- Legally blonde: Awarded $105,000 in 2014 after winning a countersuit against a concert promoter who sued her for cancelling a performance in Dallas

- The gentleman that prefers this blonde: Married record producer Kendu Isaacs in 2003

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Hillary Clinton

- Blonde ambition since… 1947

- Oops! She had a blonde moment! This presidential hopeful is currently embroiled in controversy over having maintained separate, personal email accounts instead of using official government email accounts when she served as United States Secretary of State.

- The time this blonde had "more fun": Forget about the economy, this blonde former first lady has just the recipe to solve this country’s serious lack of fun being had—summer camp for grownups! "We really need to have camps for adults. … None of the serious stuff. None of the life challenge stuff. More fun. I think we have a huge 'fun deficit' in America,” Clinton said in March 2015.

- Legally blonde: Earned her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1973

- The gentleman that prefers this blonde: Married former president Bill Clinton in Arkansas in 1975

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Gwyneth Paltrow

- Blonde ambition since… 1972

- Oops! She had a blonde moment! Once compared mean Internet comments to surviving war

- The time this blonde had "more fun": Has called rapper Jay-Z her “best friend” and even once sang with him at a concert at the renowned Royal Albert Hall in London

- Legally blonde: In 2014, Paltrow’s lifestyle website Goop was sued by a New York author who specializes in health and wellness for trademark infringement when she used his trademarked title “Diet Detective” on her website

- The gentleman that prefers this blonde: Since divorcing, er, consciously uncoupling from Coldplay front man Chris Martin, Paltrow has reportedly been dating television producer Brad Falchuk

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Marie Curie

- Blonde ambition since… 1867

- Oops! She had a blonde moment! A New York Times profile in 1903 described Curie as “an exceedingly attractive woman, a delicate blonde with fair, blue eyes.” An icon of science, Curie certainly invalidates any commonly held conventions about the mental agility of blondes!

- The time this blonde had "more fun": The first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win in multiple sciences, Curie discovered the elements radium and polonium and developed a theory of radioactivity.

- Legally blonde: According to the Daily Mail, the Swedish Academy of Sciences wrote Curie in 1911 in an attempt to dissuade her from coming to Sweden to accept her second Nobel Prize because of scandalous rumors allegedly that Curie was a home wrecker and secretly Jewish. Curie wrote back, “The prize has been awarded for the discovery of radium and polonium... I cannot accept that the appreciation of the value of scientific work should be influenced by libel and slander concerning private life.”

- The gentleman that prefers this blonde: Born in Warsaw, Poland, this naturalized-French physicist and chemist married Pierre Curie—also a French physicist—in 1895.

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Congratulations are in order to these ladies who are all certainly extraordinary blondes in their own right but be sure to come see the actual blonde bombshells of IRTE’s LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY BLONDES when they hit the stage at the Dream Up Festival at The Theatre for the New City, starting September 16!

The League of Extraordinary Blondes runs September 16 - 20 at Theater for the New City, Cabaret Theater, 155 First Ave., New York, NY 10003
Tickets $15

THIS GUY! MOVIE GUIDE



I’VE SEEN ‘CALAMITY!’ AND IT’S AWESOME!!!

By Tyler Kevin

THIS GUY!

Hey guys! I know I promised you I’d share the trailer for IRTE’s latest show, ‘Calamity!’ as soon as I got my hands on it, but I’ve been - uh - indisposed for the last week or so. Turns out what’s legal in Colorado is supposed to stay in Colorado. Thanks for the heads-up, dudes!

 

Anyway, as you can see by the change in my header, I’ve struck out on my own and am no longer with those guys at “That Guy” Movie Guide.

It’s great to be C.E.O.!!

 

Bu-uh -- I DO have the ‘Calamity!’ trailer, along with some other great goodies from the fine folks at IRTE!

 

So strap in and get ready for some action. You’re gonna need to because the latest production out of IRTE’s fun factory is a knock-down, drag-out, no-holds-barred BLOCKBUSTER extravaganza!

 

That’s right - these guys (and gals!) have really outdone themselves. There was a freakin’ hurricane on that stage this past Saturday night. A hurricane of CATS! And there’s no tellin’ what’s gonna happen next time. YOU. GET. TO. DECIDE!!!

 

 

I know it sounds crazy that no one knows what they’re gonna be up against until seconds before the show starts, but - hey! - that’s what these guys (and gals!) do!

 

Not only that, they had as their very special musical guest none other than Carla Ulbrich, one of the stars whose music appears on the ‘Calamity!’ soundtrack, and she’s just as funny and talented as the rest of that crazy bunch. She had me and the rest of the audience in stitches with her song about one particular word that starts with the letter ‘f’!

I don’t want to give too much away - and I can’t because they make that sh*t up! - but you just gotta trust me on this and get your butts in those seats for the wild ride that is IRTE’s ‘Calamity!’

 

You’ve got just 2 more chances to do just that. And you can’t go wrong with the musical guests they’ve got lined up for their next 2 shows. On July 18, you’ll get to see the luminous Tym Moss. And at their final performance on July 25, the ever daring and spectacular Mr. David Jay will tear up the stage! (What’s left of it!)

 

So put your thinking caps on, get your ass in gear to the Producer’s Club, and tell this band of action heroes (and villains and love interests) what disaster we need them to save the world from!

 

 

“Calamity!” runs 2 more Saturdays in July at

8 p.m. at The Producer’s Club

 

July 18 and 25 -- 358 W 44th Street, New York, NY

 

Here’s some links -- the goodies that I promised you. Check ‘em out!!

https://youtu.be/yZSKqbaFXlg -- Calamity! movie trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrs2ngrd5dk  -- Radio Show on Youtube - entire show (2 hrs)

http://yotina.podomatic.com/entry/2015-07-13T12_49_27-07_00  --  Hustlin’ Awesome Show clip on PodOmatic

http://carlau.com  --  Carla Ulbrich’s website

http://tymmoss.com  --  Tym Moss’s website

https://www.facebook.com/MrDavidJay  --  Mr. David Jay’s Facebook page

http://www.irteinfo.com/#!tickets/cz8h/!/Calamity/p/45840953/category=8705737  -- Tickets

Until next time. Take it from me, Tyler Kevin, and This Guy! Movie Guide!!

“THAT GUY” MOVIE GUIDE

IRTE’S LATEST PRODUCTION IS CALLED ‘CALAMITY!’

AND IT’S AN ACTION MOVIE!!!

          

By Tyler Kevin

 

IRTE, the studio that struck improvisation gold this year with their throwback to the 80’s sitcom, “Wow Wee! Adventures of a Little Girl Robot,” and their lost-at-sea descent into chaos, “Adrift,” are at it again. This time imagine smashing together “Adrift” and “Wow Wee!”  and then throw in a dash of last year’s secret agent romp, “The League of Extraordinary Blondes” and you’ve got “Calamity!”

 

Opening in July, the Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble (yeah, IRTE - pronounced like ‘dirty’ without the ‘d’ - is much easier to say!), is pulling out all the stops and going full blockbuster for their final production of their 2015 season. And when we say blockbuster, we mean BLOCKBUSTER!

 

Although the news coming out so far has been very hush-hush, me and the other “That Guy” Movie Guide guys are digging up as much as we can. And even though a trailer hasn’t even surfaced yet (we promise we’ll snag that for you as soon as we can!) we CAN tell you that they’re going to switch up the cast every week and LET THE AUDIENCE DECIDE how the planet is gonna get destroyed!

 

Whoa. Wait a second. I better back it up for you.

 

First I gotta tell you that “Calamity!” is a full-on improvised blockbuster disaster movie made up and performed on the spot right before your eyes. Talk about 3-D!

 

These crazy cats at IRTE have always been into pushing the limits of improv and destroying each other (and their audience!) with all kinds of fight scenes and mayhem, but this time they’ve really outdone themselves. We’re talking totally catastrophic global annihilation - like end of the world type sh#t!

 

And they’ll be joined at these special limited-time screenings by the superstar recording artists responsible for all the killer music on the original soundtrack - Carla Ulbrich, Tym Moss, and Mr. David Jay. What else?!

 

IRTE members Curt Dixon, Nannette Deasy, Jamie Maloney, and Robert Baumgardner will all be returning. Relative newcomer, William Berg, is directing and boy are we excited to see what this talented team has pulled together for us this time! Rounding out the cast are familiar GIRTEs (Guests of IRTE) - Evie Aronson, Melissa Jourdana Cole, and Sam Katz. And joining in on the fun for his first adventure with this ragtag bunch is local favorite, Nate Betancourt. This cast is sure to save your summer if not save the world!!

 

For up to the minute news on what we’re sure will be IRTE’s biggest hit yet stay logged in with me and the other guys here at “That Guy” Movie Guide. We got your back!

 

“Calamity!” runs 3 Saturdays in July at 8 p.m. at The Producer’s Club

July 11, 18, and 25 -- 358 W 44th Street, New York, NY

Dear Mommy and Daddy... FURTHER Letters from the Front Line (aka "Camp")

IRTE's latest production, Camp Fitness, continues this Saturday June 13th. Dip your toes in the murky pond of adolescence. IRTE's very own Jamie Maloney has even more camp letters from his days as an idealistic youth!

Letters from Camp 1985
Jamie Maloney

13 years old
(Errors preserved)

 

June 26

 

Dear Mommy and Daddy

 

Send me some more money some gum and some bug repellent and some stamps
One of our counselors carries a doll
Send me my electronic football
Im having a good time.

 

Love Jamie

 

July 3

 

Dear Mommy and Daddy

Im writing to you again today because it’s raining and we can’t go out. The kids in my bunk did the duracell test to my flashlight and the bulb broke. The duracell test is dropping it from six feet and seeing if it breaks. I told you about my counselor getting fired well we got a new one and his name is Craig the old one’s name was Aaron. I told Papa to tell you send me a new marker. Send me some more money for when we go on trips and some stamps. 

Love Jamie

 

July 8

 

Dear Mommy and Daddy, 

Its raining and we’re inside I got the game but send me my baseball game  it’s tan and I think it’s around my book case or my computer. Send me some money and cereal or that juice mix stuff. if you send me the mix send me a cup

Love Jamie

 

July 12

Dear Mommy and Daddy, 

If you can send me anything send me salt water taffy

I got on my knees on the hydro-slide for a second but I fell off  I joined the swim team. I need some stamps. I’m getting good in sailing.

Love Jamie

 

Yesterday we went on a canoe trip and today I got stung by a bee under neath the tongue of my shoe

I need some more money for when we go on trips and things like that   I’m going to see if I can call you on my birthday

Love Jamie

P.S. I need stamps.

 

 

July 14 (13th birthday)

Dear Mommy and Daddy, 

When you come up on Sunday bring some shampoo and my combination lock. This morning when I woke up I had to go to the bathroom real bad and it was diarrea. then it couldn’t come out so I went to the infirmary. Send some stamps

Love Jamie

 

July 26

Dear Mommy and Daddy, 

to day we went to a mall and we got to go to all the stores we wanted. I am all out of stamps and I used most of my money send me some Capri Sun

I got into a fight with this kid. Not the same one I told you about but another kid in my bunk

July 31

Dear Mommy and Daddy, 

I got your letter that was dated July 22  I have been writing you letters. Color war is in its 3rd day but it’s raining so we’re inside

A kid gave these 2 cards for a pizza at canteen

GREAT DEAL!!

 

Love Jamie

Ready for more summer fun..?

Then come see IRTE in

CAMP FITNESS

 

Saturdays, June 6, 13 & 20, 8:00 pm
at The Producer's Club
358 W 44th St, NYC
between 8th & 9th Ave.

Tickets: $12.00