Marcia Sofley is Ginny Jan

vIRTE Go-Go! is the next improvised show coming to you from IRTE.

It's loosely inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In a TV show that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, according to Wikipedia. I thought it'd be fun to take a look at what was happening in the time period by taking cast member birth dates and looking up the news of the day (courtesy historyorb.com.)

Marcia Sofley is Ginny Jan

Dateline: November 19

1968- Mali military coup, president Modibo Keita flees


So many hilarious things happened in the '60's.

1969- Apollo 12's Conrad & Bean become 3rd & 4th humans on Moon

Conrad and Bean sounds like a comedy team. "72 astronauts walk into a bar..."

1970 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

People love to split atoms.

1971- Ft Wilderness at Disney World opens

The newest way to lose your kids.

1972- Gershwin Theater (Uris) is the newest Broadway theatre

Someday IRTE hopes to perform there, but "Wicked" looks like a permanent fixture.

Get down and boogie with vIRTE Go-Go! 

Time: Saturdays, June 14, 21, & 28 at 8:00pm.

Location: The Producer's Club

358 W 44th St

New York, NY

Between 8th & 9th Ave

Tickets: $10 on-line or at the door.

vIRTE Go-Go! Chelsea Boots!

vIRTE Go-Go! is the next improvised show coming to you from IRTE.

It's loosely inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In a TV show that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, according to Wikipedia. I thought it'd be fun to take a look at what was happening in the time period by taking cast member birth dates and looking up the news of the day (courtesy historyorb.com.)

Nannette Deasy, alias Chelsea Boots (maybe we should be doing a show based on The Mod Squad)

Dateline: April 20

1968- The Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein (24) weds fellow reporter Carol Honsa

I wonder if he ever bugged her.

1969- 1776 wins at the 23rd Tony Awards

You say you want a revolution?

1970- Ron Hill's 2:10:30 at Boston, sets new US marathon record

This year, Meb Keflezighi of California ran it in 2:08:37

1971 - Barbra Streisand records "We've Only Just Begun"

We've only just begun the '70's.

1972- Apollo 16's Young & Duke land on Moon with Boeing Lunar Rover #2

Far out!

Get down and boogie with vIRTE Go-Go! 

Time: Saturdays, June 14, 21, & 28 at 8:00pm.

Location: The Producer's Club

358 W 44th St

New York, NY

Between 8th & 9th Ave

Tickets: $10 on-line or at the door.

Curt Dixon is DJ Holy Matrimony

vIRTE Go-Go! is the next improvised show coming to you from IRTE.

It's loosely inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In a TV show that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, according to Wikipedia. I thought it'd be fun to take a look at what was happening in the time period by taking cast member birth dates and looking up the news of the day (courtesy historyorb.com.)

Curt Dixon is DJ Holy Matrimony

Dateline: November 14

1968- "National Turn in Your Draft Card Day" features draft card burning


Somehow, I don't think this was a national holiday.

1969 - Apollo 12 (Conrad/Gordon/Bean) launched for 2nd manned Moon landing

Going to the moon was more popular than going to Cancun back then.

1970- November 14 was a Saturday, so that means Adam-12, Mission Impossible, and The Pearl Bailey Show were on TV.

1971- Enthronment of Pope Shenouda III as Pope of Alexandria

There's another Pope? Besides the one in Greenwich Village?


1972- Dow Jones closes above 1,000 for 1st time (1003.16)

They scoff at this number today.

Get down and boogie with vIRTE Go-Go! 

Time: Saturdays, June 14, 21, & 28 at 8:00pm.

Location: The Producer's Club

358 W 44th St

New York, NY

Between 8th & 9th Ave

Tickets: $10 on-line or at the door.

Bill Berg is Lupine Lou

vIRTE Go-Go! is the next improvised show coming to you from IRTE.

It's loosely inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In a TV show that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, according to Wikipedia. I thought it'd be fun to take a look at what was happening in the time period by taking cast member birth dates and looking up the news of the day (courtesy historyorb.com.)

Bill Berg, is Lupine Lou

Dateline: October 22

1968- Apollo 7 returns to Earth

Gearing up for the moon landing the next year.

1969- Paul McCartney denies rumors of his death

It's what you get for walking out of step on Abbey Road, and turning your back on Sgt. Pepper.

1970- Singer James Brown (37) weds Deidre Jenkins in Barnwell, South Carolina

He was a "Prisoner of Love".

1971- USSR performs nuclear test

What else is new?

1972- Oakland A's 1st championship; beat Reds, 4 games to 3 in World Series

Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson. Sheesh. No wonder they were winners.

Get down and boogie with vIRTE Go-Go! 

Time: Saturdays, June 14, 21, & 28 at 8:00pm.

Location: The Producer's Club

358 W 44th St

New York, NY

Between 8th & 9th Ave

Tickets: $10 on-line or at the door.

vIRTE Go-Go!: Flashback to the Sause-y 60's/early 70's!

vIRTE Go-Go! is the next improvised show coming to you from IRTE.

It's loosely inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In a TV show that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, according to Wikipedia. I thought it'd be fun to take a look at what was happening in the time period by taking cast member birth dates and looking up the news of the day (courtesy historyorb.com.)

Mike Sause, playing the far out Fuzz Caldrin. 

Dateline March 2

1968- Ice Dance Championship at Geneva won by Towler & Ford (GRB)
- Ice Pairs Championship at Geneva won by Belousova & Protopopov (USSR)
- Men's Figure Skating Champions in Geneva won by Emmerich Danzer (AUT)
- Worlds Ladies Figure Skating Champ in Geneva won by Peggy Fleming (US)
Bonus: Daniel Craig was born.

I'm figuring there was a figure skating championship going on. And, James Bond was born. He'd been in five movies before this time, looking more like Sean Connery.

1969- 1st test flight of the supersonic Concorde


Yes, the Concorde, along with the SST, was going to revolutionize air travel.

1970- Rhodesia becomes independent republic


That's Zimbabwe to you.


1971 Birthdays- Amber Smith, Tampa Fl, actress (Faithful, Funeral, Mirror Has 2 Faces)
- Dave Gorman, English documentary comedian
- Donna Perry, Glendale CA, playmate (Nov, 1994)
- Elizabeth Lackey, American actress
- James Hammerstrand, LaMesa California, volleyball middle blocker (Oly-96)
- Ray Hall, NFL defensive tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Ruffin Hamilton, NFL linebacker (Atlanta Falcons)

So, according to historyorb.com a bunch of babies were born on March 2, 1971, but nothing really happened.

1972 - Pioneer 10 launched for Jupiter flyby

It flew by Jupiter over a year later on December 3, 1973, and we lost contact 30 years later.

1973- Depressing according to historyorb, but at least we could tune into Maude and Hawaii-Five-0.

Get down and boogie with vIRTE Go-Go! 

Time: Saturdays, June 14, 21, & 28 at 8:00pm.

Location: The Producer's Club

358 W 44th St

New York, NY

Between 8th & 9th Ave

Tickets: $10 on-line or at the door.

Jamie Maloney Goes to Court

With Small Claims opening in just a week, it seemed fitting that IRTE's own Jamie Maloney should be called in for Jury Duty

 

The following is from Jamie's own personal journal describing his journey...

 

Tomorrow I have jury duty. I knew when I received the official questionnaire last month that it was inevitable and I've been dreading it ever since. This is the third time I've been summoned since I reached the appropriate age and the call comes about once every decade . I'm in my 40's now and I haven't been summoned since my mid 30's so I'm due. Most people dislike being called to jury duty for practical reasons: missing work, a disruption of their daily schedule, etc. My anxiety centers on being called out for dressing inappropriately. I also have a chronic back condition which could be aggravated by sitting on hard wooden furniture for a few days so I suppose my concerns are becoming more rational as I reluctantly settle into middle-age. I've set my alarm for 7am but I know that anxiety will wake me up well before that. 

3:30am: My cat wakes me up because she thinks it's fun to step on my hair while I sleep. I feed her and try to go back to sleep. 

5:45: I give up trying to sleep and futz around the apartment for a few hours. Call time at the courthouse is 9:00 so I figure I need to leave by 8. I pick out a dress shirt that doesn't quite fit anymore and a clean pair of jeans that are free of unintentional holes but I still feel like I'm not dressed in a manner that's respectful to the court. I need to point out that I resent dress codes of any kind. It's my last vestige of adolescent outrage. I do whatever I can to avoid situations where dress codes are enforced, going so far as to risk being disowned by skipping family weddings. I decide there's nothing more I can do to appear non-contemptuous and head out the door thinking about the soldiers on D-Day who knew they would be stepping onto a beach into a wall of enemy gunfire.

8:43: The area where the courts are is easily the most intimidating part of town. Looking at all the columns and steps and people in appropriate attire, I try to tell myself my fears are irrational but this is clearly a serious place for serious people doing serious business. I would feel more comfortable in some of the worst areas of the city circa 1975. At least there and then I wouldn't be fined for following my instincts and running away. I'm just some ridiculous comedian in an ill fitting shirt, it's only a matter of time before I'm discovered and culled form the herd. I arrive at my assigned location and immediately realize my apparel-centric concerns are unfounded. My fellow prospective jurors look like they're going to a picnic. Baseball hats, t-shirts and neon sneakers are everywhere. This is usually how things work for me. Weeks of worrying dispelled in a heartbeat followed by feeling silly for having put myself through it. A quick trip through an ancient metal detector, (why do I have three AA batteries in my inside coat pocket?) and I find the jury room. My last time here I sat on beautiful, old, painful wooden benches. They've since 'upgraded' to cushioned chairs. The pinched nerve in my back is relieved but my sense of history and appreciation of old world craftsmanship wonders about the fate of those stalwart old benches. The court worker, I'm calling him the Jury Room Commander, gives us the standard spiel, followed by the indoctr..er.. orientation video. I'm expecting a long day of sitting, reading a book called "Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain" and waiting patiently but we're quickly shuffled along to  another building. I was called to criminal court but civil court needs jurors. Lots of jurors. 

10:22: A round woman in tiny shoes and a very structured dress gives us the civil court spiel before the lawyers come in. And I'm using lawyers in the most plural way possible. There aren't this many suits in an entire season of Mad Men. Four lawsuits are being combined into a single trial that's going to last between six and ten weeks. The first part of the jury selection process is to determine if the potential jurors know or have any connection with anyone or anything involved in the case. Every one of the thirty (yes, thirty!) lawyers takes their turn telling us their names and the names of all the parties they represent and will be calling as witnesses. From what they tell us about this trial, it seems pretty interesting if not potentially mind numbingly boring. I think I want to serve as a juror. 

11:38:  We have the opportunity to speak individually to the wall of wool about why we may not be able serve on the jury for this trial. As much as I'd like to, six to ten weeks is too long to be able to anticipate what might happen with my back and I need to find a way out. As I approach the eloquence of attorneys I feel like I've been called before every school principal I've ever had  in order to explain my deviance from the dress code. They make no mention of my attire and to my surprise they offer to let me get up and stretch my back from time to time during the trial. In the end however I have a somewhat personal connection to this case. This is a mesothelioma suit and my dearly departed grandmother was diagnosed with that very same horror six years ago. Ultimately they don't care how I'm dressed. They only want to know if I can be impartial, and that's not going to happen, so they let me go home, duty served. Slightly disappointed, slightly relieved I make my escape from Intimidation Square.

12:51: Back home. My cat wants to eat again but not before I put on a t-shirt.

Check out Jamie in Small Claims SATURDAYS May 17, 24 & 31, 8:00pm at

 

​The Producers Club

358 West 44th Street

New York, NY 10036

Tickets $10

Special discounts available online.

What if something really SCARY happend to YOU?

With The Scary opening soon we decided to pose a few Stephen King plot scenarios to the cast and see how they would react.

1.  You’re in the grocery store when you notice a thick mist gathering outside.  Suddenly people run screaming into the store saying that there are giant insects killing people outside.  What do you do?

"Gather as much Raid and bug spray I can find, pull out my phone for video evidence, armor up by wrapping myself in duct tape and start exterminating. I hate bugs." - Jamie

2.  You’re in high school and you’ve discovered that you have telekinesis.  It’s prom night and some mean kids pull a nasty prank on you.  What do you do?

"A human puppet show would be a unique and diverting highlight for any formal affair. Why not give the band a break with your new found entertainment abilities? Nothing says FUN like a life-sized Punch and Judy. (Didn’t one of them have a club?)" - Nannette

3.  You wake up tied to a bed in a strange room.  Someone comes into the room and tells you they are your biggest fan.  What do you do?

"Propose." - Robert

4.  You are a single parent with a young daughter.  You find out that you’re precious little girl has the ability to starts fires with her mind.  What do you do?

"Run to the store and stock up on graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows, it’s time for s’mores!" - Evie

5.  You buy a house that’s near an old pet cemetery.  As fate would have it your beloved cat dies.  Your neighbor tells you that the pet cemetery is on an ancient burial ground and the cat will come back to life if you bury it there.  What do you do?

"Tell that nosy neighbor to stop cutting my grass all the time. Mr. Scuffles liked it long and unkempt dammit!" - Alex

6.  You buy an old car and decided to fix it up.  As you work you realize that the car is possessed and likes to kill people.  What do you do?

"I would pay more attention to the walking routes of my enemies." - Graceann

7.  Your family decides to be caretakers of a sprawling resort while it’s closed for the harsh winter.  You’re isolated and alone.  You start seeing all sorts of ghosts and horrific things. Someone starts acting really creepy and you’re afraid of them.  What do you do?

"Invite some hot-20something friends to join me for the weekend, pull out a video camera, take extreme closeups of myself with a runny nose, market it as a real world Blair Witch Project, make lots of money, use cash to renovate the resort and call Ghostbusters." - Marcia

8. You’re skipping down the lane, minding your own business, when a clown peeks out of a storm drain. He’s got your favorite toy and promises to give it back if you just reach in and grab it. What do you do?

"Well, first off, if I’m skipping I’m probably somewhat impaired in which case I would not at all be surprised to see a clown in the sewer.  After all, I have friends who some would consider “clown-ish” and in my impaired state I would be reminded of the numerous times I’ve seen friends in the gutter.  So I would pause to see if it’s someone I know and if it wasn’t and he actually DID have my favorite toy I’d drag his thieving clown ass out of the sewer and beat the crap out of him." - Curt