And this Denver Comedy Group is Celebrating with a Star Wars Taylor Swift Blank Space Parody. Yes in just one year from today our theaters in Denver will show the newest of the Star Wars Releases… Episode VII The Force Awakens.

Local Denver comedy channel Urban Brain created this Parody comedy short and it even got picked up by the Jedi News, one of the worlds biggest Star Wars Fandom websites.

Nicely done!

The post One Year From Today Star Wars The Force Awakens Parody appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

The Urban Brain Holiday Hoopla

The Great Holiday Entertainment keeps coming, and this may be the best yet!

A group of Denver Comedy Writers, Actors, Improvisers and generally funny people are producing a First Annual Holiday Hoopla Comedy Show.

Set to be released in mid December at TheUrbanBrain.com this holiday showcase will feature a series of Holiday Inspired Comedy Digital Shorts shot in and around Denver. We heard they even have a special film shoot scheduled at Union Station.

It’s free, it’s funny, and they are dedicating each episode to charity and providing local non profits with free filming to shoot a promo to appear at the end of each film. We love organizations that give back to our Denver community and this is a pretty nice sharing of goodwill for the Holidays.

If you wan to see a previews, The Urban Brain will have one sketch live at the Voodoo Lounge this coming Thursday December 4th in what Westword is calling one of the best 10 Comedy Events of December.

Details

When: Launching Mid December

Where: Online at TheUrbanBrain.com

The post Denver Comedy Holiday Hoopla appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Red is the New Green Holiday Show at the Bovine

There is an annual tradition of comedy in Denver that can’t be missed… the Bovine Metropolis Holiday Show.

And it is Hilarious!!! If you live in Denver and love comedy this is a show not to be missed.

Enjoy the Bovine Metropolis’ 38th Original Sketch Comedy!

Who came up with the first Christmas tree? What do ambulance chasing attorneys do for the Holidays? What does an HOA approved Christmas look like?

“Red is the New Green” explores these scenarios and many more in over 20 original sketches and musical numbers that offer a comic, relatable take on holiday happenings, real and imagined. This fast-paced, sketch show is a lot like Saturday Night Live in that it is not improv, but written and rehearsed material. You get to see a multitude of situations, familiar and abstract, that will make you crack up laughing.

“Red is the New Green” is a celebration of common holiday themes, like family gatherings, quirky traditions and the highs and lows of the season. “Red is the New Green” is a holiday extravaganza filled with music, comedy and a healthy dose of awkwardness and isn’t that what the holidays are all about?

Get tickets at BovineMetropolis.com!

Friday, November 28
Saturday, November 29
Thursday, December 4
Friday, December 5
Saturday, December 6
Thursday, December 11
Friday, December 12

Saturday, December 13
Thursday, December 18
Friday, December 19
Saturday, December 20
Sunday, December 21 (show is at 4:00)
Monday, December 22
Tuesday, December 22

The post Bovine’s Red is the New Green Holiday Show appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Denver residents live in what may very well be the most beautiful state in our country. Enjoying the outdoors is something that comes with the territory. We have a climate that offers over 300 days of beautiful sunshine, low humidity, and of course the wonderful Rocky Mountain backyard to play in.

So what activities are considered “must do” for those who live here?

Some might say skiing Vail or Aspen. Others might insist everyone should climb a fourteener.

I believe the most talked about way to enjoy the beauty of our outdoors is the tradition of Red Rocks. It is a beautiful location, a favorite of the fans in the audience and of the performers on stage with it’s natural amphitheater layout and stunning red rock views.

Tomorrow night, instead of a musical performance, Red Rocks is offering something entirely different as the Funny or Die Oddball Comedy Fest brings a night of hilarious stand up comedians to Colorado.

The world’s biggest comedy tour returns: Funny or Die Presents The Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival 2014, featuring Aziz Ansari, Chris Hardwick, Demetri Martin, DJ Trauma, Hannibal Buress, Louis C.K., Marc Maron, Sarah Silverman & Whitney Cummings.

This is the second year of the Funny or Die Oddball Comedy Festival and the creators have added more faces and more funny.

That means if you still have the experience of seeing a Red Rocks Show on your “To Do” list this just might be the most hilarious way to attend.

With the Funny or Die Oddball Comedy Festival you are guaranteed to see many great stand up comedians, but up until the actual show date you don’t know for sure which performers are in any given lineup. They all have other commitments, movies to do, shows to produce, other gigs. So while you are guaranteed funny, you don’t know just how funny.

It looks like the Denver show may have hit the jackpot, at least if you go by this quote posted on the Red Rocks site 8 hours ago.

“Live Nation and Funny Or Die announced today the return of the world’s biggest comedy tour for the second consecutive year. This summer’s Funny Or Die Presents Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival 2014 will feature performances by the world’s greatest comedians, including in Denver: Aziz Ansari, Chris Hardwick, Demetri Martin, DJ Trauma, Hannibal Buress, Louis C.K., Marc Maron, Sarah Silverman & Whitney Cummings Second Stage Hosted by Brody Stevens and more.
”

Here is a link to learn more or get tickets.

The post Funny or Die Oddball Comedy Fest at Red Rocks appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Who doesn’t love getting a massage. In our active Denver Urban community it seems like there is no end to the list of fun and adventurous activities to enjoy. Downtown residents enjoy plenty of run clubs, bike trails, Yoga classes, Rock Walls, Kayak routes (in front of REI), Boot Camps in the Park, and more. Of course the list of things to do gets even longer if you factor in our Rocky Mountains backyard. Now this list expands to include great activities for skiers, snowboarders, hikers, rafters, kayakers, mountain bikers, and so on and so forth.

Truly, the Denver Urban lifestyle offers an endless list of things to do and enjoy. Well, I guess there is one end to the list. Without an Ocean surfing is a little difficult. But Snowboarding is a REALLY good alternative.

So what element of fitness and health do you think we hear folks ask about the most. They want to find a GREAT Spa and Massage location to unwind all those burned out muscles. A great massage isn’t just about relieving tension. It is an overall focus on mind and body. An incredible massage can rejuvenate the spirit and energize the body. So finding a great place to get a high quality massage is an essential component to a healthy Denver Urban lifestyle.

We just happen to have a favorite spa in our own neighborhood.

Symmetry Spa in LoHi is a great local friend and destination for your massage needs. They provide Massage services from: Relaxing Swedish, Deep Tissue, Therapeutic or Injury Recovery, Prenatal Massage, Sports Massage, Thai Yoga, Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, and also relaxing Spa treatments such as our Hot Herbal Steam Treatment, and Hot Stone Massage. Symmetry Spa has years of experience treating chronic pain, post surgical or post injury issues, working with sports specific needs.

They are also a growing local business that supports its surrounding community. This example of helping out locals came into play when I got involved with them last year to join in on a little brainstorming session for Symmetry. I found the owners to be such fun and energetic people. It got me excited about their Spa (I immediately purchased a massage for my fiancé) and also got me to do that nerdy thing I do of brainstorming a sketch idea. I wondered what would happen if I threw a few of the comedy characters in my head in the enviroment of getting a relaxing massage. Somehow I knew things couldn’t go as expected.

I sat down and wrote “Serenity Now” which first went up on the stage of my favorite Denver Comedy Theater, the Bovine Metropolis. If you haven’t seen a show at the Bovine Metropolis, and you are a Denver Urban resident, I STRONGLY encourage you to check out one of their many amazing Improv House Teams or Sketch Comedy Shows.

The very kind team at Symmetry Spa also loves comedy, and even more than that they love helping out their local community. So when I asked if they might let me film a digital short film version of their massage inspired story they agreed with heartfelt enthusiasm. Thank you so much to Symmetry Spa for sharing their beautiful location, the Bovine Metropolis Theater for the great and talented folks who helped me bring this to life, and my friends who help out as Urban Brain® volunteers David Woodward and Kelly Dinneen.

So Denver Urban followers, go play hard, and then let the tension melt away with a wonderful Symmetry Spa massage. Don’t worry, all my characters are fictional so you won’t meet them at your massage.  They even have some specials you can check out here.

If you want to walk to Symmetry Spa to get a massage whenever you want here are the closest Denver Urban Condos and Lofts for sale.

If you can’t live without a great comedy theater within walking distance here are the homes and condos for sale closest to the Bovine Metropolis Theater.

Learn more about Denver’s Urban Brain here and make sure to join the Urban Brain Red Carpet Club for their launch later this year..

The post Symmetry Spa Hosts Comedy Digital Short appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

We love to support the arts in Denver and for those aspiring actors, film producers and comedians this sounded like something we should share. And we like Urban Brain. Good Luck.

The post Casting Call for New Comedy Web Series in Denver appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Our friend Mike from Urban Brain Entertainment contacted us to rave about students in his current class at the University of Denver. Mike is a local comedy writer who has scribed and performed for a number of Comedy Sketch Revue shows here in Denver after studying with the Second City in both Los Angeles and Chicago. His love of comedy and sharing laughter has brought him to the University of Denver where he is teaching a new class he developed focused on writing Sketch Comedy. I don’t know about you but if this class was available when I was in school it would have been first on my list.

Mike let us know that his students, who study everything from how to create a strong comedy character such as all your favorites from Saturday Night Live to how to create a Musical Parody have taken their love of funny to create their own student (not University) comedy channel at DU Something Funny.

Mike shared with Denver Urban about a zillion adjectives describing how amazing these future stars are including “talented”, “authentic”, “dedicated”, “funny”, and on and on. Some students are seeking a future in Theater, some in film, some as writers, some as filmmakers, some are just doing this for the love of comedy. Mike shared with us that the channel they are creating is an example of their initiative and enthusiasm.

He said to watch DU Something Funny. We will. Good luck students.

The post DU Something Funny appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

Denver’s Art World is growing. From the First Friday Art Walks along Santa Fe and Tennyson to the thriving Theater District that helped provide the cornerstone for high rise buildings such as SPIRE and The Four Seasons Denver is growing up.

For example, when I took my first Improv class at the Bovine Metropolis years and years ago I found it increasingly difficult to progress to levels 3, 4, and 5.  There simply weren’t enough fellow Improv and Comedy lovers to sustain the classes.

This ultimately contributed to my love affair with the Second City in Chicago and a routine of early morning flights from DIA to Chicago for classes at the church of Improv and Comedy Writing.  Ah.. those were the days.

Today however, the Bovine Metropolis is thriving.  Students fill up classes and great Improv teams fill the theater night after night.  The density of Denver has increased.  Each new building, each new condo development, each new Urban townhome project in LoHi has increased the number of individuals living downtown.

The light rail expansion, connecting stop after stop in a web from the core at Union Station has made getting in to the Downtown easier than ever.

More people has also bolstered the growth of the arts, with more artists and more audience of the arts to help it thrive.

Awesome!

Now back to the topic at hand and an announcement to my fellow writers, artists, and performers…

The Book of Mormon is doing auditions in Denver.  Yes, I am totally serious.  Here are the details and if you do get an audition break a leg!

THE BOOK OF MORMON will be coming to Denver to hold auditions February 11^th by appointment only. We are looking to build our files for future replacements for all three companies (Broadway, 1^st National Tour, Jumamosi Tour) for the roles of ARNOLD CUNNINGHAM, KEVIN PRICE, NABALUGI and ELDER MCKINLEY etc. (See role descriptions below.) We realize that the area has some fantastic musical and comedy talent, and even though we have some appointments already scheduled we want to make sure that we are not missing anyone, and felt that it is important to reach out to the local theatres, universities and improv groups to make sure no one is robbed of the opportunity to submit themselves for consideration.  We appreciate you passing this on to anyone you feel might be right.  Or if you have an email list, doing a blast to make actors aware.  I am also attaching this info as a PDF flyer if you would like to post it anywhere.

 

Anyone interested in auditioning for any or all of these companies should submit a picture and resume and any additional materials to jrichcasting@gmail.com  by 5PM Saturday, February 9^th 2013.  Please make sure you put the City Name of the audition in the subject line.  Due to the amount of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to every submission.  Please note that submitting does not guarantee an appointment.  Both Equity and Non Equity should submit.

 

SHOW INFO:

Producer: Anne Garefino & Scott Rudin

Director: Trey Parker & Casey Nicholaw

Book, Music & Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Matt Stone & Trey Parker

Music Supervisor: Stephen Oremus

Choreographer: Casey Nicholaw

Sacramento Casting Director: Jeremy Rich

Casting Director: Carrie Gardner

 

ARNOLD CUNNINGHAM (Early 20’s-Late 20’s to play 18): Caucasian. Seeking a true character actor. Must be a physical contrast to the other good looking, All-American Mormons. Dweeby, dorky, nerdy, overweight, or all four combined. Arnold is a pathological liar but his heart is in the right place. He is a total screw-up but not for lack of trying, he always wants to do the right thing. Must be fantastic comedic actor who sings well. Tenor. We are also particularly interested in comics who sing.

 

KEVIN PRICE (Early 20’s-Late 20’s to play 18): Caucasian. All-American. Very handsome. Head of the class, always optimistic. Heroic Mormon. Must be a great comedic actor and a fantastic pop-rock high tenor to a B. Should be at least 5’10 or taller.

 

NABALUNGI (18- Late 20’s to play 20): Black African. Pretty. Takes the hardships of her village very seriously and wants to help her people find a better life. Must have great comic timing. Strong Alto. Belt to an E.

 

ELDER MCKINLEY (early 20’s to late 20’s to play 18): Caucasian. District leader of the Mormon missionaries in Uganda. All- American, wide-eyed and hopeful. Often struggles to cover his flamboyant tendencies and adhere to his Mormon morals. Must be a fantastic comedic actor and great singer. High Baritone who can pop out high Bb’s for comedic effect.

 

[MAFALA HATIMBI] (40’s): Black African. Father of Nabalungi. Has come to accept the hardships in the village where they live but is a discerning community leader and tries to bring joy to their lives. Must be a great comedic actor and singer. Also interested in actors who sing.

 

PRICE’S DAD/MISSION PRESIDENT/VARIOUS ROLES) (40’s): Caucasian. All-American good looks and physique. Plays several parts from the perfect picture of a head of a Mormon household, to the stern missionary president, to Joseph Smith, so must have the ability to be transformative. Must be a great comedic actor and good singer. High Baritone to an Ab.

[GENERAL] (Late 20’s to Late 30’s): Black African. The general is a warlord in Uganda who is terrorizing the local villagers. A physically threatening and intimidating figure who is a great comedic actor and singer. Baritone to an F.

 

[FEMALE AFRICAN VILLAGERS] Late 20’s to late 30’s.  Black African. Seeking great comedic actresses with excellent singing voices.  Seeking Altos, Gospel Sopranos and Gospel Belters of all physical types.

 

The post Denver Auditions for The Book of Mormon appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

They wrote their own 2 minute bit to promote their quest to be Denver’s Next Improv Star and, because we love comedy and the arts in Denver, we donated the gear, filming, and editing.  They were their own directors, we just did the grunt work.  This video comes to you from Pam Terpenny and you can learn more about tickets to see Denver’s Next Improv Star at the Bovine Metropolis here.

Here are the details from their website…

The funniest reality improv competition in Colorado is back for a fourth season! Reality is stranger than fiction, and reality theater is way funnier than reality television. “Denver’s Next Improv Star” is a premiere competition at Denver’s premiere improvisational theater.

Season 4 of “Denver’s Next Improv Star” will pit 13 improv players against each other to find out who is the funniest and best improviser. The audience and players never know what to expect! Contestants will be put through a variety of short form and long form improv games and situations. Each week, prizes will be awarded and players will be eliminated, until finally we find out who is Denver’s Next Improv Star!

The contest itself will be heated, everything is in real time, unlike the editing and altering afforded by reality television before air time. Players do it instantly, and in front of a live audience.

Two judges and one guest judge will decide who wins and who goes home each week. There will also be one night when the audience gets to vote their choice.

The winner for each week’s show will win a prize while the overall winner of Season 4 (aka Denver’s Next Improv Star) will win the Grand Prize.

The Bovine Metropolis is located in the heart of Denver’s Theater District in Central Downtown just steps from SPIRE and the 16th Street Mall.

The post Denver’s Next Improv Star – Pam Terpenny appeared first on Denver Urban Living.

The first of 3 competitor videos we helped sponsor in Denver’s Next Improv Star! Meet Jim Gaffney, who does both Stand Up and Improv at the Bovine Metropolis. They write their own scripts, we just donated some gear and editing. To learn more about Denver’s Next Improv Star or to get tickets visit the Bovine Metropolis Website. For folks in Denver’s Theater District such as SPIRE or the Four Seasons, this show is just footsteps away.

The post DNIS – Jim Gaffney appeared first on Denver Urban Living.