The Immediate Gratification Players Explained

The Immediate Gratification Players (IGP) are a collegiate improvisational comedy troupe based out of Harvard College.[1] They specialize in long form, free-form improvisation and are recognized as one of the top college troupes in the nation.[2]

History

The Immediate Gratification Players were founded by Harvard freshmen in the fall of 1986. The Immediate Gratification Players do not charge for admission to their on-campus shows. Their red-and-yellow striped ties are one of the troupe's hallmarks.

Each year, the Immediate Gratification Players host the Laugh Riot improvisational comedy festival at the American Repertory Theater. The invitational festival, begun in the spring of 1999 and now entering its 20th year, includes troupes from other colleges, including Cornell, Wesleyan University, and Columbia University.[3] [4] [5] On the weekend of the annual Harvard-Yale football game, the Immediate Gratification Players either host or travel to a show which also stars an improvisational comedy troupe from Yale.[6] [7] Along with on-campus shows, they also play at Boston's Improv Asylum and at comedy clubs in New York City.[8] Beyond the northeast, the Immediate Gratification Players have played in Florida, Los Angeles, Texas, Chicago, San Francisco, and London.[9] [10] [11]

Apart from a traditional long form, free-form, the Immediate Gratification Players annually perform shows in specialty forms such as the “dinner party” and “radio show” formats. In 2007, they were selected out of the numerous Boston-based improv troupes to star in several comedy sketches produced by the Boston Globe in its Peter Post etiquette section.[12] [13] In 2010, they were selected to roast Wyclef Jean when he was named Artist of the Year by the Harvard Foundation.[14] Shakira was honored in 2011 as the Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year, and again the Immediate Gratification Players were asked to roast her.[15] The Immediate Gratification Players continued working with the Harvard Foundation, roasting John Legend in 2012 when he was named Artist of the Year The following year in 2013, they roasted Nicole Scherzinger, also a recipient of the Artist of the Year award. In 2014, the Harvard Foundation honored LL Cool J as Artist of the Year, and once again, IGP got a chance to participate in the celebrity roast. In 2015, IGP participated in the roast of Eva Longoria, recipient of the Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year award.

Immediate Gratification Player of the Year

In 2010, the Immediate Gratification Players began honoring great comedians with a background in improvisational comedy as their Immediate Gratification Player of the Year. The award is not strictly annual, with the troupe's leader remarking that the group is "hoping to give this award as much as possible, devaluing it to the point where it basically means nothing."[16] The award recipient performs the monologue portion of an Armando form show, where several scenes are based on the themes brought up in the monologue, which itself is formed from a crowd suggestion. Upon completion of the show, the honoree receives their own red-and-yellow striped tie.[17]

The inaugural award recipient was comedian Jeff Garlin of Curb Your Enthusiasm and WALL-E fame.[18] [19] Garlin later wore his necktie on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.[20]

In 2011, Wayne Brady of ABC's Whose Line Is It Anyway was named the second Immediate Gratification Player of the Year.[21] [22]

The Player of the Year ceremony was paused from 2020 through 2022 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and resumed in 2023.

Name Year
2010
2011
2013
2014 (ceremony in 2015)
2016 (ceremony in 2015)
2017
Rachel Bloom2019
Angela Kinsey2023

First book

In December 2010, the troupe released its first published book, an improv how-to guide aimed at students, entitled “So You Think You’re Funny: A Students’ Guide to Improv Comedy.”[23] The book was published by Meriwether Publishing, which is known for other comedy publications such as "Truth in Comedy" by Del Close.

Notable alumni

[24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Petersen . James R. . Going Clubbing . The New York Times . November 5, 2010 . January 6, 2012.
  2. Web site: 12 Colleges with Great Improv Groups.
  3. Web site: Thecrimson.com . Thecrimson.com . February 22, 2008 . January 6, 2012.
  4. Web site: Harvard.edu . Hcs.harvard.edu . January 6, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120222050558/http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hrdc/htdb/displayproduction.php?productionid=680 . February 22, 2012 . mdy-all .
  5. Web site: Thecrimson.com . Thecrimson.com . February 28, 2005 . January 6, 2012.
  6. https://archive.today/20130210133213/http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/2500 Yaledailynews.com
  7. http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2008/11.20/11-thegame.html Harvard.edu
  8. Web site: Thetanknyc.org . Thetanknyc.org . December 14, 2007 . January 6, 2012.
  9. Web site: No Writer Attributed . Thecrimson.com . Thecrimson.com . April 13, 1998 . January 6, 2012.
  10. Web site: Thecrimson.com . Thecrimson.com . September 27, 1999 . January 6, 2012.
  11. Web site: Dailnorthwestern.com . https://archive.today/20110806003230/http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2000/03/31/Campus/Improv.Groups.Opens.Festival-1903925.shtml . dead . August 6, 2011 . Media.www.dailynorthwestern.com . January 6, 2012 .
  12. Web site: Boston.com . Multimedia.boston.com . December 30, 2011 . January 6, 2012.
  13. Web site: Boston.com . Multimedia.boston.com . December 30, 2011 . January 6, 2012.
  14. Web site: Inside the Luncheon with Wyclef Jean – Noice. // daily blog of The Voice at Harvard . Verynoice.com . February 27, 2010 . January 6, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110901054250/http://verynoice.com/2010/02/inside-the-luncheon-with-wyclef-jean/ . September 1, 2011 . mdy-all .
  15. Web site: Waterbabies44 says . Video of the IGP's Roast of Shakira – Noice. // daily blog of The Voice at Harvard . Verynoice.com . February 27, 2011 . January 6, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110901054520/http://verynoice.com/2011/02/video-of-the-igps-roast-of-shakira/ . September 1, 2011 . mdy-all .
  16. Web site: Crimson file photo . Thecrimson.com . Thecrimson.com . January 6, 2012.
  17. Web site: PRlog.org . PRlog.org . January 6, 2012.
  18. Web site: Thecrimson.com . Thecrimson.com . February 23, 2010 . January 6, 2012.
  19. Web site: Boston.com . Boston Globe . March 9, 2010 . January 6, 2012.
  20. http://www.daemonstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/CURB-YOUR-ENTHUSIASM-episode-71-season-8-episode-1-4.jpg
  21. Web site: Wayne Brady Named Second Annual Immediate Gratification Player of the Year By Harvard Improv Troupe . PRLog . January 6, 2012.
  22. Web site: Harvard Improvisational Comedy Troupe To Honor Wayne Brady | News | The Harvard Crimson . Thecrimson.com . March 8, 2011 . January 6, 2012.
  23. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/12/2/book-improv-levingesundheit-igp/ Thecrimson.com
  24. Web site: White . Jack . Theroot.Com . Theroot.Com . May 12, 2009 . January 6, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120229215229/http://www.theroot.com/blogs/rock-and-roll/former-npr-host-farai-chideya-kisses-sky . February 29, 2012 . mdy-all .
  25. http://www.natedern.com Natedern.com
  26. Book: Not Quite a Genius. 9781501122217. August 28, 2018. Dern. Nate. Simon & Schuster .
  27. http://www.eyeweekly.com/print/article/44478 EyeWeekly.com
  28. Web site: Collective-intelligence.ca . Collective-intelligence.ca . January 6, 2012.
  29. Web site: Current.com . Current.com . January 6, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090228034116/http://current.com/topics/88813968/target_women/new/0.htm . February 28, 2009 . dead . mdy-all .
  30. Web site: Bhagat . Paramendra . Blogspot.com . Democracyforum.blogspot.com . March 17, 2006 . January 6, 2012.
  31. Web site: Thetanknyc.org . Thetanknyc.org . January 6, 2012.
  32. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1370803/ IMDb.com
  33. Web site: Lacher . Irene . NYtimes.com . The New York Times . October 9, 2005 . January 6, 2012.
  34. "The Dark Side" WHRB radio interview, 2008
  35. Web site: Harvardwood.org . Harvardwood.org . April 3, 2008 . January 6, 2012.