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<p>Entries from March 1, 2011 - March 31, 2011</p>
<p>Thursday Mar 31 2011  INSIDE WITH: STEVE SOROKA & MAMRIE HART OF BŌF</p>
<p>Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 2:56PM  Matt Fisher, Steve Soroka & Mamrie Hart | Photo: Eric Michael Pearson By: Meghan O'Keefe</p>
<p>Friends are people who see the best in us and like us for it. Best friends are people who see the best and the worst in us and still love us for it. Mamrie Hart and Steve Soroka are best friends who combine their friendship and their foibles to create the sketch group, BoF. In their latest show, “BoF: It’s Pronounced Boaf!” the duo combines upbeat dancing, dreams of pop stardom, the trials of unemployment, and the importance of Lifetime movies in a delightful and hilarious show. We spoke to Mamrie and Steve about BoF's origins and which one of them is most like Blanche Devereux.</p>
<p>How did each of you get started in comedy?</p>
<p>Steve: I moved to New York right after college and kind of sheepishly putzed around for long time. I would lie to friends about doing stand up. Then one night a friend took me to an improv show -- against my will, because I hated improv -- and I really liked it. So I started taking classes and hanging around and it was a lot of fun. Improv led to sketch, which led to videos. It's a slippery slope!</p>
<p>Mamrie: Well, like a lot of folks, I moved up here to pursue serious acting. I found myself working really hard to find auditions and then showing up and thinking, "Oh no no no no. Even f I got cast in this, I would be too embarrassed to even invite anyone to it" -- Joey Tribbiani (of Friends) stuff. So I decided to take a writing class to develop my own stuff, and I can contort my face to such levels of ugliness that I thought it a shame to not try comedy!</p>
<p>Photo: Eric Michael Pearson In the show you guys say you first met in 2007 and have been inseparable best friends ever since. When you first met did you instantly know you would also be comedy partners?</p>
<p>Mamrie: Tell em Stevie!</p>
<p>Steve: I’m not sure we still know if we'll be comedy partners! We met in a writing class, and I remember it was the first day and another student had just presented their sketch and the class was giving notes on it. As I was about to say something, Mamrie chirped in with her opinion and it was the same exact thing I was going to say. In that moment I thought, "Do I like her or do I hate her?" And then after class she was the first one to agree to get drinks so it was kind of fated.</p>
<p>What is your writing process like? Do you guys base sketches on improv or shared stories or original ideas?</p>
<p>Mamrie: We play heightened versions of ourselves. So, from there, the sketches start with one of us pitching a simple scenario that would be fun to see these two characters play out. Something as normal as running into an ex or being unemployed can lend itself to a lot of silliness. You will never see Steve being kidnapped by aliens and Mamrie going undercover to save him. Unless.....</p>
<p>Steve: While we never get on our feet and improvise a scene, there really is a strong improv vibe to the writing in that we'll have a simple idea and then heighten and heighten and find what we find funny about it. We always try to make ourselves laugh and that usually involves some aspect of a true story. And of course, drinks!</p>
<p>Audience participation is something that is essential to improv, but rarely seen in sketch comedy, yet you guys incorporate it fully into your show. How did you decide to do that?</p>
<p>Steve: We wanted to break up the rhythm of the show with something so it wasn't just six or seven scenes back to back. And so much of BoF is us being ourselves that it seemed natural to interact with the people at the show, talk to them, and have them be a part of the show. My favorite part might be when an audience member realizes they are about to play a character in the next scene. Although we are very careful to not embarrass them! And you never know what people are going to do, so it's nice to have a bit of controlled chaos to keep us on our toes.</p>
<p>Mamrie: We love adding the element of improv into the show, but in a controlled way. So it's fun to interact with audience members, but with a pretty tight plan as to not make them feel uncomfortable. I know that when I go to a show and they pull people up, I get automatic douche chills. But in our show, we never embarrass anyone. Except ourselves.</p>
<p>If you could compare your chemistry to any duo in history, which one would it be?</p>
<p>Steve: Is it too lowbrow to say two of The Golden Girls? Because I'd say I'm a mix between Dorothy and Sophia and Mamrie is a mash up of Rose and Blanche, right down to her southern lilt! We emulate the sense of warm familiarity with and underlying jovial disdain.</p>
<p>Mamrie: Blanche Hollingsworth Devereux and Sophia Spirelli Petrillo Weinstock. Obviously, Steve is Blanche.</p>
<p>Mamrie Hart and Steve Soroka answered the last question without consulting each other, which would explain why they disagreed on who was most like Blanche.</p>
<p>* THE PLUG: Don't miss "BoF: It’s Pronounced Boaf!" happening FRI, APRIL 1 (and April 22) at 7:30PM at The UCBT-NY | $5</p>
<p>Friends are people who see the best in us and like us for it. Best friends are people who see the best and the worst in us and still love us for it. Mamrie Hart and Steve Soroka are best friends who combine their friendship and their foibles to create the sketch group, BoF. In their latest show, “BoF: It’s Pronounced Boaf!”, the duo combines upbeat dancing, dreams of pop stardom, the trials of unemployment, and the importance of Lifetime movies in a delightful and hilarious show. We spoke to Mamrie and Steve about the origins of BoF, how they get their inspiration, and which one of them is most like Blanche Devereux.</p>
<p>How did each of you get started in comedy?</p>
<p>Steve: I moved to New York right after college and kind of sheepishly putzed around for long time. I would lie to friends about doing stand up. Then one night a friend took me to an improv show - against my will, because I hated improv - and I really liked it. So I started taking classes and hanging around and it was a lot of fun. Improv led to sketch, which led to videos. It's a slippery slope!</p>
<p>Mamrie: Well, like a lot of folks, I moved up here to pursue serious acting. I found myself working really hard to find auditions and then showing up and thinking, 'Oh no no no no. Even f I got cast in this, I would be too embarrassed to even invite anyone to it". Joey Tribbiani (of Friends) stuff. So I decided to take a writing class to develop my own stuff, and I can contort my face to such levels of ugliness that I thought it a shame to not try comedy!</p>
<p>In the show you guys say you first met in 2007 and have been inseparable best friends ever since. When you first met did you instantly know you would also be comedy partners?</p>
<p>Mamrie: Tell em Stevie!</p>
<p>Steve: I’m not sure we still know if we'll be comedy partners! We met in a writing class, and I remember it was the first day and another student had just presented their sketch and the class was giving notes on it. As I was about to say something, Mamrie chirped in with her opinion and it was the same exact thing I was going to say. In that moment I thought, "Do I like her or do I hate her?" And then after class she was the first one to agree to get drinks so it was kind of fated.</p>
<p>What is your writing process like? Do you guys base sketches on improv or shared stories or original ideas ?</p>
<p>Mamrie: We play heightened versions of ourselves. So, from there, the sketches start with one of us pitching a simple scenario that would be fun to see these two characters play out. Something as normal as running into an ex, or being unemployed, etc can lend itself to a lot of silliness. You will never see Steve being kidnapped by aliens and Mamrie going undercover to save him. Unless.....</p>
<p>Steve: While we never get on our feet and improvise a scene, there really is a strong improv vibe to the writing in that we'll have a simple idea and then heighten and heighten and find what we find funny about it. We always try to make ourselves laugh and that usually involves some aspect of a true story. And of course, drinks!</p>
<p>Audience participation is something that is essential to improv, but rarely seen in sketch comedy, yet you guys incorporate it fully into your show. How did you decide to do that?</p>
<p>Steve: We wanted to break up the rhythm of the show with something so it wasn't just 6 or 7 scenes back to back. And so much of BoF is us being ourselves that it seemed natural to interact with the people at the show, talk to them, and have them be a part of the show. My favorite part of the show might be when an audience member realizes they are about to play a character in the next scene. Although we are very careful to not embarrass them! And you never know what people are going to do, so it's nice to have a bit of controlled chaos to keep us on our toes.</p>
<p>Mamrie: We love adding the element of improv into the show, but in a controlled way. So it's fun to interact with audience members, but with a pretty tight plan as to not make them feel uncomfortable. I know that when I go to a show and they pull people up, I get automatic douche chills. But in our show, we never embarrass anyone. Except ourselves.</p>
<p>If you could compare your chemistry to any duo in history, which one would it be?</p>
<p>Steve : Is it too lowbrow to say two of The Golden Girls?Because I'd say I'm a mix between Dorothy and Sophia and Mamrie is a mash up of Rose and Blanche, right down to her southern lilt! We emulate the sense of warm familiarity with and underlying jovial disdain.</p>
<p>Mamrie: Blanche Hollingsworth Devereux and Sophia Spirelli Petrillo Weinstock. Obviously, Steve is Blanche.</p>
<p>Mamrie Hart and Steve Soroka answered the last question without consulting each other which would explain why they disagreed on who was most like Blanche.</p>
<p>BoF’s next shows are April 1 and April 22. Both shows are at 7:30pm at the UCB. “BoF: It’s Pronounced Boaf!” stars Mamrie Hart, Steve Soroka, features Matt Fisher and is directed by Mike Still.</p>
<p>keithhuang | Post a Comment | 5 References tagged BOF , Mamrie Hart , Steve Soroka , UCBT-NY in Interviews Wednesday Mar 30 2011  ASK FOR IT BY NAME - WILL HINES, KATE HESS FOR MIKE BIRBIGLIA</p>
<p>Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 4:12PM</p>
<p>They say you shouldn't judge an Internet video clip by its timestamp. But if it clocks in around 30 seconds and features Mike Birbligia, Kate Hess and Will Hines, then it's probably going to be pretty good. And it is. Also, according to very unbiased sources in my Facebook feed, I am to understand Birbigs's new show, "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" is awesome.</p>
<p>keithhuang | 1 Comment tagged Kate Hess , Mike Birbiglia , Will Hines in Ask For It By Name Monday Mar 28 2011  On the Red Carpet at The Comedy Awards @ The Hammerstein Ballroom - 3.26.11</p>
<p>Monday, March 28, 2011 at 3:31PM</p>
<p>The Comedy Awards, a new awards show created by Comedy Central to give lustrous keepsakes to funny people, were held on Saturday. Despite being a 1st time event, they drew the biggest names and legends in the business imaginable, people like Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Eddie Murphy, Gary Shandling, and even David Letterman. The Apiary was there first and foremost to capture all the glamourous red carpet strutting and secondly, to fill up on finger foods in the press lounge. Here's who walked!</p>
<p>Katie Aselton and Mark Duplass of The League</p>
<p>The Gregory Brothers</p>
<p>Will Ferrell and Olivia Munn</p>
<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment | 2 References tagged The Comedy Awards in Red Carpet Monday Mar 28 2011  THE HONEY SHOT - FAMBLY</p>
<p>Monday, March 28, 2011 at 11:31AM  Photo: Chris Kelly</p>
<p>* THE PLUG: Don't miss "Fambly," performing TONIGHT @ 9:30PM at The UCBT-NY | $5</p>
<p>Wanna plug? E-mail me photo & credit. And join our flickr group. Send 10 days in advance.</p>
<p>keithhuang | 1 Comment tagged Fambly , UCBT-NY in Photos Friday Mar 25 2011  Low Key: The Series Finale</p>
<p>Friday, March 25, 2011 at 6:21PM</p>
<p>This marks Andy Ross' final strip for The Apiary, he's been the Artist in Residence here for a full year now. He wrote in to say, "Thanks a lot for having these on the site. It's been a lot of fun doing them. I'd be super grateful if you would thank the readers for me and maybe point them toward my blog." On his behalf, thanks readers! On our behalf, thanks Andy! For more from Andy, check out his site.</p>
<p>RELATED</p>
<p>Low Key: The Complete Series</p>
<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment tagged The Fat Lady Swings , andy ross in Low Key Friday Mar 25 2011  Ding Dong Meow: The Andrea Rosen Show @ The UCBT - 3.23.11</p>
<p>Friday, March 25, 2011 at 12:54PM  To a packed house at The UCBT Wednesday night, Andrea Rosen performed Ding Dong Meow, her first one-person show about "saying and doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, and then telling everyone about it on stage."</p>
<p>NOTES</p>
<p>--The premise of the show--hilariously explained at the top with a voiceover from John Gemberling as God--was that every time a ding, dong, or meow sound occurred, Andrea would do something different on stage like tell a true story, do a character, or read a letter she has written to a corporation.</p>
<p>--One of her stories was about how she went on a date with a guy named Gary even though Garys aren't her thing, saying that Garys typically have eyes that are too close together and "tiny lips like paper cuts." Which is true! I know one Gary and that's pretty accurate.</p>
<p>--In a letter she wrote to the Friendly's restaurant chain, Andrea read about the time she ingested a cheese sandwich from there that irritated her bowels so badly, she accidentally diarrhea-d on her boyfriend later that evening.</p>
<p>--This reminded me of the time I ran into Andrea on the subway a few years ago and she mentioned she got a serious case of the runs after eating at Bonnie's Grill in Park Slope. Since two is a trend, it's the belief of this publication that Andrea is constantly spewing diarrhea from her butthole and all restaurants should proactively ban her for life for fear of tainting their good names.</p>
<p>--Ding Dong Meow was 1 of precisely 2 shows listed in the Comedy section of New York Magazine last week. In comparison, the Kids section had 10 listings... and kids can't even read!</p>
<p>--Were my eyes tricking me or was Barbara Walters sitting in the front row at the show? My guess is that Barbara probably falls asleep right after Wheel of Fortune so this was probably too late for her to be out. However, the following folks were definitely SPOTTED in the crowd: Livia Scott, TimeOut's Matt Love, Arthur Meyer from Two Fun Men, and Serious Lunch's Anthony Miale.</p>
<p>Ding Dong Meow continues its run into April with shows on 4/6 and 4/13 at 8PM at The UCBT. See it!</p>
<p>The Apiary | 1 Comment | 5 References tagged Andrea Rosen , Ding Dong Meow in Show Recap Friday Mar 25 2011  INSIDE WITH: ROSE SURNOW, HOST OF 'WE LOVE YOU'</p>
<p>Friday, March 25, 2011 at 9:00AM  Rose Surnow | Photo: Samuel M. Jayne</p>
<p>By: Meghan O'Keefe</p>
<p>Jessi Klein, Joe Mande, Andrea Rosen, Jared Logan and Sara Schaefer are five of our favorite funny people in New York.</p>
<p>We might love them even more now that we know that this Sunday they'll be coming together for a great cause -- "We Love You: A Benefit For Planned Parenthood." We spoke with the show's producer and host, Rose Surnow, about the serious politics of bringing so many hilarious people together.</p>
<p>Why do a comedy show to benefit Planned Parenthood?</p>
<p>Well, as you probably know, the Republicans in Congress submit a budget proposal that bans all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. This means that at a time when 46.6 million Americans have no health insurance, they want to cut an organization that provides free check-ups, STD and AIDS tests, medication, health care and family planning. It doesn't make any sense. Now, more than ever, we need to protect Planned Parenthood so that the millions of women without health care can continue to take care of their bodies.</p>
<p>So the comics you asked were into supporting the cause?</p>
<p>It's funny, I've been trying to get Jessi Klein on a show for a while, and I think this issue must be dear to her because she immediately responded that she would be involved. I'm lucky enough that I've been able to get all the other incredible comics on my shows before, so we already had a relationship. But generally, I think people are more willing to do shows if they are into the cause. It definitely makes it easier.</p>
<p>You've organized shows to support other political causes in the past. What do you think the relationship between comedy and politics is?</p>
<p>Well, I'm very political and I'd like to use whatever skills and resources I have to support causes I'm passionate about. Also, I'd like to make politics fun and engaging. Let's go out and see New York's best comics, have a blast and support something awesome -- a win-win!</p>
<p>Stand-up comedy is often an entertaining medium to speak up about things that can be subversive and highly political. Bill Hicks, Richard Pryor, Mort Sahl, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert are all hilarious comics who use their political beliefs to get laughs, but also to make people think more critically. That's the goal, you know?</p>
<p>* THE PLUG: Don't miss "We Love You: A Benefit to Support Planned Parenthood" (feat. Andrea Rosen, Jessi Klein, Joe Mande, Sara Schaefer and Jared Logan), happening SUN, MARCH 27 @ 8PM at The PIT | Tickets (All proceeds go to Planned Parenthood)</p>
<p>keithhuang | 1 Comment | 8 References tagged Andrea Rosen , Jared Logan , Jessi Klein , Joe Mande , Rose Surnow , Sara Schaefer , The PIT in Stand Up Thursday Mar 24 2011  ASK FOR IT BY NAME - MOLLY AUSTIN FOR D.C. LOTTERY</p>
<p>Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 12:09PM</p>
<p>Which is worse? Texting and falling into a fountain, or texting and stepping in dog shit? Answer: They both suck, but clearly the lesson here is this: Statewide lotteries are a tax on people who are bad at math (we all know that, right?). None of which has anything to do with my standup-comic friend Molly Austin who was picked to play the comely young, urban professional whose guttural "Uhhh" made me laugh a lot. Oh, Molly. Watch her make you and others laugh TONIGHT @ 7PM at Karma. As far as the residents of Chocolate City are concerned, the jury's still out on this one ("Star of new D.C. Lottery ad is, well, dog poop").</p>
<p>If you come across or upload any new commercials starring our favorite comedians and performers, please send the link!</p>
<p>keithhuang | Post a Comment | 1 Reference tagged DC Lottery , Molly Austin in Ask For It By Name Page 1 2 3 4 ... 4 Next 8 Entries » Copyright © 2011, [theapiary.org]. All rights reserved.</p>