Ocean State Black & Funny Improv Festival
Ocean State Black & Funny Improv Festival - Sept 24-27
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The Ocean State Black & Funny Improv Festival is back for its sixth year, featuring amazing Black improvisers and troupes from across the country! The festival features nightly headliner performances, guest troupes, mixer shows, and workshops!
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Our goal is to create an improv world where all are welcome to celebrate ourselves, learn from our differences, and build each other up while sharing in a space that is respectful and generous to all.
Schedule
Thursday, Sept 24 - Festival Kick-Off at Kismet Improv in Pawtucket, RI
9:30 pm: Black Improv All-Stars
Ocean State Black & Funny Festival headliners, veteran performers and special guests from different teams and cities mixed together for a one-night-only opening night team!
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Friday, Sept 25 - Black Comedy Homecoming
Lots of laughs with shows throughout the night with Homecoming additions like HBCU roll call, music, games, and more!
5:30 pm: Wakanda vs. Everybody (Wakanda), This Is Y(our) Story (TX)
7 pm: HEADLINER SHOW
Single Living (IL), Black Lady Improv (Global)
8:30 pm: Tezz's One-Man Band (CA), AM 2 PM (NY)
10 pm: Late-Night Mixer
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Saturday, Sept 26 - Black Comedy Con
Hilarious improv shows, plus Black nerd trivia, cosplay contest, and more!
5:30 pm: Improvised Anime (MN), Single Living (IL)
7 pm: HEADLINER SHOW
Black & Funny Festival Ensemble, Black Lady Improv (Global)
8:30 pm: Eustace Night: A Night of Black Women Improv (NY), The Blacksmiths (NY)
10 pm: Late-Night Mixer
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Sunday, Sept 27 - Black Comedy Family Reunion Brunch
10:30 am - 12 pm: The family is gathering, and you're invited to the reunion! In this interactive show, you can actually eat brunch with us, line dance, participate in the family talent show, and more.
Festival Passes and Tickets
Want to see shows at the festival? We've got your options covered!
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All-Access Festival Pass: $60 You get tickets to every performance and an Ocean State Black and Funny Improv Festival t-shirt! If you sign up for 2 or more workshops, you get an All-Access Festival Pass for free!​
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Day Pass: $40 You can get a Day Pass to see all of the shows on a specific day of the festival. (Available for Fri & Sat)
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Individual Show Tickets: You can, of course, get tickets to each show individually if you want! Choose your own price based on our new pricing system for all of our performances. We want everyone to be able to enjoy these incredible performances!
- ​​Standard ticket price for OSBAFIF shows is $20. We need 70% of people to choose this price!
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$35 tickets are available to help support the Jack Albanese Scholarship Fund.
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$45 tickets are available for anyone who can afford a little extra to support this and future festivals.
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$10 tickets are available for anyone 25 & under and anyone who needs them.
Workshops
The Ocean State Black & Funny Improv Festival is focused on providing opportunities to learn from some fo the best improv teachers in the country.​ If you take 2 or more workshops, you get a free All-Access Festival Pass!​
Sat, Sept 26
Morning: 10 am - 1 pm
Silent Killer with Jacklyn Uweh
Sat, Sept 26 from 10 am - 12:30 pm
In Silent Killer, we’ll discover what happens when you lose your most reliable improv weapon: words. We’ll explore how to build character, relationship and scenes through physicality, emotion, and eye contact. Learn how to kill on-stage without saying a word.
About Jacklyn...
Jacklyn Uweh (she/her) is an actor, writer, producer, and alum of The Second City Mainstage. A California native, she first discovered her love of performance in community theater before sharpening her comedic voice as a co-founder of The Soulstice League sketch ensemble at UC Irvine. Her stage credits include Hairspray, Striking 12, and the CBS Showcase. On screen, Jacklyn has been featured on The Chair Company (HBO), The Daily Show (Comedy Central), SMOSH, and in national commercials for McDonald’s, Plenity, and Cricket Wireless. You've heard her voice in Paladins and in work with Wondery Media. Find her online or performing live in NYC. (@jacklyn_uweh)
Finding Your Authentic Voice with Rochelle McConico
Sat, Sept 26 from 10 am - 12:30 pm
Most stand-up training teaches you how to be funny. This one starts earlier — with figuring out who's actually talking. We'll look at your comedy against your whole life, and find the places your material hasn't caught up to you yet. That gap is usually where your strongest stuff is hiding.
Second half, you're on your feet. Test it out loud, get it back from the room, find the difference between a joke that works and a joke that's yours. You'll leave with at least one piece of material nobody else could have written.
EXPERIENCE LEVEL
All levels. No stand-up experience required — improvisers and writers welcome.
WHAT TO BRING
Whatever you write with: notebook and pen. Napkin. Computer. Receipt. And any material you're working on, finished or not.
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About Rochelle...
Rochelle McConico is a stand-up comedian, teacher, and community builder who believes comedy is medicine. An Austin Chronicle Critic's Pick for "Best All-Around Champion of Comedy" and a nominee for Best Comedian in Austin, she has performed at the Moontower Comedy Festival and on stages across the country. Rochelle taught stand-up at ColdTowne Theater for two years, where her classes consistently sold out, and now serves as the Stand-Up Director for the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. She is also the founder of the Amuse-Bouche Comedy Festival, co-founder of the Lysistrata Comedy Festival, and a regular voice on KAZI 88.7 FM's The Morning Grind, where she can be heard every Thursday and Friday morning sharing laughter, conversation, and the truth as she sees it.
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Sat, Sept 26
Afternoon: 2 pm - 4:30 pm
The Dirty Dozen with Ray Cordova
Sat, Sept 26 from 2 pm - 4:30 pm
The Dirty Dozen: A combination of my favorite warmups, exercises, drills and forms that will work on your improv skills while having a blast. Get out of your head and into the fun!
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About Ray...
Ray Cordova is an actor, comedian, writer, and producer. In 2019, Ray co-created and co-starred in “ASTRONOMY CLUB: THE SKETCH SHOW” on Netfilix. You can find Ray performing onscreen or live at UCB in NYC.
Authenticity in Improv with Coko Galore
Sat, Sept 26 from 2 pm - 4:30 pm
Great improv doesn’t always come from inventing; it often comes from noticing more. In this workshop, we’ll explore how our authentic perspectives can help us create comedy grounded in the reality of the moment. Through listening, emotional truth, and building specifically from what has just been said, done, or communicated, performers will practice releasing control and allowing the scene to reveal itself.
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We’ll use specificity, detail, and genuine reaction to create work that feels surprising and unique. This workshop is particularly useful for improvisers who find themselves thinking about rules instead of connecting to the scene in front of them.
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EXPERIENCE LEVEL
Participants should have a minimum of one year of improv experience.
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WHAT TO BRING
Participants should wear comfortable clothing and bring water. No preparation is required.
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About Coko...
Coko Galore is a Toronto-based actor, comedian, and producer known for grounded performances, sharp instincts, and a distinctive comedic point of view. Her screen credits include The Testaments (MGM Television/Hulu), Small Achievable Goals (CBC), Accused (Sony Pictures Television/FOX), Pretty Hard Cases (CBC/NBCUniversal), and TallBoyz (CBC). A Second City Mainstage alum, Coko produced and directed the Black and Funny Festival Toronto and served as Artistic and Managing Director of Bad Dog Comedy Theatre. Coko has taught and performed across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Her approach to improv centres authenticity, emotional truth, specificity, and discovering the comedy already present in the moment.
