Summary by Edwin A. Santos
Thursday, March 30, 2017
: @Edwin_A_Santos | 
: Edwin A. Santos
A lot of good people behind the Upright Citizens Brigade Sunset’s Asian AF and Scarlett Johansson Presents… led by Will Choi as they widen the trail for Asian representation and opportunity thru comedy! This Friday night might possibly be the last improv show of Scarlett Johansson Presents… the same night, a certain feature film opening, gave birth to it!
I was at the first Scarlett Johansson Presents… show in May, 2016 at UCB Sunset’s Inner Sanctum stage. I arrived there an hour and a half earlier for two reasons: (1) the Inner Sanctum stage will experience its biggest audience ever! And (B), valet parking upstairs is going to be packed! I really don’t want to bother our neighbors…
A few days prior to the show, I volunteered myself and my camera to Will Choi (the creator of the show) to record the first show — as I usually offer to do in the improv community.
Many of the performers I knew and have performed improv with were my instructors and my classmates when I studied long form improv at UCB from 2009 until 2012. Scarlett Johansson Presents… was going to make history that night, and it sure did!
The show was the Inner Sanctum’s largest audience ever, I heard 300+ including the people who stood in the back and, for me, it was the first time I saw many Filipino American performers mixed in with other Asian American performers. Something I hardly see at other theatre shows in Los Angeles in the last twenty years… Not until the Comedy Comedy Festival.
With hosts Will Choi and Keiko Agena (with a special appearance by Jenny Yang), Scarlett Johansson Presents: Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May 27, 2016) featured the following improv teams (the names in italics are of Filipino descent):
The first Scarlett Johansson Presents… show was created after the casting for “Ghost in the Shell” was announced. After three successful shows, tomorrow night’s show (March 31st) will be the FINAL Scarlett Johansson Presents… show (until Hollywood whitewashes another movie). http://ucbtheatre.com/performance/52937
Doesn’t John Cena voicing an animated bull named Ferdinand count?
Check out the Filipino American improvisors for tomorrow night’s show! Eugene Cordero (Kong: Skull Island), Rene Gube (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jiavani Linayao (CBS Diversity Showcase), Allyn Pintal, Joy Regullano (Supernatural), Tess Paras (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Grimm) and Erich Tamola at Scarlett Johansson Presents: Opening Night of ‘Ghost In The Shell’ – FREE ADMISSION – this Friday night, March 31st at 9:30pm at UCB Sunset’s Inner Sanctum stage (entrance through the cafe) located at 5419 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027
Featuring:
Stand-up by Kyle Mizono
Sketch by & Kay Kaanapu, Dione Kuraoka, & Kaitlyn Tanimoto
Improv by Kilowatt: The Mess Hall Superteam
Keiko Agena, Quincy Cho, Kay Kaanapu, Jiavani Linayao, Chuck Maa, Allyn Pintal, Joy Regullano, Erich Tamola, & Ai Yoshihara
Improv by Voltron: The UCB Superteam
Lilan Bowden, Sarah Claspell, Kim Cooper, Eugene Cordero, Rene Gube, Zac Oyama, Dhruv Uday Singh, & Kathy Yamamoto
and a very special one-time-only presentation of…
“GHOST IN THE SHELL: THE MUSICAL!”
Written by Will Choi, Mike Lane, & Tess Paras
PLAN TO COME EARLY TO THE SHOW. WE WILL START RIGHT AT 9:30PM.
Parking: RIDE-SHARING IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED or taking the Metro (closest Metro Station is Hollywood/Western) as parking will be difficult and valet will get full. UCB offers valet parking for $5, or street parking. Please be careful walking to/from your cars.
FilAm Creative 