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The Death Laser Invitational Rides Again!

Times change. Babies grow up. Theaters close. People move on. They say you can't go home again, and that may be true, but you know what you can do? YOU CAN BUILD A NEW HOME AND FILL IT WITH SHINY-ASS TOYS AND NAME IT AFTER THE OLD ONE!!!

That's right, Laserheads (sticking with it, don't care what you think), The Death Laser Invitational IS BACK, BAY-BEE!!! And literally by popular demand! People tack that phrase onto things all the time to make themselves sound special, but we seriously have had people asking us constantly, "when are you going to bring back The Death Laser Invitational?!" And I mean, WE knew it was awesome and great, but to have you guys actually come up to us at random shows, or message us, or call us, or throw bricks through our windows, and ask us about it unprompted? We knew something had to be done!

So we've done it. Starting January 19th, and following every third Saturday of the month, the DLI (that's what the Laserheads call it) will be running at ACME Comedy Theater in North Hollywood, bay-bee!

Now we have to warn you, we did have to make a FEW small changes. See, we always prided ourselves on cramming the best possible teams we could find from all over LA into an hour-long slot and giving them all expanded shows of 20 minutes each instead of the tiny indie sets they got elsewhere. But we just couldn't do that this time. Now our teams will have to squeeze their shows into FULL-LENGTH slots across FOUR GLORIOUS HOURS OF AWESOMENESS!

That's right, from 8-12PM monthly you can see the best sung and unsung heroes of improv that we can find, and let me tell you, we can find Waldo, Odlaw, Wanda, The Wizard Whitebeard, AND Woof on every single page, so you KNOW we're good at this!

Expect events and links and pictures and all that jazz soon. Just plan to plant your butts in the seats on the 19th, get some drinks (ACME HAS A BAR!!!), and have the best fucking time you've had in almost a year, bay-bee (third time, nailed it)!

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

The Feel Good Not Bad Death Laser - June 2018 Recap

Is it your first time here? Gosh, do you have a LOT to catch up on!

The Feel Good Not Bad Death Laser (or simply The Death Laser to our closest and/or laziest fans) is an LA-based improv team. Founded in 2015, we specialize in the Deconstruction, an improv form dating back to The Family in Chicago, but now with our own special twists. We’re currently calling it the Deathconstruction because we’re even lazier than our aforementioned fans.

In our now over 150 shows since our debut we’ve played what feels like EVERYWHERE. But after the passing of our dear home iO West, we’ve found new regular comes in the forms of Revolution Theater and The Improv Orphanage, and can be found performing nearly ever week at one, the other, or a wide variety of other theaters and festivals that invite us to join them. Our calendar can always be counted on to tell you when and where we’re playing.

Our team roster is jam-packed with talent, and in May of 2018 we added Rebecca “Hot Pants” Stevens to our crazy team of badasses. Our full-time coach is Chris Alvarado, and we’ve trained regularly with such talent as Shulie Cowen, Paul Vaillancourt, Darius De La Cruz, Bill Chott, and more.

Check back in regularly for updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and come out and see us!

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Team Bio - Rebecca Stevens

As the youngest of five children in Bloomington, IL, Rebecca Stevens was mostly ignored until dinner one evening at the age of six, when her parents asked what she’d done in Sunday school. “Watched Ben Hur,” she answered. Seeing that none of her older siblings were remotely interested, Rebecca added, “More like Bend-Hur-Over, amirite?” The table went silent then erupted in laughter. Rebecca’s parents questioned everything they had done wrong. Rebecca did not. 

Years later, Rebecca graduated from ASU and moved to LA. After a few years of background work and gigs on Nip/Tuck, she studied comedy at Second City Hollywood and iOWest. After graduating both programs and performing with various Harold and sketch teams, Rebecca was hired by Second City to perform and/or lounge about the Caribbean on Norwegian Cruise Line’s majestic Gem. Super tan, she returned to LA, scooped up a guy who’d just gotten divorced, and married him for his dashing good looks and health insurance. 

Rebecca loves wine and can be found drinking it daily. She also loves jerky - but not salmon jerky, she’s not a monster. As a writer, Rebecca is working on both screenplays and a book. As an actor and comedian, she’s currently shooting a series called PRofessionals, and will always be honing her Bible/Gladiator-based comedy.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

April is Our Month!

We're back! Okay, we weren't gone, really. I mean, an iconic improv institution of 25 years closing isn't the kind of thing to hold US back. Nope. But we did take a small break to train and play slightly fewer shows! But now  we're about to come back, bigger, harder, faster, and other adjectives than ever before! And with it we have exciting news!

First off, as you all ALREADY know because you follow our every move, we'll be at the Orange County Improv Festival this Saturday night in the 10PM slot! Check out the OCif Saturday Night listing for more details!

Then we have super exciting news that we've joined up with The Improv Orphanage (hmmm... those initials sound familiar) to perform twice a month on the second and fourth Thursday at 10PM! We're going to be paired up with some of the greatest orphans of that other similarly-initialed theater of all time. It's like a giant reunion hug twice a month! Check out their exciting opening this Thursday night, where our own Josh Spence will be on stage with a spectacular mash-up, and then our debut the following week on the 12th!

And then there's the exciting launch of Revolution Theater, helmed by LA improv heavyweight Paul Vaillancourt! While it opens this Friday night, the 6th, if you didn't jump on board already, then tickets are complete SOLD OUT. Yikes! But fret not, because it'll be back every Friday night to blow down the doors, and on the 20th we'll make our Revolution debut at 8PM!

There's so much to put in your calendar! Or you can just subscribe to ours here!

And that's not all! Actually... it is at the moment. But it won't be for long. We don't sit still. We promise.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Team Bio - Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson (Fuchur in German) is a companion of Atreyu and Bastian. He is the only luckdragon to appear, although five others are mentioned in passing. He helps Atreyu find a cure for the Empress after escaping the web of Ygramul the Many.

The original name "Fuchur" is derived from Japanese "Fukuryuu" (福竜 or 福龍, "lucky dragon").[citation needed] It was changed in the English translation because the pronunciation of the original name is similar to that of the agentive form of an English expletive. Personality wise, Chris Thompson is optimistic, friendly, dignified, helpful and wise, trying to help Bastian remember to "never give up and good luck will find you."

Chris Thompson has an elongated body with rudimentary paws and pink scales and hairs that appear white in dull light. His head is described less precisely, though his eyes are given the colour of rubies. In the illustrations of the German novel, he appears much like an oriental dragon or his appearance is of a dog (Goldendoodle); whereas a cover for the book by Dan Craig illustrated Chris Thompson as lion-like; and in the 1984 film adaptation of the novel, as well as its sequels, Chris Thompson has canine features upon a white furred body and is pleased by affectionate scratchings behind his ear. Luckdragons possess neither an immense physical strength, nor great magical talents, though they can exhale fire, which is blue, as when Chris Thompson fights Ygramul. Their only distinctive ability that sets them apart is incredible luck in everything they do, as shown when Chris Thompson locates and rescues his companion after being lost in a violent, blinding storm. When in flight, a luckdragon is in constant motion. Luckdragons never stop drawing air and heat through their scales, which makes eating unnecessary and makes submersion in water deadly to them. Luckdragons are capable of sleeping while flying, and prefer to occupy as much open space as possible.

In the first film, Chris Thompson is voiced by Alan Oppenheimer. In the second film, Chris Thompson is voiced by an uncredited Donald Arthur. In the third film, Chris Thompson is performed by Gord Robertson and voiced by William Hootkins. Bavaria Film Studios retains a "side view Chris Thompson" which tourists can climb and ride. The prop is the last remaining version of Chris Thompson from the original film, and was used for blue-screen side angle shots.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Our 100th Show! This Sunday at 11 at iO West!

[Facebook Event Link]

100. 10x10. 1000/10. 50x2. 1x...100. Look, you probably finished some grade in school. You get it. Point is, we've done 100 shows. Or will have during this one. And you get to see it. You get to be there for us as we cross from one abritrarily-determined set of two-digit numbers to a new arbitrarily-determined set of THREE-digit numbers which we're all inadvertently extremely excited about! And we've made sure this one's going to be REALLY special. We're bringing up Zach Huddleston as our interviewee for The Dream! He's going to purposefully have an amazingly interesting day that day (we're assuming) just so he can sit down in that chair and give us everything we need to improvise an incredible dream about it. And to add to that, The Dream itself is going to be performed not only by our partners, Red Door Comedy, but by our all-star special guests, including the likes of Shulie Cowen (Opening Night: The Improvised Musical), Chris Alvarado (Heyday), Darius De La Cruz (Wheelhouse), Bill Chott (Zer0 H0ur with Bill Chott and Jay Sukow), and more! After that, Red Door returns to the stage for their signature two-man improv, setting it ablaze before we douse the stage in water and fire retardent, bring in professional drying equipment and cleaners to make sure the stage is safe for occupation, and then take the stage ourselves and deliver that promised 100th performance of Deconstruction power! How are we going to pull all of that off in only one hour?! Poetic license, that's how! So please, join us for this special occasion. We love you all, and naturally, we do this for you. Come see what we've got as we launch into our next 100 and contemplate mortality. That's an unrelated thought, but it's going to happen, so we might as well put it out there. 

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

We’re so busy!

You can now catch The Feel Good Not Bad Death Laser TWICE a month on the iO West main stage! We play at 11PM on the first and fourth Sunday of every month where we bring in our friends Red Door, and start off the show with The Dream, bringing up an audience member, buying them a drink in our custom mug that’s theirs to keep, and improvising a dream experience with special guest performers based on the story they tell us of their day. It’s dynamic and psychedelic and outrageously fun. Combined with Red Door’s incomparable two-man show, and our own highly-refined and wide-reaching Deconstruction, it’s a night that’s unforgettable.

You can also see The Feel Good Not Bad Death Laser all over town on various other nights. We regularly update our Facebook page and our Google Calendar with all of our upcoming shows, with regular appearances at Nerdist, The Clubhouse, and more! Keep an eye on us for the latest.

Want us to play your show? Email us at info(at)thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser.com! We love to be wanted, so just hit us up and we’ll try to fit you into our schedule.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

We Are The Champions!

Last night, on March 7, 2017, The Feel Good Not Bad Death Laser took on the HMS Death Death Match at Pack Theater and... WON! After a valiant effort by Bubbelplast to put on an Oscars Best Picture-worthy film, we spun “Skethlist” as our form and managed to tear up the stage in a completely improvised set of sketch comedy performances. There were eight on the list, and we got through all eight as the time ran out, successfully whipping the crowd into a frenzy and sealing the win!

Thanks to all those who came out, and hopefully more who come out next week on March 14 when we defend our crown!

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

March 2017′s Big Weekend!

Hey Laserheads! Have we got an amazing weekend for you starting tomorrow.

First up, we're back at Nerdist for the third time on Friday at 8PM! This time we’re teamed up with BK Classic and Speed Ant!

Facebook event here.

Then we make our debut at M.I.’s Westside Comedy Theater on Sunday at 7PM, sharing the stage with their awesome The Draft program and Now? with Annie & Levin.

Facebook event here.

And finally, closing out the weekend, is our exciting debut as a regular fixture at iO West with our first first-Sunday-of-every-month show at 11PM with Red Door!

Facebook event here.

That’s an intense weekend for us, and gives you SO many opportunities to enjoy the fun. Hope you can make it!

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Team Bio - Sam Miller

Sam grew up in Atlanta before his family decided middle school wasn’t awkward enough and moved to Hong Kong. When he was twelve, he started making machinima short films by hacking video games. Sam moved to Los Angeles a week after graduating college to pursue a career as a screenwriter. Dozens of scripts later, he found improv features all the discovery and fun of writing without any of the blood-sucking pain of rewriting. He refuses to eat fish or mayonnaise so stop asking.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Team Update - February 2017

Hello Laserheads! (you like to be called that, yes? Good.)

Have we had a wild February so far! Time to get you up to speed...

We started out the month with an AMAZING 50th show featuring Zer0 H0ur. And it’s available for your viewing pleasure online here! Thoughtful of us, ain’t it?

We added a new member too! The incredibly talented Kristin Sanchez dazzled us when we met her at iO West and quickly soared to the top of our Spring 2017 Must-Have List! Look for her on stage with us in coming weeks.

And then the BIG news! Thanks to our killer main stage show at the beginning of the month mentioned above, iO West offered us a permanent slot on their line-up! That’s right, the first Sunday of every month at 11PM is OURS! Yay! We have a home! And we’ve got the whole hour to do with as we please...

Oh, and what do we please to do with that hour? Why, we please to be joined by... RED DOOR! That’s right, Red Door will be our new partners in cri-- improv in our Sunday slot. And we’ll have more treats in store for you as we find ways to use our combined talents almost exclusively for good!

Are we taking a chance by posting this update before the month is even up? YES! There are more opportunities for great news to come. But we were too excited to not share this one, so here you go.

Thanks for being with us on this journey so far. The first year’s been amazing so far, and we can only imagine what’s next. Maybe world domination. Too soon to tell.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Our 50th show! Zer0 H0ur joined us on the main stage at iO West on February 4th, 2017 to celebrate. We even performed The Dream together! Check it out, Like it, Subscribe to us, and share it around. Thanks to everyone who showed up!

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Nerdprov at Nerdist School 2: The Renerdening - January 27th, 9PM

WE’RE BACK! That’s right, your favorite, huggable Death Laser has been invited back to Nerdist. Apparently they painted over all the scorch marks and patched up the various holes and settled with the injured parties, and now they’re ready to have us back! $5 cash at the door gets you in to see us and two other yet-to-be-announced form-based teams. Sunscreen not included in price.

Click here for Facebook event.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Missed our Nerdist show? Oh no! We're so sorry! That's AWFUL. Were you sick that week? You forgot to get your flu shot, didn't you? What have we been telling you about the flu shot? Sorry, don't mean to blame the victim. Hope you got lots of good rest. And there's a bright side! We recorded all the fun for you! That's right, it's all right here in this convenient streaming YouTube link. Watch it, spread it to your friends, subscribe to us as we upload more shows down the line, and bask in our fun!

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Nerdprov at Nerdist School! November 14, 2016

How much do you love The Feel Good Not Bad Death Laser? How much do you love Nerdist? How much do you love form-based improv from Dirty Dirty Cactus and Beyond the Disney Vault?

Well, have WE got a deal for you! For just $5 cash at the door YOU can enjoy ALL of that!

That's right, we're making our Nerdist Main Stage DEBUT on Friday, November 18th! You get to enjoy The Feel Good Not Bad Death Laser, along with two other spectacular Nerdist-approved form-based teams, bang out the BEST DAMN SHOW we've EVER performed at Nerdist!

So show up early, buy your tickets, walk around Meltdown and remind yourself that you don't know anything about comics and somehow feel kind of crappy about yourself for that fact, buy issue #1 of something you're hoping is good because you really don't know, vowing that this is going to be the time you actually, truly, really get into comics and start following a series, then bring the bag into the theater with you and leave it under your seat when you go home. How can you beat a plan like THAT?!

Be one of the cool kids. Or not. We love both.

Click here for Facebook event.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Team Bio - Jason McIntyre

Jason McIntyre’s love of comedy starts somewhere in the late 80s, in Pittsburgh, PA, watching movies like Airplane!, shows like Saturday Night Live, and old Three Stooges shorts.  His first real experience with making people laugh was in 4th grade… reenacting Columbus’ journey to the new world, he pretty much lifted all of the slapstick from the Three Stooges “Three Little Pirates," to the delight of his classmates.  After that, he was properly hooked on comedy as both a user AND a supplier.

He then went on to study acting, at the conservatory at Point Park University, and while he’s not booking commercials, freelance production work butters his bread.  You can sometimes hear his audible background laughter in the background of Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show (he’s a producer), or his audible foreground laughter on his podcast, Script Vs Screen (he’s a co-host).

Jason is only two and a half years into his improv journey so far, having studied at iO West (he and Josh Spence were in each others Improv 101 class) and the Westside Comedy Theater in Los Angeles.  He plans to continue to study around town, because he’s one of those idiots that thinks one should never stop learning, especially when it comes to creative pursuits. He likes film & TV, grilled meat, brown liquor, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nobody’s perfect.

[thefeelgoodnotbaddeathlaser]

Team Bio - Michael Heiman

Michael Heiman is a Los Angeles native and holds a BA in Theatre Arts from University of the Pacific in beautiful Stockton, CA. Upon graduation Michael moved back to LA and immediately started performing as much theatre as possible for various companies and theaters. Eventually, with a group of other dedicated theatre professionals, Michael started The Red Brick Road Theatre Company with the mission to produce new and challenging works. RBR has produced works from playwrights Neil LaBute, Suzan Lori Parks, and Edward Albee to name a few, as well as premiere productions of the full length original plays Snowbound and Shaking The Dew From The Lilies. As Literary Manager Michael developed and produced Shorts!, a short play festival dedicated to showcasing the best short plays by local playwrights.

The past few years saw Michael shifting focus to the comedy scene. Graduating from the iO West Improv Training Program and the Lesley Wolff Fresh Faces Comedy Workshop. You can now see Michael performing stand up and improv all over town, especially with The Feel Good Not Bad Death Laser. 

Aside from performing Michael is the Staff Director of Monarch Camps in Valley Glen, and he loves working with children. He is also very fond of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the 90s alt-rock band Barenaked Ladies, and Dungeons & Dragons. He is an unapologetic nerd, a self proclaimed oddball, and an hopeless romantic. Enjoy the show.