Gary Austin
Encyclopedia
Gary Austin is an American comedian, improvisational theatre teacher, writer, and director. He has written two solo shows, "Church" and "Oil," and has performed them coast to coast. He is currently performing his show, "Songs and Stories of Gary Austin", and is recording an album of his songs with Wendy MacKenzie and Matt Cartsonis.
oil camps in Oklahoma
, Texas
and California
. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, California in 1960 and earned his BA in Theatre from San Francisco State University
in 1964.
where he became stage manager for San Francisco's famed improv company, The Committee
. It was here Austin worked as an improviser with Second City's
Del Close
and began to develop characters. When the Los Angeles company closed in 1969, Austin moved to San Francisco where he became a performing member of The Committee.
After his departure from The Committee, Austin moved back to Los Angeles and worked at the newly opened Comedy Store where he performed in The Comedy Store Players, worked as Emcee and did stand-up.
In 1972, Gary gathered together a group of actors and started the Gary Austin Workshops. After a year he decided it was time for the actors to perform publicly and he began directing shows in Los Angeles. As word got around about the workshop, the improvisers began to perform at various venues around Hollywood.
, composed of members of his workshops. The company moved into the Oxford Theatre in East Hollywood. Austin continued as Artistic Director.
A non-profit company requires a name to be agreed to by the charter members. After taking a poll, Gary found that most members wanted the company to be called "The Working Class." The night before the vote, Austin was reading Hamlet’s speech to the players "with the intention of using Shakespeare’s acting lesson as a jumping off point for the next day’s workshop" and came up with the name Groundlings (a reference in the play to the lower class audience members who sat on the ground in front of the stage to watch plays at the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare's day.) The next day, Austin presented the name and after much debate, "The Groundlings" won.
During the course of one year at The Oxford the Groundlings became known throughout the Hollywood industry. They performed in a thirty seat theatre with a cast of twenty-five and the actors often outnumbered the audience. Austin was interviewed by Sylvie Drake, Los Angeles Times theatre critic, one week before the opening show. In her article in the Times the Sunday prior to the Groundling opening she concluded, "This could be the start of something big." She gave the Groundlings the first of many rave reviews.
As the buzz about the new company increased, the entertainment industry began to take notice. Comedian Lily Tomlin
was a regular in the audience, as was Lorne Michaels
, and several Groundlings were hired to perform on "LILY," the 1975 Emmy Award winning ABC special. Gary was hired to direct portions of the show. Later that year, Lorne Michaels, who produced the Tomlin special, asked Groundling Laraine Newman
to be a cast member for his new late night comedy series "Saturday Night Live." He asked Gary to move to New York
to direct the cast and Austin declined in order to continue his work with The Groundlings. Before long, membership in the company grew to 90 performers. To keep the size of the company down, auditions became required. (Phil Hartman
, who was then a graphic designer and not an actor, attended that first audition. He got in, but because of the stiff competition, it would be over a year before he started performing in the shows).
As the company grew in numbers and popularity, it was time to move into a new theatre. One day while driving home from a workshop, Austin saw a For Rent sign on a building at 7307 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood and in 1975, the company members rented the empty space and constructed The Groundling Theatre with their own hands. Due to building codes, parking restrictions and problems with contracting, it would take four years for the theatre to open to the public. In the meantime, the Groundlings continued to perform at various Hollywood locations, including The Improv, The White House (home of Kentucky Fried Theatre) and even the Plantation Dinner Theatre in St. Louis. The Groundlings performed on national television on the Merv Griffin Show, on an NBC special and on the then local Regis Philbin Show. A year after the theatre opened Austin left the company due to creative and business differences. He returned in 1990, to direct the show for a while.
Gary Austin is presently Artistic Director of The Gary Austin Workshops in Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington DC. He works in New York at Artistic New Directions and at People's Improvisational Theatre.
Early life
Austin grew up in the Nazarene Church and in HalliburtonHalliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
oil camps in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, California in 1960 and earned his BA in Theatre from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
in 1964.
The Committee
After college, Austin moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where he became stage manager for San Francisco's famed improv company, The Committee
The Committee (improv group)
The Committee is a San Francisco based improvisational comedy group founded by Alan Myerson and Jessica Myerson . The Myersons were both alums of The Second City in Chicago. The Committee opened April 10, 1963 at 622 Broadway in a 300 seat Cabaret theater that used to be an indoor bocce ball court...
. It was here Austin worked as an improviser with Second City's
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
and began to develop characters. When the Los Angeles company closed in 1969, Austin moved to San Francisco where he became a performing member of The Committee.
After his departure from The Committee, Austin moved back to Los Angeles and worked at the newly opened Comedy Store where he performed in The Comedy Store Players, worked as Emcee and did stand-up.
In 1972, Gary gathered together a group of actors and started the Gary Austin Workshops. After a year he decided it was time for the actors to perform publicly and he began directing shows in Los Angeles. As word got around about the workshop, the improvisers began to perform at various venues around Hollywood.
The Groundlings
In January 1974, Austin created the non-profit improvisational theatre company, The GroundlingsThe Groundlings
The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
, composed of members of his workshops. The company moved into the Oxford Theatre in East Hollywood. Austin continued as Artistic Director.
A non-profit company requires a name to be agreed to by the charter members. After taking a poll, Gary found that most members wanted the company to be called "The Working Class." The night before the vote, Austin was reading Hamlet’s speech to the players "with the intention of using Shakespeare’s acting lesson as a jumping off point for the next day’s workshop" and came up with the name Groundlings (a reference in the play to the lower class audience members who sat on the ground in front of the stage to watch plays at the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare's day.) The next day, Austin presented the name and after much debate, "The Groundlings" won.
During the course of one year at The Oxford the Groundlings became known throughout the Hollywood industry. They performed in a thirty seat theatre with a cast of twenty-five and the actors often outnumbered the audience. Austin was interviewed by Sylvie Drake, Los Angeles Times theatre critic, one week before the opening show. In her article in the Times the Sunday prior to the Groundling opening she concluded, "This could be the start of something big." She gave the Groundlings the first of many rave reviews.
As the buzz about the new company increased, the entertainment industry began to take notice. Comedian Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
was a regular in the audience, as was Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels, CM is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it.-Early life:...
, and several Groundlings were hired to perform on "LILY," the 1975 Emmy Award winning ABC special. Gary was hired to direct portions of the show. Later that year, Lorne Michaels, who produced the Tomlin special, asked Groundling Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman is an American comedienne, actress, and writer, and was part of the original Saturday Night Live cast.-Personal life:...
to be a cast member for his new late night comedy series "Saturday Night Live." He asked Gary to move to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to direct the cast and Austin declined in order to continue his work with The Groundlings. Before long, membership in the company grew to 90 performers. To keep the size of the company down, auditions became required. (Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
, who was then a graphic designer and not an actor, attended that first audition. He got in, but because of the stiff competition, it would be over a year before he started performing in the shows).
As the company grew in numbers and popularity, it was time to move into a new theatre. One day while driving home from a workshop, Austin saw a For Rent sign on a building at 7307 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood and in 1975, the company members rented the empty space and constructed The Groundling Theatre with their own hands. Due to building codes, parking restrictions and problems with contracting, it would take four years for the theatre to open to the public. In the meantime, the Groundlings continued to perform at various Hollywood locations, including The Improv, The White House (home of Kentucky Fried Theatre) and even the Plantation Dinner Theatre in St. Louis. The Groundlings performed on national television on the Merv Griffin Show, on an NBC special and on the then local Regis Philbin Show. A year after the theatre opened Austin left the company due to creative and business differences. He returned in 1990, to direct the show for a while.
Gary Austin is presently Artistic Director of The Gary Austin Workshops in Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington DC. He works in New York at Artistic New Directions and at People's Improvisational Theatre.