Today we’d like to introduce you to John Mangan.
Thanks for sharing your story with us John. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I moved from Philadelphia to Atlanta in 2010, and I’d always been interested in creating comedy, particularly from a writing perspective. When I got to Atlanta, I signed up for improv classes with Automatic Improv at Relapse Theatre in order to meet like-minded people to help write, produce, and film comedy shorts. And I did! I was lucky enough to find a great group of hilarious people to collaborate with and get our ideas on film. But the unexpected side-effect of taking these improv classes was I found I had a real passion for improv and live performance.
I went on to take every improv class, every workshop, perform in all the festivals I could…the whole 9 yards. I wound up teaching classes and workshops for Automatic Improv, and leading corporate team-building events for some great organizations. What I found in that journey is that I take great pleasure in being able to help people find their thing, their niche, comedically. I love it! I think that improv is a kick-ass jumping-off point for exploring your comedic voice and figuring out the best parts of your talent because improv always begins from such a supportive place.
What’s great about my show Itsa Bit Show, (Every Friday at 8PM at The Village Theatre!) is that it’s almost like an open mic, or a laboratory, where comedians – stand-ups, improvisers, writers, actors, musicians – can work out ideas with an audience, and extrapolate on the strange thoughts they have in the shower or while stuck in traffic and try to make them work for a live audience. So, I think what’s exciting about Itsa Bit Show is that every act is happening at a flash point of either inception or realization, and that’s interesting to me, and hopefully to the audience. I like booking and hosting the show mainly because I like watching the show. I’m a huge fan of my show.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think I struggle with the same things that a lot of people in comedy struggle with when they decide that it’s more than a hobby and that it’s a real passion and sort of like a compulsion. How do you have a work-life-family-friends-comedy-fantasy football balance? If comedy isn’t your only gig or your only obligation, it can be a complicated thing.
I think I’m finding that balance, and I work on it every day. I’m lucky enough to have an incredibly supportive wife, as well as two boys – a toddler and an infant – who make it pretty easy to clearly see my priorities. I also listen to a lot of audio books about productivity. That last sentence is very good for my ‘dad’ brand, by the way. Please keep that in!
Itsa Bit Show – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Itsa Bit Show is a weekly comedy variety show at The Village Theatre that I curate and host. I often collaborate with my buddy, comedy machine Mark Kendall of Dad’s Garage, who regularly performs in, books, or hosts the show. The show offers “bits” – stand-up, sketch, improv, music – 5 minutes at a time. It’s a show that can challenge the audience but always rewards it for being game. The players in this show are performing their wildest bits for each other as much as they are for the audience. It’s a show for comedy fans who like being in on the joke.
The Village Theatre has been an amazing partner for this show. Ryan Archibald, the Artistic Director at VT, is a veteran of iO Chicago. With his approach to programming and his influence on each show, he’s creating a real vibe in the Old Fourth Ward. Amazing improv, alt comedy, sketch, stand-up. And the place has two stages, with a bar in between. So it’s a place you can go on a Friday, and hop in and out of different shows all night and have some drinks along the way. Good times.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Getting to do a show like this weekly has been very fun and fulfilling. Itsa Bit Show is an awesome creative engine and inspiration for me. It helps me to write and to become a better performer.
Two big things that stood out for me in my career in 2018…
I’m an actor with People Store Talent Agency here in Atlanta, and a huge thrill was being in a short film for Adult Swim this year called “Final Deployment 4.” It was amazing to be able to contribute to a project that I loved so much. It was created by Nick Gibbons and Casper Kelly, who collaborated on “Too Many Cooks.” The thing is crazy, and over the top, and genius, and I’m very grateful I got to be a part of it. Also, I think Nick should be committed to an insane asylum for birthing it.
Secondly, I was voted MVP of Thursday House Company at Village Theatre, and it was especially flattering. I’ve been doing improv for a while, and I can say that VT’s Thursday House Company is one of the most talented, hilarious ensembles I’ve ever been around. I know to a certainty I’m not the actual MVP of this gang. I just tell myself that they’ve taken pity on an old man. But still…pity can still be flattering, and it was very touching to be voted in by people I respect and love so much.
Pricing:
- Tickets Available at VillageComedy.Com – Friday 8PM – $10
Contact Info:
- Email: itsabitshow@gmail.com
- Instagram: @itsabitshow
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/itsabitshow
- Twitter: @itsabitshow
Image Credit:
Bill Worley, Hughes Fioretti Photography, Brian @comedyartwork
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