NEW YORK CITY––June 1, 2011—The Friars Club Improv + Sketch Competition [FrISC] has announced the 10 finalists for the 2011 contest. A panel representing the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival selected the best five improv and the best five sketch submissions to perform at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City on June 24 and 25. The 10 FrISC finalists will compete in the live competition where a judges' panel made up of Friars and comedy stars will select the top team in each category. Each winning team will receive a cash prize of $5,000 to be used to make a short film that will debut at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival this October.

Held in conjunction with the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival, FrISC aims to foster the future generation of comedy filmmakers. Open to improv and sketch performers worldwide, FrISC seeks to explore the depth of talent in the improv and sketch communities in order to discover the next comedy film legends and help advance their careers to the next level. The 2010 FrISC winners The Stepfathers (improv) and Harvard Sailing Team (sketch) debuted their short films to a sold-out crowd at the 2010 Friars Club Comedy Film Festival this past fall.

The 2011 FrISC finalists are:

Improv
Big Black Car (NYC)
Death By Roo Roo (NYC)
Doppelganger (NYC)
The Mantzoukas Brothers (NYC)
Standards & Practices (Toronto)

1st alternate: Middle Age Comeback (Chicago)
2nd alternate: Brothers Hines (NYC)

Sketch
Onassis (NYC)
Paulilu: The Paul Downs Syndrome (LA)
Political Subversities (NYC)
Somebody's in the Doghouse (Boston/NYC)
Stone Cold Fox (NYC)

1st alternate: Oh, Brother! (LA)
2nd alternate: BoF (NYC)

"Comedy, in all forms, is fundamental to the Friars Club, and I'm thrilled to bring FrISC back for a second year and to provide a platform for improv and sketch talent," says Sue Constantine, FrISC Executive Director. "We have an incredible lineup, and we're excited to see what this year's finalists bring to the competition later this month."

Tickets to this year's FrISC are available for purchase through the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre website: http://newyork.ucbtheatre.com/shows/2388