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Out of Bounds Preview: Standards & Practices makes the trek from Toronto

Toronto’s Standards & Practices are nearly the farthest-away troupe traveling to this week’s Out of Bounds Comedy Festival (teams from Montreal and even Amsterdam just barely have them beat).

It’s possible that they’re the most traveled, though, with a recent appearance at the Del Close Marathon and an upcoming trip to the Vancouver International Improv Fest on their itinerary.

Group members Cameron Algie, Matt Folliott, Isaac Kessler and Kevin Whalen are a true success story: a pre-fab theater team (beginning as a nine-person Harold troupe) with a strong bond and the ability to tolerate one another even on long, tiring tours. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they all also teach and coach improv—you couldn't get these guys offstage if you tried.

We spoke with Standards & Practices about tour life, their past and their other projects—plus, check out video from past shows for a taste of what to expect this weekend.

Standards & Practices perform at Out of Bounds on Saturday, September 3rd at The Hideout with Token Boy.

Have you guys performed in Austin before?

This is Standards & Practices first trip to Austin and the Out of Bounds Festival and we are so excited! We've witnessed the caliber of comedy coming out of Austin in the past, from groups like Parallelogramophonograph, and can't wait to see what more Austin has to offer in terms of comedy and culture. Plus, we're like super excited to perform for Texians.

You travel to a lot of festivals—and weird fest stories?

As a group we've done a ton of comedy festivals including The Chicago Improv Festival, The Vancouver International Improv Festival and DCM. We've also been selected as the only Canadian group to play in the Friars Club (NYC) Sketch and Improv competition.

We did an improv festival in Edmonton, Alberta this year and the organizers gave us complimentary pillowcases. We didn't understand why—until we got to the hotel they were putting us up in. Let just say the hotel had a lot of character, and by character I mean "unidentified mystery stains."

We haven't had many bad experiences on the road doing festivals. Occasionally, you perform in a festival that is run poorly or just has nothing to offer to the performers as incentive for traveling so far.

How did Standards & Practices get its start?

Matt, Cameron and Isaac all came up in the Toronto improv scene around the same time. The three of us met taking classes at Second City (Toronto) and later found ourselves doing shows together, until one day we were put on a Harold team at Impatient Theater called Standards & Practices. Kevin had been improvising for a few years before we got in the game and was also thrown onto S&P. Now, funny thing, S&P started as an 8 or 9 person Harold team and eventually was whittled down to four members. Once we were the foursome you see today, we became a house team at Impatient and there's been no looking back.

Are there any other projects that S&P members are involved in?

Separately, we all also perform regularly in Toronto on other groups and in other shows.

Kevin Whalen is apart of the Second City Education co and is a performer and instructor with Second City. Isaac Kessler is a comedy and fringe festival vet, having traveled North America and the world performing with S&P and his other group 2 Man No Show, who are also in this years Out of Bounds Festival. Cameron Algie is one of Toronto's most loved improvisers, performing, teaching and coaching all over Toronto, and by day he's a commercial script writer. Matt Folliott is also a teacher and coach of everything improv, and has taught with Impatient and Second City. He is also a voice actor and can be heard regularly on your TV set.

Standards & Practices perform at Out of Bounds on Saturday, September 3rd at The Hideout with Token Boy.

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Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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