Only 90% Effective
| Only 90% Effective | |
|---|---|
| Years Active | 1995-2000 |
| Cast | |
Only 90% Effective (AKA ONPE) was an improv and sketch troupe -- the first improv troupe based out of the University of Texas. They specialized in short-form games and scenes.
History
The troupe was founded by Aaron Krebs, Amy Blackard and Victoria Osbourne in 1995. They held auditions in the fall of that year, bringing in Brently Heilbron, Jon Wiley, Andy Fisher, Leon Mandel, Eric Biffle, Neil Shah, and Jessy Schwartz.
Their first shows were in the Winship Theater builtding at the University of Texas. They quickly began a residency lasting for two years every Saturday night on the drag at Metro Coffee (Now Cafe Medici). When Krebs and Shah left Austin in 1997, the troupe began to transition to sketch comedy. Their first show "A Family For Ray-Ray", written by Brently and Andy was quicklly followed by the darker toned "Das Ende" and the "National Socialist Christmas Show". In 1998 and 1999 they co-hosted the Big Stinkin' Improv Festival with Monks' Night Out (of which Jon Wiley and Brently Heilbron were also members). Their sketch/musical "Hooray For Gregory Peck's Ass!" sold out at the Daugherty Center for the Arts. They then ran that show for 6 months and wrote a letter to Gregory Peck about it. Astonishingly, Peck actually wrote back, sarcastically saying the show "was the solacement of my later years and all other honors and accolades pale in comparison."
In 2004, the posthumous biography of Peck included a mention of "Hooray For Gregory Peck's Ass!" giving writers Brently and Andy and the rest of the troupe a rare (and absurd) distinction among Austin improvisers.
Their final show, "Rassle", was performed at the Paramount Theater alongside Monks' Night Out and MTV's The State for the final night at the 1999 Big Stinkin' Festival.
