Parvesh Cheena
Demo Reel
Parv grew up in Naperville, IL and studied theatre in the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Chicago Theatre: Indian Ink (Midwest premiere) ,The Sign of the Four at The Apple Tree Theatre, Around the World in 80 Days, and Romeo and Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. LA theatre: The Legend of Jane and Joe at the Ricardo Montálban Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Oooh….spooky. and deLEARious at the Open Fist Theatre. Film: Barbershop, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Because I Said So, the upcoming House Broken with Danny DeVito, The Other End of the Line, Krews, The Ode and Karma Calling. TV: Gupta on NBC’s OUTSOURCED, Recurring, Help Me Help You, ’Til Death and Brothers and Sisters. Other roles on TV include ER, The West Wing., and My Name is Earl.
Parv was also in a memorable Skittles commercial with an opera-singing bunny rabbit. The rabbit sang Verdi. Seriously. It’s on YouTube. He also performas at IO/WEST with Captain in the ADT, STU, a three man troupe, and All-Skate, musical improv. Parvesh is repped theatrically by Cynthia Booth at Global Artists Agency, commercially by Laura Soo Hoo at the Reign Agency, and voice-over by Maureen Rose at the Osbrink Agency.
For even more blowhardness of Parv, please check out www.parvesh.com
Shows:
Representation Info:
(CO) The Reign Agency, Laura Soo Hoo
(TH) Global Artists Agency, Cynthia Booth
(MG) Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Jai Khanna
Interview:
1. Where are you originally from and what was the improv scene like there?
Originally from the burbs of Chicago and then lived in the the city proper during college and before I moved to LA in 2004. I was a Lakeview boy living on LSD and then Roscoe Village. I didn’t do one iota of improv in Chicago because Second City was something you took relatives to when they came to visit and I was an artsy-fartsy theatre guy mainly with Chicago Shakes and other north shore theatres like the recently shuttered Apple Tree.
2. What made you want to start doing improv?
Craig Cackowski came to my high school in Naperville with touring company and inspired me. Kidding. He was great though. I like to always remind him from time to time that he led a workshop for the theatre kids and then performed for the community at night in our auditorium when I was 17. I started improv here in LA because my manager told me to and I missed my live stage fix.
3. What stumbling blocks did you have to overcome when you first started studying
improv?
I still struggle with being to plotty/expository where I’ll verbally diahrrea all the who, what, where in my first line….okay, my monologue. THEATRE! ACTING!
4. How long have you been doing improv?
About 5 years now.
5. What’s your favorite part about improvising?
When an audience is with you and you are both listening to each other. Also, the warmup.
6. What is one of your best memories on stage at iOWest?
So many! The first time I performed musical improv and I was scared out of my gord. How do you spell gord? My first time on the mainstage with the lottery and doing a prayer/church scene.. When in doubt, go Catholic. Oooh, and when I was sick as a dog, performing in a cagematch and was pimped to sing DREAMGIRLS, like the whole song, hairography and all.
7. What’s some advice you would give to someone that’s starting out?
Listen and be open to the possibility of yes. What a great thing to do, say yes instead of no.
8. Who is someone you really look up to in the improv world and why?
I liked Sarah Gee a lot as she was my first teacher and a guy’s girl but then she moved away so I can’t look up to her anymore as she’s too far away. Brian Gallivan is impeccably consistent, Eric Hunicutt is a true teacher, and Amanda Tate is constantly working and training without any shed of ego.
9. Other than your own, what is your favorite show at iOWest?
My first few years at IO, I caught King Ten every week without fail. Now the Armando is a joy.
10. How do you use improv in your professional life?
Auditions baby. Improv and viewpoints allow you to have the thousands of possibilities vs. just the one or two you would have before. I say yes a lot more. Except in my lovelife. Ewww..
11. If you could sum up iO in one sentence, what would that be?
IO/WEST is a home to great improvisational theatre training with wonderful teachers, plenty of opportunities to perform, and a warm community of artists.
Thursday, June 06 @ 11:00 PM in the Main Stage - tickets are $10