- ComedySportz
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ComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green and many others.
Contents
Format
The traditional format of a ComedySportz (CSz) show features two teams of improvisational performers (Actletes), competing in various improv games and performing scenes with audience members judging the results and awarding points. In every show, a CSz referee monitors the action, awarding points and administering fouls as necessary. The flavor is very much like the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, though the ComedySportz organization precedes that show's debut by 4 years. The CSz format is very much like the Theatresports format which preceded ComedySportz by 7 years.
ComedySportz penalties (put in place for the audience's benefit) include:
- the Brown Bag Foul, called when an Actlete uses explicit language or refers to something crass or off-color. The Brown Bag Foul is infamously punished by making the offender wear a brown paper bag over their head for the remainder of the scene, even if the offender is an audience member. (In some ComedySportz venues, this has been replaced with the "Potty Mouth" foul, and the brown paper bag has been replaced with a toilet seat.) This foul is the "bagged" mentioned in the ComedySportz theme song.
- the Groaner Foul, whereby an Actlete who speaks a pun bad enough to make the audience groan loses at least one point for their team, unless their apology to the audience is heartfelt enough.
- Example: 2 peanuts walked into a bar. One was a salted.
- the Delay-of-Game Foul, called when action on the field becomes dull and uninteresting. The team has 15 seconds to make things interesting again or they may be ejected from the field and/or lose points. Is also called the "Waffling Foul".
- the Taste Like Chicken Fowl, a simple pun found in the official ComedySportz program.
Although the image of competition is maintained, the teams are often dynamic, with rosters depending on which Actletes (many of whom have other occupations) are available for a match at any given time.
Organization
ComedySportz is licensed by the World Comedy League Incorporated. There are over 20 cities with licensed ComedySportz organizations, most in the United States. In recent years, ComedySportz has been licensed in Manchester, England, although this the team originated in Chorley, Lancashire.
Most ComedySportz cities operate their own "arenas", some with theatre type settings, others as nightclubs. Few (including ComedySportz Milwaukee) have their very own bar and restaurant. The clean content and audience focused nature of the ComedySportz show allows the most successful CSz groups to perform thousands of road shows for corporate, college, church, school and association clients each year; most CSz groups also lead corporate teambuilding workshops. In addition, Playerz from some cities coach ComedySportz high school and middle school leagues, in which students perform in shows similar to those seen at the "professional" level.
World Championship
Teams meet annually at the ComedySportz World Championship for a competitive tournament, training and exchange of artistic, marketing and organizational ideas. The location of the tournament rotates among the member cities. The very first World Championship, August 4–7, 2004, also served as the Grand Opening for Milwaukee's all-new ComedySportz Arena at 420 South 1st Street in Milwaukee. In 2009, the World Championship returned to Milwaukee for the 25th anniversary celebration.
Prior to 2004, this mostly annual event was billed as the "ComedySportz National Tournament".
Indianapolis, Indiana hosted the most recent World Championship, from July 20 to 23, 2011. The 2012 World Championship will be held in Chicago, Illinois.
History
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Year Host City World Champion 2012 Chicago, IL pending 2011 Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis 2010 Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia 2009 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee 2008 Portland, OR Portland 2007 Quad Cities Quad Cities 2006 San Jose, CA San Jose 2005 Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles 2004 Milwaukee, WI Minneapolis
Notable alumni
Alumni of ComedySportz include Frank Caeti (MADtv), Eric Price (MADtv), Liz Cackowski (writer, Saturday Night Live), Jason Sudeikis (cast, Saturday Night Live), Jeff Davis (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Chris Tallman (cast, NBC's Thank God You're Here), Eric Christian Olsen (Community, NCIS: Los Angeles), Steph DeWaegeneer (Ms. Plus USA 2009), Mark Mohelnitzky (Los Angeles radio personality on KMVN-FM), Dan Harmon (Community), Rob Schrab (The Sarah Silverman Program), Nick Swardson (stand up comedian, film & television actor, film writer & producer), Mike Rock, Derek Mears ("Friday the 13th"), Wayne Brady, Dick Chudnow, James Thomas Bailey, Lauren Pritchard ("MADtv"), and Victor Varnado ("film & television actor, comic book writer").
Locations
- Austin, Texas
- Berlin, Germany
- Buffalo, New York
- Chicago, Illinois
- Houston, Texas
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Los Angeles, California
- Manchester, England
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- New York, New York
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Portland, Oregon
- Provo, Utah
- Quad Cities (Davenport, Iowa; Rock Island, Illinois; Moline, Illinois; Bettendorf, Iowa)
- Richmond, Virginia
- Sacramento, California
- San Antonio, Texas
- San Jose, California
- Washington, D.C.
See also
- Improvisational theatre
- Whose Line Is It Anyway?
- The Second City
- Saturday Night Live
- Theatresports
- List of improvisational theatre companies
References
Fein, G. "Sporting Shots", Pasadena Weekly, September 15, 1989
Winn, S. "These Games Are Strictly For Laughs", Sports Illustrated, November 26, 1990.
Loesing, J. "Out on the Town", The Acorn, March 25, 1999.
Patterson, D. "With honors in humor", Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2004.
Berkowitz, L. "Improv is their game", Houston Chronicle, January 25, 2005.
Parmet, S. "Class Clowning", The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 6, 2005.
Radcliffe, J. "Laugh and Learn", Los Angeles Daily News, February 17, 2005.External links
- Official Websites for other ComedySportz locations:
- Austin, TX
- Berlin, Germany
- Buffalo, NY
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Chicago, IL
- Houston, TX
- Indianapolis, IN
- Los Angeles, CA
- Manchester, England
- Minneapolis, MN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York, NY
- Philadelphia PA
- Portland, OR
- Provo, UT
- Quad Cities, IL/IA
- Richmond, VA
- Sacramento, CA
- San Antonio, TX
- San Jose, CA
- Washington, D.C.
Categories:- Improvisational theatre
- Culture of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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