Who are these ComedySportz® people?
ComedySportz Clubs and Theatres are independently owned businesses licensed by
World Comedy League, Inc. The players are paid professionals who trained in our
workshops and classes. Many of them have many years of experience; some have
played since our founding in 1984. That’s a lot of history - and now, you can read about it in our book - 25 Years ...in Four Minutes or Less.
What is improv comedy?
Unlike "Standup Comedy" in which one performer tells pre-planned jokes to the
audience, improvisational comedy involves a whole group of performers making up
scenes and playing games on the spot based on audience suggestions.
What's a ComedySportz match like?
A ComedySportz match features two teams of comedy actletes competing for laughs
and points, with a referee keeping things moving and calling fouls. An average
of seven to twelve games are played during a match, drawn from a repetoire of
over a hundred improv games. In "Shakespeare" a team will improvise a scene inspired by an audience suggestion in
Shakespearian style. In "Forward/Reverse" the referee sends the scene back and forth at will, as though scanning a scene
in a DVD, sending the actletes into a frenzy. Every show is different, with
different players, different games, and different audiences supplying new
suggestions. The fans judge the scenes and games and ultimately decide the
winners and losers. ComedySportz also asks “willing volunteers” to join us for a game or two each match, and we make them look great!
Who should I bring to ComedySportz?
Unlike most other forms of performance comedy, ComedySportz is great for all
ages. The audience of a typical ComedySportz match contains everyone from kids
to college students to parents to grandparents. Everyone has a good time and no
one gets offended, and if an actlete steps beyond the boundaries of good taste,
the "brown bag foul" (a brown paper sack placed over the offending player's
head) will be called to set things straight. If you think "clean" is boring,
you owe it to yourself to check us out. It's anything but boring. ComedySportz
even works for tough-to-please business groups.
