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| ComedySportz | |
|---|---|
| Name | ComedySportz |
| City | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Genre | Improvisational theatre |
ComedySportz is a long-running improvisational comedy organization founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1977 that stages competitive, family-friendly improv shows with athletic motifs. The company developed a city-based franchising model and touring presence that connected scenes in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and London, influencing performers associated with Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, The Groundlings, TheatreSports International, and ImprovOlympic. Its format, blending audience interaction, referee-driven penalties, and team rivalry, intersected with festivals such as Just for Laughs, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and collaborations with institutions like Carnegie Mellon University, Yale University, Harvard University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Columbia University.
ComedySportz originated from improvisational experiments in Milwaukee, inspired by pioneers connected to Keith Johnstone and Del Close and emerging alongside companies such as Second City and The Committee (comedy troupe). Early ties to venues like Brady Street clubs and promoters associated with Steve Martin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin helped establish a commercial foothold. Expansion during the 1980s and 1990s created franchises and touring ensembles that linked to scenes in Minneapolis, Cleveland, Boston, Seattle, San Diego, and Portland (Oregon), while cross-pollination with performers from Chicago's Improv Institute and Los Angeles' I.O. West broadened styles. Organizational milestones paralleled developments at festivals including South by Southwest and institutions like Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Lincoln Center.
The show uses a competitive structure with two teams, a referee, timed rounds, and audience scoring, echoing elements found in TheatreSports and the methodologies of Viola Spolin and Neva Boyd. Standard games draw on prompts from audience members, references to works like A Midsummer Night's Dream or pop figures such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, and emulate formats seen at Monty Python shows and Saturday Night Live sketches. Penalties such as "timeouts" and "fouls" are administered by referees modeled after athletic officials seen in Madison Square Garden events and televised competitions like Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy!. Judges and guest appearances have included personalities from Late Show with David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show, and streaming platforms represented by companies like Netflix and HBO.
Franchised clubs and touring troupes established presences in Vancouver, Toronto, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Berlin, Melbourne, Auckland, Tokyo, and Seoul, often performing at venues tied to festivals like Just for Laughs and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Touring history intersected with cultural centers including Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, The O2 Arena, and regional theaters connected to organizations like Arts Council England and Australia Council for the Arts. International collaborations brought performers into exchange programs with Cirque du Soleil alumni, actors from National Theatre (United Kingdom), and directors associated with Barbican Centre productions.
Alumni have gone on to careers with Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Portlandia, Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development, Community (TV series), and feature films from studios such as Warner Bros., 20th Century Studios, Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures. Performers moved into ensembles including Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, The Groundlings, and into television writing rooms for shows on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and HBO. Notable names associated through regional overlap include performers who later worked with Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Chris Farley, John Belushi, Harold Ramis, Maya Rudolph, Fred Willard, and Bob Odenkirk.
Training classes emphasize improvisational techniques derived from Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone, and Del Close, and often partner with university theater programs at University of Wisconsin–Madison, Northwestern University, New York University, University of Southern California, and conservatories linked to Juilliard School and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Curriculum includes scene work, long-form structures adapted from Del Close's teachings, character development used by alumni of Second City, and improvisational pedagogy similar to programs at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and The Groundlings. Workshops for corporate clients reference facilitation models used by Dale Carnegie Training and professional development programs at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook.
Companies and performers have received commendations at festivals such as Just for Laughs, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and local awards from arts councils including New York Foundation for the Arts and Canada Council for the Arts. Individual alumni have earned nominations and awards from institutions like the Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, Obie Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, and industry guilds including the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild‑American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The organization influenced the mainstreaming of competitive improv formats and informed comedic sensibilities seen in Saturday Night Live, SNL Digital Shorts, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and digital sketches produced for platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. Critics in outlets such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, and The Washington Post have reviewed productions in the context of improvisational lineage tied to Second City and TheatreSports International, while academic studies at institutions like University of Chicago and Goldsmiths, University of London have examined its pedagogical influence.
Category:Improvisational theatre companies