ComedySportz Summer Update and The Year Ahead!

Well, as the dust settles over another busy summer for ComedySportz, we wanted to do a quick round up of our summer and all the shows, workshops and events we've got coming up for the rest of the year!

JUNE

Way back in June - it feels like a long time ago to us anyway - a small team of our players took part in the ComedySportz World Championship in Los Angeles. Manchester's all female team defeated ComedySportz Houston in a hotly contested match of wits and players also reffed the matches between Sacramento, LA, Cincinatti and Austin! Every year the World Championship renews our commitment to the core values of ComedySportz Worldwide: Collaboration, Inspiration, Gratitude and Fun.

Prior to the shows in LA, two of our players drove across the US to play with ComedySportz Boston (only 3 hours off the plane), Richmond, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Quad Cities and St. Louis. It was an epic road trip and they loved getting to play with such dynamic and brilliantly funny people.

Didn't know ComedySportz was part of a worldwide family of shows? There are over 25 ComedySportz teams across the world, with more set to join the CSz family in the coming year - hello ComedySportz Las Vegas!

The CSz Worldwide network gives us access to some of the best Improv skills and training which we channel into our own workshops and shows.

ComedySportz Manchester World Championship

JULY

In July, CSzUK produced the play Auntie & Me for the Greater Manchester Fringe. This deliciously dark comedy was well-received by audiences and was an absolute delight to once again bring to the stage.

We were also delighted to have players from ComedySportz join 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' legend Tony Slattery for his new show Crimes Against Improv. It was a wild and unpredictable night and it was an absolute honour to play with him.

Tony Slattery

AUGUST

August saw ComedySportz Manchester return to the Edinburgh Fringe for the 11th year, performing two shows a day to fantastic crowds. We loved our time so much that we went back up at the end of the month with ComedySportz 4 Tots!

We've posted plenty about that recently but just want to say a big, heart-felt thank you to all of our audiences for your suggestions and laughter, to all of the staff at both of our venues Fireside and The Three Sisters, and Alex and the team at The Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We can't wait to see you all again in 2019...

Edinburgh Fringe

STILL TO COME

...But 2018 isn't over yet and we have lots of exciting shows, workshops and events coming up. First up, don't miss Improv Mullet featuring special guest Nathan Jansen (Baby Wants Candy, iO, ComedySportz Chicago). Improv Mullet is our adults only show that combines short and longform improv comedy with quick gags and games in the first half and a whole improvised play in the second. We're absolutely thrilled to have Nathan join us for this show and you really don't want to miss it! As always, anyone with a genuine Mullet gets in for free.

Improv Mullet. 1st September. 7.30pm. £3 on the door. The Kings Arms, Salford.

Nathan will also be joining us for a one day workshop on Narrative Improv on September 1st and we also have a couple of spaces left on our two-day sketch writing workshop this weekend as well.

Speaking of workshops, spaces are really starting to fill up on our 8 week Foundation in Improv and Beginning Stand Up Comedy courses commencing 6th October 2018. Whether you're looking to develop new performance skills, improve communication and listening, build confidence or just want to rediscover play and have a laugh with new people then our workshops are for you! Find out more about all of our upcoming workshops and courses on our workshops page.

improv workshops manchester

We have plenty of upcoming ComedySportz shows at the Waterside in Sale and the fantastic new theatre space The Way in Atherton. If you're looking for big laughs for really little kids be sure to check out ComedySportz 4 Tots at the Waterside as well! We celebrated 10 years at Waterside earlier this year and are really excited to be collaborating with The Way.

We'll be celebrating our 17th year with our annual return to Chorley Little Theatre in November. Tickets are available now!

We're also delighted to be continuing our collaboration with the University of Salford as The New Adelphi Comedy Night returns in September.

Finally, to round out the year our Improvised Pantomime returns to the Waterside. We're thrilled to be bringing back the show as it proved to be a real hit in 2017.

You can find out about all of our upcoming shows here.

Edinburgh 2018 Highlights

Don't miss this video with some of the highlights and reviews we received at this years Edinburgh Fringe Festival! As always, we were delighted to be part of the Free Fringe Festival and crowds were an absolute delight. Thanks to the staff and crew at our venues and thanks to all of our audiences - especially our volunteers!

A highlight of our fringe was undoubtedly the musical suggestion of Jamilton that produced a musical about fruit preservatives and American history so wildy inaccurate and wonderfully funny that it went on for 15 minutes and only left the teams time for one more game! Unfortunately we didn't film it so here are two videos of the teams playing Reunion which quickly became a favourite with players and audiences alike. Singalong if you know the words!

We're back in Edinburgh 24th-26th with ComedySportz 4 Tots as well as guest slots with our friends at Huggers and Comedy Club 4 Kids.

ComedySportz 4 Tots Family Friendly Edinburgh

An hours free childcare? You don't want to miss this!

Can't make it to Edinburgh? Don't worry, we're back at the Waterside with ComedySportz and ComedySportz 4 Tots on the 25th August. Tickets are available now! Check out our shows page for more info.

 

Edinburgh Fringe Update!

Edinburgh Fringe Family Friendly

Two matches a day! Two teams of top improvisers! ONE winner! (...you!)

We're having a blast at the Edinburgh Fringe with two shows a day jam-packed with quick-witted gags, games, sketches and songs inspired by our wonderful audiences. We've been delighted to be joined by ComedySportz players from across the world (Boston, New York, San Jose so far) and have had lovely crowds with some brilliant suggestions! All of our audience volunteers have been absolutely fantastic!

Not seen a ComedySportz show before? Don't miss out on our fast-paced all ages, all action, all improvised show where two teams compete for your laughs! There's a referee on hand to ensure a good clean game with penalties for bad behaviour and bad jokes. It's family friendly, it's free and it's very funny. Who wins? You decide!

We're part of the Free Festival because we believe audiences, especially families, should be able to see as many shows as they want without breaking the bank. You can find info on all of our upcoming shows for the Edinburgh Fringe on our shows page or at the Free Festival website.

We're in Edinburgh until the 15th August with two shows a day:

1.15pm @ Fireside - The Last Arch Theatre Venue 75 (50mins)

4.30pm @ The Free Sisters - Maggie's Chamber Venue 272 (1hr)

You can follow our Edinburgh adventure on social media with the hashtag #cszed18

 

Other Shows Featuring ComedySportz Players (Please note these shows are not family friendly):

Enjoy an hour of madcap characters with Lukas Kirkby in Lukas Kirkby Does An Hour

Harry Potter fans will love this irreverent spoof also starring Lukas Kirkby in Pottervision

We were joined by former ComedySportz Manchester player Sally Hodgkiss for our first match at Fireside. You can see her in Bumper Blyton

Catch some late night stand up with Tom Short in Comedy Shorts!

If you're looking to catch the future faces of British Comedy today then check out Comedy From Salford University featuring students that have all performed at our regular New Adelphi Comedy Night!

ComedySportz @ Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018

ComedySportz return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for another year of all action competitive comedy. After packed out rooms in 2017 we're back with two shows a day to make sure as many people get to see us as possible!

ComedySportz Edinburgh Fringe 2018

At the 2017 Fringe, we were visited by Prince Edward and his family, making us not just a hit family friendly show but a Royal Family friendly show! Who knows who you might be sitting next to at this year's festival...

Once again we are part of the Laughing Horse Free Festival because we believe families should be able to see as many shows at the Fringe as possible without having to sell one of their kids to do so.

This year's official Fringe hashtag is #IntoTheUnknown so be sure to check out the Free Festival site as they have loads of great acts for you to discover. You can also find us listed on the Edinburgh Fringe website and app. Plesae note; there's no need to book tickets, just arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Show times for ComedySportz 2nd-15th August:

Fireside - The Last Arch Theatre Venue 75 1.15pm (50mins)

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters (Maggie's Chambers) Venue 272 4.30pm (1hr)

We're also delighted to be bringing ComedySportz 4 Tots to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time 25-26th August. It's a last minute addition so you won't find it in the official Fringe guide but full details can be found at the Free Festival Website.

Show Times for ComedySportz 4 Tots 25th-26th August:

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters (Maggie's Chambers ) Venue 272 10.15am (1hr)

You can also catch us at Huggers (a great show for kids under 6, similar to our ComedySportz 4 Tots shows) and Comedy Club 4 Kids throughout the Fringe. Be sure to follow us on social media for any additional dates/appearances.

Show Times/Dates for Guest Shows:

Huggers (Fireside - The Last Arch Theatre Venue 75 FREE) 12pm 10th Aug 14th Aug 25th Aug

Comedy Club 4 Kids (Assembly Roxy - Upstairs Venue 139 £10/£9/£30 family ticket) 5.50pm 9th Aug 24th Aug

We're also delighted to be joined by ComedySportz players from around the world and  some of our players will also be making guest appearances at other shows across the Fringe. For details on those shows be sure to be following us on twitter #cszed18. We'll also be posting recommendations of other great Improv shows to catch in Edinburgh as well!

Can't make it to Edinburgh? Don't worry, there are plenty of shows you can catch in across Greater Manchester. Check out our shows page for more info.

 

Waterside Arts. 10 Years of Memories!

We're really looking forward to our 10th Anniversary show at the Waterside this weekend with an Oldies vs Newbies special. Some of our players have been looking back over the past decade and wanted to share some of their favourite memories.

“I remember our very humble beginnings at the Waterside,” says ComedySportz Manager Brainne. “Our first few shows we were playing to crowds of maybe 3 people. It's been amazing to see the audience grow, support new shows and even come to our workshops.”

“We've also literally watched our audience grow – some of whom weren't even born when the show came to Sale,” adds Sean before staring into the abyss of his own mortality. “My memories are all audience based. An impromptu game of musical statues lead by the announcer and ref during the interval or the tension in the audience that time we found out one of our volunteer players was responsible for all the roadworks on the M62.”

ComedySportz Waterside Arts

“The most striking memory I have of our time at Sale is when Mark kicked me in the face,” says Marcus. “Literally the most striking memory.”

“For me, it was the guessing game where Rob couldn't guess Chorizo. He refused to believe that it exists,” says Steven. “We still send him pictures of Chorizo. ComedySportz never forgets.”

“I remember doing the children’s workshop and showcase a couple of years ago and the kids did a scene at a bus stop. They were talking and arguing and completely ignored me coming on as the bus driver, waiting, then driving off again,” reminisces Rob who really loves it if you ask him about Chorizo. “Also: winning Annual Improv Championships.”

“At one of the open days we asked for the suggestion of 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' A little boy said 'a good daddy', the crowd just melted,” adds Rachel. “Also the game of Farting Santa.”

“Oh yeah, we've had some great Game-O-Matics that will never be played again. Like Silently Hiding Knives,” agrees Darryl who invented the game Silently Hiding Knives.

“We've had plenty of guest players from ComedySportz teams across the world and they've all absolutely loved the crowds at the Waterside,” adds Brainne. “If it weren't for the audience and their brilliant suggestions and volunteers... we'd have no show.”

“At this years March Madness match, I remember the advice of one of the Audience team managers... You're doing well but you're acting could be better,” says Sean who has decided this might well be his epitaph.

“Or the audience volunteer who leant me her phone for a game of Texts From Last Night who forgot that she had been sending some not exactly family-friendly pictures to her boyfriend,” says Rachel, who is still blushing.

However the memory that still lives on in the mind of most ComedySportz Manchester players is the fantastic audience volunteer Jonathon who joined us for a game of Waiter Waiter. “We would get audience suggestions and Jonathon would then say whatever he wanted,” remembers John. “We stopped getting suggestions and just rolled with whatever Jonathon said. If there was ever any doubt that we make everything up on stage we proved we could improvise that night!”

Thanks to all of our audiences new and old for your laughter, your suggestions, your heartwarming feedback and all those who have volunteered to join in and games. Thanks as well to all the staff at the Waterside who work tirelessly behind the scenes, from front of house to tech to online and publicity.

We've loved every minute of our last 10 years at the Waterside and can't wait to see what the next 10 years will hold!

Tickets for our 10th Anniversary show can be purchased here.

Tickets for our ComedySportz 4 Tots show can be purchased here.

Want to know more about our players? Check out the players page here.