We're delighted to be returning to Buxton Fringe Festival this month! We can't wait to be back with some all action, all improvised competitive comedy for all ages. As venues open up we hope you'll join us for some much needed fun and laughter!
We'll be at The Old Clubhouse, part of Underground Venues on Saturday 24th July at 4pm and Sunday 25th July at 1pm. Shows run approx. one hour with tickets ranging from £5-8.
Never seen ComedySportz before? Two teams compete for your laughs with gags and games inspired by audience suggestions. There's a referee on hand to ensure a good clean match with penalties for bad behaviour and bad jokes. The teams have washed their kits and sharpened their wits - all that's missing is YOU! ComedySportz is the funniest fixture of the fringe!
We're one of only a handful of family friendly shows at Buxton Fringe this year so don't miss out and book here!
Our ComedySportz match this Saturday (20th March) marks one year of online shows since the world first went into Lockdown last spring. We hope you'll join us for this very special match with a very special guest player!
Never seen a ComedySportz match before? Two teams go for comedy gold with quick-witted gags and games inspired by your suggestions. It's an all action, all improvised competitive comedy show for all ages with a referee ensuring a good clean match! Who wins? YOU decide! Shows stream every Wednesday and Saturday at 7pm GMT via our youtube channel. Subscribe today and never miss a match!
Last year we had no choice but to "Yes, And" the situation and since then we've done nearly 150 online shows and performed to audiences all over the world. Thank you to everyone that has supported us and laughed with us during this time. This past year has seen plenty of challenges but also, hopefully, plenty of laughs as well.
Our players have kept innovating and inspiring with their creativity and commitment to fun and laughter. We asked some of our players and fans to share what a year of laughs in lockdown has meant to them.
Bron refs our very first online show overcoming new and exciting technical problems!
BRON EDGE:
The team really came together to figure out how we could keep connected to our fans. I love this new connectivity we have to the audience, and how our audience can also chat with each other about the show.... or whatever else they are thinking! I'm going to miss that when we are back on a stage, at least I hope people aren't going to be chatting through the show...
It has been lovely to see the spirit of Yes And seep into the audience as well, one audience member even found out that another desperately wanted a specific jumper knitted... and they knitted it for them!
JOHN COOPER:
Its amazing to see how the online shows have develop in the last year. From the beginnings of figuring out zoom and how well a show could even work, to experimenting and finding great new games that really only work online like Art Critic and Story Draw....where I get to draw.....what's not to like ??
KATE McCABE:
I think it's highlighted how important is is to be agile. Not just as an improviser but as a person. One positive is that people have been agile WITH us. Joining us on YouTube and cheering us on while we try new games and keep the good times rolling.
Ben and housemate Harry during a live show!
BEN HODGE:
Starting with ComedySportz online has been such an interesting challenge! Adapting to this new way of performing has been eye-opening and also loads of fun. It has given me the chance to play with so many different people who I may not have had a chance to meet and improvise with otherwise. It's great for connecting with our international friends and having the opportunity to play with them!
SEAN MASON:
Even though lockdown has kept us apart, going online has kept us connected to our CSz Worldwide family and fans. The last year has shown just how positive a force improvisation can be as it gives us the tools and creative mindset to solve problems and adapt. It has been a real joy to keep doing shows and workshops online - a lifeline really.
Being able to develop new games, new ways of playing and connecting has actually been really fun. I am ready to get back into live shows soon though!
Dalu never fails to surprise with his endless supply of wigs.
DALU THEBE:
From starting Comedysportz Manchester most if not all my matches have been played online. This I have found useful in practices, getting to know new games and particularly in allowing me to use and gather props, something that perhaps wouldn't have happened in live shows. (EDITOR'S NOTE: We're not sure if Dalu is going to manage without his trusty Marge Simpson wig. We're not sure the audience will either).
The technology has allowed the show to continue throughout lockdown and has been a constant source of much needed fun and silliness.
Felix getting his team into trouble for timing Chris Tavner's refereeing!
FELIX JANEWAY:
Performing online has shown me that improv is liquid. It has the ability to fill whatever space we give it, and virtual space has offered us new nooks to play in; using backgrounds, props, music and video to make multi-layer jokes which aren't possible in other formats.
I play with Comedysportz for connection and that aspect has not only been unchanged, it has broadened to include connection to anyone anywhere (technology permitting).
The main challenge I have faced is not being able to perform with members of the troupe who are unable to play online, but it has been brilliant to get into the nitty gritty of the structure of the match, the roles which support the match and all the technology we can use to support it.
Even online we've still been able to make use of audience volunteers.
LUCY RYAN (FAN):
We started watching the online Comedysportz shows when they started back in March 2020 – and they have been what has kept us going throughout lockdown. In the misery of lockdown the Comedysportz shows have been the one thing that have always been guaranteed to make us all (adults and children alike) laugh. Laugh out loud, real belly laughs., laugh until we are crying. The humour is genuinely warm – never unkind or mean-spirited – and the shows are deliberately accessible to as wide a range of people as possible. But more than just making us laugh, the Comedysportz shows have created a community; you always know you can show up and “join in". In a year where social interaction had been so lacking THAT is more valuable than I can describe. Thank you everyone at Comedysportz.
JOAN MYERS (FAN):
My husband Jeff and I have been fans of CSz Buffalo in USA since 2006. We had the honor of seeing Manchester perform at the World Championships in Philadelphia in 2019. They are a very talented group. When the pandemic hit and closed everything we started watching Buffalo on ZOOM. We then started to find other ComedySportz cities to watch. Manchester is our go to since it is on at 2 pm our time. We love it because we get to see several games not played in Buffalo. My favorite is Karaoke. We think everyone is very funny and look forward to our Wednesdays and Saturdays. We also love their take on Star Trek. That is totally hilarious!! Although we really haven’t met most of them personally, we love them all and consider them friends. Will miss seeing the shows when live performances start back. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't worry, even when live shows return we're going to keep doing online shows as well).
Hit the video above to catch this Saturday's anniversary match. We are delighted to be joined by CSz founder Dick Chudnow. Dick started ComedySportz in the USA in 1984 and we're very excited to have him join us for this online match.
The stream goes live at 6.45pm GMT and the match kicks off at 7pm GMT. As always our online shows are family friendly and free to watch - however donations are gratefully received and go directly to our players.
All being well, our return to live shows with distanced audiences is now only a couple of months away but we'll be continuing with our online shows and workshops too. Subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates on all of our upcoming online and live events. Got a favourite memory of our online shows? We'd love to hear from you!
This year would have been our biggest Edinburgh Festival Fringe yet but sadly it was not to be... Luckily the show will go online with the Online Free Fringe Festival!
Going online means we'll have to deep fry our own mars bars but we'll be doing four shows a week to keep you laughing throughout August. We'll be doing daytime shows (Mondays and Fridays at 12.30pm BST) and evening shows (Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7pm BST). Going online means we can still be joined by ComedySportz players from around the world. All of our shows during the online free fringe festival are family friendly and free to watch, however, donations, as always, are gratefully received.
So, if you're looking for some lockdown laughs or missing the fun of the fringe, you can watch our shows at our youtube channel. Our youtube channel also has plenty of clips from past Edinburgh Fringe runs as well. Visit our shows page for a full schedule of upcoming shows.
We're delighted to be partnering up with the Free Festival again and there are some brilliant shows (not all family friendly mind) to keep you laughing throughout the month. We're continuing to look at how we can return to live performance and hope to have some good news in the coming months. Until then we will continue to do shows and workshops online. Stay safe and keep laughing!Missing
The world may slowly be re-opening but theatres and venues remain closed to performances. We have started making tentative plans for after the summer but even if we do get to the point where we can perform live again we need to do so responsibly - safety for our players and audience members should always come first. Until then the show will still go online.
WORKSHOPS
We will continue to provide Digital Drop-Ins throughout July. We have recently conducted feedback on our classes and have been delighted with the response. We've taken on your feedback and will be filling the next few weeks with the content you've asked for - the schedule will go live later this week.
We're also delighted to announce that we are finally ready to deliver an online Foundation Improv course! This fun and friendly six week course will commence Thursday 23rd July 2020 and we can't wait! Whether you’re looking to start performing improv comedy, want to improve your listening and communication skills or just want to meet new people in a fun and friendly online environment then this course is for you. Adapted from our regular courses and tailored to online training, these Foundation Improv online workshops will help you learn new skills that can applied on stage and off.
Also, we're running another of our increasingly popular online Stand-Up Comedy courses commencing Monday 13th July 2020. This exciting online comedy course will look at ways of crafting great gags, exploring joke structure, and developing storytelling techniques to hone your comedic voice. There will be weekly writing exercises as well as regular, friendly feedback on your material and performance. This course is ideal for anyone stuck at home looking for laughs and wanting to try their hand at something new.
SHOWS
With more people returning to work and more opportunities to get out of the house we are resting our Friday Fun Time Lunch Time shows for July. However we will still be doing our Witty Wednesday and Super Saturday shows every week at 7pm BST. For a full schedule visit our shows page.
This week players would have been making their way to ComedySportz World Championship in Houston, Texas. We're excited however that there will now be an online championship and we'll have more details soon!
Beyond July we have some very exciting events lined up. 2020 would have been our biggest Edinburgh Fringe yet and we're delighted to be teaming up again with Laughing Horse for their online festival in August. Full dates will be online soon.
If you're reading this and looking for family friendly entertainment for your online festival please don't hesitate to get in touch today!
VIDEOS
We have a brand new video page on the website with a few favourite clips and even full shows from our rewatch series. Perfect if you'd like a reminder of what things used to be like when we could all laugh in the same room together!
THANK YOU
We've been immensely proud of how our players have responded to the ongoing situation and incredibly grateful for your continued support during this time. We're committed to keeping our online shows free but have been very grateful for your donations so far.
Recently, we asked you to give those donations instead to Black Lives Matter, The Proud Trust and Rainbow Noir as well as making contributions ourselves. We're making plans for more shows supporting charitable causes in the coming weeks and months. We already have some in mind but please get in touch if you know of organisations you think we can bring some awareness to and hopefully raise a little money for.
We hope it's not too long until we can all be together again but until then stay safe and keep on laughing!
We'll be back in 2020 with more shows to get you laughing but in the meantime here are a few clips from some of our favourite shows of the past year!
We were joined by brilliant new players this year and Russell returned to the troupe after a 15 year absence!
Mega-Fans Anthony and Lyra had their own ComedySportz shirts made!
We were joined by friends from all over CSz Worldwide at this years Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
We were honoured to play in the final of this years ComedySportz World Championship in Philadelphia!
We celebrated our 18th Birthday in November with shows at Waterside Arts and the theatre where it all began - Chorley Little Theatre!
We had lots of fun with our Improvised Pantomimes again this year!
Thanks to everyone that has supported our shows and workshops in 2020. You've given us as much laughter as we hope you've given us and we can't wait to see you again next year! We'll be back at Waterside Arts in January with ComedySportz 4 Tots and our New Year, New Games ComedySportz Special. Until then have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
