Comedy Workshops Return!

We are delighted to announce the return of in-person workshops from October 2021. We're running 8 week courses in Foundation Improv, Intermediate Improv and Beginning Stand-Up Comedy. Thank you for your continued interest and patience as we arrange suitable workshop spaces.

An eight week course designed to help introduce the basic theories, ideas and skills of improvisation. You don’t need to have any sort of background in performing or comedy to join in, just a willingness to get involved and have a good time. Not only useful for confidence building, stage presence, and play, but also a great opportunity to network and meet new people. The cost for the full eight weeks is £115 or £100 concessions. You can pay in full now or just pay a non-refundable £30 deposit to secure your space.

The course will commence Sunday 3rd October. Sessions will run Sunday afternoons 1-3pm for eight weeks at Gorse Hill Studios, Stretford. The venue is fully accessible with on street parking. The venue is also close to several bus routes and just a 15 minute walk from Old Trafford tram stop. Find out more.

An eight week course designed to give you your first foothold in the otherwise daunting world of Stand Up Comedy. Under expert tutelage you’ll receive all the skills you need to put together your first short stand-up comedy routine as well as fundamental skills like stagecraft, performance and microphone technique. The core of the course is a weekly workshop where the attendees will have a chance to prepare and try out their material in a supportive atmosphere. This course also includes a Showcase at the end of the 8 weeks for participants. The cost for the full eight weeks is £110 or £100 concessions. You can pay in full now or just pay a non-refundable £30 deposit to secure your space.

The course will commence Saturday 2nd October. Sessions will run Saturday afternoons 12.30-2.30pm for eight weeks at The Barking Dog, Urmston. Find out more.

We're running things a little differently for our advanced classes this time round. So we can keep things covid-secure for workshoppers and facilitators alike we're running this as a set eight week course. This allows us to keep a better track of numbers and ensure plenty of space for everyone - however, if you'd only be able to drop-in to some sessions you can drop us an email and we'll try to squeeze you in at a per-session rate. This course has a rolling syllabus so can be taken multiple times. Some of the topics covered in previous courses and drop-ins:
We'll be announcing a full line-up of sessions on our website in the coming weeks. The course will commence Sunday 3rd October. Sessions will run Sunday afternoons 3-5pm for eight weeks at Gorse Hill Studios, Stretford. The venue is fully accessible with on street parking. The venue is also close to several bus routes and just a 15 minute walk from Old Trafford tram stop. Find out more.
We can't wait to see you at a workshop or show soon. Want to catch us live? Visit our shows page for more info. Got questions about our workshops? Don't hesitate to get in touch!

Live Shows Autumn/Winter 2021

We can't believe we're two thirds of the way through the year already. As venues continue to re-open, we still have plenty of live improv shows to keep you entertained for the rest of 2021 including our Totally Improvised Musical and our 20th Birthday weekend! Read on for more info...

Virtual Shows

We understand that not everyone can join us for our live improv shows and we'll be continuing our online ComedySportz matches on the first Saturday of every month. Online shows are free to watch - subscribe to our youtube channel now to never miss a match. You can watch our September show at the link below. The stream will go live at 6.45pm BST with the fun kicking off at 7pm BST on Saturday 4th September.

Comedy Club 4 Kids

We've got even more shows lined up with our friends at Comedy Club 4 Kids, including a very busy day on Saturday 4th September with shows in Nottingham and Coventry! We'll be sure to add more dates in the coming months so keep an eye out on our social media channels for announcements!

Waterside Arts

After a summer hiatus for renovations, we're back at Waterside Arts from Saturday 11th September with ComedySportz and ComedySportz 4 Tots. We have monthly dates into summer 2022 which are on sale now. We'll also be doing another Halloween themed special in October - more details coming soon!

Totally Improvised Musical

Over 18 months since we were first meant to do our opening night of The Totally Improvised Musical, we're pleased to announce the show will finally be coming to The Peer Hat in Manchester this October. Tickets will be going on sale soon - keep an eye on social media for announcements.

Improvised Musical

20th Birthday Weekend

This year marks 20 years of fun and games! To celebrate this milestone year we have a full weekend of shows to keep you laughing. We're kicking off the weekend at the theatre where it all began, Chorley Theatre, on Friday 19th November for another Chorley vs. Manchester special.  If that's not enough all action, all improvised competitive comedy for you we then have ComedySportz and ComedySportz 4 Tots at Waterside Arts on Saturday 20th November. Tickets are available now - this is one weekend you won't want to miss!

Improvised Pantomimes

To finish off the year we are delighted to announce the return of our improvised pantomimes - oh yes we are! There are plenty of opportunities to catch shows at Waterside Arts this December, including a Tots special and a brand new adults only special as well!

...and more!

We'll be sure to have more live improv shows and events to announce in the coming weeks and months. Subscribe to our mailing list for monthly announcements of upcoming shows, events and workshop.

Workshops

What's that you say? Workshops? That's right, we're pleased to announce that in person workshops will be returning from the first week of October!

We'll be doing a full announcement later in the week but you can still drop us an email to register interest in our courses and we'll send you all the details soon!

Safety

We'll still be operating our COVID safety measures to ensure a fun but safe nights entertainment for audience and players. Our venues may still be operating their own safety protocols.

Book Now

We can't wait to see you at shows -  thank you for continuing to support live and livestream comedy! You can find more information on all upcoming shows for 2021 on our shows page.

Improv Double Bill at Lock 91

We were due to bring ComedySportz to a new city centre venue last March and then lockdown hit. We were then going to launch in October... and Manchester was put into Tier 4. Now third time's the charm as we bring our shows to Lock 91 starting Thursday 29th July. This will be a new monthly venue for us and we're kicking off with an improv double bill featuring the brilliant Absolute Onions!

Never seen ComedySportz before? It's comedy's funniest fixture as two teams go for gold with quick-witted gags and games in this all action, all improvised competitive comedy show. There's a referee on hand to ensure a good clean match with penalties for bad behaviour and bad jokes. Who wins? YOU decide!

Then we've got the fantastic Absolute Onions and their Improv Karaoke! They'll take a Karaoke classic chosen by the audience and perform an improvised narrative that will uncover the surprising real story behind that song! So pour the Prosecco, spin your disco balls and get ready to drop the mic! “Very Clever!” Number9reviews

Tickets are on sale NOW - book today!

Moving forward ComedySportz will be performing at Lock 91 on the last Thursday of every month! We hope you'll join us for an unscripted, unpredictable and unmissable night out!

PLEASE NOTE: Due to their licence Lock 91 is an adults only venue. So, whilst ComedySportz will still be playing it clean, families with children are not able to attend this show.

All Upcoming Shows

Improv Double Bill - Tickets On Sale NOW!

UPDATE: Unfortunately Tier 3 restrictions in Manchester mean that Lock 91 is closed for the next few weeks. We hope to book new dates in as soon as possible. In the meantime you can catch our online shows on youtube every Wednesday and Saturday and tickets are on sale now for our 19th Birthday show at Chorley Theatre in November.

We can't wait to be laughing live again and we hope you can join us. We'll soon be posting all the ways that we're adapting shows to ensure an as safe as possible time for everyone.

COMEDYSPORTZ UK

Two teams. One ref. No script. Lots of laughs!

ComedySportz sees teams go for gold with quick-witted gags and games in this all action, all improvised competitive comedy show. There's a referee on hand to ensure a good clean match with penalties for bad behaviour and bad jokes. Join us for an evening of totally unscripted, utterly unpredictable and absolutely unmissable laughs. Who wins? YOU decide! (Find out more)

"…a non-stop stream of gags, sketches and general hilarity." Lancashire Evening Post

"…real winners are the happy audience… hilariously entertaining."  Buxton Festival Fringe

ABSOLUTE ONIONS: IMPROV KARAOKE!

Absolute Onions take a Karaoke classic chosen by the audience and perform an improvised narrative that will uncover the surprising real story behind that song! So pour the Prosecco, spin your disco balls and get ready to drop the mic! (Find out more)

"Very Clever!" Number9reviews

The show will start at 7.30pm to ensure finishing before the current 10pm Curfew. If the event needs to be cancelled then tickets will be refunded ASAP. We will be following COVID Secure guidelines to ensure a safe night out.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to their licence Lock 91 is an adults only venue. So, whilst ComedySportz will still be playing it clean, families with children are not able to attend this show.

BOOK TICKETS NOW!

 

All Upcoming Shows

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Live Shows Return!

We started 2020 with plans for new shows and new venues across Manchester, as well as our biggest Edinburgh Fringe yet! Things... did not go to plan and it hasn't been the most laugh filled year for live comedy. Luckily our players "Yes, And-ed" the heck out of the situation and we're now fast approaching 100 online shows! However, since lockdown began the one thing we've all been waiting for is the return of live comedy shows...

...So we're absolutely delighted to announce that on Thursday 29th October we will be performing our first live show since February! We'll be coming out of lockdown at the aptly named Lock 91, Manchester. Tickets will go on sale via our website in the next few days and we'll also be adding information to our on how we're adapting shows to make them COVID safe for audiences and  players.

Never seen a ComedySportz match before? Two teams go for gold with quick-witted gags and games inspired by your suggestions. There's a referee to ensure a good clean match with fouls for bad behaviour and bad jokes. It's all action, all improvised competitive comedy fun where YOU get to decide the winner!

 

To make things even more exciting, this show will be an improv double bill with the absolutely brilliant Absolute Onions. They'll take a Karaoke classic chosen by the audience and perform an improvised narrative that will uncover the surprising real story behind that song!

Please note that due to Lock 91's licence the venue is strictly 18+ so, whilst we'll still be playing a good clean match we can't allow children in the audience.

COMEDY CLUB 4 KIDS

UPDATE: UNFORTUNATELY THESE GIGS HAVE NOW BEEN CANCELLED.

However, on Friday 30th October we're joining our friends at Comedy Club 4 Kids for an afternoon of family friendly fun at Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Comedy Club 4 Kids get the best Stand-Ups, Improvisers and Sketch Acts from the international circuit for fantastic family friendly shows. It's a doozy of a line-up too as we join compere Silky and master of mischief Martin Mor for an hour of non-stop giggles! There are two chances to catch the show (1.30pm and 4.30pm) and advance booking is required.

ONLINE SHOWS AND WORKSHOPS CONTINUE

We'll be continuing our online ComedySportz matches every Saturday at 7pm BST. You can watch and subscribe at our youtube channel. Catch our 3rd October show here. Our online ComedySportz matches are family friendly and free to watch (however donations are gratefully received).

We also have two extra shows this month including the return of the New Adelphi Comedy Night in collaboration with Salford University and the second episode of The Improvised Final Frontier, our new sci-fi parody show. Please note neither shows are family friendly.

We still don't know when we'll be able to start in person workshops again however we are making tentative plans for how this might happen. In the mean time our improv drop-ins are back with a great line up of fun and friendly workshops. Sessions run Saturdays 2.30-4.30pm BST and cost just £5. They're a great way to hone your improv skills, have fun and play online!


We'll still be continuing with our online content for the rest of the year and we're hoping to announce even more live events (including our improvised pantomimes) in the coming weeks. Join our mailing list for monthly announcements and be sure to follow us on social media for regular updates on all of our shows and workshops. Thank you for continuing to support live and livestream comedy!

All Upcoming Shows

Upcoming Improv Drop-Ins