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.
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.
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!
With venues closed, comedians have found new ways to reach audiences with online gigs and gags (and saving hundreds in petrol costs). If you've always wanted to try your hand at Stand-Up but don't know where to begin, why not take our fun and inspiring Beginning Stand-Up course online?
Below, workshop leader and Stand-Up comedian Kate McCabe shares a little of what you can expect when you take our four week virtual course.
Teaching stand-up comedy over Zoom has been much more satisfying than I, perhaps pessimistically, thought it would be. It was crushing to come to the understanding, several months ago, that live performance was not going to be on the docket for the time being. That feeling, of course, has recently been renewed. So, how does one who performs and teaches stand-up keep up with their craft? Moreover, how can you introduce people to the form when it's unlikely that there will be any 'physical' gigs soon. Well, it turns out...you can't kill comedy.
Even with the current limitations, that human urge to make people laugh lives on. Many of us have had the urge to 'take something up' during this lockdown. Whether that's learning the piano, paying more attention to your Duolingo, or getting more reading done, it still takes discipline and encouragement. For most of us, that discipline can be introduced via workshops. Happily, there are excellent lessons and exercises we can still cultivate via virtual learning. Zoom is also where, for the foreseeable future, open mics, new material, and professional level gigs are going to take place. (Other software and hosting platforms are, of course, available). At CSzUK, we've taken steps to ensure effective and fun remote stand-up teaching.
We offer short, dynamic, and inspiring sessions.
In these sessions, we want people to develop important writing and performance habits to jump-start their creativity. Additionally, we want everyone to have the chance to build confidence and afford them the time to be heard and to receive valuable, constructive feedback.
We made the decision that the workshops would only last an hour to deliver a focused, engaging session that would feel like a pleasure not a chore. Secondly, we’ve limited the number of participants for the four week session. Stand-Up classes have a maximum of 5 attendees so that workshoppers are getting the needed attention during that class time. Thirdly, as a free supplement to the 7pm Monday sessions, we offer short, weekly one-on-one sessions to review the regular writing challenges that the participants are working on. Finally, we will be offering our participants a slot at our LIVE showcase which will be scheduled once live performances are safe to put on the calendar again.
So, four weeks of invigorating, silly, compelling practice for both this zoom-based comedy world and the hopeful beyond... that's what you get on the course. As well as plenty of laughter!
Our next Stand-Up course commences Monday 13th July and costs just £75. Book here. Whether you're looking to learn new skills, develop your comedic voice or practice your online presentation skills in a supportive environment, there are plenty of reasons to take a course with CSzUK.
You may also be interested in our 6 week Foundation Improv course.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!