Leicester Comedy Festival

We are delighted to announce that both ComedySportz and The Totally Improvised Musical will be returning to the UK's longest running comedy festival next February! With the official programme launching today and all tickets now on sale, we're excited to be back at The Leicester Comedy Festival in 2024.

ComedySportz sees two teams go for gold with quick-witted gags and games. Join us for an afternoon of fast-paced, feelgood fun on Sunday 11th February. With points determined by audience laughter, it is up to you to decide which team will be leaving Leicester victorious or in defeat. Either way, we promise that the real winners will be you, the audience! Tickets for ComedySportz are available here.

“ComedySportz is a show that is fun for kids and adults alike,” says Sean. “From shouting out suggestions to joining us on the pitch this a show that everyone can get involved in.” 

Then, later that evening, The Totally Improvised Musical returns for the opening night of another brand new comedy musical based on a title given by the audience. Scenes, songs and stories are made up on the spot and there may even be some dancing. “The person whose title is picked gets a free pin badge. If that’s not enough to tempt you in, I don’t know what is,” adds Bron. “It’s a really nice pin badge.” 

Previous show titles have included Frankenstein Joins an Acapella Group, Lawnmowers: The Musical, My Grandma Is a Parasite, Thomas the Tank Engine in Hell and Penguins Don’t Eat Cheese. “Some nights you end up singing a really touching love song and sometimes you end up doing a dance about ham,” adds Sean. “Every night is totally different which makes the show special for the audience that watched it. It’s not to be missed!” 

Tickets for The Totally Improvised Musical are available here.

About Leicester Comedy Festival

Leicester Comedy Festival is the longest running comedy festival in the UK, having taken place every February since 1994, and now regularly attracts over 120,000 people to venues across Leicester and Leicestershire throughout the 19 days.  Following sold out shows at the Buxton and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals earlier this year, we hope you'll join us for some award-winning improv comedy next February!

For the regular updates on all of our upcoming shows, workshops and events don't forget to sign up to our mailing list today!

Workshops Starting To Fill Up!

Spaces for our April/May one-day workshops are starting to fill up - with some nearly full already. Don't miss out on a space and book today. The full list of workshops are:

Stand-Up Comedy "Your Next 5 Minutes" | Saturday 22nd April | 12-4pm | The Adelphi Building, University of Salford | £30 | Some previous experience essential

This workshop is for comics looking to workshop new ideas or explore alternative ways for generating fresh material. It's a great opportunity to reinvigorate your creative energy and test jokes within a supportive space.

Sketch Writing | Saturday 22nd April |1-5pm | The Adelphi Building, University of Salford | £30 | No previous experience necessary

Discover ways of approaching sketch writing that delivers on the promise of your comedic premise from set-up to killer punchline. This workshop is nearly full - so book today to reserve your space!

Musical Improv | Saturday 29th April |12-5pm | The Adelphi Building, University of Salford | £50 | Some previous experience preferable (but no singing ability necessary!)

Explore the secrets of improvised songs! Take the fear out of musical improv games and scenes by focusing on character's wants and emotions. Discover simple tips to create showstopping improvised songs in the moment!

Improv Crash Course | Saturday 6th May|12-3pm | The Adelphi Building, University of Salford | £30 | No previous experience necessary

Never tried improv before? Then this workshop is for you! We'll be covering core ideas and skills from our 8 week course in this fun and friendly taster session.

Intro to Longform Improv | Saturday 6th May |2-5pm | The Adelphi Building, University of Salford | £30 | Some previous experience preferable

Explore the possibilities of improv by looking at how to construct longer narratives, explore characters more deeply and experience alternative improv formats.

You can book onto any of these sessions here. Each booking includes a non-refundable £10 deposit.

Looking for something a little longer? We hope to announce our next batch of 8 week courses for after summer 2023 very soon. You can email us directly to register your interest in a course. Alternatively, sign up to our mailing list for monthly updates on all of our upcoming shows and workshops.

Leicester Comedy Festival Shows

We're very excited about our upcoming shows at this years Leicester Comedy Festival and the UK Kid's Comedy Festival! These are some of the biggest comedy festival's in the UK and we're delighted to be back this February with two shows.

First, we're bringing ComedySportz to the festival on Sunday 19th February. Join us for an afternoon of all action, all improvised competitive comedy fun for all ages. Don't miss the festival's funniest fixture and book your tickets here.

Then we're back a week later with The Totally Improvised Musical on Sunday 26th February. We'll be composing a brand new comedy musical from your suggestions which will play for one night only! Book tickets here.

Leicester Comedy Festival is celebrating 30 years of laughter this year and we can't wait to bring these shows to the festival. Don't forget to follow us on social media or sign up to our mailing list for the latest on upcoming shows, workshops and ticket deals!

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.

Intensive Workshops - Don't Miss Out!

There are just a few spaces left on our intensive workshops this May/June so don't miss out on your chance to sign up to Manchester's longest running  comedy classes this Summer!

Whether you're looking to learn new skills, brush up on some old ones or just want to spend a fun weekend rediscovering your playful side there is something for everyone with our fun, friendly and affordable range of courses.

Musical Improv Workshop Manchester

2 Day Intensive Workshops

Foundation Improv (Full Price - Deposit)

Learn the core skills of Improv comedy with ComedySportz including Yes, And, Listening, Objects and Storytelling.

Beginning Stand Up (Full Price - Deposit)

We'll help you hone your comedic voice with this short course covering everything from material generation to mic technique.

Sketch Writing (Full Price - Deposit)

Craft your sketches in this two day course covering everything from the perfect premise to the killer punchline.

Longform Improv (Full Price - Deposit)

This short introduction to longform improv will explore popular formats and edits. A deeper dive into creating whole improvised worlds and narratives.

Musical Improv (Full Price - Deposit)

Find the key to unlock the skills needed for improvised songs and rhyme. You don't need a great singing voice to take part just a strong desire to have some fun!

1 Day Intensive Workshops

Character Improv (Full Price - Deposit)

Do all of your improv characters feel a little flat? Explore ways to bring new life to your on stage creations.

Presentation Skills (Full Price - Deposit)

Discover ways to engage your audience by employing performance skills to enliven your work presentations and brush up on your networking with confidence.

Stand Up "Your Next 5 Minutes" (Full Price - Deposit)

Completed one of our courses or looking to hone your new material? Stuck in a rut and want to put a bit of spark back into your jokes? Then this stand up comedy class is for you!

 

All prices include a non-refundable deposit (£30 for 2 Day classes, £10 for 1 Day classes). You can pay in full now or pay your deposit to secure your space and pay the rest later.

If you've taken one of our (or similar) improv comedy classes before we will also be running a six week intermediate improv course. This will run at the same time as our intensives so there are discounts for anyone who signs up to multiple courses - get in touch today to find out more.

Our courses and workshops are accredited by CSz Worldwide - one of the world's largest schools for shows and comedy classes.

comedy classes manchester improv stand up sketch

Feedback from our latest 8 week stand up course.

Want to know more about our courses? You can also come along to our Intermediate Workshops Showcase on Sunday 28th April at The Kings Arms (starts 7.30pm) which will be followed by a short improv jam and an opportunity to talk to course facilitators about our comedy classes.

All Upcoming Workshops

All Upcoming Shows