ComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Dick Chudnow. Improvisational comedy (also called improv) is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. ... For other places with the same name, see Milwaukee (disambiguation). ... Dick Chudnow is a U.S. comedian and entrepreneur. ...

Format

The traditional format of a ComedySportz (CSz) show features two teams of improvisational performers (Actletes), competing in various improv games and performing scenes with audience members judging the results and awarding points. In every show, a CSz referee monitors the action, awarding points and administering fouls as necessary. The flavor is very much like the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, though the ComedySportz organization precedes that show by 4 years. The CSz format is derived from Theatresports but is not affiliated with that organisation. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (sometimes shortened to Whose Line? or abbreviated as WLIIA?) is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. ... Theatresports, or Theatre Sports, is a form of competitive improvisational theatre and is a trademark of the International Theatresports Institute (ITI). ...

ComedySportz penalties (put in place for the audience's benefit) include:

• the "Brown Bag Foul", called when an Actlete uses explicit language or refers to something crass or off-color. The Brown Bag Foul is infamously punished by making the offender wear a brown paper bag over their head for the remainder of the scene, even if the offender is an audience member. (In some ComedySportz venues, this has been replaced with the "Potty Mouth" foul, and the brown paper bag has been replaced with a toilet seat.) This foul is the "bagged" mentioned in the ComedySportz theme song.
• the "Groaner Foul," whereby an Actlete who speaks a pun bad enough to make the audience groan loses at least one point for their team, unless their apology to the audience is heartfelt enough.
• the "Delay-of-Game Foul", called when action on the field becomes dull and uninteresting. The team has 15 seconds to make things interesting again or they may be ejected from the field and/or lose points.

Although the image of competition is maintained, the teams are often dynamic, with rosters depending on which Actletes (many of whom have "day jobs" or are attending school) are available for a match at any given time.

ComedySportz is licensed by the World Comedy League Incorporated. There are over 20 cities with licensed ComedySportz organizations, most in the United States. In recent years, ComedySportz has been licensed in Manchester, England and Dublin, Ireland, although Dublin's organization has since ceased operations. Teams meet annually at the ComedySportz World Championship for a competitive tournament, training and exchange of artistic, marketing and organizational ideas. The location of the tournament rotates among the member cities. The very first World Championship, August 4-7 2004, also served as the Grand Opening for Milwaukee's all-new ComedySportz Arena at 420 S 1st St in Milwaukee, and was won by CSz-Twin Cities. The 2005 tournament was held in Los Angeles, California. The 2006 tournament was hosted and won by the San Jose, California team. The 2007 CSz World Championship was decided in the Quad Cities, being won by the host team once again.. In 2008 the CSz World Championship tournament will return to Portland, Oregon, the site of the 1999 tournament. In 2009, the World Championship is slated to return to Milwaukee for the 25th anniversary celebration. This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in Ireland. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... For other uses, see San José. Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... The I-74 Bridge, connecting Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Illinois is located near the geographic center of the Quad Cities. ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State Counties Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Type Commission  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ...

Most ComedySportz cities operate their own "arenas", some with theatre type settings, others as nightclubs. The clean content and audience focused nature of the ComedySportz show allows the most successful CSz groups to perform thousands of road shows for corporate, college, church, school and association clients each year; most CSz groups also lead corporate teambuilding workshops. In additition, Playerz from some groups coach ComedySportz High School League teams, in which high school students perform in a show very similar to that seen at the "professional" level.

Alumni of ComedySportz include Frank Caeti (MADtv), Liz Cackowski (writer, Saturday Night Live), Jason Sudeikis (cast, Saturday Night Live), and Jeff Davis (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Chris Tallman, a performer on NBC's "Thank God You're Here", Mark Mohelnitzky, a Los Angeles radio personality on KMVN-FM, and Jon Colby, a current Second City performer. Frank Caeti (born August 11, 1973 in Fort Collins, Colorado) is an American actor who is currently featured on MADtv. ... For other uses, see Mad TV (disambiguation). ... This article is about the American television series. ... Jason Sudeikis (born September 18, 1975) is an American actor and comedian. ... Jeffrey Bryan Davis (born October 6, 1973 in Los Angeles, California) is an American comedian. ... Chris Tallman Chris Tallman (September 22, 1970) is an American actor that hosted the show Crossballs. ... This article is about the television network. ... Thank God Youre Here is a partially improvised comedy television program based on the Australian TV show of the same name and broadcast by NBC. The show is hosted by David Alan Grier and presided over by judge Dave Foley. ... Mark Wong (born July 13, 1971 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American host and radio personality. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... KMVN redirects here. ... For the North American comedy troupe, see The Second City. ...

Locations

• Boise, Idaho
• Buffalo, New York
• Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Chicago, Illinois
• Dallas, Texas
• Houston, Texas
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Irvine, California
• Los Angeles, California
• Manchester, England
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• New York, New York
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Portland, Oregon
• Provo, Utah
• Quad Cities (Davenport, Iowa; Rock Island, Illinois; Moline, Illinois; Bettendorf, Iowa)
• Richmond, Virginia
• San Jose, California
• Washington, D.C.
• Sacramento, California (Feb. 2008)

Boise redirects here. ... Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State Coordinates: , Country State County Erie Government  - Mayor Byron Brown (D) Area  - City 52. ... Nickname: Location in North Carolina Coordinates: , Country State Counties Orange, Durham, and Chatham Founded 1793 Government  - Mayor Kevin C. Foy Area  - City  19. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Dallas redirects here. ... Houston redirects here. ... Indianapolis redirects here. ... Motto: Innovation. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other places with the same name, see Milwaukee (disambiguation). ... Minneapolis redirects here. ... NOLA redirects here. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State Counties Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Type Commission  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ... Provo is a city in Utah and the county seat of Utah County, located about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. ... The I-74 Bridge, connecting Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Illinois is located near the geographic center of the Quad Cities. ... Motto: Working together to serve you Location in the State of Iowa Coordinates: , Country State County Scott County Incorporated 1839 Government  - Mayor Ed Winborn Area  - City  64. ... Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. ... Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Nickname: Motto: Sic dic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars) Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor L. Douglas Wilder (I) Area  - City 62. ... For other uses, see San José. Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Sacramento redirects here. ...

See also

• Improvisational theatre
• Whose Line Is It Anyway?
• The Second City
• Saturday Night Live
• TheatreSports

This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Whose Line Is It Anyway? (sometimes shortened to Whose Line? or abbreviated as WLIIA?) is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. ... Second City redirects here. ... This article is about the American television series. ... Theatresports, or Theatre Sports, is a form of competitive improvisational theatre and is a trademark of the International Theatresports Institute (ITI). ...

References

Fein, G. "Sporting Shots", Pasadena Weekly, September 15, 1989
Winn, S. "These Games Are Strictly For Laughs", Sports Illustrated, November 26, 1990.
Loesing, J. "Out on the Town", The Acorn, March 25, 1999.
Patterson, D. "With honors in humor", Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2004.
Berkowitz, L. "Improv is their game", Houston Cronicle, January 25, 2005.
Parmet, S. "Class Clowning", The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 6 2005.
Radcliffe, J. "Laugh and Learn", Los Angeles Daily News, Feruary 17, 2005.

School Field Trips

ComedySportz also provide a program for children for use as a field trip. They first teach the kids various improvisational skills, then put on a show. Rather than being a competition between two teams, one team plays various games together. The audience also helps them.

External links

• Home page for the World Comedy League

• Home page for ComedySportz, the High School League, at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego