Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

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The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 2004.
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 2004.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is an improvisational theatre in Chelsea, New York, and Hollywood, California.

The theater was founded by Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts, a group of comedians who perform as the Upright Citizens Brigade.[1] The troupe had a show on Comedy Central from 1998 to 2001 and were originally trained by Del Close in Chicago's ImprovOlympic.

The UCBT was originally housed at 161 West 22nd Street, a 75-seat auditorium that used to be the Harmony Theater, an all-nude lap-dancing club. The original theatre was closed by the city of New York in late 2002 due to code violations, and on April 1, 2003, the New UCB Theatre (a 150-seat theater at 307 West 26th Street in NYC) opened its doors.

The UCBT features a variety of comedy-related acts, including one-person shows, stand up, and sketch comedy acts, but the theater is best known for its long-form improv shows. Teams that performed the classic Harold improv format, like Mother, Respecto Montalban, and The Swarm, developed their own forms and helped the UCBT become the place for great, cutting-edge, comedy. The longest running improv show at UCBT, A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T, has featured famous comedians, such as Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, Will Ferrell, Alec Baldwin, Jack Black, Mike Myers, Conan O'Brien, Robin Williams and Tina Fey as participants.

UCBT New York was used as a stand-in for a movie theater in the SNL Digital Short Lazy Sunday.

In addition to the performance space, UCB is home to an intensive Improv Guerilla Training Center where students learn the art of improvisational and written comedy.

The Los Angeles division of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre was opened on July 2, 2005 at 5919 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood.

Comedy Death-Ray, L.A.'s premier alternative comedy show, moved from its former home at the M Bar to join them, appearing on Tuesday nights.

Contents

[edit] Notable performers

[edit] Los Angeles (current)

Based partially on the UCBT web site:[2]

[edit] New York (current)

Based partially on the UCBT web site:[3]

[edit] Other alumni

 This section does not cite any references or sources. (July 2007)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

[edit] Current UCBTNY house teams

Based on the schedule:[4]

  • Bangs
  • Bastian
  • Death By Roo Roo
  • DeCoster
  • The Fucking Kennedys
  • The Law Firm
  • Mother
  • RAGNARÖCK
  • Reuben Williams
  • The Scam
  • The Stepfathers
  • Whorenado

[edit] Current UCBTLA house teams

Based on the schedule:[5]

  • Flap Jackson
  • Galleria
  • Hey, Uncle Gary!
  • Perfect Crime
  • Powerwalkers
  • Sentimental Lady
  • Last Day of School
  • Soundtrack

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e McKinley, Jesse. "Masters of Improv Are Stumped", The New York Times, 2003-01-27. Retrieved on 2008-03-23. 
  2. ^ Los Angeles: Performers. Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  3. ^ New York: Performers. Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  4. ^ New York Schedule. Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  5. ^ Los Angeles Schedule. Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.

[edit] External links