ComedySportz


ComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Karen Kolberg, Bob Orvis, Brian Green, and others.

Match format

The traditional format of a ComedySportz match features two teams of improvisational performers, competing in various rounds, using improv games and performing scenes. Audience members judge the results and award points as directed by the Referee. In every match, a ComedySportz referee monitors the action, awarding points, and administering Fouls as necessary. The flavor is somewhat like the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, though the ComedySportz organization precedes that show's debut by 4 years. The CSz format is a more competitive and For Everyone version of the Theatresports format, which preceded ComedySportz by 7 years.
ComedySportz penalties include:
  • Out of Bounds Foul: called when a player uses explicit language or refers to something crass or off-color. If the Out of Bounds Foul is called, the offending player or audience member must spend the remainder of the game outside the theater space. They may or may not be welcomed back in.
  • Groaner Foul: whereby any player who speaks a pun bad enough to make the audience groan causing their team to lose one point, unless their apology to the audience is heartfelt enough and accepted.
  • Any spontaneously generated Foul the referee feels is needed to move the match forward.
Although the image of competition is maintained, the teams are often dynamic, with rosters depending on which player are available for a match at any given time, and match outcomes are not pre-determined as audience voting/selected judges decide the winner.

Organization

CSz Worldwide and ComedySportz are licensed by the World Comedy League Incorporated. There are over 28 cities with licensed ComedySportz organizations, most in the United States. In recent years, ComedySportz has been licensed in Manchester, England.
Most ComedySportz cities operate their own "arenas," some with theatre type settings, others as nightclubs. Few have their very own bar and restaurant. Sometimes the members of the comedic improv team also work sound and lights. The clean content and audience focused nature of the ComedySportz match allows CSz groups to perform thousands of road shows for corporate, college, church, school, and association clients each year; most CSz groups also lead corporate team-building workshops. In addition, players from some cities coach ComedySportz high school and middle school leagues, in which students perform in shows similar to those seen at the "professional" level.

World Championship

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 first world championship that Milwaukee won was in 1988. The banner hangs in the Milwaukee stadium. The first World Championship in Milwaukee's new arena was August 4–7, 2004, also served as the Grand Opening for Milwaukee's all-new ComedySportz Arena at 420 South 1st Street in Milwaukee. In 2009, the World Championship returned to Milwaukee for the 25th anniversary celebration, and returned again in 2014 to celebrate both its 30th anniversary and rebranding of the logo.
Prior to 2004, this mostly annual event was billed as the "ComedySportz National Tournament."
In 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, World Championship was held online. Championship was not held in 2023, but resumed in Milwaukee for the 40th anniversary of ComedySportz in 2024.

Championship history

Notable players and alumni