Announcing the Brooklyn Comedy Collective, a new venue and improv school in Williamsburg

Two comedians who helped launch and run the former Brooklyn branch of the Annoyance Theater have announced a new venture together: The Brooklyn Comedy Collective, a theater and improv comedy school that’ll begin hosting shows and teaching classes in March in The Brick Theater in Williamsburg (579 Metropolitan Ave.).

Philip Markle (artistic director) and Annie Donley (programming director) are behind the Brooklyn Comedy Collective (BCC), and will teach the Level 2 improv classes. Jared Jeffries, an improviser who previously taught at iO in Chicago, will lead the Level 1 classes, which will cost $275 for six weeks of training.

As for the shows, the BCC plans to pay performers, and is accepting all types of shows (improv, sketch, character, one-person, stand-up, variety), and accepting show submissions until Feb. 20. From their website:

The BCC fosters and promotes the Brooklyn comedy community by creating a welcoming space for artistic experimentation. We produce shows with a strong point of view and sense of self. We believe in supporting and rewarding artistic producers, most notably through our policy that Producers at BCC earn a significant percentage of the box office (50% of box after the first $55 in ticket sales).

We are now accepting submissions for all types of shows as part of the BCC’s residency at The Brick Theater in Williamsburg on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, beginning March 9 and running until April 15, with an option to extend past this date with The Brick if all goes well.

“It’s been almost a year since the Annoyance NY closed, and we’ve watched fellow artists produce shows at a myriad of locations around NY,” Markle says. “There’s been palpable excitement since we announced the BCC that we get to all play together under a new roof in Brooklyn and under a model that offers financial payment to the creators of the shows. There’s an ongoing debate right now in the comedy community about paying performers, and we believe in encouraging producers and artists in this way. And, we want to challenge students with a curriculum that pairs personal empowerment with a focus on being a strong team player…and ultimately teaches students how to get out of the classroom and performing professionally by celebrating what you and only you can do onstage.”

The Brick Theater seats 70 people and can accommodate most technical needs. Check out the space here.

For more info, visit www.brooklyncc.com

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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