The Definitive Guide to Comedy
The flagship theater for the Upright Citizens Brigade is moving on up out of the basement of Gristedes supermarket in Chelsea and into a 160-seat theater space of its own in Hell’s Kitchen. After 14 years on West 26th Street, the UCB Theatre will move to 555 W. 42nd St. …
Heather Anne Campbell is one of America’s great improvisers. She has studied under the legendary Del Close in Chicago, performed overseas with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, appeared on MADtv, written for Saturday Night Live, and helped jumpstart FOX’s ADHD Animation Domination High-Definition. In Los Angeles, you’ve seen her or taken …
After a successful 19th annual Del Close Marathon, what else do the so-called UCB4 have left up their sleeves? How about Carnegie Hall? The co-founders of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre — Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh — announced they’ll kick off the 20th anniversary of …
Each summer going back 18 years, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre has hosted improvisers from around the country — and now around the world — to celebrate the comedy form, and in particular the late improv guru Del Close. Close not only popularized the Harold form, but also taught and …
Mark Lonow is an actor, producer and talent manager, but he’s perhaps best known for something else he did offstage — going into business with Budd Friedman to save the Hollywood Improv and help oversee its expansion as the first major comedy club chain. But there’s a lot more to …
Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, there were two places to go to find the best sketch comedians and improvising funny people in America: The Second City in Chicago and The Groundlings in Los Angeles. Gary Austin put The Groundlings on the map, founding the sketch and improv troupe …
Nina Conti is the only child of actors – her father, Tom, is a Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee. As for Nina, she began her career as an actress at the Royal Shakespeare Company before her mentor Ken Campbell convinced her to become a ventriloquist. Nina won the BBC …
Nina Conti has performed in New York City before, “way back years ago” in Greenwich Village, then about five years ago at the 59E59 Theatres. But when Conti returns next week for a limited run, she’ll be making her proper debut off Broadway. “This is probably my biggest deal I’ve …
We’re told as young boys and girls to dream big. Be the best you that you can be! Whether you want to become president of the United States, a professional athlete, a movie star or anything and everything in between, in whatever career may pay you enough to support a …
Mike Birbiglia says that his new movie about an improv group, Don’t Think Twice, uses plenty of real-life influences and anecdotes. Jimmy Fallon’s life isn’t among them, although Fallon shared a funny note about what happened when he himself got the call from Saturday Night Live — when Fallon called …
