By Erin Baxter
Quite the novel concept – teams playing “comedy” as a sport. If you’ve seen TV’s Whose Line is it Anyway or Improv-A-Ganza, you’ve got the basic idea, although ComedySportz’s two-team competitive format ensures a fast-paced, high-energy show – and seeing this live show is very different from watching a TV show. Instead of going to the same old movie theatre for your Friday and Saturday night dates, outings with the family, or group activities, try something new, different, and hilarious.
Photo: Comedy Sportz San Antonio
ComedySportz is a family-friendly, improvisational comedy, played as a sport. Two teams of trained professionals take turns making up scenes, playing games, and singing songs, and the audience votes on which team they like the best. It’s all presided over by a referee, who keeps things moving, calls the ComedySportz fouls, and takes suggestions shouted out by the audience before each game.
The company has exploded in popularity and has gone worldwide with ComedySportz locations in 32 cities across the United States, and a handful in England and Germany. The business thrives on its core values:
- Collaboration – working together makes us stronger.
- Inspiration – working together pushes us to be better.
- Gratitude – working together helps us appreciate life more.
- Fun – working together is fun!
Photo: Comedy Sportz San Antonio
San Antonio is one of the lucky cities! Mike and Dana Dannelly own Studio185, the ComedySportz location in San Antonio. Mike has been involved in theatre for over 20 years, and he and his wife love sharing the thrill of live theatre with the public. “ComedySportz was founded to give people an opportunity to see live comedy that’s not offensive. It’s for everybody. Bring your children, bring your grandma, bring your date,” inserted Dannelly.
Mike strongly feels that having a live theatre option like ComedySportz is a great opportunity for the public to see the value in the performing arts… off-screen. “We want to reach a broad audience and bring live theatre to the forefront.”
This is not a comedy about sports. It’s comedy played as a sport,” stated Dannelly. “There are three people per team, and the teams take suggestions from the audience to create a 4-5 minute scene.”
Photo: Comedy Sportz San Antonio
During the performance of each scene, the audience reaction is how points are earned. Of course, there are two main fouls: the “Groaner” when a player tells a bad joke and must apologize to the audience, and the other is the “Brown Bag” when a player says something rude, off-color, or offensive. The player then has to wear a brown bag over his/her head until the scene is finished.
The show hours at Studio185 are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Admission is $12/adults, $8/children, and $10/military discount. Of course, bring a little extra cash to take advantage of the delicious treats at the live concession!
“We offer classes to anyone who struggles with public speaking, standing in front of an audience, or might be socially awkward. We can help improve your communication skills,” noted Dannelly. Studio185 offers classes like Improv 101 to help develop communication skills. In addition, the studio offers teambuilding activities for corporate events, as well as private shows for birthdays and parties. For more information or to buy tickets, please visit them online at www.cszsa.com or call 210-338-0279.
