Always been curious about what exactly happens at ComedySportz? Then check out our promo video here and get your tickets now. We’re not comedy about sports, we’re comedy played as a sport. We’re a show built for the whole family where you’ll never have the same experience twice!

It’s that time of year again where we bring you the holiday classic: “A Christmas Carol”: UNSCRIPTED. Where we tell you the cautionary tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, and more based on audience suggestions.

This show is for adults 18 ages and up or with a valid fake ID. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased through this website or through the ComedySportz theatre box office and 317-951-8499.

“A Christmas Carol”: UNSCRIPTED will play every Friday at 10pm, November 25th through December 23rd

Assistant Artistic Director Claire Wilcher

The ComedySportz Theatre, Home of ComedySportz Indianapolis, is delighted to announce the appointment of Claire Wilcher as Assistant Artistic Director.

Wilcher has been a performer with ComedySportz Indianapolis since 2004, and is a member of the Three Dollar Bill Comedy Company. She  is a veteran theatre performer around Indianapolis, with three encore awards for her performances.  In addition to performing, she has taught acting classes with Acting Up Productions, Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, and Wayne Township Education Foundation.

Wilcher will be active in growing the brand of ComedySportz Indianapolis through weekly matches with the professional company of performers and coordinating the weekly practice schedule.  She will also serve as High School League Coordinator.

“ComedySportz Indianapolis has been my second family for seven years, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work even more closely with this fantastic group of performers,” says Wilcher.

“It’s been a great pleasure to get to work with Claire for the last seven years. She is an incredibly talented performer, improviser, and teacher, and I am thrilled that she has agreed to step into the role of Assistant Artistic Director here at ComedySportz Indianapolis,” Ed Trout Artistic Director/owner of ComedySportz Indianapolis

One of Wilcher’s first responsibilities will be to help coordinate and promote the ComedySportz performances of A Christmas Carol: Unscripted, which is presented Friday evenings between November 25^th – December 30^th.

About ComedySportz Indianapolis

ComedySportz is the longest running show in Indianapolis, now in its 19^th year, featuring team-against-team improv comedy. Matches take place Thursday and Friday nights at 7:30, and Saturday Nights at 7:30 and 10:00. ComedySportz is also available for private and corporate functions, and offers corporate team-building workshops called Group Unity Training Seminars (GUTS).

In many studies that look at this kind of thing, public speaking is the number one fear of human beings. Add on the pressures of making things up on the fly and trying to be funny…and you might wonder why it is ComedySportz Indianapolis actletes choose to do what they do. If only there was some sort of comprehensive list of ComedySportz Indianapolis players and why they love improv comedy…

Great news! See below…

Rebecca DeVries McConnell

Improvisation has made me a better all-around actor. It makes me unafraid to try different character types and helps me “cover” when things don’t go as planned in a performance. Also, it allows for a situation where it’s socially acceptable for an adult to play like a kid, and that’s awesome.

Joe Ottaviano

For me its super simple and straightforward. It’s my creative outlet which forces me to get out of the house. It also feels good to make people laugh.

Woody Rau

I do ComedySportz for one reason. If you know me, the reason is obvious. If you don’t, you are probably thinking, “Who is this guy?” Wanna know why I do ComedySportz? The money.

Bethany Arrington

I do ComedySportz because it is the only time I get to be my own director, writer, choreographer, dancer, musician, lyricist, stunt double, technician, plus being the usual actor. I do ComedySportz because it is always different and never boring. I do it because I don’t have to be my “type” that the acting/theatre world defines me as. I can be a body builder, a cat, or a car. It allows me to be versatile in a way other forms of theatre cannot.

Want to know more about our players?  Keep reading this blog and check out the player page on the website

For a lot of people in Indianapolis, ComedySportz is just something that has always been there, putting on weekly improv shows for its loyal fans. But…like any business, ComedySportz Indy has its own story, including the group’s founding and the changes it has undergone since then. One man who has been there since the beginning is co-founder Ed Trout, who gives some insight on how some former members of an improv group put together a successful improv business.

Back in my day?

Who were the founding fathers/mothers of ComedySportz Indy and how did you get together? What prompted the idea for an improv comedy club? 

CSz Indy was started from the former members of the improv/ sketch group “Below the Belt”. Of those who started the group, Mia Lee Bauman, Lynn Burger, and Ed Trout retain ownership of Way Cool Productions, Inc. (the company which produces CSz Indy), and are still actively involved. Dave Ruark, also one of the starting “Below the Belt” players is also still an active performer with the group.

There are ComedySportz locations throughout the country…what kind of process did you have to go through to establish a chapter in Indianapolis?

The process we went through in 1993 is very different from what clubs go through today. We learned of the format and contacted Dick Chudnow,the creator of ComedySportz, in Milwaukee. Dick liked us and gave us permission to start up.

For new clubs today, they have to go through a much longer and more involved process, submitting a business plan to the World Comedy League, and so on

How many people started in the group and where did you find them? How do you add members now?

When we first started, we held auditions to add to our “Below the Belt” numbers. We started with about a dozen players. We’ve added players over the years either from open auditions or from seeing them work through our public workshops. Both methods are useful in different ways for finding new talent.

What were the shows like at the very beginning? Do they bear any resemblance to what we see now?

The shows do look very similar, but there certainly are differences. When we first started performing, we normally played four against four (something that is still done in the ComedySportz High School League). We also had some other fouls that we used to call regularly, like the “Waffling Foul” for a game that was going nowhere. The players were given 15 seconds to introduce some excitement (like a birth, a death, or a major religious experience), or they would be “waffled” off the field. We also relied on a much smaller group of improv games when we started out. Now there are hundreds of game options.

When did the remote shows and corporate training come into play? How about the workshops?

Remote shows and corporate training started in very early. People wanted private shows, and we are always happy to work something out for them to help make that happen. As for the corporate training, it became evident very early that the benefits of learning teambuilding and communication skills through improvisation are universally beneficial.

What has been the biggest challenge/hurdle to establishing, maintaining or growing ComedySportz? Was there ever a time you doubted it would work?

We never doubted it. One reason we’re still around is sheer stubbornness. But the biggest challenge in the early years was simply having people understand what we did. They always thought it was stand-up, or sketch comedy. Admittedly, when the television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway” gained popularity, it really helped to be able to mention that as a recognizable form of entertainment. People then could wrap their heads around us making things up, being funny while doing it, and ultimately playing it as a sport.

What would you like people to know about the ComedySportz players that they don’t get to see on stage?

One thing that people probably don’t realize is how much of a family ComedySportz is. Sure, there are lots of different personalities, and in some cases, those personalities don’t see eye to eye. But in reality, when the chips are down, you know that other ComedySportz players have your back…even players from other cities. We all know each other, and oddly enough, we all like each other. Well, you know… as much as you like all of your family.

Congratulations to ComedySportz Indianapolis for winning the 2011 ComedySportz World Championship Tournament. It was not an easy task to defeat the Washingtion D.C. team. After a 9-9 score at the half, Indy pulled out a victory by one joke in the last game of 185. They’ve earned bragging rights for one year by winning the meaningless cup. Congrats also go to Ed Trout, Claire Wilcher, Lynn Burger, and Mia Bauman for bringing the championship home.

The 2011 ComedySportz World Championship starts July 20th right here in Indianapolis. Don’t miss your chance to see the greatest improv teams around the world compete for the meaningless cup. Get over to our tournament website or call 317-951-8499 for tickets. Hurry!

Check out the website for the 2011 ComedySportz World Championship being held this year in Indianapolis. Buy tickets, keep up with tournament news, and see some of your favorite players.

http://www.indycomedysportz.com/tournament

The ComedySportz Theatre – home of the city’s only professional improvisational comedy troupe
- announces a one-time-only special engagement at 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19. “Stuck, Stew &
ComedySportz Too: What a Mess!” will feature the fun duo of Don Stuck and Acoustic Stew
joining our regularly scheduled Friday night Improv Jam.

As heard and seen on Indianapolis radio and television for more than 20 years, X103′s morning
radio host Don Stuck (that’s the Stuck part) will bring his antics live to the ComedySportz stage
with a slanted, off-the-cuff perspective on today’s events. The one-man band Acoustic Stew
(that’s the Stew part) will serenade the audience from his catalog of radio hits (also known as
the songs not banned by the FCC), with topics ranging from his love of Wal-Mart greeters to the
proper way to break up with a girl.

The evening will also feature the Improv Jam, with 45 minutes of long-form improvisation by
some of ComedySportz’ most popular performers. Unlike our regular fast-paced, family-friendly
ComedySportz matches, the Improv Jam has no referee or rules for polite language, so this show
is for ages 17 or older only.

Leave your inhibitions at the door and prepare for cleverness and dirty words … and Stuck might
just join in the improv fun, too!

Tickets for “Stuck, Stew & ComedySportz Too,” at 10 p.m. Friday, November 19th are $10.00
each, and can be purchased on-line at www.indycomedysportz.com or by calling our box office
at (317) 951-8499.

The ComedySportz Theatre is located in the heart of the Mass. Ave. Theatre and Arts District at
721 Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis IN 46204.

“Headless Horseman, Unscripted” Opens at The ComedySportz Theatre, this Friday Through Oct. 29th at 10pm Tickets are only $12.00 each. Adults Only 17+ Only.   The classic ghost story told through your suggestions.