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.

On 9/30, CSz Indy welcomes Mel McMahon to continue IMPROV-ing the World one laugh at a time. The show will benefit the Salvation Army’s “Homelessness Bites” campaign.

Want to keep up to date with what’s happening at ComedySportz Indianapolis? Want to be the first in line for special ticket deals and shows? Then sign up for our newsletter, it’s easy, and the benefits are amazing. All you have to do is click on the graphic in this post, or at the top right of the page, fill out a few pieces of information, and you’re in! We love our loyal fans and want you to reap the benefits of joining our newsletter. You know that we always bring the funny at CSz, so don’t miss a second.

Reprinted with permission by the Indiana Alumni Magazine.

The Business of Comedy

ComedySportz Indianapolis keeps it clean, entertaining, and enriching

By Bertrand Teo

The sparse activity along Massachusetts Avenue—one of Indianapolis’ designated cultural districts known for its ethnic restaurants, rare gift shops, art galleries, and bars—on the Saturday night of May 15, belied the energy in unit 721, the home of ComedySportz Indianapolis, an improv comedy group with a distinctive IU flavor.

Inside, a huge digital timer on the wall shows the seconds ticking off until the 10 o’clock show begins, and servers take orders for meals. Items on the menu include sandwiches named after the members of the comedy group (David Fuller Chili Dog, Lynn Burger Cheese Burger, etc.).

In its 17th year, the comedy group’s performance is a staple for many young families based in the Circle City, thanks to a fusion of good, clean family-friendly entertainment, with a sporting atmosphere. As the longest running show in the city, according to its Web site, the group’s corporate business arm’s projects have enabled it to keep churning great weekly performances.

“ComedySportz is a flawless commercial packaging of improv,” says Dave Ruark, BA’90, one of the original owners of the comedy group. “It’s a fast-paced show based on a sports metaphor that most people can relate to immediately. Everybody likes competition, and everybody likes to be involved.”

A regular ComedySportz show emulates sports traditions of the singing of the national anthem and a point system to award winning teams with the affectionately termed Meaningless Trophy.

The game sees two teams of three comedians pitted against each other in improvisational games that require contestants to develop scenes, characters, and compose song lyrics in real time, in the style made famous by the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? Some of past short-form comedy skits have seen performers (or “playerz”) simulate activities such as waltzing with Britney Spears, hang gliding over an oil well, and playing basketball in a suit of armor.

“The show changes all the time,” says Lynn Burger, BS’85, a current owner and treasurer of ComedySportz Indianapolis. “People come back again and again, because it’s never the same show.”

The show format was incorporated from the World Comedy League Inc., the Milwaukee-based umbrella organization of all ComedySportz chains. World Comedy League licenses the name ComedySportz and the format of the show to cities in the U.S. and Europe.

Jeff Clawson, BA’03, a member of ComedySportz Indianapolis, says that being able to incorporate that format and a policy of a clean, non-vulgar show works for a market like Indianapolis.

“A couple, for instance, will have no worries taking their child to the show during a night,” says Clawson. “Most nights, about 20 percent of the audience members are kids.”

Over the years, the management—many who hail from IU—has expanded the business to include a business-education arm that offers corporate training that provides workshops for corporations to improve their internal communications.

Known by the acronym GUTS (Group Unity Training Seminars), the group’s business-education arm seeks to help employees in a company and even students in high schools find solutions working to build their confidence in working as a team.

“The skills that we learn here are very transitional to the corporate world—listening to one another, improving communication skills, and team building,” says Ed Trout, BFA’86, an owner of the group. “In any performance we do—much like a company’s operations—every person functions as part of a larger group. Your work and perspective matters to the group.”

Keith Roach, BA’02, a ComedySportz player and a writer-editor for the IU Office of Creative Services, was talent-spotted after taking one of the group’s workshops. He says that the skills acquired from doing improv helps him in his daytime job.

“There are tenets of improv that have helped me in my writing and injecting a little humor into it,” he says. “Performing with the group is a good outlet for me to express myself, especially when I’m working on a tough project.”

Roach’s passion for improv was nurtured at IU when he attended the intensive freshmen seminars and witnessed an improv group, Pumpernickel, perform at one of the sessions. He auditioned shortly after and performed with it till his junior year before giving it up to focus on school.

With ComedySportz Indianapolis being voted as the site for the World Comedy League Championship, an international ComedySportz competition, the group is set for new heights.

July 2011 will mark the milestone for Trout and company, who will host the games and workshops. ComedySportz teams, comprising more than 200 improvisers from all over the U.S.; Manchester, England; and Berlin, Germany, will gather in Indianapolis for the three-day weekend event.

Bertrand Teo is a senior at IU Bloomington majoring in journalism. He is the editorial intern for the Indiana Alumni Magazine.

CSz Indy takes 3rd place in the World ComedySportz Championship.   Representing Indianapolis were Tim Harrison, Kirk Keevert, David Fuller and Todd Kenworthy.   Team Indianapolis defeated the team from San Antonio Texas.   The home team from Philadelphia beat out Chicago for the victory!   The 2011 Championship will be held in Indianapolis.

Vote for ComedySportz Indianapolis! We’re thrilled to be nominated for the Best Live Comedy! Make us #1 in the Indianapolis area.

You made us #1 last year let’s do it again!

I previously worked for a very large global consulting firm in which we would frequent client sites. “You will find yourself in meetings in which you are asked very difficult questions” my boss told me, “Critical thinking is an essential skill set in our field and it is something every employee here should have”. She told me the best way (besides flat out experience) to develop this skill, was to take an improv class. To her credit, she epitomized ‘out of the box’ thinking.

So I googled Indianapolis improv and came across ComedySportz. I signed up for the level 1 class and quickly discovered that I wasn’t the stellar communicator I thought I was. That class taught me the most basic of improv skills which translated easily not only into my professional life, but into my personal life as well. I found the class to be an immense amount of fun and it was a great opportunity to meet new people and network. Each week’s class would go by too quickly for my liking and I found myself counting the days to the next class.

Naturally, when level 1 ended, I progressed on to level 2 and level 3 which focused a bit more on the performance aspect of improv. ComedySportz has just the right teachers and curriculum for each level. It pushed me to get better without feeling pressured.

I soon realized the stark contrast of improv against my corporate job had become my creative outlet. Due to the nature of improv and the different group each time, I continued taking the higher level classes multiple times. I highly recommend taking these classes for any client-facing employee, or anyone who just wants to have healthy, creative fun on a weekly basis.

- Joe Ottaviano, Carmel, IN

ComedySportz Indianapolis is proud to announce our first FREE FACEBOOK NIGHT performance that will happen July 1st at 7:30PM. Our recent push for fans have landed us over 2000 fans and we figured what better way to give incentive to our fans that to give them a free ComedySportz match.

All of our loyal Facebook fans that reserve a spot for the show will receive  free admission. You MUST be a Facebook fan.  Call our ticket hotline at 317-951-8499 or toll free 866-91-LAUGH to reserve your seats. We have a limited number of seats at the ComedySportz Theatre so don’t miss your chance to see a free show.

Click here if you want to be a Facebook Friend     http://www.facebook.com/indycsz

Once all of our spots have been reserved we will keep a waiting list in case a party is unable to attend the show.