Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company in Sacramento

Headlines March 18th for One Night Only!

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre has two locations- one in New York and the other in Los Angeles.  If you want to see some of the funniest comedians in the business, and your travel plans are not taking you to the Big Apple or Hollywood- don’t despair.   On Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 7:30 PM the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company will be performing at the University Union Ballroom on the campus of California State University, Sacramento.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company is a long form improv comedy show.  According to the UCB web site “In long form improvisation, performers create an entire show consisting of interconnected scenes, characters, and ideas completely made-up on the spot with no pre-planning or pre-writing.”

Carter Edwards, the producer and director of the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company, says the show will be split into two, thirty-five minutes halves.

“The first half will feature an interview with an audience member which will be used as the source of material for the first half of the show.  The second half of the shows is always up to the cast… I always give them as much freedom as they want to play however they feel so that they are having as much fun as possible because that always translates into you having a fun time watching,” stated Edwards.

I asked Carter Edwards about the differences between short form improv shows like the now canceled television show Whose line is it Anyway? compared to long form improv shows like the UCB Touring Company.

“Short form shows play well at regional theatre, at places where there are a lot of families, a lot of old people, and a lot kids, because [short form shows] are friendlier.” Edwards continued, “Long form really lends itself to an academic environment, to colleges, it’s more about the spectacle… it going to go for thirty-five minutes off one idea…  and it depends on the audience. There are some places that don’t want our show because we are not family friendly enough.”

UCB has assembled an all-star team to perform at CSU, Sacramento.  The cast includes Joel Spence, Suzi Barrett, Colton Dunn and Heather Campbell.

All the cast members of this company have television credits.  Colton Dunn was a writer for MadTv.  Joel Spence has made appearances on Burn Notice, H.I.M.Y.M, and Reno 911. Heather Campbell has been seen on MadTv and MTV and Suzi Barrett is the woman inside the elevator on the 1-800-DENTIST Commercials.

As an improv student of UCB I have had the pleasure of seeing all of these performers multiple times in various shows at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles.  Ironically, Joel Spence was my instructor for two of my classes at UCB.  Many of the lessons I learned as a student I now pass on to my students at the Sacramento Comedy Spot. Like UCB Los Angeles, The Sacramento Comedy Spot is the only comedy club in Northern California that features long form improv shows almost every night of the week.

Joel Spence and Suzi Barrett perform weekly at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles in a long form improv group named Sentimental Lady.   Heather Campbell also performs weekly in the improv group Last Day of School and in The Midnight Show, a sketch comedy group which has featured guest hosts including Fred Willard, Andy Richter, and Paul F Tompkins to name a few.  One of Heather’s fellow cast members in The Midnight Show is Sacramento Comedy Spot alum Jeff Sloniker.

The Upright Citizens Brigade was founded by Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh.  They opened the UCB New York Training center in 1997 and the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles in 2005.  The Upright Citizens Brigade had a sketch comedy show on Comedy Central for three seasons from 1998-2000.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is considered by many as an incubator for new comic talent.  Paul Rust who performs regularly at UCB LA was recently in the movie I love you, Beth Cooper and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.  And former Sacramento Comedy Spot performer Betsy Sodaro who has been performing at UCB LA for two years and described as, “the female Chris Farley,” just signed a deal to do a pilot for Comedy Central.  I have never been to a show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles where I did not recognize someone from television or the movies.  Don’t miss your chance to see UCB live in Sacramento.

The Upright Citizens Brigade show is free of charge and is brought to you by the UNIQUE program at California State University, Sacramento and headed by the wonderful Zenia LaPorte and her staff.

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