ucb

august 4th, comedy show, connor ratlif, curtis gwinn, d'arcy carden, franklin village, george lucas talk show, hollywood, los angeles, neil casey, talk show, ucb, ucb franklin, what to do

Connor Ratliff embodies a version of renowned director George Lucas that would want to host a talk show, hence The George Lucas Talk Show. NYC has gotten to enjoy this for quite some time, but Ratliff is having a special engagement of The George Lucas Talk Show at UCB Franklin on Thursday, August 4th at 9:30PM.

As pictured above, his guests will be:
Neil Casey (Ghostbusters, Other Space)
D’arcy Carden (The Good Place, Other People, Broad City)
Curtis Gwinn (The Leftovers, The Walking Dead, Narcos)

Tickets are $5 and you can (and should) get them here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows/events as well as open mics and maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

UCB’s “Mother Mary” Continues to Give Great, Modern Twist on Birth of Christ Story

betsy sodaro, drew tarver, mother mary, paul welsh, ucb

The very progressive, modern take on the birth of Christ in Casey Feigh and Dan Gregor’s Mother Mary web series continues to be a pretty great formula, especially with Betsy Sodaro starring.

See for yourself in the two latest episodes where they look for Mary’s “Joseph” and actually go through with the birth of Christ.

comedy shows, hollywood, los angeles, seeso, tapings, ucb, ucb show, ucb sunset, upright citizens brigade

UCB’s best and brightest are getting another round at Seeso as there are another set of tapings for The UCB Show.

Tickets are available for tapings on:
Thursday, August 4th, 6PM and 9PM
Friday, August 5th, 6PM and 9PM
Saturday, August 6th, 6PM and 9PM
Sunday, August 7th, 6PM and 9PM

The rest of our listings for comedy shows/events as well as open mics and maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Casey Feigh and Dan Gregor Give a Very Modern Day Twist to Birth of Christ in “Mother Mary” Starring Betsy Sodaro

betsy sodaro, casey feigh, dan gregor, drew tarver, mother mary, ucb, web series

UCB Digital’s latest and greatest web series Mother Mary comes from Casey Feigh and Dan Gregor and puts a very 21st century, more feminist twist on the story of the birth of Christ.

Betsy Sodaro, as you’ll notice, is pretty fantastic as a “give-no-f*cks” type of Mary.

Watch all four episodes now, right here.

comedy show, hollywood, june 8th, los angeles, musical comedy, the cooties, ucb, ucb sunset, upright citizens brigade, what to do

The Cooties are a great band/musical comedy act that, we’d say, paint with all the colors of comedy. This Friday will be their latest engagement and you shouldn’t miss out.

Get tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows/events as well as open mics and maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Seeso Renews ‘The UCB Show’ for Second Season and Is Now Streaming “Thank You Del”

del close marathon, now streaming, renewed, seeso, thank you del, ucb, ucb show, upright citizens brigade

All of this was announced while The Del Close Marathon, one of the biggest annual events that UCB is involved in, was happening.

This week, The Upright Citizens Brigade has already signed a deal with Universal Cable Partners. Now, on top of that, Seeso has just announced that they have ordered another season of The UCB Show featuring the best and brightest to come straight from UCB’s four theaters.

On top of all of that, there is a documentary, “Thank You Del”, covering the history of the improv institution known as The Del Close Marathon that’s now streaming on Seeso.

So, it’s been quite a week for UCB.

UCB Signs First Look Deal with Universal Cable Productions

amy poehler, first look deal, ian roberts, matt besser, matt walsh, nbc universal, ucb, universal cable productions, upright citizens brigade

This is one of UCB’s biggest deals yet.

Throughout movies and television, you can see the influence that the Upright Citizens Brigade has had on comedy over the last several years. Not only are founders Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts doing well for themselves, but the alumni of the UCB brand are probably in all of your favorite things to watch or maybe running them from behind the scenes.

Now, with signing a first look deal with NBC Universal’s Universal Cable Productions, you’re going to see even more of UCB folk on TV. Shows for the vast array of cable networks under NBC Universal’s banner (including USA, Oxygen, Esquire, E!, Bravo, Telemundo, and many more) will be developed by UCB.

Already they’ve got five shows in the works ranging from a haunted house mockumentary to an overwrought satire of a sorority house to a TV adaptation of We Can Fix You featuring the likes of Besser, Roberts, Jeff Hiller, Pam Murphy, Betsy Sodaro, Horatio Sanz, Laura Grey, Megan Stein, and more.

Latest Episodes of Great Minds with Dan Harmon Have John Wilkes Booth Play Lincoln and Buddha Do Product Placement

andy dick, dan harmon, danny pudi, history channel, john wilkes booth, lincoln, matt besser, product placement, siddhartha, spencer crittenden, ucb

Dan Harmon’s short form series Great Minds at History Channel’s Night Class returned with more to take some delightful license with bringing historical figures to the present day and put them (as well as Dan) into morally and ethically comprising situation to humor the rest of us.

The latest episodes that have Danny Pudi play a Buddha who gets drawn into product placement and Andy Dick play a John Wilkes Booth that’s coerced into playing Lincoln accomplish this quite well.

comedy show, cool shit weird shit, drew spears, ele woods, experimental comedy, franklin village, gong show, hollywood, hollywood hills, june 3rd, los angeles, matthew brian cohen, midnight, ucb, what to do

Cool Shit/Weird Shit avoids sketch, stand-up, or improv and, instead, aims for comedy that lives up to its name. This edition will feature a gong a la, presumably, The Gong Show.

Get your tickets for $5 here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows/events as well as open mics and corresponding maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

casey feigh, comedy show, diary, erin mcgathy, hollywood, jackie tohn, june 1st, kate willett, lindsay ames, los angeles, nichole bagby, rosa salazar, storytelling, ucb, ucb sunset, what to do

Get tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows/events as well as open mics and corresponding maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Heather Anne Campbell Might End Up Breaking the UCB Cagematch Record She Helped Set

heather & miles, heather anne campbell, hebecky drysbell, improv cagematch, rebecca drysdale, ucb, upright citizens brigade

Simply put, Heather Anne Campbell (who just happens to be on the new Whose Line Is It Anyway?) is one of the best improvisors around right now.

At any comedy theatre that hosts improv comedy (especially long form improv), there is usually some sort of “cagematch” that pits improv teams of that theatre/school against each other and having the winner advance or return to face another competitor The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre has had a long tradition of doing this on a weekly basis in the theaters that they have on either coast. Also, at UCB, if your team loses, your run is over (i.e. go undefeated or bust).

In LA, the record for Cagematch wins is 50 (that’s almost an entire year of consecutively winning) currently held by the improv duo Heather & Miles. That record is about to get challenged by another improv duo, Hebecky Drysbell, which is currently at 49 wins.

An interesting twist to this historic Cagematch coming up is that one Heather Anne Campbell (whose work currently spans The Midnight Show, Fox ADHD, Party Over Here, and way more) is on both teams. Heather is the ‘Heather’ in Heather & Miles (Miles is another fantastic veteran improvisor Miles Stroth) and she is also one half of Hebecky Drysbell (Rebecca Drysdale, also another fantastic improvisor and writer on Key & Peele, is the other half).

So, next Wednesday at UCB Franklin, Heather will be playing both sides and simultaneously trying to break and defend her own seemingly untouchable Cagematch record. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the show is already sold out. However, per usual at UCB, there will be a stand by line on the night of.

If you can’t go to the Del Close Marathon in NYC this year, this might be the one of the big improv events to catch on this side of the country.

18th Annual Del Close Marathon Announces Line-Up and Schedule

The names on the flyer are only a fraction of the flocks upon flocks of teams and performers that will be performing in NYC for the literally non-stop Del Close Marathon from Fri. June 24th-Sun. June 26th (i.e. shows will be happening for 24 hours a day the whole weekend).

Take a gander at the whole routinely massive line-up and schedule right here.

Individual tickets are now on sale, but passes won’t be available until the actual DCM begins.

Maria Bamford Recording Her Latest Album “20%” Later This Month

album recording, maria bamford, ucb, ucb franklin

Thursday, May 26th to be specific.

Maria Bamford is going to make this a banner year as Lady Dynamite is premiering next week May 20th and is recording a new hour that we’ll all be able to make our lives better with the week after that.

She’s recording her new album 20% at UCB Franklin from two shows on May 26th at 7PM and 8:15PM. The 8:15PM show is currently sold out, but you can buy tickets for the 7PM for now.

Get your tickets while you still can.

Get Emily Maya Mills’ Debut Comedy Album “By a Thread”

a special thing, ast records, comedy album, emily maya mills, stand up, ucb

Nearly all comedians talk about their parents in some form or fashion. Not all comedians’ parents happen to be hippies of the highest degree.

Emily Maya Mills’ folks were as hippie as you can possibly imagine, which has colored her comedy in a great way, especially since she has taken her life in a decidedly different direction from her parents. Her debut album By a Thread off of AST Records is a great, personal introduction to Emily and her life after a childhood of being made to be in touch with nature.

Just listen to how she demystifies Coachella in this preview.

Get By a Thread from AST Records or off iTunes.

One of the best and longest running sketch shows at UCB here in LA is The Midnight Show. We just love how consistently dark and fast paced all of their sketches are and any of show of theirs is always worth catching.

Speaking of which, their May 2016 edition, May 7th, this Saturday at midnight, will have Chris Fairbanks hosting at UCB Franklin.

Get your tickets for $5 here.

The Midnight Show is written/performed by:
Heather Anne Campbell (FOX ADHD, Adult Swim, SNL)
Joe Chandler (American Dad, Napoleon Dynamite)
Stephen Hale (One Too Many Mornings, Californication)
Jeff Kauffmann (Welcome to The Jungle, American Dad)
Eric Moneypenny (FOX ADHD, Adult Swim)
Curtis Rainsberry (Key & Peele, Tosh.0, Jimmy Kimmel Live)
Hal Rudnick (Screenjunkies, Community)
Jeff Sloniker (Silicon Valley, Parks & Rec, TripTank)
Nic Wegener (American Dad, Napoleon Dynamite)

Executive Produced by The Midnight Show, LLC
Directed by Joe Wagner
Executive Assistant for Production/Announcer: Frank Howley

The rest of our listings for comedy shows/events and open mics along with corresponding maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

brooke van poppelen, comedy shows, first set, first time doing stand up, franklin village, giulia rozzi, hollywood, hollywood hills, jake weisman, jason saenz, los angeles, sabrina jalees, stand up, ucb

Tickets are $5 and you can (and should) get them here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows/events and open mics along with corresponding maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com

comedy shows, franklin village, hal rudnick, justin donaldson, los angeles, tournament of nerds, ucb, upright citizens brigade, who would win a fight

Those age-old debates that would attempt to determine which fictional character would win over another fictional character get settled once for all at Justin Donaldson and Hal Rudnick’s The Tournament of Nerds. Comedians dress up as various characters from different origins of all kinds and fiercely present their case for being victorious in a fight. To show how you unpredictable that can be, Garfield out debated Jon Snow the last time we went.

At midnight on Saturday March 19th, Tournament of Nerds will actually have the first all-female edition of their long running debate show featuring:

Lindsay Katai
Gilli Nissim
Ele Woods
Robin Higgins
Lilan Bowden
Gina Ippolito
Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Lesley Tsina
Joan Ford
Cassi Jerkins
& more!

Please go get your tickets soon as this show always sells out.

The rest of our listings for shows and mics as well as corresponding maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com

UCB is Launching a UCB Podcast Network Next Week

February 20, 2016

ucb, ucb podcast network, upright citizens brigade

(via Splitsider)

UCB alums and regulars are some of the biggest and brightest stars on podcasts like Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus and it’s only natural that Upright Citizens Brigade expands its brand to include a podcast network.

Starting next week, The UCB Digital Podcast, Ménage â Trois Radio, and Blank Check with Griffin & David will be The Hooray Show with Horatio Sanz, the return of Matt Walsh’s Bear Down podcast, The UCB LongForm Podcast, and podcast version of live stand-up show GENTRIFY!

With plenty of talent reserves to draw from, don’t be surprised to see the UCB Podcast Network grow very quickly.

Adam McKay Talks the Early Days of His Comedy Career as Well as The Crazed Stunts He Pulled When UCB Started

December 10, 2015

adam mckay, late show, stephen colbert, ucb, upright citizens brigade

Now an acclaimed director, Adam McKay used to be part of the early days of the Upright Citizens Brigade and, as such, used to pull some pretty ballsy pranks, especially for a time when the UCB 4 was just getting started.

Watch McKay go into detail with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show.

Watch James Adomian and Drew Droege’s BiPartisan Presidential Debate Live from UCB

In real life or in parody, you’re probably not going to get a better bipartisan presidential debate than this one recorded live at UCB Franklin this week. It was put on by the amazing James Adomian and Drew Droege, appropriately called Decision Election 2016 All-Star Clusterf*ck with:

James Adomian as Sen. Bernie Sanders
Drew Droege as Carly Fiorina
Heather Anne Campbell as Sec. Hillary Clinton
Seth Morris as Gov. Lincoln Chafee
Fortune Feimster as Donald Trump
Ian Karmel as Gov. Chris Christie
Ryan Perez as Sen. Ted Cruz
Chris Schleicher as Gov. Martin O’Malley
Daniel Van Kirk as Gov. Jeb Bush
Jerry Minor as Dr. Ben Carson
Mike Still as Gov. Mike Huckabee
Veronica Osorio as Sen. Marco Rubio
Neil Casey as moderator

If you’re feeling conflicted about watching SNL tonight because of Trump, watching this will more than make up for it.

Watch James Adomian as Bernie Sanders Debate Anthony Atamanuik as Donald Trump

October 18, 2015

anthony atamanuik, bernie sanders, donald trump, james adomian, parody, presidential debate, ucb, whiplash

While this actual debate of Sanders vs. Trump may never happen, it’s certainly pretty great to see two of the best impressions of presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump done by James Adomian and Anthony Atamanuik, respectively.

The two character versions of Sanders and Trump got to debate head-to-head during Whiplash at UCB NY and this highlight reel is pretty much everything you’d hope it be.

Watch the Finale to “Life Support” and See What You Should Do About Crappy Self-Help Books

September 24, 2015

brinkman, chet siegel, dru johnston, jason shebiro, laura willcox, life support, ucb, web series

The conclusion to the great web series from UCB’s Brinkman, Life Support, was just posted today.

If you’ve ever felt lost by following a self-help book, you might enjoy how this support group handled the destructive, problematic self-help book they follow.

Watch and take cues here.

You can and should watch the rest of the series here.

Confronting Your Ex Probably Goes Way Better Than the Latest Episode of “Life Support”

September 9, 2015

brinkman, chet siegel, dru johnston, laura willcox, life support, ucb

The latest episode from Brinkman’s Life Support web series has the shaky self-help group in perhaps taking the suggestion to confront your ex a little too far.

Watch and learn here.

Watch New Dramedy Web Series from UCB’s Brinkman “Life Support”

September 2, 2015

chet siegel, dru johnston, jason shebiro, laura willcox, life support, support group, ucb, upright citizens brigade

UCB’s Brinkman that specializes in longer form, more dramedy focused series and shorts have come up with their latest web series Life Support, following a support group that is really hanging by the thread of reading an iffy support book together.

Starring Dru Johnston, Laura Willcox, Chet Siegel with the concept by Jason Shebiro, it’ll give you a good laugh and definitely make you feel less alone than you probably aware that you are.

Start watching it here.

Fusion Launches “F-Comedy” Digital Comedy Studio

3 arts, f-comedy, fusion, the stand, ucb

One by one, more comedy networks now are getting their own digital arm.

Comedy Central has CC:Studios, Fox has FoxADHD, IFC has Comedy Crib, and now Fusion has just launched their digital online comedy studio “F-Comedy”.

They’ll be partnering with the YouTube Space, UCB, 3 Arts, NYC’s The Stand and more to bring a bunch of new original, short form content that’s hopefully in the wheelhouse that they’ve been building with No, You Shut Up! with Paul F. Tompkins and The Chris Gethard Show.