ComedySportz (CSz) is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green, and others.
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Match format
The traditional format of a ComedySportz match features two teams of improvisational performers (players), competing in various improv games and performing scenes with audience members judging the results and awarding points. In every match, a CSz referee monitors the action, awarding points, and administering fouls as necessary. The flavor is somewhat like the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, though the ComedySportz organization precedes that show's debut by 4 years. The CSz format is a higher-energy, more varied, and more sports-oriented version of the Theatresports format, which preceded ComedySportz by 7 years.
ComedySportz penalties (put in place for the audience's benefit) include:
Although the image of competition is maintained, the teams are often dynamic, with rosters depending on which player (many of whom have other occupations) are available for a match at any given time, and match outcomes are not pre-determined as audience voting/selected judges decide the winner.
Organization
CSz Worldwide and ComedySportz are licensed by the World Comedy League Incorporated. There are over 23 cities with licensed ComedySportz organizations, most in the United States. In recent years, ComedySportz has been licensed in Manchester, England (although this team originated in Chorley, Lancashire) and Berlin, Germany.
Most ComedySportz cities operate their own "arenas," some with theatre type settings, others as nightclubs. Few (including ComedySportz Milwaukee) have their very own bar and restaurant. The clean content and audience focused nature of the ComedySportz match allows CSz groups to perform thousands of road shows for corporate, college, church, school, and association clients each year; most CSz groups also lead corporate team-building workshops. In addition, players from some cities coach ComedySportz high school and middle school leagues, in which students perform in shows similar to those seen at the "professional" level.
World Championship
Teams meet annually at the ComedySportz World Championship for a competitive tournament, training, and exchange of artistic, marketing, and organizational ideas. The location of the tournament rotates among the member cities. The first World Championship, August 4–7, 2004, also served as the Grand Opening for Milwaukee's all-new ComedySportz Arena at 420 South 1st Street in Milwaukee. In 2009, the World Championship returned to Milwaukee for the 25th anniversary celebration, and returned again in 2014 to celebrate both its 30th anniversary and rebranding of the logo.
Prior to 2004, this mostly annual event was billed as the "ComedySportz National Tournament."
The Quad Cities hosted the most recent World Championship, from June 9 to 13, 2015. Indianapolis, IN will host the 2016 World Championship.