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The Latest ComedySportz News
We're on MapClicks
Visit their web site to learn more about stuff to do in Portland.
ComedySportz on Oregon Art Beat
Oregon Art Beat featured ComedySportz Portland on November 1, 2007! View the episode online here!
We're Totally Fake!
ComedySportz' Andrew Berkowitz and Herb Spice appeared as fake guests on KATU's AM Northwest show on November 8, 2007. Check out the links!
New Faces - Experienced Talent!
One of the cool things about being part of
the World Comedy League is the opportunity to
trade for players from other teams around the
US and UK. Sometimes contracts are up and
free agents are ready to move; sometimes
players don't fit in with the youth movement
in their city; sometimes, they just need to
find out what's funny in the Pacific
Northwest. We were aggressive on the
player market during 2007, ramping up for a
run at the World Championship in 2008 - in Portland!
This year, you have a chance to see some of
the magic wrought by our General Manager,
Patrick Short.
Jenn "Treasure" Hunter joins us after six
years with the excellent, but now-defunct
ComedySportz-Spokane. She's a powerful
player, a wonderful singer, director and
teacher, and she just taught us a lot about
how to play the game "After School Special."
Jenn hit the field in August, and there's no
looking back. She's a keeper!
Stacey Hallal rejoins us after several years
in Chicago. You might remember Stacey from
the improv groups "Big Belly" and "All Jane
No Dick" here in Portland. She also performs in the
Chicago-based duo Sutton and Hallal. Stacey
worked with several major companies in
Chicago, including iO and Second City. Her first show back
with us was for the Washington State Attorney
General's Office - we didn't get sued, so
she's off and running!
Bob Ladewig arrived from Chicago and has
played a couple of Touring Company Shows with
us already; he's a seven-year
ComedySportz-Chicago veteran and has worked with iO, the Playground, and a number of other
companies as well. He and Stacey Hallal are both founding members of a new theatre
company in Portland, Curious Productions. Jed Resnik also brought the funny from Chicago, and has already become a stalwart of our Touring Company Shows. He looks like Fred Savage.
Jeromy Carssow debuted in 2007, too.
Jeromy is a 10-year veteran from
ComedySportz-San Jose.
Kelsey Famous, a
transplant from the ComedySportz-Los Angeles
Sunday Team, has hit the Pro Team and won accolades from players and audience members alike.
Rumor
has it that another San Jose transplant is
lurking in the territory, but negotiations
continue.
We're continuing to strengthen and expand our
talent pool - all in the service of making
you laugh!
ComedySportz Portland to Host 2008 ComedySportz World Championship!
We are proud to announce that ComedySportz Portland will host the 2008 ComedySportz World Championship! This exciting event will draw top actletes from as far as Manchester, England to Portland's Gerding Theater at the Armory to compete in fast-paced games for the coveted Meaningless Cup. Championship shows take place July 31 and August 1 and 2 at 7 and 9:45 p.m. Tickets go on sale after January 1, 2008. More details to come!
ONE ComedySportz 4 Kidz Shows per Month
Starting June 15, we will offer one ComedySportz 4 Kids show each month, on the third Sunday at 2 p.m.
Thinking People's Theatre Opens Sky Orbison and the Earth Protectors
Our newest play for the K-5th Grade set is touring schools! Sky Orbison and the Earth Protectors is a two-person show (starring a rotating cast of John Dieffenderfer, Angela Michtom, Herb Spice, Manuel Hall and Amy Gray) sponsored by Metro, teaching about reducing, reusing and recycling. Oh, and it's funny. Find out more here, and find out why elementary school students all through the Portland Metro area know more than you do about saving the earth.
Sky Orbison and the Earth Protectors is produced by Thinking People's Theatre, our scripted-play division, under contract with Metro. That's a fancy way of saying that your elementary school might be eligible to get this play for FREE. Check it out!
Visit our MySpace Page
We've for our very own MySpace page. Visit us, friend us, tell us what you want to see on the page and what you want to know about!
ComedySportz Storms L.A.
Portland faced off in June against ComedySportz-Los Angeles in a series of spirited matches at the National Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles. Representing Portland were Sam Whittington, Cat Beckett and Patrick Short, shown below with excellent Audience Volunteer Debbie:
ComedySportz Introduces Loyal Fan Cards
Earn points that you can redeem on gifts, snacks and shows. Get our best rate to every show. And more! Check it out!
ComedySportz Introduces Gift Cards
ComedySportz Portland brings out another option for our fans - the ComedySportz Gift Card! Call us or order online and we'll send you or your giftee a card charged with CSz money to spend on shows, concessions, workshops, pretty much anything we offer. They don't expire, and with registration (again, coming SOON), you're protected against pesky loss and theft.
ComedySportz raises money for Hurricane Relief
We donated 100% of the proceeds from the show on Friday, September
2, to Northwest Medical Teams for hurricane relief, as well as kind
donations from our fans all weekend long. In all, we raised over
$1,400. Learn more...
On October 14, two players from ComedySportz-New Orleans, Arthur Simon
and Chris Trew, visited and played in our show. CSz audiences
helped raise some cash for these homeless improvisors on their "Tour of
Hope".
Shakes in the Park
Our side group ShakesProv,
in partnership with Burgerville and Creature/Seattle, created a series
of faux "Shakespeare in the Parks" events in the Portland/Vancouver
area during September, 2005. The hour long "plays" were
accompanied by samples of Burgerville's Huckleberry Milkshakes, and the
crowds were entertained by all of the elements of the bard's work, plus
amusing product placements, like an "Alas, Poor Yorick" speech to a
consumed shake. We hope to see this project return to area parks in 2007. Best of all, it was FREE!
2005 ComedySportz World Championship
We went to LA, we saw, we did Disneyland, and Ruth J was even interviewed by the LA Times (article no longer available). Portland played Milwaukee in a great match, and LA beat Houston for the title.
Portland's Princess Team (Margie Boule, Betse Green, Angela Schrock and Jennette Zarko) were, we believe, the first all-woman team to play in the Championship Tournament EVER. (It started in 1987.)
Hey! We're 14 Years Old! Now in our 15th Season!
We turned 14 on April 16th, and we're still kicking.
ComedySportz Portland kicked off on April 2, 1993 with a private
show for the Oregon State Thespian Conference, then opened for real on
April 16, 1993, with our first public show. The opening night
lineup? Patrick Short, ref; Ruth Jenkins, Angela Schrock, Amy
Gray, John Dieffenderfer, John Breen, Dave Levesque, Carl Shoemaker and
Denise Howard. Jason Henderson was the sound tech and Mike Short was
our guest on keyboard. Kent McCarty, Ed Ferrero and Charles Brod
played in the second show.What might amaze you? Kent, Amy, Ruth, Angela,
John D, John B, Dave and Patrick are still with our organization.
How cool is that?
Frozen Carrots now available for bookings
In addition to improv, ComedySportz also offers a terrific scripted
show for the K-8 crew and their handlers called Frozen Carrots.
Our own Andrew Berkowitz wrote the play based on a concept by Ruth
Jenkins, with original music and stage direction by Patrick
Short. The world premiere cast was Jennette Zarko, Gretchen
McNeely, Nate Parkes and Ruth Jenkins. Manuel Hall, Amy Gray and Amy Barchini have now joined the cast for the 2006-2007 season.
The play, developed in partnership with Oregon Food Bank, is a
bite-sized musical of 32 minutes that shows the audience that hunger
truly touches them - and that there are very concrete things they can
do about it.
Contact us at 503.236.8888 for more information and to schedule a tour date at your school.
Our Groups Get Invited to Festivals Around the Country
A couple of our "spin off"
groups have found some improv festival success!
Kent and Phil Do It All, our iconoclastic improv duo, played the Seattle Festival of Improv Theatre in February, 2005, at the Historic University Theatre. They went over
big-time. People like these guys and their improvisations.
Eight members of CSz-Portland attended the Southern Improv Festival in New
Orleans, LA, October 13-17, 2004, and came back with some nice dialects, a
new appreciation of slushies and a bevy of terrific experiences.
Directed by
Betse Green, the Screaming Mee-Mees closed the Saturday Night slate of shows with a Rock
Opera, based on the single suggestion of Halloween. The 40 minute
performance featured Margie Boule, Jennette Zarko, Jenny Criglar, Mary
Pat McCoy, Nate Parkes and Patrick Short, in addition to Green and
keyboardist Knute Snortum. After the lights went down on the
final number, the group was treated to a thundering standing ovation
from the crowd. Festival organizer Yvonne Landry called the
Mee-Mees show "amazing!"
Our group also performed a ComedySportz show on Friday night of the
Festival, showing the format to a group of folks who became the
next new ComedySportz team - CSz-New Orleans! Some great
workshops were taught and taken, many new friendships formed, and we
also offered some free customer service workshops to the TSA and United
folks at SFO on the way home.
We were scheduled to return to New Orleans in October, 2005, but that has been pushed back awhile. We WILL visit again!
The Screaming Mee-Mees
also played to Seattle, in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Market
Theatre. Comments included, "OK, how much of this is improvised?"
(every note, including the keyboards and sax) and "You guys did 4 and 5
part harmonies without planning them!" Yes, and we danced, too. The Mee-Mees also performed at the prestigious Chicago Improv Festival in late April, 2005.
Fan Forums let fans talk back
Fans of
ComedySportz can talk to ComedySportz players and management through
the all-new Fan Forums. These forums, for ComedySportz worldwide and
individual cities, let our loyal fans ask questions, give advice and
have their say in all things ComedySportz. Check 'em out!
"My Oregon Story" Web site features ComedySportz
 The "Brand Oregon" Web site features the Oregon Story of ComedySportz
founders Patrick Short and Ruth Jenkins and how Oregon has been a vital
part of our success. Visit the site to read our Oregon Story and learn
more about why Oregon loves dreamers.
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