ComedySportz San Jose

Use Your Loyal Fan Card Online

Jeff — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 02:08:31 +0000

Did you know you can now use your loyal fan card online to earn points and free tickets? The next time you buy tickets online, click the link labeled “loyal fan card” when you go to check out. Enter the number on the back of your card (all of them) and your card will now be linked to your account. You’ll earn 50 points for every ticket you buy and you can redeem 250 points for a free ticket any time! Don’t have a loyal fan card yet? Ask the house manager the next time you come down to CSz and they’ll hook you up!

Battle of the Sexes Feb. 15 – 16

Jeff — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 02:01:14 +0000

Last year the Men of ComedySportz won 2 out of 3 matches and this year the Ladies are out for revenge and they’re not above cheating to do it. Join us this weekend for our annual Battle of the Sexes shows where the women take on the men. It’s Venus vs. Mars, Adam vs. Eve, X vs. Y – you get the idea.

What we’re thankful for – drum(stick) roll please…

Pong — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:29:39 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving, Loyal Fanz! Before the tryptophan kicks in, a few CSz playerz want to share some gratitude with you – let us know your own in the comments!

Have a safe and wonderful holiday,

Courtney | @CourtneyPong

—

“I am thankful that I have clever friends who will play “Cards Against Humanity” with me until we are sore and crying from laughter and at least one of us has thrown up a little bit. And I have a wife and daughter too, and they are pretty cool.” - David Scott

“I am thankful for the friends, family, and doggies in my life. And hugs. Also, caramel apples.” – Marisa Hankins

“I am thankful for the unflinching and unconditional love of my dogs, spellcheck and the great friends and fans at ComedySportz San Jose. Oh yeah, and TV show The Walking Dead.” – Michael Wilcoxen

“This year I’m thankful for what I’ve been able to do and accomplish. I’ve created a new sketch show at CSz with some of my closest friends, and have challenged myself to make the next show even better. I’m thankful to be in a position that allows me the freedom and creativity to make that happen.” – Jimmy Snell

“I’m thankful for not being quoted in this blog post.” – Drew Simchik

“I’m thankful for a boss who trusts me. I’m also thankful for the upcoming snowboarding season since the weather is supposed to be much more snowy than last year (bring on the “pow-pow”)! Last but not least, I’m majorly thankful for my extended ComedySportz family – Loyal Fanz and playerz alike.” – Brianne Kostielney

I am thankful that my kid is too short to reach my candy dish on top of the fridge.
I am thankful that the day after Halloween candy is cheaper.
I am thankful that the day after Valentine’s Day candy is cheaper.
I am thankful that the day after Easter candy is cheaper.
I am thankful that my dentist is a kind, understanding woman who does her best, even though it might just not be good enough.
I am thankful that my insurance agent says they can’t cover all my dental expenses, and shows me the value of a dollar.
I am thankful that my therapist tells me to just “get over” my anger at my dentist and insurance agent.
I am thankful that my car trunk can hold three bodies.” - Nathan Diehl

“I’m thankful for a God that loves me and takes care of me no matter what happens.” - Lil

“I’m thankful for my family and especially for the three little rascals (a.k.a my niece and nephews). I’m thankful for good health and independence. I’m thankful that I get to stretch my creative muscle and constantly be blown away by the funny of the CSz San Jose playerz… Play on playaz!” – Lilach Levinkron

Free ComedySportz tickets and corporate training? Yes, please!

Pong — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:29:33 +0000

Extra, Extra, Read All About It! Enter to win free ComedySportz tickets AND a one-hour corporate training giveaway!

Read how player/teacher/refs Courtney Pong and Scott Schroder morphed their San Jose State University education into careers AND improvisation! Thank CEO Jeff Kramer for explaining how improv can help you in business! Marvel at the three faces of player/ref Andy Alder! Witness referee Sam Neipp throw his hands in the air, like he just don’t care!

Oh yeah, the free stuff: Check out the just-published Washington Square Magazine article “Naked on a High Wire” by player Karin McKie at http://issuu.com/sjsu/docs/wsq_fall2012 – free ticket and training contest info on p. 20.

It will be awesome!

I Cans Write, And So Does You

Jimmy — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 15:00:16 +0000

This Saturday, ComedySportz cast members will debut Forever Alone - A Sketch Comedy Revue, a show that is written and performed by a little group we put together called the Laughingstock Sketch Co. This show is the culmination of five months of (sometimes grueling) writing, re-writing, and rehearsals. With our debut so close at hand, I took a moment this week to sit back and reflect on some of the things I’ve learned in crafting this show from scratch.

When I sat down to write for the very first time, I wound up staring at a blank computer screen for an hour before I gave up and moved on to something else. Writing was daunting. As an improviser, I am used to creating things in the moment, with other people; not sitting in a chair, making up something by myself. What if the things I wrote were terrible? What if I ran out of ideas? And so, I froze. When I tried again the next week, the same thing happened. It was my secret shame: a vicious cycle of frustration, guilt, and procrastination.

One of my favorite quotes about writing sketch (which isn’t saying much because, as you can imagine, there are very few quotes about sketch-writing) comes from Chris Earle, one of the most popular directors from the Toronto Second City. From his essay “How to Bottle Lightning for Fun and Profit”:

“Writing from improv was the way I’d spent a lot of my childhood: thinking up silly little scenarios and playing them out with my siblings in our parents’ basement; classic scenes like Cops and Robbers, Zombies from Space, and of course House. We just never bothered to write the scripts down afterward … In one sense, all writing is improv.”

Suddenly, writing sketch wasn’t the exercise in self-doubt that it had been before, but merely an extension of a craft I had been honing my entire life.

In the early writing stages of Forever Alone, I discovered that, like quotes about sketchwriting, there’s little written information available to a director or performer looking to put together a sketch show. As such, a lot of our initial decisions were shots in the dark, aiming to hit a target that was five months in the future. Mistakes were made. But through this process of trial and error, I’ve learned three tenets that I think are valuable to anybody starting on their sketch-writing journey:

1) Write
Writing has a stigma attached to it. The idea that writing is sitting, pen in hand, in front of paper, and having to pull a story out of the aether is scary. Writing, however, is a skill. And just like any skill, it takes practice to get better. The more you force yourself to write, the easier it becomes. Once you start practicing, the next step is to…

2) Write What You Know

One of the most oft repeated bits of wisdom about writing sketch is to carry a notebook with you and write down any ideas for sketches that sneak into your head during the day. When you write about what you know, the writing is more truthful, genuine, and, frankly, better. Eventually, you build trust with yourself that other people will share your sense of humor, too. Soon you’ll have a large batch of genuine, honest sketches. But…

3) Don’t Get Attached

For every five to eight sketches that you write, only about one will be strong enough to make it into the rewriting and rehearsal stage. That means for a show with 10-15 sketches in it, there are about 120 sketches that didn’t make the cut. You have to be willing to let your ideas go.

All three of these tenets require an immense amount of trust between you and your group. Once you’ve built that trust, you have the foundation of a show. The show itself becomes more than just a collection of sketches: it becomes a showcase of the personalities in your group.

The process of putting together Forever Alone has involved a lot of hard work, collaboration, and long hours. The end result is a show that I am immensely proud of. I hope that you can come and experience just a little bit of the joy that we found in creating it.

Jimmy “Hero in a Half” Snell

CSz cast members Sam Bowers, Courtney Pong, Jimmy Snell and Brandon Arnold

25 Years of Thanks

Pong — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 04:45:06 +0000

All right, we’ll say it: 25 years in the Silicon Valley has left us misty-eyed. These days, for a small business to hit the quarter of a century mark, it means a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into keeping the lights on and the seats warm. Fast forward to today and we can’t stop grinning when we get to say “the longest-running show in the Silicon Valley.” We’re downright flattered with the kind and celebratory words that have been said about us leading up to the big days.

Of the lessons we’ve learned over the years (for instance, Falafel’s Drive In has the best banana milkshakes), perhaps one of the most valuable is that it takes a community to support a business – and for that we will forever be grateful for the one that has sustained us since September 1987. It’s the reason we are able to celebrate this (joyous and fairly emotional) milestone. The weekend of September 13 – 15 will not only be a celebration of 25 years of laughs, Playerz past and present, and Loyal Fanz from day one and forward, but it’s a chance to to give back to the community that has seen us through and had a collective hand in keeping our doors open.

We’ve partnered with three Silicon Valley nonprofits: Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, Second Harvest Food Bank and the YMCA’s Project Cornerstone. When purchasing your tickets for the matches, you’ll see an option to donate a flat amount – we hope you’ll consider doing so. There will be donation information and envelopes at the ComedySportz Box Office too.

Clean out your pantry! We will also have food collection barrels from Second Harvest in the ComedySportz lobby, up at the ticket counter. When you make your way down here, any donation of nonperishable items scores you a sweet deal: A voucher good for 20% off your next ComedySportz ticket order. Visit http://www.shfb.org/donateitems for a list of item donation ideas and guidelines.

Last but not least, a HUGE shout out to our neighbors and generous sponsor: The Fairmont San Jose. They’re also celebrating 25 years in the Silicon Valley this year and are the official hotel of the ComedySportz Anniversary Weekend. Thank you, Fairmont! 25 years old and you don’t look a day over dapper.

Thanks again, Loyal Fanz. We can’t wait for you to join us in the festivities – see you very soon!

Courtney
@CourtneyPong

Improv, HuffPo and the rise of MST3K

Pong — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:37:15 +0000

Happy late August, Loyal Fanz! (That’s a thing, right?) If you’re doing the math, we not only have one show at the ComedySportz theater, but FOUR now: ComedySportz, Much Improv About Nothing, The Midnight Show and the newest, Down In Front, the improvised b-movie experience in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000. That’s right – not only is the live commentary unscripted and improvised, but so is the b-movie. Quite serendipitous to us, the concept of the show is easier to explain these days since when we first saw it in Portland, because of the generous uptick in this style of live comedy popping up all over the country. A recent Huffington Post article pointed out this trend last week following the RiffTrax simulcast of “Manos: The Hands of Fate.” In the interview with Joel Hodgson, the creator of “Mystery Science Theater,” Hodgson noted:

“It’s very peculiar, but something has changed. People have accepted it as its own comedic art form; It’s one of the things on the menu if you want to be funny.”

According to the article, comedy clubs and movie theaters from all over the U.S. are hosting these “sanctioned shout-fests” (the writer’s words, not ours), holding tight to the traditional style of MST3K, where comedians and comedy troupes perform scripted material to a showing of old and/or horrendous films already made. Us? We just wanted to debut more fun shows at the CSz theater and offer more live comedy options in the South Bay - hence our all-improvised version.

What does this mean for you? There’s probably no better time than now to come check out our fully-improvised spin on the cancelled cult classic and see what all the buzz is about. Come to find out, we’re not the only ones who are interested in finding more chuckle options in San Jose – check out Gary Singh’s “Silicon Alley” column in the Metro. You can see Down In Front perform every second Saturday of the month, in the 9:30 p.m. spot.

Now, if you diligently read this whole post, you’ll notice I mentioned that we’ve been wanting to debut “more fun shows.” True to our word, we still have more in the pipeline. Next on tap from us: Sketch Comedy.

That’s (almost) all we can say for now, but we’ll leave you with this: Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 22nd.

Until then,

Courtney “Shook Me All Night” Pong
@CourtneyPong

: The cast of Down In Front – (Top Row) Sam Bowers, Lilach Levinkron, Drew Simchik and Tara Paulson; (Bottom Row) Courtney Pong, Chris Scharmen, Brianne Kostielney and Kevin O’Shea

New Schedule Begins in August!

Jeff — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 22:34:24 +0000

August kicks off our new schedule with our late night lineup moving from Fridays to Saturdays:

ComedySportz remains Fridays at 9pm and Saturdays at 7pm. Our Friday 11pm show moves to Saturdays at 9:30pm and will feature a different long-form improv show each week! Here’s the schedule for August:

August 4 - Much Improv About Nothing - Our improvised Shakespeare show.

August 11 - The Midnight Show - Two different long-form formats in each show

August 18 - Down In Front - A “B” movie created on the spot while two improvisers add snide comments.

August 25 - The Midnight Show

Saturday 9:30 shows are for adults ages 18 and over. Tickets are only $10!

New Schedule

Jeff — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 22:09:21 +0000

August kicks off our new schedule with our late night lineup moving from Fridays to Saturdays:

Fridays at 9pm – ComedySportz

Saturdays at 7pm – ComedySportz

Saturdays at 9:30pm

A different long-form improv show each week! Here’s the schedule for August:

August 4 – Much Improv About Nothing – Our improvised Shakespeare show.

August 11 – The Midnight Show - Two different long-form formats in each show

August 18 – Down In Front - A “B” movie created on the spot while two improvisers add snide comments.

August 25 - The Midnight Show

Saturday 9:30 shows are for adults ages 18 and over. Tickets are only $10!

Down in Front – Free Preview on Saturday July 14

Jeff — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:07:10 +0000

If you love movies that are so bad they’re good, you won’t want to miss Down in Front. This all-improvised show uses audience suggestions to create a B-movie on the spot, while two improvisers sit back to watch and let their commentary and jokes rip. You can check out a free preview on Saturday July 14 at 9:30pm. Free tickets are available by clicking here.
This show is limited to ages 18 and over.