As playoff action heats up the ice at TD Garden, and a new World Series pennant rises at Fenway Park, two more Boston teams are gearing up for the long-anticipated arrival of Spring and a crack at the big leagues.
Put a sporting twist on TV's "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and you have ComedySportz Boston (CSzBos), where two teams of improvisational "Actletes" compete for laughs, points, and every night, the Stanley Cup's lesser-known cousin-the Meaningless Trophy. Like any championship league, matches rely on Loyal Fanz in the audience to offer suggestions, and a referee calls any fouls and keeps the action moving.
This spring, after six months of successful weekends at Somerville's Davis Square Theatre, CSzBos broadens its horizons with its first "downtown" matches and an upcoming multi-city team tournament/benefit. For the full match calendar, tickets and updates visit comedysportzboston.com.
On April 10 the "actletes " take the action to Boston's Financial District, with matches at Dick Doherty's Comedy Den, 184 High Street in Boston's Financial District. Back at Davis Square Theatre, ComedySportz Boston hosts teams from New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. for a Boston Marathon Improv Tournament and Benefit during the April 18-19 weekend. A portion of proceeds go to the Sean Collier Memorial Scholarship Fund. On the road again on May 3, CSzBos performs a free 'pop-up travel' show at the Oak Square YMCA, co-sponsored by Brighton Main Streets and the YMCA of Greater Boston. And never forgetting any athlete's or "actlete's" #1 fan is (usually) Mom, the teams return to Davis Square Theatre on May 11 for a Mother's Day brunch and match, part of the 2014 Women in Comedy Festival.
The ComedySportz Boston team is led by
Jason Burke (Director/Performer) and features
Matt Bistany, Ben Moser,
Todd Page, Beth Kaufman,
Francesca Villa, Danny Balel,
Andrew Barlow,
Jonathan Barron,
Matt Aromando,
Sam McCarty,
Ethan Selby,
Daniel Houbrick, and
Ben Lewis. New recruits this Spring include Danielle Andruskiwec, Taylor Cotter, Joseph Gels, Chris Kaufman (married to Beth), Tim Lanning, and Lauren Magnuson.
Comedy Sportz Boston is the newest venture for entrepreneur
David Goldstein, who launched and managed the very successful Mystery Cafe (1988), Boston Chocolate Tours (1998), and TeamBonding (2002). ComedySportz is part of the World Comedy League, which consists of about 24 ComedySportz venues around the world. ComedySportz Boston is an independently owned business licensed by World Comedy League, Inc. The players are paid professionals who trained in our workshops and classes. Many of them have many years of experience; some have played since the founding in 1984. For more information on the parent company, please visit www.newenglandfun.com.
