Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is proud to announce the dates for the 14th Annual Del Close Marathon! This year's marathon will be the last weekend of June: June 29th - July 1st. As before, it will take place on multiple stages. We'll also have awesome special shows during the week leading up to the marathon (June 25th-28th). And all week long we'll be offering special workshops (details forthcoming - stay tuned!). So: If you'd like to submit your team to be a part of... Read More

Review: This Is Not a Sketch Show: A Sketch Show
This clever, self-referential show aims to rent out the UCB Theatre as an apartment.
Matthew Love
Brandon Scott Jones cajoles Jon Gutierrez and Alison Bennett
Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson Hey, reader. Yeah, you: Looking for a nice apartment? You might want to talk to Andy Stevens, the Realtor (and aspiring comedian) who seems to be behind This Is Not a Sketch Show: A Sketch Show. He’s got this really hot property, perfect... Read More

Gotham Magazine January 23, 2012
The Stars of NBC's BFF Make Us Laugh
by Jill Sieracki
photo by Gregg Delman Comediennes Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham met more than a decade ago at New York’s famed improvisational comedy theater the Upright Citizens Brigade, and as St. Clair recalls, came together over a mutual appreciation of sweater sets. Today, their friendship has morphed into a new comedy, BFF, which debuts on NBC this spring. In the show, newly divorced Jessica... Read More

GQ February 2, 2012
Eliza Coupe on the Comedic Origins of Happy Endings, Her Passion for Michael Fassbender, and her Obsession with Ace Ventura
by Mike Ayers In just its second full season, Happy Endings has joined joining the conversation for Funniest Show on Television. For the uninitiated, it follows Modern Family on ABC on Wednesday nights and has a Friends-esque ensemble set-up: three girls, three guys, some ex-lovers, some current lovers. But unlike Friends, there's an... Read More

Grantland January 30, 2012
Grantland Infographic: The TV Comedy Cabal
by Tara Ariano and David T. Cole The hardest-working contemporary comedy icons and the sitcoms that repeatedly employ them When Fox's Breaking In returns for its second season, it will have many challenges to overcome. For one, it's on a network with few live-action comedy hits at the moment, due in part to the fact that it has few non-American Idol time slots available for programming. For another, viewers who see... Read More

Gotham Magazine January 23, 2012
The Stars of NBC's BFF Make Us Laugh
by Jill Sieracki
photo by Gregg Delman Comediennes Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham met more than a decade ago at New York’s famed improvisational comedy theater the Upright Citizens Brigade, and as St. Clair recalls, came together over a mutual appreciation of sweater sets. Today, their friendship has morphed into a new comedy, BFF, which debuts on NBC this spring. In the show, newly divorced Jessica... Read More

One Man's Story of Making Some of the Worst Commercials Ever
Todd Bieber on being amazing at something awful
By David Gianatasio Showing commercials during live theater—has it really come to that? For Todd Bieber, it most definitely has. The filmmaker is launching an advertising-themed one-man show at New York's Uptight Citizens Brigade Theatre, where he also serves as content and production director. In "Commercial Interruption," Bieber shares stories from his "secret life"... Read More

New sketch show, "Key & Peele" premieres on Comedy Central, Tues., Jan 31 at 10:30 PM/9:30 central! "Key & Peele" stars Mad TV alumni Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. The show is executive produced by UCB founding member, Ian Roberts and his writing partner Jay Martel, and the writing staff is comprised almost entirely of UCB performers and alumni, including Colton Dunn, Charlie Sanders, Alex Rubens, Rebecca Drysdale and Sean Conroy! After its premiere, "Key & Peele" will air every... Read More

Variety January 23, 2012
Thesp trio 'Hell'-bound
by Justin Kroll Riggle, Posehn, Nanjiani board animated pic Rob Riggle, Brian Posehn and Kumail Nanjiani have joined the cast of the stop-motion animation laffer "Hell & Back" starring T.J. Miller and Nick Swardson. Tom Gianas and Ross Shuman will helm. Story revolves around two best friends who must rescue their buddy when he's accidentally dragged to hell. Riggle will play a 20-year old who's starting to grow up, much to... Read More

New sketch show, "Key & Peele" premieres on Comedy Central, Tues., Jan 31 at 10:30 PM/9:30 central! "Key & Peele" stars Mad TV alumni Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. The show is executive produced by UCB founding member, Ian Roberts and his writing partner Jay Martel, and the writing staff is comprised almost entirely of UCB performers and alumni, including Colton Dunn, Charlie Sanders, Alex Rubens, Rebecca Drysdale and Sean Conroy! After its premiere, "Key & Peele" will air every... Read More

Elle February 2012
Funny Games
by Nojan Aminosharei
photo by Brigitte Sire Happy Endings' Adam Pally will do anything for a laugh. We love a man who commits Who: Adam Pally, 29 What: As Max, the manic gay perma-slob on ABC's perfectly smart and silly six-friends-in-the-city sitcom Happy Endings, Pally earns every laugh. See: Max downing a meatball sub shirtless to disenchant an infatuated female friend. But, faced with his scruffy, blue-eyed everydude charm, we -- and the... Read More

AV Club January 16, 2012
Interview: Ben Schwartz
by Steve Heisler Ben Schwartz made a big splash on Parks And Recreation when he showed up as Jean-Ralphio, Tom Haverford’s friend and applicant for the job of Ron Swanson’s assistant. But lacking any real assistant skills, Jean-Ralphio promised simply to get Ron into the hottest clubs and pad out his entourage with another over-the-top wingman. That faux-swagger continued each time Schwartz returned to the show, notably in the... Read More

New York Magazine January 24, 2012
Aubrey Plaza on Her Sundance Superhit and Her Murderous Plans Involving Ryan Gosling
by Kyle Buchanan Aubrey Plaza gets a chance to evolve her deadpan persona in Safety Not Guaranteed, a sorta-sci-fi/sorta-rom-com that played at Sundance this week to a gangbusters reception. (Expect a sale soon.) When the movie begins, Plaza's not too dissimilar from her Parks and Recreation character April Ludgate: She plays an undermotivated magazine intern who's... Read More

Elle February 2012
Funny Games
by Nojan Aminosharei
photo by Brigitte Sire Happy Endings' Adam Pally will do anything for a laugh. We love a man who commits Who: Adam Pally, 29 What: As Max, the manic gay perma-slob on ABC's perfectly smart and silly six-friends-in-the-city sitcom Happy Endings, Pally earns every laugh. See: Max downing a meatball sub shirtless to disenchant an infatuated female friend. But, faced with his scruffy, blue-eyed everydude charm, we -- and the... Read More

Deadline January 18, 2012
NBC’s Sarah Silverman Pilot Casts Duo
by Nellie Andreeva EXCLUSIVE: NBC’s untitled Sarah Silverman comedy pilot has cast its first 2 regulars and, like the project’s co-creator/star Silverman herself, they too are comedians-writers. Harris Wittels, who was a writer on Silverman’s Comedy Central series, will play Harris Wittels, a version of himself, in a role created for him. Also cast is June Diane Raphael whose writing credits include the feature... Read More

AV Club January 16, 2012
Interview: Ben Schwartz
by Steve Heisler Ben Schwartz made a big splash on Parks And Recreation when he showed up as Jean-Ralphio, Tom Haverford’s friend and applicant for the job of Ron Swanson’s assistant. But lacking any real assistant skills, Jean-Ralphio promised simply to get Ron into the hottest clubs and pad out his entourage with another over-the-top wingman. That faux-swagger continued each time Schwartz returned to the show, notably in the... Read More

British GQ January 10, 2012
GQ&A: Donald Glover
by Andy Morris If you thought "rapper-turned-actor" rarely ended well, consider the reverse. As anyone who has experienced "the full Joaquin" will tell you, sometimes even the most charismatic on-screen performers work much better with a script rather than a mic. Donald Glover, however, is the exception. A hugely talented comic, the 28-year-old Georgia-born Glover has written for 30 Rock, starred in cult TV hit Community and even... Read More

LA Weekly January 16, 2012
Pirate, Robot or Ninja? UCB Vet Billy Merritt's Theory on the Three Types of Improv Performers
by Stephanie Carrie
photo by Robyn Von Swank There are plenty of theaters, cafés, basements, and even back alleys where you can catch a long form improv show in L.A. these days, with more teams promoting the form than there are jokes about Kim Kardashian. The options for where to risk your $5-$15 to watch an hour of people making stuff up can be really... Read More

Variety January 11, 2012
CollegeHumor enters movie biz
by Jeff Sneider Brad Copeland to direct 'Coffee Town' CollegeHumor Media is getting into the motion picture business, tapping Brad Copeland ("Arrested Development") to make his feature directorial debut with "Coffee Town" a comedy that will star TV thesps Glenn Howerton ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"), Steve Little ("Eastbound & Down") and Ben Schwartz ("House of Lies"), as well as Grammy-winning singer Josh Groban... Read More

Crave Online January 4, 2012
10 Actors to Watch in 2012
by Sax Carr Who’s going to steal the show in 2012? Here are 10 actors whom we feel have the chops. Welcome to CraveOnline’s annual look at actors whom we feel you should keep your eyes on for the next year. This is not a list of the best or most famous actors of all time. Why? Because you already know those people! No, these are the folks who you should add to your list of actors to follow from project to project because... Read More