Tomato Dodgeball - Improv in Cedarburg!

This event deserves some attention because it supports charity, and who doesn't like helping with laughs? Tomato Dodgeball - Improv Comedy takes place Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 8:00pm.

The evening begins at 6pm with a FUNdraiser benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, including pizza, brews, improv hairdos, and silent auction. McMann & Tate will then hit the stage with games as Scenes From a Hat, Sounds Like A Song, Quick Change, Party Quirks, and That's Your Line. Every scene is based on audience suggestion – and, sometimes, audience involvement!

Mild adult language/content.

$12 advance / $14 day of show.
For more info, visit the Cedarburg Cultural Center
W62 N546 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, WI

Auditions - Over Our Heads Players!

The Racine based Over Our Head Players will have open auditions for the sketch comedy show Theatre / Schmeatre on Tuesday, March 30, 7:00pm at the Sixth Street Theatre (318 6th Street, Racine, WI).  This looks to be a great opportunity to perform some hilarious sketch comedy with an established group of actors. 

From the web site:

OOHPs is seeking actors willing to work in an open, sketch development atmosphere.
Auditions involve cold readings and may also include improv exercises; prepared pieces are not necessary. No previous experience is necessary to audition.

• Roles available for six to nine actors
• Men and women will work together in an ensemble
• Both female and male actors ages 18 to 60 are needed

The production Theatre / Schmeatre will take place May 14 - June 5, 2010. For more information, leave a message for the director at the theatre, (262)632-6802.

LOL hosts 'Last Comic Standing' Contest!

As we mentioned in this previous posting, The Love of Laughter Comedy Club (LOL) out of Waukesha, WI will be hosting their very own Last Comic Standing contest April 1st. The event features comedians, storytellers and humorous speakers performing 3 to 5 minute routines. The top two declared winners will receive a trophy and all the credit for being the best.

From the press release:

The Love of Laughter Comedy Troupe is hosting an Open House April 1, 2010 at The Equitable Bank, 21215 East Moreland Boulevard, Waukesha. Social hour 5:30; program 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The public is invited and admission is FREE. 

LOL will host an ensemble of monologues, Improv skits, humorous speeches and joke writers. Our open house will show case our Love of Laughter agendas. 

The Love of Laughter comedy club meets the First and Third Thursday of the month at 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. in Waukesha, WI at the Equitable Bank (corner of Kossow Rd. and Moreland Blvd.). Guests are admitted FREE. Membership as they say, is ridiculously cheap.

For more information, contact Tom McFarlin at (262)717-9776 or e-mail Tmcfa7241@aol.com

Chicken Comedy!

“All the Chicken You Can Eat, and All the Comedy You Can Handle” 

Memories Ballroom in Port Washington (1077 Lake Drive, Port Washington, WI 53074) features the "Chicken Comedy" series.  This Saturday, you can eat some chicken and watch some stand-up by Mike Ostrowski.  The evening will be hosted by Fox 6 weather personality Rob Haswell

From the web site:

March 27th- Mike Ostrowski
No stranger to Memories’ comedy stage, Mike has a talent for getting audiences revved up with a “well-paced mix of strange truths and odd observations” (Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune). A comedian with over 25 years’ experience, he has opened for Jerry Seinfeld, Pauly Shore, Richard Lewis, Lee Greenwood, and many more. He has also written for Jay Leno and Yakov Smirnoff.

Tickets for chicken comedy are $20 for dinner and show. Show only tickets available for $14.
Call Memories at 262-284-6850 or visit this site for more information

8 Bit Warrior - A comedy by comedians!

Full Disclosure: We do our best to present an accurate listing of Milwaukee's comedy events, some of which we ourselves are a part of. 8-Bit Warrior is a play featuring the talents of many Milwaukee comedic talent, and a few of these funny people write for Milwaukee Comedy, and the owner of this site, Matt Kemple, is also featured in the production.

8- Bit Warrior, a funny play featuring some of Milwaukee's top comedic talent opens TONIGHT, 7:30pm at The Alchemist Theatre.  Get your tickets while you still can, opening weekend is almost sold out!

Journey back to the 80s in this original comedy. Will Davies, a high school student, is striving to become the all-time leading scorer on Donkey Kong, but a new kid in town is looking to prove his gaming prowess. It all comes to a head at the Midwest Vid-Con video game tournament. In addition to taking a trip back to the most radical decade ever, you’ll get to see your favorite classic video games performed live on stage.

Because you still wear your leg warmers, because you still have a crush on Molly Ringwald, and because you still wonder “Where’s the beef?” it’s 8-bit Warrior, an original comedy written and directed by local comedic talent Vince Figueroa.

Even the worst comedy can be hilarious!

I came across an interesting write up on the ThirdCoast Digest website the other day written by DJ Hostettler. It talks about a stand up night at a local bar in West Allis that featured one horribly, horribly bad 'comedian'.  Luckily, the other comics at the evenings events were able to redeem the show by making fun of said comedian, and in fact, did dramatic readings of his set word-for-word with far better results.

As one of the comics stated that evening, “I have never seen a man fail so thoroughly and just keep taking this kind of abuse”.  ThirdCoast has graciously allowed Milwaukee Comedy to re-post portions of this article for your enjoyment:

"... Still, this was painful. Entire sentences were met with dead silence, to be followed with “come on, you motherfuckers, you’re supposed to laugh!” The bulk of his material was a string of expletives that George Carlin would have criticized for being a waste of quality swears. At one point, he seemed gleeful that an audience member heckled him because it allowed him to launch into a prepared retort that involved three uses of the c-word. Finally, mercifully, he was cut short by Colt Cabana rushing the stage and yelling “JOHNNY D, EVERYBODY!” which drew bigger laughs than anything in his set.

Here’s where shit got real.

"During the next comic, Johnny D wouldn’t stop loudly, drunkenly bitching about how he got yanked early. “Oh, I’m the shitty comic tonight, huh?” (Answer: yes.) So the next guy in line, a delightful, “I-listen-to-Animal-Collective-unironically” disheveled hipster nerd type, opened his set by saying, “I’m going to mix things up a bit and do some slam poetry. I call this ‘Angry Comic.’”

Be sure to click on the link below for the full article - definitely worth reading - as well as more photos and video of the event!

Read the full article here: ThirdCoast Digest: The Ballad of Johnny D

Love Of Laughter Looking for Laughs

The Love of Laughter comedy club is hosting their very own Last Comic Standing contest on April 1st! 

Now is your chance to be a part of the action, they are looking for comedians, storytellers and humorous speakers to perform a 3 to 5 minute routine. Contact Tom McFarlin for a spot on the agenda (limited to the first 10).

The Love of Laughter (LOL) comedy club is a specialty club within Toastmasters International. The mission of the organization is to learn how to write, deliver and evaluate humor. LOL is focused on writing and delivering humorous material, sharpening sense of humor, and exercising improv skills.

Potawatomi Casino FREE Comedy!

If you didn't already know, the  Potawatomi Casino offers FREE COMEDY every Saturday night.  Check out the schedule here and click on "Comedy".

Free Comedy!
Carmen Vallone with Michael Gull
8 and 10 p.m.
at the Northern Lights Theatre, Potawatomi Casino (1721 W. Canal St., Milwaukee)

From the site:

Carmen has a distinct perspective, a happily twisted version of everyday life. This Italian from up-state New York has an enthusiastic deliverance of why he wants to start smoking, the best place to be homeless, and being a Italian dolphin trainer. Carmen appears on the road with Joan Rivers and has appeared on HBO, Last Comic Standing and in Jamie Kennedy’s movie, Heckler.

Also happening:
Don't forget the I'm A Bad Man Comedy Tour we already posted about.

Friars Club Comedy Film Festival

ATTENTION IMPROV AND SKETCH PERFORMERS!


ON JUNE 25TH AND JUNE 26TH THE FRIARS CLUB COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL WILL GIVE AWAY $20,000!

Why? Our mission is to foster the next generation of comedy filmmakers, and we believe that you, the improv and sketch communities, are essential to making that happen. We'll give one winning sketch and one winning improv team $10,000 each to make a short film that we hope you can use to launch your career to the next level.

All improv and sketch troupes worldwide are eligible to enter the competition, and we want you to submit! Here's how it works‐ to enter, your team must submit a demo of your show to the Friars Club postmarked by May 1st. The Friars Club Comedy Film Festival will pick the best 5 improv and the best 5 sketch submissions to compete on June 25th and June 26th at a live showdown at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. Each winning team will have 3 months to make a short film, which will premiere in September at the 2010 Friars Club Comedy Film Festival. With the depth of talent in the sketch and improv communities today, we're certain the next comedy film legends are out there waiting to be discovered, and we're proud to play a small role in helping their careers along. So, submit early and submit often!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at FrISC@FriarsClub.com. And we hope to see you all this Fall at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival (September 23‐26, 2010). ** See you in June! The Friars Club http://www.friarsclub.com/filmfestival/frisc.html

Homegrown Electric Circus - Improv Comedy!

A brand new improv group has entered the Milwaukee comedy scene by the name of  Homegrown Electric Circus.  The group (Scott Heaton, Evan Koepnick, Mike Walker, Josh Barto, Patrick Glapa and Jazmin Vollmar) began performing together in January after taking improv classes together and have moved up the ranks to the Alchemist Theatre and Bay View Lounge tonight at 9:30pm. 

From their Facebook listing: 

Homegrown Electric Circus will guarantee a fun night. If you don't have a fun night, Patrick Glapa owes you a goat. Although he will be allowed to pick the color of your goat, please don't discriminate, our goats are raised on core values.

Now, I must admit I am a bit conflicted: 
I can't wait to check out this new comedy team, and my fear is that this is going to be a fantastic show,  but I also love goats!  I mean I really, really, really want a free goat. What is a guy to do with such a dilemma?  Any help is appreciated, otherwise, go see this show, it is only $3!

More info at www.alchemisttheatre.com

I'm a Bad Man Comedy Tour

The Bad Men are BACK for a laugh-packed evening on March 20th. Laugh along with the comedy of Simply Redd, Craig C, Kemaine Holland, Nate Ford, Jason Hillman and Aaron Wagner. Don't miss Milwaukee's funniest comedians as they tackle every politically-incorrect subject there is!

Special performance by Sheba Baby-Luv.


Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 10:00pm at Times Cinema (60th and Vliet St.) in Milwaukee. Tickets are only $10 advance, $12 at the door.

Hannibal Buress at JD's Comedy Cafe!

Hannibal Buress, one of New York's (and the nation's) most celebrated emerging comics is coming to Milwaukee and will be headlining three nights at JD's Comedy Cafe, March 18-20.

JD's Comedy Cafe, 615 E. Brady St., Milwaukee 

For Reservations, call: (414) 271-JOKE

 From his bio:

Cool, confident and intelligent, comedian Hannibal Buress has earned both the honor of performing at the Montreal “Just For Laughs” Festival and the well-earned respect of his peers, who regard him as one of the brightest young talents to emerge from the city of Chicago. A natural storyteller who can captivate a room with his words alone, Hannibal generates huge laughs with the laidback, quirky observations that have become his trademark style.

In addition to performing at clubs and colleges around the country, including regular appearances at respected New York City venues, Hannibal is one of the featured subjects in director Victor Varnado’s documentary about unconventional black comedians, “The Awkward Kings of Comedy.” His
as-yet-untitled debut CD, recently recorded at The Lakeshore Theater in Chicago, will be released by Grammy Award-winning Stand Up! Records.

More info available at http://www.jdscomedycafe.com/comedian_calendar

George Lopez at The Riverside

George Lopez will perform live at The Riverside Theater (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee) this Thursday, March 18 as part of the Tall, Dark and Chicano tour

Mr. Lopez is America’s first Latino late-night talk show host, and has been seen on television, movies, and of course his talented stand up comedy. Tickets are $44.50 & $54.50. 18+ show.

More information at http://pabsttheater.org/george_lopez

Kramp & Adler Comedy!

If you have ever listened to 102.1 Alternative Radio in the mornings, you have no doubt listened to the Kramp and Adler show.  These guys present an evening of stand-up tonight at 8pm at the Turner Hall Ballroom!

3 fantastic comedians: Nick Kroll from FX's The League, Wyatt Cenac of The Daily Show and Nick Thune from The Jay Leno Show!

Tickets are $20 and General Admission, available at The Pabst and The Riverside Box Offices, www.pabsttheater.org, or 414.286.3663 or 800.511.1552. Tickets are available night of show at Turner Hall Ballroom Box Office.

New Stand Up Comedy Class Today!

A new comedy class has appeared on the scene, beginning tonight at Rounding Third, 6317 W. Bluemound Rd. at 6:30 pm, and running on Mondays for 7 weeks. A similar class began in last week Thursday in Chicago.

As I've been told:

Learn to write, edit and deliver your own material to a live audience! Each class ends with a live performance to your friends and families!

Registration is in person, so you could just show up and take a cool class! It's only $300 for the 7 weeks and payment plans are available.

More info by calling 414-708-7070 or visit http://comedycollegeinfo.com

LeeRick this Saturday! Wait, what?

Apparently there was a snafu with scheduling, but LeeRick, the two man improv team, will be performing this Saturday @ 9pm. They do a suggestion-less show where the audience follows the two through stream of characters attached to a narrative. Basically, it's a made-up one act. Tickets are only $5 and can be bought at the door or online at The Alchemist Theatre.

Here's two examples of the story that developed on stage from previous shows...

• A dj at a Kansas City nightclub falls out of his raised booth and while losing blood, he also loses his mind and ends up in a violent fight with the club’s VIP of the evening, Mr. Jeff Bridges.
• Two poker pros believe they've been conned by an underage gambler at a World Series of Poker tournament at the Wynn casino.

Funny stuff...

Attention All Funny People!

Today begins the long journey of finding the best and brightest comedy out there for the 5th Annual Milwaukee Comedy Festival.

The Milwaukee Comedy Festival posted the performer application online this morning!

It’s time once again to start preparing for the event of the year:

The Milwaukee Comedy Festival features some of the best professional comedy from across the country - featuring live sketch and improvisational comedy, stand up and hilarious videos over the course of four days, July 29 - August 1st, 2010.  Milwaukee takes care of their talent by offering both food and beverage backstage, lanyards, and free admission towards the festival for the entire run.   Applications to perform in the festival are due May 10th.

Download the application to perform directly here: http://festival.milwaukeecomedy.com/uploads/MKEComedyFestApp2010.pdf

The festival is looking for sketch comedy, all types of improv, musical comedy acts and video sketches. The top acts submitted are offered performance slots in the 4 day festival, July 29th - August 4th. 

The official web site of the Milwaukee Comedy Festival, festival.milwaukeecomedy.com will be getting lots of updates over the next few days, so make sure you take a look!