On the importance of the survival of ComedySportz Los Angeles
By Danny Ricker
I recently received word that the beloved ComedySportz LA improv theater could be closing at the end of October. Those of you who have never seen our show might respond with “Oh, your little improv thing where you wear a referee costume?” to which I’d have to reply “yes,” I suppose. But ComedySportz LA is a lot more than a show; it’s the longest-running show in LA, it’s a venerable hub of creative learning, and I’ve considered it home for most of my life.
ComedySportz is in dire need of support at the moment. The economy has finally gotten the better of our little theater. If we can up our ticket sales in the next few weeks, we might be able to stave off closing for a few months. And if things go really well, we may be able to save the metaphorical 80’s movie rec center altogether. I thought some of you might be moved to help if you knew what an important place ComedySportz is to so many people. Below is an abridged account of how this company has changed my life.
During my second week of high school, I randomly stumbled upon an audition for my high school’s CSz team. My school, like 70+ other high schools in Southern California, had a “High School League” team that performed shows and got coached by professional ComedySportz players. The “audition” for my school’s team really just consisted of playing some improv games by the vending machines, but I knew even at that point that I had found something I was meant to do. My mother famously tells that story of picking me up from school that day and asking me how my day was, to which I replied “I think I’ve found my people.” A dramatic and cheesy statement, I know, but the truth is I had no idea how right I was.
I spent the next four years of high school performing live comedy in front of audiences all over Orange County. I did a lot of great shows, which gave me my first-ever taste of self-esteem. I also did a lot of terrible ones, which taught me humility and the value of tough skin. This experience turned what was a shy, inwardly negative kid into a young adult with the confidence to aspire.
When it came time to write college entrance essays, I wrote mine on the effect the ComedySportz High School League had on my life up to that point. I spoke of the leadership it had taught me and the person the program had shaped me into. It was not, as most statements in college entrance essays are, utter bullshit. That essay got me into every college I applied to.
When I graduated high school, James Bailey (Owner/founder/artistic director of CSz LA) asked me specifically to not base my choice of college on its proximity to the theater. I promised him I wouldn’t and then did it anyway. I joined the CSz College Team soon after.
The College Team taught me what it meant to work hard at a skill. It was the first time I’d ever wanted to be great at something. Not just good, but great. My training during those years gifted me confidence, passion, and the will to work.
I’ve been a Main Stage performer for the last 4 years and that time’s been filled with doing good shows with good friends for great audiences. I also got to teach students in the High School League from whence I came, which I consider to be the most important thing I’ve ever participated in.
ComedySportz has always allowed me to grow and experiment with comedy. This company considered me an artist before I considered myself one. I currently work on a late night TV show and I am happier than I have ever been. There is no doubt in my mind that without the creative environment this theater raised me in I would be nowhere close to where I am today. There are theater companies and then there is ComedySportz.
And I am not a special case. There are many thousands of kids who have been inspired and nurtured creatively by ComedySportz LA. And there are many thousands more who won’t realize their potentials as performers, public speakers, and productive members of society if this theater goes away.
I’ve tagged people here who I know have been positively affected by ComedySportz in some way -- you're a company member, you're a fan, you were a high school league member, you've seen a show at our theater. If you’d like to help, please buy tickets. We’re not asking for charity; we just want you to come see shows. Let us provide you with the service we have every weekend for the last 22 years. We’re selling packs of discounted tickets at OurLoyalFans.com that will provide you with a fun evening out, and just might save this theater that does so much for so many. And if you're out of town, you can simply donate to the cause. If you are so inclined, please go there now and pass this info along to your friends, family, and anyone you think would like to help.
Thank you for reading.
--Daniel Wayne Ricker
