PI 4/14/2000
go to the Comedy Central Website and see MORE about UCB!----->
BY
JASON ROBERT CHIN
"We believe the
powerful should be made less powerful. We have heard the voice of society
begging us to destabilize it. Antoine. Colby. Trotter. Adair. We are the
Upright Citizens Brigade."
The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) "is an underground organization with unlimited resources, no government ties and a commitment to undermining the status quo through the proliferation of chaos." They dare to achieve their mission to control the world by posing as a comedy troupe. Who are these mysterious UCB super-agents? None other than four former Chicago improvisers–Matt Besser (Adair), Amy Poehler (Colby), Ian Roberts (Antoine) and Matt Walsh (Trotter). Together, UCB has achieved what others only desire–a show on Comedy Central, writing and performing their own material.
The members of UCB united during their training at ImprovOlympic under the guidance of their mentor, Del Close, who taught them an improvisational long-form that inter-weaves and connects scenes known as "The Harold"–a method they continue to implement and teach in their current work.
Close, who passed away last year, was an influential director/teacher at Second City and co-founder of ImprovOlympic. His philosophical slant on improvisation as a performance piece was the basis of technique for UCB. "He said, alright, alright, stop! Well, you had a perfectly good scene that you then proceeded to ruin with your inane pop references. Just slow down and trust yourself. Let’s have some original ideas, for God’s sake!" said Roberts referring to his first class with Close.
Although individually they improvised on different teams at ImprovOlympic as well as several Second City touring groups, the group also continued to perform together under the namesake Upright Citizens Brigade. Sometimes their "performances" would take the form of very public practical jokes: like Matt Besser’s anti-Cubs puppet show, which was staged in front of Wrigley Field, which climaxed with a "planned" fist fight with ex-UCB member Horatio Sanz (now a cast member of "SNL"). Of course, that pales in comparison to the time ex-UCB member Adam McKay (creative consultant and filmmaker to "SNL") posted signs announcing his suicide and then threw a weighted dummy off a roof. The police found neither of these events amusing.
In addition to ImprovOlympic and Second City, the "UCB Proper (Poehler, Roberts, Besser and Walsh)" also found time to write and perform in such critically acclaimed shows as Virtual Reality, Conference on the Future of Happiness, and Thunderball. In 1996, with a mass exodus of local improvisers to Los Angeles, UCB decided to go the other direction and set their sights on New York City.
By blending their outrageous sketch comedy with cutting-edge improvisation, the Upright Citizens Brigade swiftly garnered a large and rabid cult following in the Big Apple. Their brand of humor was exactly what the struggling "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" needed–all were swiftly hired as writers and performers.
While working on "Conan O’Brien," the group continued performing sketch and improv shows in Manhattan as well as founding the UCB improvisational training center. In 1998, after winning the Best Alternative or Sketch Prize at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, cable outlet "The Comedy Channel," offered the Upright Citizens Brigade a show on their network.
Some would think that a television show along with a training center would be enough. But in February of 1999, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre was founded in New York City. The UCB theatre, located at 161 West 22nd Street in the fashionable Chelsea area, offers live sketch and improvisational comedy seven nights a week. In an effort to "infiltrate as many lives as possible," shows at UCB Theatre are priced at or below $5.00. The theatre and training center remain sources of great pride for the group.
"We have over 250 students at our school. We (UCB) teach alongside Kevin Mullaney Pat McCartney and Armando Diaz. Students perform shows on Thursday nights. They have 'New Team Harold’ shows as well as other shows. The UCB Proper does sketch on Saturday nights and ASSSCAT (improv) on Tuesdays," says Poehler.
The television show, though not yet a household name, has received wide critical acclaim from publications as diverse as USA Today, Rolling Stone, Details, The New York Times and TV Guide. The show is not only unique in its quality, but in the manner it’s created.
"We tape all of the ASSSCAT shows (long-form showcases) and all of our sketch shows; we also improvise after each of our sketch shows. We go back and look at the tapes for ideas or premises we thought were funny. Or we bring in half-written scenes and we improvise the rest on stage," says Poehler.
With the completion of taping for their third season, UCB organized a cross-country tour scheduled for this summer. "It’s national, but not in the sense that you think of the Rolling Stones National Tour. It’s kind of all over the place, single dates. Connecticut, Georgia, Tennessee, and NYU. There’s only about seven dates," says Roberts.
Through all of their success, The Upright Citizens Brigade remains devoted to its Chicago roots, Del Close and the ImprovOlympic. Besser took several celebrities to task for not acknowledging their improv roots rather publicly at Del Close’s Memorial.
"Take advantage of all the theater and stuff that comes through Chicago. Take advantage of all the amazing teachers: Noah Gregoropolous, Mick Napier and Charna Halpern," says Walsh.
"Yes, keep studying, don’t ever think that you need to stop because you’ve got it. Commit! I guess is my biggest thing. Don’t be distracted by the 500 other shows you’re doing. People do too many shows! Do a couple (shows) and commit really hard to selling and pushing them–making them work. Don’t spread yourself too thin," said Poehler.
The Upright Citizens Brigade can be found on the Comedy Channel, Mondays at 9:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 a.m. Also, UCB is scheduled to appear on the Chicago Improv Fest (CIF) Mainstage, Saturday, Apr. 29.
