Named one of the top Improv Schools In The Nation - Paste Magazine
CSz Classes are a fun, supportive way to learn improvisational thinking, gain self-confidence, develop business soft-skills and meet people.
A complete training series is available for adults as well as high school students.
CHANGE YOUR LIFE. SERIOUSLY.
CLASSES AT EVERY LEVEL
LEVEL 1
INTRO TO IMPROVISATION
Summer Classes Begin The Week of June 19, 2024
This 8-week introductory class focuses on learning the basic skills of improvisation: team-building, trust, status, active listening, and agreement. Whether you want to become a performer or just become a more effective communicator, listener, and leader, this course is for you.
CSz Level 1 improv classes start four times a year - Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. These classes are the gateway for adults to all things ComedySportz®.
Note - You must be out of High School to attend CSz Adult Improv classes. If you are a current student, contact us about our High School League!
Class Dates:
Choose either:
Mondays - June 24 - August 12
or
Wednesdays - June 19 - August 7
Time: 7:30pm-9:30pm
Fee: $250
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr Unit D
San Jose, CA 95130
LEVEL 3B
CSz STYLE AND GAMES
Prerequisite: completion of Level 2B
In this fast-paced 10-week class, you'll learn how to apply all your improv skills to the ComedySportz style. You’ll be exposed to some of our most popular games. Learn how they work, what makes them better, and how to add your own personality to the mix. During the last week, students will perform a competitive ComedySportz style match in the Student Showcase for an invited audience of family and friends!
Date: Thursdays, April 11 - June 13
Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Fee: $250
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
Women’s Jam
Let’s Jam!
Calling all female and non binary folks to a fun filled jam! Come play some short form games with us on March 30th from 11am-1pm. Featuring some of your favorite female ComedySportz players! This jam is open to those who identify as genderqueer women or non-binary people, who would prefer to learn and play in a women’s only space. Combine your ticket for access to the jam as well as our all-women match also on the 30th!
Date: Saturday March 30
Time: 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Fee: $30
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
LEVEL 2
FOUNDATIONS IN SCENEWORK
Prerequisite: completion of Level 1
This 10-week class focuses on the who, what, and where of improvisation. We will work on base scene work, getting to the point, building relationships, and stage work. The skills learned in this class will transfer to almost any improv experience and will strengthen all the soft-skill development from Level 1. During the last week, students will perform in a Student Showcase for an invited audience of family and friends!
Class Dates:
Choose Either:
Mondays - April 8th - June 17th (sold out)
or
Thursdays, April 11th - June 13th
Time: 7:30 PM-9:30 PM
Fee: $250
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
REC LEAGUE
Prerequisite: completion of Level 3B
Rec League is focused primarily on developing a sound understanding of the various ComedySportz games, styles, and formats. The Rec League will consist of 9 weeks of instruction followed by a show for friends and family on the final scheduled session for the season. All shows are complimentary for friends and family to encourage attendance. Players not performing are expected to attend shows. Fee is $200 plus a one-time fee of $30 to cover uniforms. Please remember to order your uniform when registering for this class for the first time. Maximum 12 students
Date: Sundays, April 7 - June 16
Time: 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Fee: $225
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
REC LEAGUE:
LONGFORM
Prerequisite: completion of Level 3A
The Long Form Rec League explores different formats, genres, and styles–combining strong scene work and narrative structure. The instructor will prepare the Rec League ensemble for a long-form show performed during the Student Showcase for an invited audience of friends and family!
Date: Sundays, April 7 - June 16
Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Fee: $225
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE
Join dozens of schools already battling the boredom of daily school activities and other lame on-campus clubs. For over 30 years, The Northern California ComedySportz High School League has empowered students to learn about leadership, teamwork, and theater in a fun and exciting way. The league provides an extra-curricular program for students to practice improv, take workshops led by professional improvisers, and perform with teams from other schools all year long. Plus, all ComedySportz High School League teams keep 100% of the profits made through ticket sales, promotional materials, etc. making the ComedySportz High School League Program an exceptional way to raise funds. ComedySportz is one of the few programs that can pay for itself year after year.
CAMP COMEDYSPORTZ
A fun, engaging, and interactive performing arts camp where students get to learn (or build on their) improv skills and make each other laugh. They’ll walk away with critical skills that will benefit them their entire lives: confidence, listening, teamwork, creative problem solving, and the ability to overcome obstacles, though they may be too distracted by the fun and laughing to notice that they are learning too. Each camp culminates with an improv performance for family and friends!
Schedule:
6th - 8th grade students
July 8-12 from 9:00AM-Noon
Friday performance for family and friends!
Fee: $250
9th - 12th grade students
July 15-19 from 9:00AM-Noon
Friday performance for family and friends!
Fee: $250
Note: Your credit card will not be charged until we reach the class minimum size of 8.
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
LEVEL 3A
INTRO TO LONGFORM
Prerequisite: Level 2B
This 10-week class exposes students to the nuts and bolts of long form improvisation. Learn to create and sustain more nuanced and meaningful scenes from fewer audience suggestions. Each week you will explore different techniques for initiating the next scene in the story such as establishing secondary characters, edits and wipes, pursuing objectives, and finding patterns. During the final session, the class will perform a long form improv show on the ComedySportz field for an invited audience of family and friends!
Dates: Wednesdays, April 10th - June 12th
Time: 7:30PM-9:30PM
Fee: $250
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
RECENT CLASSES
LONGFORM:
THE SLACKER
Prerequisite: Level 2
Slacker is a long form structure that uses specific edits to explore a rich world of characters. Students will focus on exploring characters more deeply, building strong relationships, and discovering new ways to make connections. This 5 week class will end with a performance on August 16th.
Dates: Wednesdays - July 19th - August 16th
Time: 7:30PM - 9:30PM
Fee: $125
Location: San Jose Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
WOMEN’S WORKSHOP
Join us for this 4-hour workshop led by the women of ComedySportz San Jose. In this workshop your coaches will lead you through several exercises and games that will teach you how to initiate rather than react, claim and hold space in a scene, and increase your overall confidence on stage. Participants should have basic improv or scene work training.
Your $40 registration Includes a ticket to that evening’s all-women’s CSz match. This workshop is also open to those who identify as genderqueer women or non-binary people, who would prefer to learn in a women’s only space.
Date: August 12th
Time: 1pm - 4pm
Fee: $40
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
LONGFORM:
THE REALLY GREAT PLACE
Prerequisite: Level 2
The Really Great Place is a longform format that explores slice-of-life scenes in unique, dynamic settings. Students will focus on building strong relationships and interesting environments in a fictional town. This 5 week class will end with a performance on July 20th.
Dates: Thursdays, June 22 - July 20
Time: 7:30PM - 9:30PM
Fee: $125
Location: San Jose Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
COMEDYSPORTZ SKILLZ
GUESSING GAMES
Prerequisite: Level 2
Wanna go in-depth into guessing games like 5 Thingz, Playground Insults, and Chain Murder? Glad you asked! Andrew and Bart will break down best practices, tips, and tricks for being the ultimate guesser and a confident clue giver, then build up your skillz with practice and playing over this 5-week intensive workshop!
Dates: Thursdays August 3rd - August 31st
Time: 7:30PM-9:30PM
Fee: $125
Location: San Jose Comedy Theater
5440 Thornwood Dr. Unit D
San Jose, CA
WRITING SKETCH COMEDY THROUGH IMPROVISATION
Saturday, December 30th - 10:00AM-5:00PM
With Sam Bowers
The art form of "sketch comedy" features short, scripted scenes that are heavily rehearsed, choreographed, and repeatable night after night. While the storied legacies of shows like Saturday Night Live might lead you to believe this writing process is done in dark offices late at night with writers banging their heads on keyboards in frustration, it turns out there is another form of writing that can be more effective... and fun: improvisation. In 1959, The Second City in Chicago pioneered an original method of writing sketch comedy still in use on their stages today, where a unique style of improvisation is used to generate scripted material, explore a premise, and heighten characters. In this intensive class, you'll be taught The Second City method of using improvisation to write sketch comedy to generate new ideas, flesh out existing ones, and punch up jokes. You'll leave this course with a broader understanding of how to generate material and a notebook full of fresh ideas for your next sketch show.