ComedySportz World Championship

ComedySportz World Championship

Buffalo to Host Comedy Competition Featuring Teams of Comedians from 22 Cities to Benefit Carly’s Club at Roswell Park Cancer Institute

Buffalo, NY, June 10, 2013:

From July 10th through the 13th, the Town Ballroom in downtown Buffalo will be converted into a Laugh Arena as it hosts teams of improvisational comedians from twenty-two cities from across the US and Europe. These teams will compete against each other in a head-to-head battle of wits until only one team remains and is crowned the 2013 ComedySportz World Champion.

ComedySportz, improvisational comedy played as a sport – complete with a referee, fouls, and the singing of the National Anthem – is an interactive improv competition. A ComedySportz match features two teams facing off against each other in a series of ad-libbed games, scenes, and songs based on suggestions from the audience. Those same fans award points at the conclusion of each round and, ultimately, determine the winner of the match.

ComedySportz played its first match in Milwaukee, WI in 1984, expanded to Buffalo in 1993, and is currently celebrating its twentieth year in the Queen City. “It’s pretty exciting,” says Dale Fischer, President of Buffalo ComedySportz. “Some of us have been doing this a real long time. To finally get a chance to bring home that title on our home turf … I’m looking forward to it. We all are.”

ComedySportz teams, including those from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, Berlin, and Manchester, UK, battle all year long for an opportunity to appear in the annual tournament which, in recent years, has been held in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Chicago.

Though the Buffalo team has never come home with the big prize, there is optimism this year. “Yeah, it’s tough; there are a lot of fantastic comedians out there,” notes Buffalo’s team manager, Brian Tabak. “But we’ve got a pretty great team ourselves this year. And we’ve got the hometown fans on our side. That can’t be underestimated.”

Buffalo ComedySportz, who play their regular home matches at the ComedySportz Arena in Snyder Square (Main & Harlem in Amherst), will be moving to downtown Buffalo to the 300+ seat Town Ballroom for the four-day event. “It’s gonna be big,” says Fischer. “We’re going to need every one of those 300 chairs.”

Fans will not only get to see some great comedy over the course of the weekend, they will be able to contribute to charity as well. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Carly’s Club at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

“The work they do is incredible,” says Buffalo ComedySportz’s Vice President, Richard Satterwhite, of Carly’s Club.

Carly’s Club (carlysclub.org, 716.845.8788), founded in 2002 by 11-year-old Carly Collard Cottone, exists to offer support programs to make life more manageable for children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Carly, who had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer at 8-years-old, was very appreciative of the support she received from her family and friends during her treatment and was determined to make sure other children received that same support.

“We’re humbled to be able to help them,” says Satterwhite. “Do an image search for ‘Carly’s Club’ and then just look at all of the smiling faces that pop up; it’s awesome to be able to be a part of that.”

Buffalo ComedySportz is the incumbent Artvoice “Best Genre-Defying Artist” winner (2011, 2012 and 2013).

Tickets: $49, $26, $21, $18, $14, $12 (tickets.com / Town Ballroom box office (M-F, 12-5pm) 681 Main St., Buffalo townballroom.com / ComedySportz Arena (M, Th, F, Sa, 7-9pm) 4476 Main St. Amherst buffalocsz.com)

Event Dates: July 10 (7&9pm), 11 (7&9pm), 12 (8&10pm), 13 (6, 8 &10pm)

Location: Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. Buffalo, NY 14203

More Info: buffalocsz.com

Contact: Richard Satterwhite, Buffalo ComedySportz, Vice President & Media and Special Events Coordinator
716-830-9068 / richard@buffalocsz.com