Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
1996-present · New York / Los Angeles
Also known as UCB, Upright Citizens Brigade, UCBT
The improv empire founded by four Chicago transplants in a NYC basement in 1996 that codified the game-of-the-scene style and produced most of the Obama-era comedy bench. Its NY theater closed in 2020 during the pandemic; LA and the training center survive.
Known for
- Founded in 1996 by Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh — all iO/Second City alums who trained under Del Close in Chicago.
- Home of the Del Close Marathon, an annual 56-hour improv festival that ran from 1999 to 2019.
- Published the UCB Comedy Improvisation Manual (2013) — the closest thing the art form has to a standardized textbook, codifying the game-of-the-scene approach.
- Produced a generation of SNL writers, 30 Rock staff, Parks & Rec, Broad City, and most of the 2010s comedy television bench — Aubrey Plaza, Donald Glover, Ed Helms, Ellie Kemper, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Bobby Moynihan, Chris Gethard, and dozens more.
- Closed both NY theaters (Chelsea and East) in April 2020 during the pandemic. The training center and LA theater survived.
Connected to
Notes
UCB is the canonical umbrella for the four-theater, training-center, touring-shows, and publishing brand. Individual venues (Chelsea, East, Franklin, Sunset) have their own entries. The founding four are people/matt-besser, people/amy-poehler, people/ian-roberts, people/matt-walsh — all trained at iO Chicago under Del Close, then moved to NY together in the mid-90s to build their own thing.
The UCB-specific vocabulary — the game of the scene, the unusual thing, base reality, heightening via pattern — is the most systematized improv pedagogy in the world. The 2013 UCB Manual (Besser, Roberts, Walsh) is the nearest thing improv has to an industry standard textbook.