Improv ASSSSCAT NY ASSSSCAT is UCB’s signature improv
About This Event
Upright Citizens Brigade performs ASSSSCAT NY at the UCB Theatre. The troupe, formed in 1990 with roots in Chicago’s ImprovOlympic and early members including Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Matthew Walsh, Adam McKay, Horatio Sanz and Drew Franklin, presents its signature long-form, audience-fed improvisation—an approach that emphasizes structure and ensemble listening over punchline display.
About ASSSSCAT
ASSSSCAT is the long-running, show-and-tell version of improv at UCB Theatre, shaped by audience suggestions and built in real time by a rotating cast of comedians. It traces a direct line to New York’s modern improv boom, where UCB helped formalize a scene that fed comedy clubs, TV writers’ rooms, and downtown stages. The format is simple and public: short scenes accumulate into a loose portrait of the room. Its critical strength is restraint, letting patterns and group dynamics do the heavy lifting rather than forcing punchlines.
About the Artist
Upright Citizens Brigade
Upright Citizens Brigade is an improv and sketch comedy group that formed in 1990, with roots in Chicago’s ImprovOlympic scene. Early members included Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Matthew Walsh, Adam McKay, Horatio Sanz, and Drew Franklin, alongside a wider circle of performers who helped shape the troupe’s style.