Search results for: ucb

Amy Poehler, a life on improv and comedy
Guides / 20 de November de 2023

Since she was little she liked theater and her first approach to improv was at university. She studied at Boston College where she belonged to the improv group. Later he deepened his training in improvisation and comedy with Charna Halpern in ImprovOlympic and later in The Second City in Chicago where she met Tina Fey. He founded the improv company Upright Citizens Brigade in Chicago. In 1996 the group moved to New York where they started a small theater. The success came when his show became a 30 minutes weekly on the Comedy Central television network. To read the entire history of UCB I recommend reading the book High-status Characters, in which journalist Brian Raferty interviews the company’s cast to outline its history. From 2001 to 2008, Poehler was a main cast member of Saturday Night Live, where she again met Tina Fey. Together they would later collaborate on some films. She has been nominated for multiple awards for her work on SNL and the Parks and Recreation series. For the first she won an Emmy (along with Tina Fey) and for the second work she won the Golden Globe in 2014. In film and television she has done a…

Recomendamos… Amy Poehler y Tina Fey
Reviews / 25 de August de 2020

Son grandes improvisadoras, y además son buenas amigas. Se formaron en The Second City en Chicago, donde Amy Phoeler puso en marcha UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) y Tina Fey, entró en el equipo de guionistas de Saturday Night Live que terminó dirigiendo. Se reencontraron en SNL. Desde entonces, ambas son conocidas mundialmente por series (Parks & Rec , 30 Rock) y películas,algunas juntas. En los siguientes libros cuentan las anécdotas de su carrera.

Recomendamos… Pirate, Robot Ninja
Reviews / 30 de July de 2020

Bajo la premisa de que nadie se va a leer otro manual sobre improvisación, Billy Merrit y Will Hines (alumnos de UCB) crean estas lecciones noveladas contadas en primera persona. A través de las aventuras de un estudiante de la impro (tú) que llega a un dojo mágico donde aprenderá de dos maestros: el Pirata (el improvisador cerebral) y el Robot (el improvisador emocional) las dos vertientes que tiene la creación improvisada. ¿Y el Ninja? Ese es el improvisador experimentado que es capaz de sacar su Pirata y su Robot, dependiendo de la situación. Interesante tratado para gente en sus primeros años, pero que también dotará de profundidad a las improvisaciones de gente más experimentada. Las lecciones son útiles, el haberlas novelado las hace más entretenidas pero no más prácticas o útiles.

[Recomendado del mes] High-Status Characters (Brian Raftery)
Reviews / 25 de July de 2019

Este libro recoge las conversaciones con los miembros de Upright Citizen’s Brigade y gente que estuvo cerca a lo largo de su historia. Surgido como grupo en Boston en los años 90, descubre la historia de como Amy Poehler (Parks & Rec), Matt Besser, Ian Robert y Matt Walsh formaron el grupo y lo convirtieron en la referencia que son ahora en New York y más allá en cine y televisión. UCB se ha convertido en referencia en el mundo de la comedia al ser la escuela por la que han pasado grandes estrellas de la televisión (especialmente del Saturday Night Live, que se pasaban por su local a buscar cantera): Donald Glover (Community, Atlanta, Solo), Kate McKinon (SNL, Ghostbusters), Azaz Ansari (Master of None), Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Rec)…. Además, sus fundadores Amy Poehler es conocida por Parks & Recreation y Matt Walsh por Veep. A través de una suerte de conversación, el periodista Brian Raftery recoge las opiniones e impresiones de mucha la gente que ha estado involucrada con el grupo. Descubre sus distintos puntos de vista e interesantes puntos de vista sobre la comedia y la improvisación y sus visicitudes, con sus aciertos y sus errores. Sobre…

High-Status Characters (Brian Raftery)
/ 22 de March de 2018

By the early ‘90s, comedy was no longer cool. The stand-up bubble had burst, sitcoms had become more formulaic than ever, and Hollywood studios were pumping out soulless, star-driven schmaltz. There were signs of hope in shows like Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and The Larry Sanders Show, all of which favored cranky hard-truths and giddy pop-culture references over glib punchlines. But for the most part, anyone looking for a laugh had no choice but to wade through hours of predictable, risk-averse corporate comedy. Things just weren’t that funny anymore. Enter the Upright Citizen’s Brigade: a sketch-and-improv collective born in early-‘90s Chicago. When the group relocated to New York City in 1996, its core members—Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh (a.k.a. “the UCB Four”), brought with them a punk-meets-Python comedic sensibility unlike anything found on TV or in stand-up clubs. Shortly after their arrival, they’d turn an abandoned Manhattan strip-club into a hot downtown theater, attract big-name fans like Conan O’Brien, and amass a legion of eager students; many of whom would go on to create (and populate) a kinetic new wave of TV shows, movies, and stand-up comedy. For more than twenty years, the UCB has been at…

Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual ( Ian Roberts, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh )
/ 22 de March de 2018

The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual is a comprehensive guide to the UCB style of long form comedy improvisation. Written by UCB founding members Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh, the manual covers everything from the basics of two person scene work (with a heavy emphasis on finding “the game” of the scene), to the complexities of working within an ensemble to perform long form structures, such as “The Harold” and “The Movie”. A practical “how to” book, the guide provides exercises throughout to help the reader master each new concept and technique introduced. While the manual is written to be understood by beginners with no previous exposure to improvisational comedy, experienced improvisors will find it to be an excellent resource for honing their skills, clarifying concepts, and generally taking their work to a higher level.