The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is “an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago’s ImprovOlympic in 1990,” per Wikipedia, and the name also covers the theater and training center the group built in New York and Los Angeles. UCB teaches long-form improv, sketch and writing, and its classes have fed a long list of TV comedy careers.
Origin
According to Wikipedia, the group’s original incarnation consisted of Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, Matt Besser and Ian Roberts, with Adam McKay, Horatio Sanz and Drew Franklin also listed. It formed in Chicago in 1990 and began performing at Kill the Poet in 1991. The original group later had two TV shows, Upright Citizens Brigade (1998–2000) and The UCB Show (2015–2017).
Theaters and Ownership Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Group emerges from Chicago’s ImprovOlympic |
| February 4, 1999 | First official New York theater opens at 161 W. 22nd Street, Chelsea |
| 2005 | Los Angeles theater opens at 5919 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood |
| 2013 | Besser, Roberts and Walsh publish The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual |
| February 9, 2019 | The Lower East Side venue, UCB East, permanently closes |
| April 2020 | The COVID-19 pandemic forces both New York locations to close |
| December 2020 | The Los Angeles Sunset location is sold, leaving Franklin Avenue as the only owned LA venue |
| March 2022 | Acquired by Mike McAvoy and Jimmy Miller, backed by Elysian Park Ventures |
| September 2022 | Los Angeles theater reopens |
| September 2024 | New York venue at 242 E. 14th Street officially reopens |
| February 2026 | Partnership announced with Monkey Barrel Comedy to teach UCB classes in Edinburgh |
Sources: Wikipedia; NBC New York (July 9, 2023, on the 14th Street location and the 2022 buyers); Chortle (February 12, 2026). NBC New York reported in 2023 that performances were planned to resume that fall; Wikipedia dates the official reopening to September 2024.
UCB and the Harold
UCB did not invent the Harold. Wikipedia’s Harold entry states that “The Committee, a San Francisco improv group, performed the first Harold in Concord, California, in 1967,” and that the form “was further developed by improv teachers Del Close and Charna Halpern, as well as the Upright Citizens Brigade.” A Harold is composed of three beats of three scenes each, with group games between beats.
At UCB, the training philosophy is “based largely on the teachings of Del Close,” with an emphasis on finding the “game” of a scene. “The Harold” is its primary improv form, and its house ensembles are called Harold Teams. See also #ImprovComedy.
Notable Alumni
Wikipedia notes that Saturday Night Live “has been known for seeking top talent from UCB’s pool of students.” A selection from its alumni list:
| Alumni | |
|---|---|
| Aziz Ansari | Nick Kroll |
| Nicole Byer | Jason Mantzoukas |
| D’Arcy Carden | Kate McKinnon |
| Ayo Edebiri | Bobby Moynihan |
| Ilana Glazer | Ego Nwodim |
| Donald Glover | Aubrey Plaza |
| Ed Helms | Amy Poehler |
| Abbi Jacobson | Ben Schwartz |
| Ellie Kemper | Kelly Marie Tran |
| Jordan Klepper | Bowen Yang |
Recent Developments
In February 2026, Chortle reported that Edinburgh’s Monkey Barrel Comedy would offer UCB training: “UCB teachers will travel to Scotland to lead classes and workshops in Edinburgh.” UCB chief executive Mike McAvoy said: “We couldn’t imagine a better home or a better partner for this expansion.”
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upright_Citizens_Brigade
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_(improvisation)
- https://nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/the-upright-citizens-brigade-is-coming-back-to-new-york-after-3-years/4486749
- https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2026/02/12/59942/americas_upright_citizens_brigade_to_offer_uk_improv_classes