Description

15 Improv Teams. 4 Nights. 1 Title.

CSz Philadelphia - home of ComedySportz, is proud to present the Collegiate Comedy Challenge (CCC), an improv comedy competition exclusively for student performers in the tristate area.

Twelve collegiate improv teams perform on our professional stage in front of a live audience.  Students showcase their talents using short form and/or long form styles of improv comedy in a fun, competitive tournament.  

Our goal is not to give out a trophy. It is to provide students with a unique professional experience where they can show-off their performance skills, collaborate with their peers, and network with Philadelphia improvisers. 

And we give out a trophy.

The deadline for registration is Friday, January 31, 2025.

Sign up below!

DATES

Teams will compete in one of three qualifying rounds:

  • Round 1: March 7th at 7 PM

  • Round 2: March 14th at 7 PM

  • Round 3: March 21st at 7 PM

    The winning team of each round will move on to the…

  • CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND: March 28th at 7 PM

LOCATION

All rounds will take place at CSz Philadelphia - Home of ComedySportz, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

 
 
 

registration fee

There is a $25 registration fee per team. The fee must be paid by CC. If you need another method, please contact Aileen Bianchi.

Format

Long Form and Short Form improv are acceptable.

Qualifying Round Competition Format

Individual Team Set

  • Teams must have 3 players minimum, 10 players maximum

  • Each team will have 12 minutes to compete.

  • This 12-minute set includes hosting for your team, getting your team suggestions from the audience, and performing.

  • The timer starts as soon as your team takes the stage.

  • Teams may use that time however they see fit in order to showcase their talents.

  • At the 10 minute mark, the experienced tech person will look for a button. At 12 minutes, if the Team has not finished their set, the lights will go to BLACK. 

Pun-Oriented games are prohibited during the 12 minutes due to the use of them during the Lightning Round at the end of the show.

Pun Lightning Round

  • After all four teams have performed, each team will choose 2 of their “punniest” people to represent their team in the final Pun Lightning Round.

  • There will be a total of 8 people on stage. The Host will call this round, and it will last no longer than 5 minutes. For each joke the audience laughs at, teams will receive one point. If no audience member laughs, no points will be given or deducted from a team’s score.

the winner

  • The team with the most points is the Winner of that round and will advance to the Championship Round on March 28, 2025 at 7 PM.

Championship Round Format

  • Championships will follow the same format as the qualifying rounds.

  • Teams will perform a set of 15 minutes with one stipulation: Short Form teams will not be allowed to repeat the same games they played in their initial competition round. In other words, if Team A played Pick-A-Line in their qualifying round, then they will not be allowed to play Pick-A-Line during the Championships.

  • At the 13 minute mark, the experienced tech person will look for a button. At 15 minutes, if the Team has not finished their set, the lights will go to BLACK. 

Judging Criteria

  • There will be 4 judges each night: 3 CSz members and the audience.

  • One judge will judge based solely upon entertainment value and how polished the set was. The second judge will judge solely on the platform and if the team followed the format/meet criteria for a successful game or have a strong, fluid, and grounded long-form scene. The third judge will be a random judge to judge the scenes and set as a whole.

  • Judging is done on a 1- 10 scale, 10 being the best. The scores will be displayed at the end of each team’s set.

  • The audience will be the fourth and final judge.

  • At the beginning of the night, the CSz host will prep the audience that they too will be judges. Paper and pens will be handed out at the end of the night. Each audience member will vote for two different teams. The votes will be tallied and calculated together with the Lightning Round points.

  • One winner will be announced at the end of each night. So, bring your friends!

Prizes

  • The winning team will be presented with a trophy and have their team name engraved on it.

  • Additionally, the champions will be invited back to perform at CSz Philadelphia in Spring 2025.

Questions?

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Collegiate Comedy Challenge Coordinator, Aileen Bianchi. (email)

Lineup

To be announced February 9, 2025.

The ComedySportz Pro-Am

Announcing the ComedySportz Philadelphia Pro-Am!

ComedySportz Philadelphia invites players from your team to play with ComedySportz professionals in one of our Saturday 7PM matches in April!

A Pro-Am is a fancy golf term for a competition involving professionals and amateurs! Get it?

How to enter in the Comedysportz Pro-Am

Register your team for the Collegiate Comedy Challenge by December 15th. Once your team is registered, you will receive an email from the Collegiate Comedy Challenge Commissioner announcing your eligibility and discussing details with you. That’s it!

Rules and Requirements

  • Teams must register by December 15, 2024. Teams registered after December 15th will not be eligible.

  • Maximum two players per team may participate in the Pro-Am. Those two players will play in the same 7PM match.

  • All players participating in the Pro-Am are required to attend a mandatory ComedySportz Orientation Night in April 2025 from 7-9 in our theater.

Registration