Upright Citizens Brigade to Headline SteelStacks Comedy Festival

The improvisational comedy company that helped launch the careers of Amy Poehler, Ed Helms and many other star comedians and actors is coming to Bethlehem to headline the first SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival on Feb. 1.

The Upright Citizens Brigade, which was co-founded by Poehler—who went on to star in Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation—is widely recognized as the best improv, sketch and standup troupe in the country.

Among the troupe’s other notable alumni are Aziz Ansari, Rob Corddry, Donald Glover, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Moynihan, Aubrey Plaza, Rob Riggle and Horatio Sanz. UCB has been named “Hot Farm Team” by Rolling Stone and “Best Comedy Club” by AOL, while the UCB Theatre in New York has won Time Out’s Best Comedy Theater Award.

In addition to performing, UCB will lead two advanced long-form comedy improvisational workshops to help aspiring comedians hone their skills.

For more information on the improv classes go to www.artsquest.org/comedy.

The SteelStacks improv festival, which will take place from 4 p.m.-2 a.m., will showcase a variety of short- and long-form improv groups during 10 hours of nonstop comedy.

In addition to the performance by the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company, the SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival will showcase talented and hilarious improv groups from throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region, with performance spots filled through a jurying process.

For more information on that, go to www.artsquest.org/comedy.

SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival tickets are $24 in advance and $29 day of festival; tickets for students and ArtsQuest Members are $20, while tickets for groups of 50 or more are $15 each. Tickets will go on sale to ArtsQuest Members at 10 a.m. Tuesday and the public at 10 a.m. Friday, at www.artsquest.org/comedy and 610-332-3378.