BATS Improv: SF's Longest-Running Improv Comedy Theatre
Bayfront Theater (Marina Blvd At Buchanan St San Francisco, CA 94123)
* Additional fees apply.
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Goldstar Member Tips
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coolkiddtm on Other
Come ready to be loud, participate, and HAVE FUN!
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coolkiddtm on What to Wear
Casual... nothing fancy!
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ratevka on What to Wear
Casual is good
141 Goldstar Member Reviews
James
I usually love BATS, and have enjoyed their quick, clever, entertaining work many times. But this was uncharacteristically DULL. Some of their best performers were there, but we (including the actors) spent most of the time listening to two audience members being interviewed. Once in a while the actors would play out a small clip of the interviewee's life story. BORING. This only happened when the director told them to do so - the actors had no room for spontaneity. "Directed improv," they called it? BORING.Written on Aug 08 2011
OK, you get the picture. GREAT company, but choose the evening carefully. But the description of this was compelling, so I suppose it is best to stick with actual competitions, their strongest suit.
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James
Have seen much better work by BATS, and the competing team (Stanford students) were better by just a tiny bit. Best part was the enthusiastic audience which included many students supporting the Stanford team. Overall a fun evening but certainly not the quickest, most clever improv.Written on Apr 23 2012
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Goldstar Member
Hysterically funny! Will definitely go again, and again.Written on Jan 30 2012
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Wow... first time I have gone and it was sold out. I have attended about 5 performances here... seems I always go on Spontaneous Broadway night. The cast is talented and the night moves along quickly. Parking is easy in the nearby waterfront lot (free!).Written on Jan 16 2012
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More Information About BATS Improv Comedy
Website
http://www.improv.org/Home.aspx
Quotes & Highlights
- The 2010 San Francisco Frommer's Guide gave BATS Improv the ranking of Highly Recommended
- San Francisco Chronicle BayList Winner: Best Theater Company 2009
- SF Weekly Winner: Best Comedy Group 2008
- San Francisco Guardian Winner: Best First Date Spot and Best Theater Company 2007
Description
Refreshments are available for purchase at the BATS cafe, which opens at door time.
Fridays in April: Theatresports
Theatresports is BATS Improv's signature format. The audience is involved throughout the show, shouting suggestions and audience volunteers are invited to participate in one of the rounds. At the end of the evening, the team with the most points wins! April features the semifinals and finals of the Theatresports tournament, as well as a special match between BATS and Stanford.
Saturdays in April: Improvised Hitchcock
BATS Improv presents spine-chilling suspense and deadly games of cat and mouse inspired by the Master of Suspense. BATS Improv's Improvised Hitchcock show features an innocent victim chased across famous landmarks and exotic locations, pursued by police, spies and impostors in a show filled with danger and romance.
Fridays in May: Director's Cut
BATS Improv presents one of the wildest and most unpredictable improv competitions ever. This format includes directors battling it out to guide their actors toward realizing a unique theatrical vision. Each director creates and sets the tone for the improvisers' scene, the end of which is voted by the audience as either a hit or a flop. The director with the most hits by the end of the night will win the coveted Director's Cup. But there's a catch - each director gets a total of only 13 minutes total to tell their stories—regardless of how many turns they take.
Saturdays in May: Improvised Murder Mystery
BATS Improv, the Bay Area’s favorite improvisational theatre company, brings back one of its most popular improvised formats, the murder mystery, in which the audience is asked to shout out details—relationships, unconventional weapons, locations, and more—that result in a one-night-only performance of a completely original work.
You are cordially invited to solve the murder at the English Manor. Follow along as the detective uncovers the secrets, clues, and motives of suspicious guests. And no one—not even the actors—knows whodunit or why until the end of this funny, thrilling, and completely improvised tale of murder.
Fridays in June: The Harold
BATS Improv, the Bay Area’s favorite improvisational theatre company, presents a night of improvisational fun: The Harold, a format where improvisers present a series of interlocking scenes based on a single word suggested by the audience. The Harold is often called the "granddaddy of all long-form improv formats," and it began right here in San Francisco. When improv legend Del Close left Chicago's Second City in 1965, he came to San Francisco to play with the Merry Pranksters and the Grateful Dead. He also helped create an improv company called The Committee, where he began his revolutionary work on The Harold.
Saturdays in June: Improvised Film Noir
Each night, a one-of-a-kind dark mystery unfolds before your eyes. Expect your classic film noir characters: the detective, the femme fatale, cops, and criminals. But the plot of each show is completely improvised and inspired by audience suggestions. So anything can happen...and usually does.
About the Ticket Supplier: BATS Improv
BATS Improv has entertained Bay Area audiences since 1986. Their unique style of acting-based improvisational theatre has made them the Bay Area's largest improv theater company and school and is a benchmark for improv all over the world.