Laughing Matters is the longest-running

improvisational comedy Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...

troupe in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, USA. Formed in 1985,Comedy Free-for-All
by Tray Butler for

Creative Loafing Creative Loafing is an Atlanta-based publisher of a monthly arts and culture newspaper/magazine. The company publishes a 60,000 circulation monthly publication which is distributed to in-town locations and neighborhoods on the first Thursday of ...

, February 10, 2001. Retrieved March 25, 2007. the troupe has since branched out and now provides a wide variety of audience interactive entertainment, including murder mysteries, team building, and children’s performances.Young Audiences 2006 – 2007 Programming

Woodruff Arts Center Woodruff Arts Center is a visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta, Georgia. The center houses three not-for-profit arts divisions on one campus. Opened in 1968, the Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, the Atlan ...

. Retrieved March 26, 2007. Laughing Matters performs both public and private shows at venues that include the

Alliance Theatre The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia, based at the Alliance Theatre, part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, and is the winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal T ...

Dave & Busters Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas. Each Dave & Buster's has a full-service restaurant and a video arcade. As of October 2022, the company has 151 locations in the United States and two ...

, and the Fox Theatre. They perform improv comedy monthly at a public show at Manuel's Tavern (founded by prominent Atlanta politician Manuel Maloof). Colleges where Laughing Matters have performed include

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

, and the University of Georgia. Corporate clients include the 1996 Paralympic Organization Committee, BusinessWeek, Coca-Cola, IBM, and the

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to comba ...

. For several years, members of Laughing Matters have portrayed clients and witnesses for the

National Criminal Defense College National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in a program designed to sharpen the skills of defense lawyers. The National Criminal Defense College is held in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

adjacent to

Mercer Law School Mercer University School of Law (historically Walter F. George School of Law) is the professional law school of Mercer University. Founded in 1873, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States; the first law school accredited by the ...

.Trial Practice Institute
National Criminal Defense College. Retrieved March 26, 2007.

Notable current and former performers

* Gary Anthony WilliamsEx-Fayetteville resident goes Legal
by Rodney Ho for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 16, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2007. plays a recurring character on the television series ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, t ...

'' and has numerous TV and film credits. * Nick JamesonAbout Us
from Laughing Matters website. Retrieved March 25, 2007. has appeared in numerous video games and animated series. *

Brian Sack Brian Sack (born 1968) is an American writer and actor. From 2011–2014 he was the host of '' The B.S. of A. with Brian Sack'', a sketch comedy show on TheBlaze television network. He is the author of three books. ''In the Event of My Untimel ...

is a correspondent on CNN Headline's

Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...

program. *

Mike Schatz Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

Creative Director's Hobby is no Laughing Matter
by Erin Moriarty for the

Atlanta Business Chronicle The ''Atlanta Business Chronicle'' is a weekly newspaper covering business news in Atlanta, Georgia, published by American City Business Journals. The paper has both a weekly print edition and an online edition. History The ''Atlanta Business ...

, September 29, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2007. voices the character of Emory on the animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

References

External links

Laughing Matters official website

{{authority control American comedy troupes Improvisational troupes Performing groups established in 1985 1985 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)