SAK Comedy Lab (SAK) is a 250-seat

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 ...

(Improv) theater in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

. SAK's most notable alumnus is actor

Wayne Brady Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American television personality, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host of ...

, who has played as a guest player in several SAK shows since finding fame as a performer on

Whose Line Is It Anyway? ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...

Let's Make A Deal ''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...

Chappelle's Show ''Chappelle's Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show and starring in the majority of its sketches. Chappelle, Brennan, and Michele Armour were th ...

, and other projects. SAK's regular performers are referred to as the SAK Ensemble. SAK runs an improv training

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

, SAK University (SAK U), which features four levels of core classes and two advanced Conservatory classes

Shows

SAK's main show is the ''Duel of Fools.'' This show features two

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...

s of three improvisers, one host/

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

, and a piano player to add music. SAK will often feature a different ten p.m. show that offers a format other than the standard ''Duel of Fools''. While ''Duel of Fools'' runs continuously, the club also rotates other temporary shows through its repertoire. These have included the 2007 ''Rub a Dub Dub'', a show in which players dub their lines over health films and

silent movies A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

. ''The Lost Comedies of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

'', directed by David Charles in 2006, was a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

of Shakespeare's work, in which the performers synthesized a five-act play from audience suggestions. The show received positive reviews from the

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

. The players created a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

-style musical in ''Fourplay: The Improvised Musical'', which ran during the summer of 2006. Also in 2006 were ''You Bet Your Asterisk'', an improv

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

, and ''SAK Request Live''. Seasonal shows at SAK include variations on ''Duel of Fools'', such as ''Love for Fools'' (

Valentines Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

), ''Yule of Fools'' (

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

), ''Midnight

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

Torture Show'', and ''

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

SAK Style''. Other continuous programs include ''Lab Rats'', a show for invited graduates of SAK's improv training school, and ''Generation S'' (Gen S), a showcase of the best of ''Lab Rats'' and special invitees who are being trained to join the ensemble. The most recent showcase of SAK is "The Thursday Show" show which takes classic improv formats but draws the cast from talent in their development program, consisting of top students from "SAK University". Together with a couple of invited professional performers, this new crew will create comedy on the spot based on audience suggestions.

Company History

SAK Theatre began in

Buffalo, Minnesota Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Wright County. It is within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, located about 42 miles northwest of Minneapolis on Buffalo Lake. The population of Buffalo was ...

when a troupe of four individuals with a background in evangelical street theater began performing at the

Minnesota Renaissance Festival The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair, an interactive outdoor event which focuses on recreating the look and feel of a fictional 16th Century "England-like" fantasy kingdom. It operates during seven consecutive weekends, from mi ...

in 1977. After a few years, opportunities arose for SAK to perform at multiple festivals simultaneously. The original troupe trained additional performers, and SAK grew from four members to twelve. In 1982, while performing at a festival in

Largo, Florida Largo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, as well as the fourth largest in the Tampa Bay area. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 82,500, up from 69,371 in 2000. Largo was first incorporated in 1 ...

, entertainment scouts from the

Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

came looking for entertainment acts to populate the World Showcase at the newly opening

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

Center. SAK Theatre Company was now an official corporation and moved its base of operations to Florida. For seven years, SAK produced, performed, and managed live audience participatory comedy shows for

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

in the

United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot The United Kingdom Pavilion is a British-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States. The pavilion represents the four countries of the United Kingdom; England, S ...

and Italy Pavilion at Epcot, as well as other shows performed in and around the parks. SAK also continued to appear at festivals, expos, and fairs worldwide well into the 1990s, employing over 30 full-time performers, production, and office staff. In 1991 after the Disney contract ended, SAK Theatre Company opened the SAK Comedy Lab on Church Street in downtown Orlando. This first venue was a 99-seat theater dedicated to performing original comedy plays (many developed through improvisation) and improv shows. At this time, the SAK improv comedy competition, the “Duel of Fools," had started. Every Friday and Saturday night for the past 23 years, two teams of improvisers have battled against each other to see who could make up the funniest scenes, sketches, and songs based on audience suggestions. It currently serves over 30,000 patrons a year, as well as Central Florida organizations such as the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, Florida Hospital, and

Darden Restaurants Darden Restaurants, Inc. is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Orlando. As of January 2022, the firm owns two fine dining restaurant chains: Eddie V's and The Capital Grille; and six casual dining restaurant chains: O ...

with its team training and corporate comedy shows.

Location

The original SAK Theater was located on Church Street in downtown Orlando. The company quickly outgrew the space and moved to its second location at 380 W. Amelia Ave, which led to parking difficulties during events at the

Amway Arena Amway Arena (originally known as Orlando Arena and later TD Waterhouse Centre) was an indoor arena located in Orlando, Florida. It was part of the Orlando Centroplex, a sports and entertainment complex located in Downtown Orlando. The arena wa ...

. SAK moved to its current location, 29 S. Orange Ave., in early 2010.

Notable SAK Alumni

Many of SAK's former ensemble members moved on to careers in acting, film, and other performance roles. These include:The Extended SAK Family – Where Are They Now?
*

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...

Karey Kirkpatrick Karey Kirkpatrick is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. His films include Chicken Run, ''The Rescuers Down Under'', ''James and the Giant Peach,'' ''Over the Hedge'', ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'', '' Charlotte's Web'', and ...

Jonathan Mangum Jonathan Mangum (born January 16, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of the variety show ''The Wayne Brady Show'' and is the announcer for the game show ''Let's Make a Deal''. Early life Mangum was born in Charleston, ...

Paula Pell Paula Pell (born April 15, 1963) is an American comedy writer, producer, and actress, best known for her work writing for the sketch series ''Saturday Night Live,'' being recognized with a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety ...

Moira Quirk Moira Shannon Quirk (born October 30, 1968 in Rutland, England) is an English actress and comedian. As an audiobook narrator, she has won four Audie Awards. Personal life and education Quirk was born on October 30, 1968 in Rutland, England ...

Aaron Shure Aaron Shure is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is known for his work on several comedy series, including ''The Office'', ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', ''Lucky Louie'', '' George and Leo'', ''and The New Adventures of Old ...

Paul C. Vogt Paul Calvin Vogt (born December 16, 1964) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on the sketch comedy programs ''Mad TV'', ''The Big Gay Sketch Show'', and ''The Rerun Show''. Life and career Paul C. Vogt was ...

References

External links

{{authority control Drama schools in the United States Improvisational theatre Tourist attractions in Orlando, Florida Theatre in Florida 1977 establishments in Minnesota